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How to Comply With the SEC's Cyber Security Guidance
By Estani Laredo | Tuesday, July 14th, 2015
Last week, we partnered up with law firm Sadis & Goldberg to host a webinar where we discussed the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Division of Investment Management's latest cybersecurity guidance recommendations and offered firms clear direction on satisfying these new requirements from both a legal and technology perspective. Featured speakers included John Araneo, counsel, and Lance Friedler, partner, at Sadis & Goldberg, as well as Eze Castle Integration's Managing Director Vinod Paul.
Cyber Threats Across the Industry
The cyber threat landscape is changing rapidly, and our speakers shared examples of how developed hackers are targeting all industries, not only financial services. Araneo gave two examples of data breaches from two companies that were recently penalized by the SEC for failure to meet requirements. The first example was from a firm that failed to use strong passwords and allowed access to systems after long periods of computer inactivity, resulting in a penalty and mandatory independent security consulting for two years. The second firm failed to enforce the use of anti-virus software, leading to an unauthorized trade from a customer's account and resulting in fines totaling over $100,000.
Beyond mismanagement of internal cyber controls, phishing and ransomware are other targeted approaches our speakers noted they are seeing across the industry, as hackers are targeting executives by sending fake emails to try to phish sensitive information or attaching files that could infect entire systems. In the case of ransomware, if a user opens an email that is infected, it will lock down files and the only way to recover the files is to buy a key from the hacker. As the sophistication of cyber hackers increases, firms are expected to shore up securities and employ best practices to protect sensitive company information – a goal the SEC is targeting with their most recent cybersecurity guidance recommendations.
SEC Cybersecurity Guidance: How to comply
The SEC's IM division released a guidance update in April 2015 and expressly stated that cybersecurity risks represent an "important issue" that they will continue to focus on. At this point, the SEC hasn't formally enacted any of its recommendations into legislation, however, Araneo pointed out there could be danger in neglecting and mishandling cybersecurity preparedness. For example, if deficiencies are found among infrastructure, planning or policies, this could lead firms to face civil liability lawsuits depending on contract specifics in place. The SEC's IM Division released recommendations for a three-step approach that should be integrated into every business' cyber security program:
Periodic Assessments – Evaluating your firm's confidential information, infrastructure vulnerabilities and governance structure.
Design Strategy – Creating a plan that prevents, detects, and allows firms to response to any security-related vulnerabilities.
Implementation – Developing policies and procedures, training employees and creating accountability within the organization.
Let's dive into these areas a little deeper.
Periodic Assessments
The SEC guidance encourages firms to regularly assess all aspects of their operations that relate to technology and security and conduct periodic assessments across five key areas.
Identify Confidential Info: What is it? Where is it located? This should also include external information that is provided to third-party service providers.
Threat Landscape: Firms should have a clear understanding of the threat landscape and should conduct a technical policy assessment to look for areas for improvement across systems and procedures.
Security Controls: What procedures are currently in place at your firm? Is there an access control policy employed to limit the number of employees with access to certain networks or files?
Security Impact: This part is about the impact that a security breach could have on your business, systems, and information. Firms should conduct a Business Operations Assessment and prioritize systems that are mission-critical.
Governance Structure: Who is responsible for managing security risks? Does your firm have a Chief Information Security Officer or Incident Response Team?
The SEC also identified five key focus areas for firm to implement strategy approaches.
Security layers: Firms should have multiple layers of security across the firm's networks and policies to ensure proper defense against cyber threats. Employing the Principle of Defense in Depth will put investment firms in a position to ward off security threats and limit the effects of a breach.
Encryption: Firms should consider where and when encryption needs to be used. For example: does your firm require encryption on mobile devices that have access to sensitive information?
Data backup & retrieval: You should have details on what software and infrastructure you use to back up your files, how often back ups are performed and where they are stored. This information should be included in your disaster recovery plan and business continuity plan as well.
Removable storage media: Does your firm have a policy regarding USB and thumb drives, for example? Have you implemented USB lockdown to prevent employees from copying or removing certain information?
Incident response planning: Firms needs to develop and maintain guidelines to respond to a security incident. This plan should outline who is responsible for managing the response process and how the firm is going to go about restoring normal operations.
Part 3: Implementation of Policies and Procedures
The third and final section outlined within the SEC's cybersecurity update includes recommendations on written information security plans and employee awareness and training.
Written Information Security Plans (WISP)
While enacting and employing policies to mitigate security risk is essential, documenting those policies is equally as important. This also demonstrates to investors and clients that your firm takes cybersecurity preparedness seriously. When writing your WISP you want to look at your firm's administrative and technical safeguards and keep in mind that your WISP needs to be continuously audited to represent changes to your business and the changing cybersecurity landscape.
Employee Awareness & Training
Even with a WISP in place, you still need to train your employees on how to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risk to make your firm's policies effective. Employees can either be your firm's biggest weakness or your first line of defense, so it's imperative to keep them well informed and educated on the risks facing your firm and the industry as a whole. Firms should conduct annual security training to educate employees on risks impacting them and the threats prevalent in the industry, including phishing schemes, malware, etc.
A Few Final Thoughts
When integrating these measures into your firm you want to have it at an enterprise level (top –bottom).
You want to identify and assess all sensitive data - confidential, proprietary and otherwise. This includes both native data (investment strategy, data, employee information) and external data (investor information and third party data).
True cybersecurity preparedness means taking a look at the vulnerabilities of your systems and infrastructure. You want to craft policies and procedures around those vulnerabilities. This mean working closely with your IT department to ensure that all requirements are met.
You want to perform due diligence on third-party vendors. Inevitably, you are engaged with a variety of service providers, and it is important to know if their cyber security standards are a possible weakness.
You want to make sure you document all assessments and reviews that you perform on your cyber security program and third-party providers and audit those assessments periodically.
Lastly, the SEC intimated that failure to implement these protections may result in a violation of the federal securities law, including the Investment Adviser Act and the Investment Company Act. While nothing has been formally regulated at this point, it is likely that the SEC will take steps in the future – beyond exams – to ensure firms are taking cybersecurity preparedness seriously.
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Q: Group across two columns in Mongo Say in mongo I have a collection that looks like this:
+----+-----+-----+----------+
| id | x   | y   | quantity |
+----+-----+-----+----------+
| 1  | abc | jkl | 5        |
+----+-----+-----+----------+
| 2  | jkl | xyz | 10       |
+----+-----+-----+----------+
| 3  | xyz | abc | 20       |
+----+-----+-----+----------+

I want to do a $group where x equals y and sum up the quantity. So the output would look like:
+-----+-------+
| x   | total |
+-----+-------+
| abc | 25    |
+-----+-------+
| jkl | 15    |
+-----+-------+
| xyz | 30    |
+-----+-------+

Is this even possible to do in mongo?

A: You won't be performing a $group to retrieve the results. You're performing a $lookup. This feature is new in MongoDB 3.2.
Using the sample data you provided, the aggregation would be the following:
db.join.aggregate( [
 {
   "$lookup" : {
     "from" : "join",
     "localField" : "x",
     "foreignField" : "y",
     "as" : "matching_field"
   }
 },
 {
   "$unwind" : "$matching_field"
 },
 {
   "$project" : {
     "_id" : 0,
     "x" : 1,
     "total" : { "$sum" : [ "$quantity", "$matching_field.quantity"]}
   }
 }
])

The sample data set is pretty simple, so you'll need to test behavior when there are more than a simple result returned for a value, etc.
Edit:
It gets more complicated if there can be more than a single match between X and Y.
// Add document to return more than a single match for abc
db.join.insert( { "x" : "123", "y" : "abc", "quantity" : 100 })

// Had to add $group stage to consolidate matched results
db.join.aggregate( [
  {
    "$lookup" : {
      "from" : "join",
      "localField" : "x",
      "foreignField" : "y",
      "as" : "matching_field"
    }
  },
  {
    "$unwind" : "$matching_field"
  },
  { "$group" : {
    "_id" : { "x" : "$x", "quantity" : "$quantity" },
    "matched_quantities" : { "$sum" : "$matching_field.quantity" }
  }},
  {
    "$project" : {
      "x" : "$_id.x",
      "total" : { "$sum" : [ "$_id.quantity", "$matched_quantities" ]}
    }
  }
])

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Flex workspace: The next frontier for commercial real estate We've recently observed a significant shift in the flex-space...
Meyer Prinsloo
Flexible Offices
What's the Big Data idea?
Is India the next major player in smart cities?
14 May 2018, 10:22 |
Alice Cruickshank
Internet of Things Sensors Smart Cities Transport
According to a report by JLL released in 2017, India is one of the most dynamic markets for proptech within the Asia Pacific region. From 2013- 2017, 77 proptech deals were made in the country, with a value of $928m.
Now the Indian government is keen to build on its proptech reputation, with its ambitious Smart Cities Mission. This countrywide plan to bring India's cities thoroughly into the 21st century is attracting attention from some of the biggest global technology players.
Whilst for cities in Europe and America embracing smart city technology means creating an integrated network of IoT and Big Data projects, designed to make urban living operate seamlessly, in India the term smart city means improving the basic standards of living, from taming the country's treacherous roads to tackling sanitation and energy issues.
India's Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal programme to develop 100 cities that are innovative, sustainable, and citizen-friendly. Announced by the government in 2015, the technology strategy is being implemented to combat India's urban residential problems, from pollution to hazardous traffic conditions. Funding is available for the selected cities until 2022, with a total bill of $7.3bn expected for the works.
So far progress has been slow. Of the 2,864 projects that were identified by the 100 cities, only 148 had been completed by January 2018.
Image: Cisco
A global proptech solution for India's cities
The Indian Smart Cities Mission is gaining the attention of technology giants from around the world, including Cisco, IBM and Siemens.
Hungarian company Graphisoft, which specialises in visualisation of projects beyond 3D, is working with the city of Varanasi to provide a '7D' visualisation of smart city developments. As well as width, height and depth, time, cost, environmental impact and facility management will make up the seven dimensions.
Cisco has announced that 10 cities in India, including Jaipur and Bangalore, will be using its cloud-based Cisco Kinetic for Cities platform for smart traffic management systems.
American company Honeywell is working with the Indian government to provide 10,000 CCTV cameras across cities including Bhubaneswar and Rajkot to be used for traffic and crowd management, and to improve city security.
Marrying old and new
While the Indian government is eager to adopt modern innovation, retaining the country's rich heritage is of paramount importance. The historic walled city of Jaipur is the capital of the Rajasthan province, and is part of the 'Golden Triangle Tourism Circuit' in India. Fifty locations are to have QR codes for tourists to glean more information. What's more, all hanging electricity wires are to be reinstalled underground to enhance the beauty of the city.
The development of smart roads offering an intelligent management of traffic lights, an environmental monitoring system, the provision of wifi, air and water quality monitoring, assured electricity supply, and a mobile app to enable residents to report street maintenance problems are also in the pipeline for Jaipur.
Image: Jaipur Smart City
The future of smart cities in India
There is scope for the subcontinent to become a leader in certain proptech innovations. Samsung's research and development centre in Bangalore is at the forefront of the company's work to develop 5G connectivity. The site also focuses on virtual reality and artificial intelligence. As we become more reliant on IoT technology, India's booming digital industry will put the country firmly on the global smart cities map.
PROFILE | Housebuilding platform takes aim at supply crisis
13 Jan 2021, 11:21 |
Karl Tomusk
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Leesman: 4 crisis areas facing employers in lockdown
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Photo 01: These aircraft are believed to have been photographed after being withdrawn from the front line, either to be repaired or to be transferred. The Bf 109F belonged to III./JG3 but the 'Emil' parked alongside probably belonged to another unit.
Profile 00: Messerschmitt Bf 109F 'White 2' flown by Ofw. Hermann Neuhoff of 7./JG53 When units were ordered to restrict the yellow engine cowing to just the undersides, all manner of methods were employed. Some units completely covered the yellow with a dense camouflage finish matching as closely as possible the adjacent scheme, while others were content merely to tone down the yellow with a partial covering. On this machine, W.Nr. 6702, Green 70 or 71, or possibly Grey 74 has been used and the rudder has also been partly oversprayed leaving only the lower section yellow. The yellow fuselage band, upon which is a vertical III. Gruppe bar, is unusually wide and the canopy framing in believed to have been Green 70.
Photo 01: This particular Bf 109F-2 was flown by Fw. Hermann Neuhoff of 7./JG53 and was photographed at Lepel in early July 1941, at which time Neuhoff had 16 victories. Neuhoff went on to increase his score to 40 victories, 21 of which were achieved in Russia, but was shot down over Malta in April 1942 and was taken prisoner. By that time, Neuhoff was a pilot of some considerable experience; he was the leader of his Staffe!, he had been awarded the EK I, DK in Gold, and had over 400 operational flights to his credit. Two months after being shot down he received the Ritterkreuz.
Aircraft's original 74/75/76 scheme has been modified with a random pattern of mottles in 79, 02 and 70 in order to improve its camouflage against the seasonal colouring. An almost identical effect may be seen on this group of Bf 109Fs photographed in a hangar in Russia. Unfortunately, the unit is this case is not known, but 'White 3' in the centre of the picture has a row of white victory bars painted under the-Hakenkreuz on the fin, a position known to have been favored by JG53.
Photo 01: Rudder of Ofw. Stefan Litjens' Bf 109F-4, WNr.7173, 'White 5' of 4./JG53, marked with 22 victory bars and photographed at Lyuban on the day he was injured, 11 September 1941.
Photo's 01-02: Major Gunther von Maltzahn with several of his pilots. From the left, Major von Maltzahn; Hptm. Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke, Kommandeur of III./JG53; Oblt. Kurt Brundle, Staffelkapitan of 5./JG53; Hptm Heinz Bretnutz, Kommandeur of II./JG53; Ofw. Stefan Utjens of 4./JG53 and Oblt. Franz Gatz, Staffelkapitan of 9./JG53.All these pilots would eventually be awarded the Ritterkreuz and some the higher grades, e.g. von Maltzahn and Brundle received the Oak Leaves and Wilcke the Swords.
Photo 01: In the Autumn of 1941, Allied action from Malta was having an increasing effect on the German and Italian supply route to North Africa where the German situation was critical. Despite the decisive battles being fought in Russia, elements of Luftflotte 2 were moved to Italy and North Africa. By 28 November, advance elements of III./JG53 had reached Sicily with the rest of the Gruppe following soon afterwards. In this photograph, taken in early December 1941, Black 4 of 8./JG53 is seen in flight over the Alps during the transfer flight to Sicily. The Gruppe subsequently transferred to North Africa but returned to Sicily after only two weeks.
Photo 01: An early Bf 109F of III./JG52 running-up its engine prior to an early-morning sortie on the Russian Front. The aircraft has not been positively identified but from the yellow number just visible on the fuselage, is believed to be 'Yellow 12' of the 9. Staffel.
Photo's 01-02: On 1 November, aircraft from Luftflotte 2 carried out six escorted Jabo operations against London and Jafu 3 conducted fighter operations against Portsmouth. Lt. Erich Schmidt of 9./JG53 was escorting Jabos to England when RAF fighters attacked the fighter-bombers and in the combat which followed he claimed a Hurricane as his 16th victory. Here, Lt. Schmidt is seen describing the action. By the end of operations against England, Schmidt had 19 victories. Note the absence of a Hakenkreuz.
Photo 01: Lt Erich Schmidt of III./JG53 received the Ritterkreuz for 30 victories on 23 July J941. He is seen here (LEFT) standing on the wing of a Bf 109F-2.A short time later, on 31 August, by which time he had 47 victories, Schmidt was posted missing near Dubno.
Stefan 'Steff' Litjens was born on 13 October 1913 at Hasselt in Niederrhein. Following a pre-war fighter pilot's training, he was posted to JG53 in August 1937. At the outbreak of World War 2, Unteroffizier Litjens was serving with 4./JG53. On 16 October, Litjens was sent to Wiesbaden as a flight instructor to assist with the formation of II./JG53.
He remained at Wiesbaden until 4 November. Litjens recorded two victories during the French campaign. During the Battle of Britain, Litjens recorded four victories. Over the Eastern front, Litjens was to be particularly successful. He shot down five Russian fighters on 25 August 1941. On 11 September, Litjens shot down two Russian SB-2 twinengined bombers to record his 22nd and 23rd victories. Later that day, he engaged in aerial combat with Russian I-16 and I-18 fighters while escorting Ju 87 dive bombers in the Romanova area. During the dogfight, his Bf 109F-4 (W.Nr. 8408) was hit by return fire. He baled out of his stricken aircraft badly wounded landing in friendly territory. He was hospitalised at Riga but lost the sight from his right eye.
Oberfeldwebel Litjens returned to 4./JG53, now based in Sicily, in October 1942, despite his vision impairment. He flew missions over Malta before the unit was transferred to Tunisia. Here he claimed eight Allied aircraft shot down and flew many ground attack missions. Litjens was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 21 June 1943 for 32 victories. Following a lengthy period of leave, Litjens returned to 4./JG53 on 17 November 1943. The unit was now operating on Reichsverteidigung duties. On 22 February 1944, he shot down three USAAF B-17 four-engined bombers. He downed a further two B-17 bombers on 23 March. However, he was again shot down by return fire making an emergency landing in Bf109G-6 (W.Nr. 440 215) 'White 5+' near Gifhorn. He suffered an injury to his left eye which precluded any further combat duty. He remained with the unit until the end of the war and never stopped trying to have the decision to refrain him from combat overturned. Stefan Litjens died on 25 February 2002 aged 88.
'Steff' Litjens was credited with 38 victories in 444 missions. He recorded 17 victories over the Eastern front. Of his 21 Western front victories, five were four-engined bombers.
Remarks:A fighter pilot since 1937. His 1st victory, a Morane W of Saarbrücken on 7 April, 1940. A 2nd, a Curtiss Hawk-75A over Metz, 10 May, 1940. A 3rd, a Potez 63 on 8 June, 1940, no location. A 4th, a Spitfire N of Portland on 13 August, 1940. A 5th, a Spitfire at Tonbridge on 26 October, 1940. A 6th & 7th, two Spitfires on 11 November, 1940, no location. On 11 September, 1941 he lost his right eye after being shot down at Romanowa by an I-16 of the 191 IAP. Despite the handicap, he flew again in November 1942 at Malta, Tunisia, and home defense scoring another 14 victories. He scored a triple victory on 22 February, 1944, his 33rd, 34th & 35th; three B-17's while based at Vienna-Seyring. On 23 March, 1944, after downing two B-17's in 'White 5' near Braunschweig, he crashed injuring his left eye, ending his combat duties. 'White 5' seemed to be his favorite number as his E-3 in 1939 was also a 'White 5', Werk # 1244. 400 missions. 5 four engine bombers. 16 victories in the East. Photo Deceased 25 February, 2002.
27 4.12.1942 15:55 Spitfire 4./JG53 18km SW Mateur / Boston?
Gerhard Michalski was born on 25 June 1917 at Augsdorf in the Mansfeld region of Harz. Michalski was posted to JG53 in 1940. Leutnant Michalski was assigned to the Gruppenstab of 6./JG53. He gained his first victory on 31 March 1940, when he shot down a French Morane fighter over the French border. Michalski later participated in the Battle of Britain gaining eight victories. On 1 October 1940, he was appointed Adjutant of II./JG53. Operating over Russia, Michalski was to claim 13 further victories by the end of August 1941 to raise his victory total to 22. On 1 October 1941, Oberleutnant Michalski was appointed Staffelkapitän of 4./JG53 based at Leeuwarden in Holland. In late November, II./JG53 relocated to Sicily. Operating over Malta, Michalski was to become the most successful German fighter pilot in this area recording 26 victories. Michalski was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG53 on 1 June 1942. He also recorded his 30th victory the same day. Oberleutnant Michalski was awarded the Ritterkreuz for 41 victories on 4 September. On 15 October, Michalski was shot down in aerial combat with RAF Spitfire fighters off Marsaxxlokk Bay on his 500th combat mission. He baled out of his stricken BF 109 G-2 (W.Nr.10 484), landing in the sea. He was rescued by a Do 24 three-engine flying boat of the German air-sea rescue service. In October 1942, II./JG53 were relocated to Tunisia. By the beginning of May 1943, Michalski had recorded eight further victories, including his 50th victory, a Spitfire shot down over the harbour of Bone, on 1 January 1943. Following the fall of Tunisia, II./JG53 relocated to bases in Sicily in May 1943. On 18 June, Michalski was shot down near Donnafucata in Sicily in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 16 362) in aerial combat with Spitfires. He baled out wounded, landing in the sea, from where he was rescued by the German air-sea rescue service and taken to a hospital in Ragusa.
Michalski returned to JG53 in late August 1943. On 1 September, Major Michalski temporarily assumed command of JG53 when Kommodore, Oberst Günther von Maltzahn (68 victories, RK-EL) was forced into hospital with a severe bout of malaria. Von Maltzahn returned to the Geschwader on 28 September and Michalski returned to command II./JG53. In November 1943, II./JG53 was relocated yet again. Based in Austria the Gruppe operated on Reichsverteidigung duties. Michalski recorded his 60th victory on 2 November. On 24 April 1944, Michalski was appointed Kommodore of JGz.b.V based at Kassel in Germany. The unit was formed to control III./JG3, I./JG5, II./JG27, III./JG54 and II./JG53. On 1 May, he was shot down and wounded in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 440 232) in aerial combat. Following his recovery, Michalski was transferred to the Verbandsführerschule of the General de Jagdflieger on 20 May 1944. On 21 July, he was transferred to the Stabsstaffel of I./JG11. Michalski was appointed Kommodore of JG4 on 18 August 1944. Major Michalski was awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr. 667) on 25 November for 72 victories. He gained his 73rd, and last, victory on 8 March 1945 over the Eastern front. Michalski was involved in a motor vehicle accident on 22 February 1946. He died in hospital at Kaltenkirchen.
Gerhard Michalski was credited with 73 victories in 652 missions. He recorded 59 victories over the Western front, including 13 four-engine bombers and 29 Spitfire fighters.
- 2.3.1943 11:50 B-17 HSS II./JG53 5km SE Beja / not confirmed?
- 22.3.1943 14:10 P-38 II./JG53 9848/03 Ost / not confirmed?
Hermann Neuhoff was born on 11 April 1918 at Rheinhausen in Rheinland. He joined the Luftwaffe prior to World War 2 and trained as a fighter pilot. At the outbreak of World War 2, Neuhoff was serving with 3./JG53. On 3 October 1939, Unteroffizier Neuhoff was transferred to newly formed III./JG53 based at Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. He assigned to 7./JG53 under the command of Oberleutnant Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke (162 victories, RK-S, killed in action 23 March 1944).
He recorded his first victory on 2 March 1940 when he shot down a RAF Hurricane fighter southwest of Diedenhofen. He added a further four victories during the French campaign. He participated in the Battle of Britain gaining a further four victories. Operating over the Eastern front, Neuhoff gained considerable success. He recorded his 20th victory, a Russian DB-3 twin-engined bomber shot down on 4 August 1941 and his 30th, a Russian I-18 fighter shot down on 19 September. Neuhoff accompanied III./JG53 when it was relocated to the Mediterranean theatre in November 1941. Between 11 and 14 December, he claimed five RAF aircraft shot down in North Africa. Neuhoff then undertook a lengthy spell of instructing and attended an officer training course. In March 1942, Neuhoff returned to combat duty. III./JG53 was now based in Sicily operating over Malta. Leutnant Neuhoff claimed four RAF fighters shot down over and around the island operating with 7./JG53.
On 9 April, Neuhoff was appointed acting Staffelkapitän of 6./JG53, replacing Oberleutnant Helmut Belser (36 victories, RK, killed in a flying accident 19 June 1942) who had been transferred as Staffelkapitän of 8./JG53. On 10 April 1942, Neuhoff led his new Staffel over Malta in Bf 109F-4 (W.Nr. 7375) 'Yellow 1'. He led an attack on three RAF Spitfire fighters. During the subsequent combat Neuhoff was shot down. He baled out to become a prisoner of war. It is thought that Neuhoff had become the victim of Canadian ace Sgt Garth Horricks (8 destroyed, 0.333 probable and 6 damaged victories) of 185 Sqn, RAF.
However, returning pilots of JG53 reported that Neuhoff had been shot down by one of their own, Leutnant Werner Schöw (15 victories, killed in action 11 August 1942) of 1./JG53. Leutnant Neuhoff was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 19 June.
Remarks:British POW 10 April, 1942; returning pilots reported he was erroneously shot down with wounds at Lucqa in 'Yellow 1 + -' by Lt. Werner Schöw of 1/JG-53. Another source claims he may have been the victim of Canadian Ace, Sgt Garth Horricks of RAF No.185 Sq.. Battle of Britain pilot; served in Soviet Union, and in the Med.. Flew Bf 109F-2 Wk# 6702 in Russia. 452 missions, 21 of his victories in Russia. One known victory, his 1st, a Hurricane southeast of Diedenhofen, 2 March, 1940. His 2nd, a Morane at Sedan, 14 May, 1940. His 3rd, a Hawk-75A west of Laon, 18 May, 1940. His 4th, a Caudron S of Creil on 27 May, 1940. His 5th, a Hawk-75A west of Creil, 3 June, 1940. His 6th, a Hurricane at Poix on 5 June, 1940. His 7th, a Hawk-75 at Rethel-Attigny on 9 June, 1940. His 8th, a Bloch 151 at Reims-Epernay on 11 June, 1940. His 9th, a Blenheim 20 km NE of Etaples on 15 September, 1940. His 10th, a Spitfire at Ashford on 18 September, 1940. His first known Soviet victory, a DJ-6 SW of Rabrarija on 22 June, 1941. By the time he was sent to N. Africa (12/41), he already had 37 victories, the first, a Hurricane on 12 December, 1941. Survived the war. Deceased 17 January, 2006.
Hermann Neuhoff was credited with 40 victories in 452 missions.
He recorded 23 victories over the Eastern front.
Erich 'Schmidtchen' Schmidt was born on 17 November 1914 at Neuhaus am Rennweg in the Sonneberg region of Thuringen.Schmidt was posted to JG53 at the beginning of 1940. Leutnant Schmidt was assigned to 9./JG53. He recorded his first victory on 12 August 1940 when he claimed a RAF Spitfire fighter shot down over the Isle of Wight. By the end of the aerial offensive against England, Schmidt had accumulated 17 victories, including three Spitfires shot down on 15 September to record his fifth through seventh victories.Operating over the Eastern front, Schmidt was to be particularly successful. On the opening day of Operation Barbarossa, 22 June 1941, Schmidt shot down four Russian aircraft (18-21). He recorded his 30th victory on 4 July when he shot a Russian I-16 fighter. Leutnant Schmidt was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 23 July by Oberst Werner Molders (115 victories, RK-Br, killed in action 22 November 1941) for 30 victories.
Members of the ground crew paint victory bar number 44 on the rudder of Erich Schmidt`s 'Yellow 11'. Surash, 27 August 1941. On 26 July, Schmidt shot down five Russian DB-3 twin-engined bombers (32-36). He claimed his 40th victory, an I-16 fighter, on 7 August. On 31 August 1941, Schmidt's Bf 109F-2 (W.Nr. 12 633) 'Yellow 6' was hit by flak. He was seen to bale out of his stricken machine but has remained missing ever since.
'Schmidtchen' Schmidt was credited with 47 victories. He recorded 19 victories over the Western front.
Remarks:KIA 31 August, 1941; Shot down in 'Yellow 6' by AA fire in the Velikiye Luki area, near Dubno S.U. Last seen parachuting, missing ever since. His first victory was scored during the Battle of Britain, a Spitfire over the Isle of Wight, on 12 August, 1940, the first of 18 Battle of Britain victories. His 2nd, a Spitfire on 31 August, 1940, no location. His 3rd, a Spitfire over England on 5 September, 1940. His 4th, a Spitfire in the Calais area on 9 September, 1940. Nos.5, 6 & 7, all Spitfires S of London on 15 September, 1940. His 8th, a Spitfire near Ashford on 17 September, 1940. His 9th, a Spitfire near London on 27 September, 1940. His 10th, a Spitfire in the Dungeness/London area on 30 September, 1940. Nos.11 & 12, both Spitfires at Themsemündung on 2 October, 1940. His 15th, a Spitfire over the Thames on 10 October, 1940. On opening day of Operation Barbarossa, 22 June, 1941, he shot down four Soviet aircraft. On 4 July, 1941, he shot down his 30th victim, an I-16. On 26 July, 1941, he shot down five Soviet AC, mostly DB-3 bombers. 18 victories against England, 15 were Spitfires.


The Columbus Science Pub wants you!
If there's anyone living in the Columbus, OH, area who's interested in getting involved (or more involved) in science outreach and the Science Cafe movement, now's your chance. The Columbus Science Pub, which I started off back in September 2010 and which now boasts over 450 fans on Facebook, is looking for new leadership to take over when Dan (the current organizer) leaves Cowtown at the end of the summer.
Anyone interested should send a note to columbussciencepub@gmail.com.
For more information on the Columbus Science Pub, go to Columbus Science Pub's Facebook site or for information on the Science Cafe movement, check out http://www.sciencecafes.org/.


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The SportsCrew | One Trade That Every NBA Team Should Make (Part 2 of 3)
What Trade Should Your NBA Team Make?
NBA, Basketball, Trade Deadline
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D-Wade Tag-Team's With Old Mate: Every NBA Team Makes A Trade (Part 2 of 3)
28 Dec D-Wade Tag-Team's With Old Mate: Every NBA Team Makes A Trade (Part 2 of 3)
Posted at 12:30h in Basketball, Basketball News	by	Zak Sauer 0 Comments
Sending: Hassan Whiteside
Receiving: Jimmy Butler
Sending: Jimmy Butler
Receiving: Hassan Whiteside
Reasoning: Whiteside to the west-side? We saw Dwayne Wade leave Miami to come back home in Chicago after being unhappy about how much Pat Riley was willing to pay him after all he had done for the franchise. D-Wade really assisted in the growth of Whiteside's career, literally. They became one of the best pick-and-roll alley-oop combinations in the league. With Chris Bosh and his unfortunate halt to his career due to blood clots, Miami was left with very little talent and depth outside of Whiteside and Goran Dragic. It's clearly evident that Riley for the first time in over a decade is in a true rebuild. They sit third-to-last in the Eastern Conference, holding two more wins than Brooklyn, and three more than Philadelphia currently. On the other hand, it's abundantly clear that Butler is the face of the franchise in Chicago; nevertheless, rumors swirled during the offseason that Butler was involved in some trade discussions with other teams like Minnesota where he would reunite with head coach Tom Thibadeau. While either of these players being traded is slim-to-none, Butler is a player who could help Miami speed up their rebuild chipping in with his versatility on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, in Chicago they arguably already have offensive playmakers in guys like Rajon Rondo and obviously D-Wade. We knew that bringing in those aforementioned players combined with Butler would leave them with little outside shooting in their starting five. The Bulls do have some guys that can stroke it from behind the arc in McDermott and Mirotic, who would see extended playing time with Butler out of the mix. Furthermore, we would again be able to witness Wade and Whiteside dominate with their chemistry on alley-oop type plays, which pass-first PG Rajon Rondo getting in on the fun too. The Heat have been playing a combination of Dion Waiters, Wayne Ellington, Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder, Derrick Williams, Luke Babbitt, James Johnson, and Josh McRoberts at their SG/SF/PF positions so bringing Butler in would be a significant upgrade over all of those players, while being versatile enough to play at all of those positions.
Sending: Joakim Noah
Receiving: Buddy Hield
Sending: Buddy Hield
Receiving: Joakim Noah
Reasoning: Let's start with New Orleans first. We know that the Brow is among the top five players when he is on the court, but has obviously struggled with staying healthy in his short young career. Davis is a menace on the glass, and can do so from the PF or C position. He naturally is a power-forward but obviously is big enough to play center when needed, and unfortunately is more than they would like because of the options they have to play at the five. New Orleans has flip-flopped their starting center this season with Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca, both of whom offer virtually little-to-no offensive game whatsoever. Furthermore, the team ranks 28th in offensive rebounding this season. Here they would bring in a player who ranks 12th in the league in offensive rebounding at 3.04 per game. Not too long ago before dealing with injury problems himself, Noah was a player who finished fourth in MVP voting while playing for the Bulls in 2014. He averaged averaged 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists while winning Defensive Player of the Year honors. His assists average marked the highest for a center since Sam Lacey posted 5.7 in 1979-80. He joined Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlin, and David Robertson as the only centers in NBA history to post at least four points-rebounds-assists triple-doubles in one season. Although, he has not had a season playing at a sure-fire All-Star level since then, he would bring a much needed all-around game and toughness that the Pelicans currently lack. As far as the Knicks are concerned this would not leave a gapping hole in their roster as they have players like Kyle O'Quinn, Guillermo Hernangomez, and Marshall Plumlee who all are viable alternatives to fill the center position. Bringing in Buddy Hield would be a solid move as he does not need the ball in his hands to be effective, and starters Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, and Kristaps Porzingas dominant the majority of touches anyhow. Although, if the trade were to happen today, Hield would probably come off the bench behind Courtney Lee who brings defensive toughness to the starting-five. As Hield's game further develops at the NBA level, I could envision him surpassing Lee on the depth-chart and giving the Knicks a dynamic scorer from behind the arc that they lack outside of Carmelo and Kristaps.
Sending: Jonas Valanciunas
Receiving: Cody Zeller/Frank Kaminsky
Sending: Cody Zeller/Frank Kaminsky
Receiving: Jonas Valanciunas
Reasoning: The Raptors have arguably one of the best back-courts, if not the best PG/SG combo in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Unfortunately, outside of those two dynamic scorers they really do not have much help scoring the basketball. Valanciunas has been solid for Toronto, and over the last four seasons he has averaged just under a double-double with 12.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Toronto did bring in Jared Sullinger from Boston this offseason who has yet to play a game this season due to a foot issue, and has had trouble staying healthy throughout his young career. Bringing in Zeller and Kaminsky would bring some depth to Toronto's front-court, while maybe giving them an uptick in scoring amongst their big's especially with Kaminsky's repertoire. For Charlotte, bringing in Valanciunas would give them a consistent center and presence down low for guys who are often injured like Marvin Williams, Cody Zeller, and Roy Hibbert. Much like his role was in Toronto, he would be asked to be third-fiddle behind Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum in the scoring department. This trade would benefit both teams as Toronto would gain much needed depth in their front-court aside from injured Jared Sullinger, Patrick Patterson, and rookies Pascal Siakam/Jakob Poeltl. Charlotte gets themselves a player they can count on to be healthy for them, while bringing a veteran presence they lack in their front-court.
Sending: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Receiving: Ryan Anderson
Sending: Ryan Anderson
Receiving: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Reasoning: Even the most casual NBA fans know that the game is changing, much like many other sports have over the last few decades. As far as basketball is concerned, the era of having back-to-the-basket big men dominating the low-post have largely diminished. We have witnessed more and more PF/C enter the league equipped with guard-like ball handling skills and three point shooting, rather than moves that utilize their size in the low-post. Teams as a whole are shooting three-pointers much more frequently than we saw ten or twenty years ago. For instance, we have the Rockets involved in this trade, who had just broken the record for most three-pointers in a game with 24 last week. This was not the only record set during their 122-100 win over the Pelicans last week. They attempted a single-game record amount of three's (61), while also breaking the record for attempts from behind the arc in one half (31). The clock was winding down, and with 32.3 seconds left in the game Ryan Anderson hit their record breaking 24th three-pointer. In a juxtaposition of Houston's style of play jacking up a copious amount of trey's (39 3PTA 1st in NBA), the Pistons rank 29th in the league in three-point attempts (22). With Houston having a plethora of guys who can stroke it from three, they give up a guy in Anderson to receive some much needed help on defense. KCP has shown inconsistencies on offense throughout his young career, but what he brings to the table on a consistent basis is his tenacious defense. In the 2015-16 campaign, Caldwell-Pope worked his way onto 23 NBA All-Defensive Team ballots. He has become one of the league's premier wing-defenders, evident by his overall defensive plus-minus rating which sits at a positive +0.4, ranking him as the third best defensive shooting guard behind only Tony Allen and Danny Green. You could question how people regard the Rockets under new HC, Mike D'Antoni: A high-powered offense who attempts the most threes per game? Or a team known for playing little or no defense outside of Pat Beverly? In conclusion, Detroit would receive a guy in Anderson who can help boost one of the worst outside shooting teams in the league. On the other hand, Houston being a team much maligned for not playing any defense would retain one of the league's best wing defenders in KCP.
Sending: Deron Williams
Receiving: Greg Monroe
Sending: Greg Monroe
Receiving: Deron Williams
Reasoning: The Mavericks have been riddled by injury throughout the beginning of this season with players like Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bogut, J.J Barea, Deron Williams, and Devin Harris. Owner Mark Cuban has been trying to revamp his squad ever since their championship winning season in 2011 over Miami. He has continually failed to bring in any player to help spring Dallas out of mediocrity since their historic win over Miami's rendition of the "Big-Three." This offseason we saw many twists and turns with free agent movement from players like Kevin Durant and Dwayne Wade joining new teams. Nevertheless, these moves could not hold a candle to the debacle that was Cuban's push to sign DeAndre Jordan and failed miserably. They were able to bring in Andrew Bogut this offseason from the Warriors, who can be a very effective player when healthy. The problem is throughout his whole career he has struggled to maintain a clean bill of health over any long period of time. This pattern has continued on to this season, and the Mavericks have had to start guys like Salah Mejri and Dwight Powell at center for most of the season to this point. Although the team has suffered several injuries at the guard positions, it has not really hurt them too much as they have a bevy of talented ball-handlers in guys like Deron Williams, J.J Barea, Seth Curry, Devin Harris, and Wesley Matthews. This trade taps into their surplus of guards by sending veteran Deron Williams to the Bucks for much needed help in their depleted front-court and acquiring Greg Monroe. Monroe was drafted by the Pistons in 2010, and averaged near a double-double (14.4 points, 9.3 rebounds) for five years with the organization. Over the last two seasons in Milwaukee, Monroe has seen his playing time decrease and fell out of favor in the starting lineup for John Henson. He went from averaging 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in his first season as a Buck; whereas, this season his numbers have taken a significant dip (9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds) while coming off of the bench. Monroe could surpass the often injured Andrew Bogut as the starting center for the Mavericks, and I believe his numbers would bump back up to the near nightly double-double threat he posed in Detroit. For Milwaukee, they have this guy who stands near 7-foot nick-named the "Greek-Freak," that coach Jason Kidd deemed to be his point-guard coming into this season. With that being said, it did not stop the front-office from going out and signing a PG in Matthew Dellavedova. The Bucks are a very young team, and would benefit greatly from bringing in a veteran guy like Deron Williams. Even if they still had Giannis handle the ball the majority of the time, D-Will could offer some outside shooting that the Bucks lack especially with the injury to Khris Middleton. The move could be most beneficial when looking at late-game situations, having a facilitating play-maker in Williams who has more experience than possibly all of the guards combined (minus Jason Terry, but does he really count?). I am not insinuating that they should then put the ball in D-Will's hands in every important spot, rather having a mentor like Jason Kidd who can show these young guns how to close out games.
Alexis Ajinca, Andre Drummond, Andrew Bogut, Anthony Davis, Basketball, Buddy Hield, Carmelo Anthony, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cody Zeller, Courtney Lee, Dallas Mavericks, DeAndre Jordan, DeMar DeRozan, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Derrick Williams, Detroit Pistons, Devin Harris, Dirk Nowitzki, Doug McDermott, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Powell, Fantasy Basketball, Frank Kaminsky, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Goran Dragic, Greg Monroe, Guillermo Hernangomez, Hassan Whiteside, Houston Rockets, Jakob Poeltl, James Harden, James Johnson, Jared Sullinger, Jason Kidd, Jimmy Butler, JJ Barea, Joakim Noah, Jon Leuer, Jonas Valanciunas, Josh McRoberts, Josh Richardson, Kemba Walker, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kristaps Porzingas, Kyle Lowry, Kyle O'Quinn, Luke Babbitt, Marcus Morris, Mark Cuban, Marshall PLumlee, Marvin Williams, Matthew Dellavedova, Miami Heat, Mike D'Antoni, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, NBA 2016-17, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Nicolas Batum, Nikola Mirotic, Omer Asik, Pascal Siakam, Pat Riley, Patrick Patterson, Rajon Rondo, Robin Lopez, Rodney McGruder, Roy Hibbert, Ryan Anderson, Salah Mejri, Seth Curry, Taj Gibson, The Sports Crew, Tobias Harris, Tom Thibadeau, Toronto Raptors, Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington, Wesley Matthews
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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 9, 2012)]
Rural Housing Service
Notice of Funds Availability for the Section 533 Housing
Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year 2012
SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service (RHS), an Agency within Rural
Development, announces that it is soliciting competitive applications
under its Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) program. The HPG program is
a grant program which provides qualified public agencies, private non-
profit organizations, which may include, but not be limited to, faith-
based and community organizations, and other eligible entities grant
funds to assist very low- and low-income homeowners in repairing and
rehabilitating their homes in rural areas. In addition, the HPG program
assists rental property owners and cooperative housing complexes in
repairing and rehabilitating their units if they agree to make such
units available to low- and very low-income persons. This action is
taken to comply with RHS regulations which require RHS to announce the
opening and closing dates for receipt of preapplications for HPG funds
from eligible applicants. The intended effect of this Notice is to
provide eligible organizations notice of these dates.
DATES: If submitting a paper pre-application, the closing deadline for
receipt of all applications in response to this Notice is 5 p.m., local
time for each Rural Development State Office on June 25, 2012. If
submitting the pre-application in electronic format, the deadline for
receipt is 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on [same date as paper
application]. The pre-application closing deadline is firm as to date
and hour. RHS will not consider any pre-application that is received
after the closing deadline. Applicants intending to mail pre-
applications must provide sufficient time to permit delivery on or
before the closing deadline date and time. Acceptance by the United
States Postal Service or private mailer does not constitute delivery.
Facsimile (FAX) and postage due applications will not be accepted.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The reporting requirements contained in this Notice have been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget under Control Number
Funding Opportunity Title: Notice of Funds Availability for the
Section 533 Housing Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year 2012.
Announcement Type: Initial Notice inviting pre-applications from
qualified applicants for Fiscal Year 2012.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers (CFDA): 10.433.
Dates: If submitting a paper pre-application, the closing deadline
for receipt of all applications in response to this Notice is 5 p.m.,
local time for each Rural Development State Office on June 25, 2012. If
application]. The pre-application
closing deadline is firm as to date and hour. RHS will not consider any
pre-application that is received after the closing deadline. Applicants
intending to mail pre-applications must provide sufficient time to
permit delivery on or before the closing deadline date and time.
Acceptance by the United States Postal Service or private mailer does
not constitute delivery. Facsimile (FAX) and postage due applications
will not be accepted.
I. Funding Opportunities Description
The funding instrument for the HPG Program will be a grant
agreement. The term of the grant can vary from 1 to 2 years, depending
on available funds and demand. No maximum or minimum grant levels have
been established at the National level. You should contact the Rural
Development State Office to determine the state allocation.
II. Award Information
For Fiscal Year 2012, $4,167,178.87 is available for the HPG
Program. The total includes $472,932.27 in carryover funds from
previous appropriations. A set-aside of $600,000.00 has been
established for grants located in Rural Economic Area Partnership
Zones. Rural Economic Area Partnership Zones and other funds will be
distributed under a formula allocation to states pursuant to 7 CFR part
1940 Subpart L, ``Methodology and Formulas for Allocation of Loan and
Grant Program Funds.'' Decisions on funding will be based on pre-
III. Eligibility Information
7 CFR part 1944, subpart N provides details on what information
must be contained in the pre-application package. Entities wishing to
apply for assistance should contact the Rural Development State Office
to receive further information, the State allocation of funds, and
copies of the pre-application package. Eligible entities for these
competitively awarded grants include state and local governments, non-
profit corporations, which may include, but not be limited to faith-
based and community organizations, Federally recognized Indian tribes,
and consortia of eligible entities.
Federally recognized Indian tribes, pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.674, are
exempt from the requirement to consult with local leaders including
announcing the availability of its statement of activities for review
in a newspaper.
As part of the application, all applicants must also provide a Dun
and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and
maintain registration in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR)
database in accordance with 2 CFR part 25. As required by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), all grant applicants must provide a DUNS
number when applying for Federal grants, on or after October 1, 2003.
Organizations can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the
dedicated toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or by
accessing http://www.dnb.com/us/ us/. Additional information concerning
this requirement is provided in a policy directive issued by OMB and
published in the Federal Register on June 27, 2003 (68 FR 38402-38405).
Similarly, applicants may register for the CCR at https://www.uscontractorregistration.com/or by calling 1-877-252-2700.
The Department of Agriculture is participating as a partner in the
Government-wide Grants.gov site. Electronic applications must be
submitted through the grants.gov web site at: http://www.grants.gov,
following the instructions found on the web site. Please be mindful
that the application deadline for electronic format differs from the
deadline for paper format. The electronic format deadline will be based
on Eastern Standard Time. The paper format deadline is local time for
each Rural Development State Office.
In addition to the electronic application at the http://www.grants.gov web site, all applicants must complete and submit the
Fiscal Year 2012 pre-application for Section 533 HPG, a copy of which
is included with this Notice. Applicants are encouraged to submit this
pre-application form electronically by accessing the Web site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/HAD-HPG_Grants.html and clicking on the link for
``Fiscal Year 2012 Pre-application for Section 533 Housing Preservation
Grants (HPG)''.
Applicants are encouraged but not required, to also provide an
electronic copy of all hard copy forms and documents submitted in the
pre-application/application package as requested by this Notice. The
forms and documents must be submitted as read-only PDF Adobe Acrobat
files on an electronic media such as CDs, DVDs or USB drives. For each
electronic device that you submit, you must include a Table of Contents
of all documents and forms on that device. The electronic medium must
be submitted to the local State Office.
Please Note: If you receive a loan or grant award under this
Notice, USDA reserves the right to post all information submitted as
part of the pre-application/application package which is not
protected under the Privacy Act on a public Web site with free and
open access to any member of the public.
IV. Application and Submission Information
All pre-applications must meet the requirements of 7 CFR part 1944,
subpart N, as well as comply with the provisions of this Notice. Pre-
applications can be submitted either electronically using the Section
533 pre-application form as found at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/HAD-HPG_Grants.html or by hard copy to the appropriate Rural Development
State Office where the project will be located. A hard-copy of the
electronic pre-application form is included with this Notice. Note:
Submission of the electronic Section 533 pre-application form does not
constitute submission of the entire pre-application package which
requires additional forms and supporting documentation as listed in
Section V of this Notice. Although applicants are encouraged to submit
the pre-application form electronically, the complete package in its
entirety must still be submitted to the local State Office.
Hard copy pre-applications that are submitted to a USDA Rural
Development State Office will be date and time stamped to evidence
timely or untimely receipt, and upon request, Rural Development will
provide the applicant with a written acknowledgement of receipt. A list
of State Office contacts may be found in the Section VIII, Agency
Contacts, of this Notice. Incomplete pre-applications will be returned
to the applicant. No pre-application will be accepted after 5 p.m.,
local time, for paper copies or 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time for
electronic applications on the application deadline previously
mentioned unless that date and time is extended by a Notice published
in the Federal Register.
Please note that all applicants must obtain DUNS number and
register in the CCR prior to submitting a pre-application pursuant to 2
CFR 25.200(b). In addition, an entity applicant must maintain
registration of the CCR database at all times during which it has an
active Federal award or an application or plan of construction by the
Agency. Similarly all recipients of Federal Financial assistance are
required to report information about first-tier subawards and executive
compensation in accordance with 2 CFR part 170. So long as an entity
applicant does not have exception under 2 CFR Section 170.110(b), the
applicant must have necessary processes and systems in place to comply
with the reporting
requirements should the applicant receive funding. See 2 CFR Section
170.200(b).
V. Application Review Information
Applicants wishing to apply for assistance must make their
statement of activities available to the public for comment. The
applicant(s) must announce the availability of its statement of
activities for review in a newspaper of general circulation in the
project area and allow at least 15 days for public comment. The start
of this 15-day period must occur no later than 16 days prior to the
last day for acceptance of pre-applications by USDA Rural Development.
All applications for Section 533 funds must be filed electronically
or with the appropriate Rural Development State Office and must meet
the requirements of this Notice and 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N. Pre-
applications determined not eligible and/or not meeting the selection
criteria will be notified by the Rural Development State Office. All
adverse determinations are appealable pursuant to 7 CFR part 11.
Instructions on the appeal process will be provided at the time the
applicant is notified of the adverse decision.
If submitting a paper application, applicants will file an original
and two copies of Standard Form (SF) 424, ``Application for Federal
Assistance,'' and supporting information with the appropriate Rural
Development State Office. A pre-application package, including SF-424,
is available in any Rural Development State Office. In addition, the
pre-application form included with this Notice must be submitted either
electronically or in hard copy form with all supporting documentation.
All pre-applications shall be accompanied by the following
information which Rural Development will use to determine the
applicant's eligibility to undertake the HPG program and to evaluate
the pre-application under the project selection criteria of 7 CFR
1944.679. References to private non-profit organizations include, but
are not limited to faith and community-based organizations:
(a) A statement of activities proposed by the applicant for its HPG
program as appropriate to the type of assistance the applicant is
proposing, including:
(1) A complete discussion of the type of and conditions for
financial assistance for housing preservation, including whether the
request for assistance is for a homeowner assistance program, a rental
property assistance program, or a cooperative assistance program;
(2) The process for selecting recipients for HPG assistance,
determining housing preservation needs of the dwelling, performing the
necessary work, and monitoring/inspecting work performed;
(3) A description of the process for identifying potential
environmental impacts in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.672, and the
provisions for compliance with Stipulation I, A-G of the Programmatic
Memorandum of Agreement, also known as PMOA, (RD Instruction 2000-FF,
available in any Rural Development State Office or at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/2000ff.pdf) in accordance with 7
CFR 1944.673(b);
(4) The development standard(s) the applicant will use for the
housing preservation work; and, if the applicant will use the Rural
Development standards for existing dwellings, the evidence of its
acceptance by the jurisdiction where the grant will be implemented;
(5) The time schedule for completing the program;
(6) The staffing required to complete the program;
(7) The estimated number of very low- and low-income minority and
nonminority persons the grantee will assist with HPG funds; and, if a
rental property or cooperative assistance program, the number of units
and the term of restrictive covenants on their use for very low- and
low-income persons;
(8) The geographical area(s) to be served by the HPG program;
(9) The annual estimated budget for the program period based on the
financial needs to accomplish the objectives outlined in the proposal.
The budget should include proposed direct and indirect administrative
costs, such as personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies,
contracts, and other cost categories, detailing those costs for which
the grantee proposes to use the HPG grant separately from non-HPG
resources, if any. The applicant budget should also include a schedule
(with amounts) of how the applicant proposes to draw HPG grant funds,
i.e., monthly, quarterly, lump sum for program activities, etc.;
(10) A copy of an indirect cost proposal as required in 7 CFR parts
3015, 3016, and 3019, as applicable, when the applicant has another
source of Federal funding in addition to the Rural Development HPG
program;
(11) A brief description of the accounting system to be used;
(l2) The method of evaluation to be used by the applicant to
determine the effectiveness of its program which encompasses the
requirements for quarterly reports to Rural Development in accordance
with 7 CFR 1944.683(b) and the monitoring plan for rental properties
and cooperatives (when applicable) according to 7 CFR 1944.689;
(13) The source and estimated amount of other financial resources
to be obtained and used by the applicant for both HPG activities and
housing development and/or supporting activities;
(14) The use of program income, if any, and the tracking system
used for monitoring same;
(15) The applicant's plan for disposition of any security
instruments held by them as a result of its HPG activities in the event
of its loss of legal status;
(16) Any other information necessary to explain the proposed HPG
program; and
(17) The outreach efforts outlined in 7 CFR 1944.671(b).
(b) Complete information about the applicant's experience and
capacity to carry out the objectives of the proposed HPG program.
(c) Evidence of the applicant's legal existence, a copy of, or an
accurate reference to, the specific provisions of State law under which
the applicant is organized; a certified copy of the applicant's
Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws or other evidence of corporate
existence; certificate of incorporation for other than public bodies;
evidence of good standing from the State when the corporation has been
in existence 1 year or more; and the names and addresses of the
applicant's members, directors and officers. If other organizations are
members of the applicant-organization, or the applicant is a
consortium, pre-applications should be accompanied by the names,
addresses, and principal purpose of the other organizations. If the
applicant is a consortium, documentation showing compliance with
paragraph (4)(ii) under the definition of ``organization'' in 7 CFR
1944.656 must also be included.
(d) For a private non-profit entity, the most recently audited
statement and a current financial statement dated and signed by an
authorized officer of the entity showing the amounts and specific
nature of assets and liabilities together with information on the
repayment schedule and status of any debt(s) owed by the applicant.
(e) A brief narrative statement which includes information about
the area to be served and the need for improved housing (including both
percentage and the actual number of both very low-income and low-income
households and substandard housing), the need for the type of housing
preservation assistance being proposed, the anticipated use of HPG
resources for historic properties, the method of evaluation to be used
by the applicant in determining the effectiveness of its efforts.
(f) A statement containing the component for alleviating any
overcrowding as defined by 7 CFR 1944.656.
(g) Applicant must submit an original and one copy of Form RD 1940-
20, ``Request for Environmental Information,'' prepared in accordance
with Exhibit F-1 of RD Instruction 1944-N (available in any Rural
Development State Office or at http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/RD1940-20.PDF).
(h) Applicant must also submit a description of its process for:
(1) Identifying and rehabilitating properties listed on, or
eligible for listing on, the National Register of Historic Places;
(2) Identifying properties that are located in a floodplain or
wetland;
(3) Identifying properties located within the Coastal Barrier
Resources System; and
(4) Coordinating with other public and private organizations and
programs that provide assistance in the rehabilitation of historic
properties (Stipulation I, D, of the PMOA, RD Instruction 2000-FF),
available in any Rural Development State Office or at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/2000ff.pdf.
(i) The applicant must also submit evidence of the State Historic
Preservation Office's (SHPO), or where appropriate the Tribal Historic
Preservation Office's (THPO) concurrence in the proposal, or in the
event of nonconcurrence, a copy of SHPO's comments together with
evidence that the applicant has received the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation's (Council) advice as to how the disagreement
might be resolved, and a copy of any advice provided by the Council.
(j) The applicant must submit written statements and related
correspondence reflecting compliance with 7 CFR 1944.674(a) and (c)
regarding consultation with local government leaders in the preparation
of its program and the consultation with local and state government
pursuant to the provisions of Executive Order 12372.
(k) The applicant is to make its statement of activities available
to the public for comment prior to submission to Rural Development
pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.674(b). The application must contain a
description of how the comments (if any were received) were addressed.
(l) The applicant must submit an original and one copy of Form RD
400-1, ``Equal Opportunity Agreement,'' and Form RD 400-4, ``Assurance
Agreement,'' in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.676. These forms can be
obtained at any state office or at http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/RD400-1.PDF and http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/RD400-4.PDF.
Applicants should review 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N for a
comprehensive list of all application requirements.
VI. Selection Criteria
Applicants and proposed projects must meet the criteria in
accordance with 7 CFR 1944.679:
Provide a financially feasible program of housing
preservation assistance. ``Financially feasible'' is defined as
proposed assistance which will be affordable to the intended recipient
or result in affordable housing for very low- and low-income persons.
Serve eligible rural areas with a concentration of
substandard housing for households with very low- or low-income.
Be an eligible applicant as defined in 7 CFR 1944.658.
Meet the requirements of consultation and public comment
in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.674.
Submit a complete pre-application as outlined in 7 CFR
VII. Points System
For applicants meeting all of the requirements listed above, the
Rural Development State Offices will then use weighted criteria in
accordance with 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N to select the grant
recipients. Each preapplication and its accompanying statement of
activities will be evaluated and, based solely on the information
contained in the pre-application; the applicant's proposal will be
numerically rated on each selection criteria within the point range
provided. The highest-ranking applicant(s) will be selected based on
allocation of funds available to the State.
Points are awarded based on the percentage of very low-
income persons that the applicant proposes to assist, using the
following scale:
[cir] More than 80%: 20 points
[cir] 61% to 80%: 15 points
[cir] 20% to 40%: 5 points
[cir] Less than 20%: 0 points
The applicant's proposal is expected to result in the
following percentage of HPG fund use (excluding administrative costs)
in comparison to the total cost of unit preservation. This percentage
reflects maximum repair or rehabilitation results with the least
possible HPG funds due to leveraging, innovative financial assistance,
owner's contribution or other specified approaches. Points are awarded
based on the following percentage of HPG funds (excluding
administrative costs) to total funds:
[cir] 50% or less: 20 points
[cir] 96% to 100%: 0 points
The applicant has demonstrated its administrative capacity
in assisting very low- and low-income persons to obtain adequate
housing based on the following (30 points maximum):
[cir] The organization or a member of its staff has at least one or
more years experience successfully managing and operating a
rehabilitation or weatherization type program: 10 points.
more years experience successfully managing and operating a program
assisting very low- and low-income persons obtain housing assistance:
10 points.
[cir] If the organization has administered grant programs, there
are no outstanding or unresolved audit or investigative findings which
might impair carrying out the proposal: 10 points.
The proposed program will be undertaken entirely in rural
areas outside Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), identified by
Rural Development as having populations in excess of 10,000, but not in
excess of 20,000 or in remote parts of other rural areas (i.e., rural
areas contained in MSAs with less than 5,000 population) as defined in
7 CFR 1944.656: 10 points.
The program will use less than 20 percent of HPG funds for
administration purposes:
[cir] More than 20%: Not eligible
[cir] 20%: 0 points
[cir] 19%: 1 point
[cir] 15% or less: 5 points
The proposed program contains a component for alleviating
overcrowding as defined in 7 CFR 1944.656: 5 points.
In the event more than one preapplication receives the
same amount of points, those pre-applications will then be ranked based
on the actual percentage of very-low income persons that the applicant
proposes to assist. Further, in the event that preapplications are
still tied, then those
preapplications still tied will be ranked based on the percentage for
HPG fund use (low to high). Further, for applications where assistance
to rental properties or cooperatives is proposed, those still tied will
be further ranked based on the number of years the units are available
for occupancy under the program (a minimum of 5 years is required). For
this part, ranking will be based from most to least number of years.
Finally, if there is still a tie, then a lottery system will be
used. After the award selections are made all applicants will be
notified of the status of their applications by mail.
VIII. Agency Contacts
Applicants must contact the Rural Development State Office serving
the state in which they desire to submit an application to receive
further information and copies of the application package. Rural
Development will date and time stamp incoming applications to evidence
timely and untimely receipt, and, upon request, will provide the
applicant with a written acknowledgment of receipt. A listing of Rural
Development State Offices, their addresses, telephone numbers, and
person to contact follows:
Note: Telephone numbers listed are not toll-free.
Alabama State Office, Suite 601, Sterling Centre, 4121 Carmichael Road,
Montgomery, Alabama 36106-3683, (334) 279-3455, TDD 1(800) 877-8339,
Melinda George.
Alaska State Office, 800 West Evergreen, Suite 201, Palmer, Alaska
99645, (907) 761-7740, TDD (907) 761-7786, Cynthia Jackson.
Arizona State Office, Phoenix Courthouse and Federal Building, 230
North First Avenue, Suite 206, Phoenix, Arizona 85003-1706, (602) 280-
8764, TDD (602) 280-8705, Ernie Wetherbee.
Arkansas State Office, 700 West Capitol Avenue, Room 3416, Little Rock,
Arkansas 72201-3225, (501) 301-3258, TDD (501) 301-3279, Clinton King.
California State Office, 430 G Street, 4169, Davis, California
95616-4169, (530) 885-6505, TDD (530) 792-5848, Debra Moretton.
Colorado State Office, Denver Federal Center, Building 56, Room 2300,
P.O. Box 25426, Denver, Colorado 80225-0426, (720) 544-2924, TDD 1(800)
659-3656, Donald Nunn.
Connecticut, Served by Massachusetts State Office. Delaware and
Maryland State Office, 1221 College Park Drive Suite 200, Dover,
Delaware 19904, (302) 857-3606, TDD (302) 857-3585, Marquisa Morrison.
Florida and Virgin Islands State Office, 4440 NW. 25th Place
Gainesville, Florida 32606-6563, (352) 338-3438, TDD (352) 338-3499,
Theresa Purnell.
Georgia State Office, Stephens Federal Building, 355 East Hancock
Avenue, Athens, Georgia 30601-2768, (706) 546-2164, TDD (706) 546-2034,
Jack Stanek.
Hawaii State Office, (Services all Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and
Western Pacific), Room 311, Federal Building, 154 Waianuenue Avenue,
Hilo, Hawaii 96720, (808) 933-8303, TDD (808) 933-8321, Nathan Riedel.
Idaho State Office, Suite A1, 9173 West Barnes Drive, Boise, Idaho
83709, (208) 378-5628, TDD 1(800) 877-8339, Joyce Weinzetl.
Illinois State Office, 2118 West Park Court, Suite A, Champaign,
Illinois 61821-2986, (217) 403-6225, TDD 711 Relay (217) 403-6225,
Brenda Barr.
Indiana State Office, 5975 Lakeside Boulevard, Indianapolis, Indiana
46278, (317) 290-3100 (ext. 423), TDD (317) 295-5799, Michael Boards.
Iowa State Office, 210 Walnut Street, Room 873, Des Moines, Iowa 50309,
(515) 961-5365 (ext. 129), TDD (515) 284-4858, Tony Putz.
Kansas State Office, 1303 SW First American Place, Suite 100, Topeka,
Kansas 66604-4040, (785) 271-2700, TDD (785) 271-2767, Mike Resnik.
Kentucky State Office, 771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Lexington,
Kentucky 40503, (859) 224-7357, TDD (859) 224-7422, Paul Higgins.
Louisiana State Office, 3727 Government Street, Alexandria, Louisiana
71302, (318) 473-7962, TDD (318) 473-7655, Yvonne R. Emerson.
Maine State Office, Post Office Box 405, Bangor, Maine 04402-0405,
(207) 990-9110, TDD (207) 942-7331, Bob Nadeau.
Maryland, served by Delaware State Office.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, & Rhode Island State Office, 451 West
Street Suite 2, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002, (413) 253-4328, TDD,
(413) 253-4590, Richard Lavoie.
Michigan State Office, 3001 Coolidge Road, Suite 200, East Lansing,
Michigan 48823, (517) 324-5194, TDD (517) 324-5169, Julie Putnam.
Minnesota State Office, 375 Jackson Street Building, Suite 410, St.
Paul, Minnesota 55125, (763) 689-3354 x 4, TDD (651) 602-7830, Linda
Swanson.
Mississippi State Office, Federal Building, Suite 831, 100 West Capitol
Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39269, (601) 965-4325, TDD (601) 965-5717,
Darnella Smith-Murray.
Missouri State Office, 601 Business Loop 70 West, Parkade Center, Suite
235, Columbia, Missouri 65203, (573) 876-0990, TDD (573) 876-9480,
Nathan Tutt.
Montana State Office, 2229 Boot Hill Court, Bozeman, Montana 59715,
(406) 585-2515, TDD 1(800) 253-4091, Deborah Chorlton.
Nebraska State Office, Federal Building, Room 152, 100 Centennial Mall
N, Lincoln, Nebraska 68508, (402) 437-5505, TDD (402) 437-5093, Teresa
Brohimer.
Nevada State Office, 1390 South Curry Street, Carson City, Nevada
89703-9910, (775) 887-1222 (ext. 106), TDD 711 Relay (775) 887-1222,
Mona Sargent.
New Hampshire State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main Street,
Montpelier, Vermont 05602, (802) 828-6028, TDD (802) 223-6365, Tammy
Surprise.
New Jersey State Office, 5th Floor North, Suite 500, 8000 Midlantic
Drive, Mt. Laurel, New Jersey 08054, (856) 787-7773, TDD (856) 787-
7784, Derrick S. Waltz.
New Mexico State Office, 6200 Jefferson Street, NE., Room 255,
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109, (505) 761-4945, TDD 1(800) 877-8339,
Yvette Pacheco.
New York State Office, The Galleries of Syracuse, 441 South Salina
Street, Suite 357 5th Floor, Syracuse, New York 13202, (315) 263-4363,
TDD (315) 477-6447, Tia Shulkin.
North Carolina State Office, 4405 Bland Road, Suite 260, Raleigh, North
Carolina 27609, (919) 873-2061, TDD 711 Relay (919) 873-2061, LaShonda
McKnight.
North Dakota State Office, Federal Building, Room 208, Post Office Box
1737, Bismarck, North Dakota 58502, (701) 530-2049, TDD (800) 366-6888,
Kathy Lake.
Ohio State Office, Federal Building, Room 507, 200 North High Street,
Columbus, Ohio 43215-2477, (614) 255-2409, TDD 1 (800) 877-8339, Cathy
Simmons.
Oklahoma State Office, 100 USDA, Suite 108, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074-
2654, (580) 237-4321, TDD (405) 742-1007, Lesley Worthan.
Oregon State Office, 1201 NE Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 801, Portland,
Oregon 97232-1274, (503) 414-3353, TDD (503) 414-3387, Rod Hansen.
Pennsylvania State Office, One Credit Union Place, Suite 330,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110-2996, (717) 237-2282, TDD (717) 237-
2261, Martha Hanson.
Puerto Rico State Office, IBM Building, Suite 601, Munoz Rivera Ave.
654, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918, (787) 837-4450 (ext. 104),
TDD (787) 766-5332, Angel Lopez.
Rhode Island, served by Massachusetts State Office.
South Carolina State Office, Strom Thurmond Federal Building, 1835
Assembly Street, Room 1007, Columbia, South Carolina 29201, (803) 765-
5122, TDD (803) 765-5697, Tim Chandler.
South Dakota State Office, Federal Building, Room 210, 200 Fourth
Street SW., Huron, South Dakota 57350, (605) 352-1132, TDD (605) 352-
1147, Roger Hazuka, Linda Weber or Vickie Hampton.
Tennessee State Office, Suite 300, 3322 West End Avenue, Nashville,
Tennessee 37203-1084, (615) 783-1300, TDD (615) 783-1397, Abby Boggs.
Texas State Office, Federal Building, Suite 102, 101 South Main,
Temple, Texas 76501, (254) 742-9772, TDD 1 (800) 877-8339, Ana
Placencia.
Utah State Office, Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, 125 South State
Street, Room 301, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138, (801) 524-4308, TDD 711
Relay (801) 524-4308, Janice Kocher.
Vermont State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main Street,
Virgin Islands, served by Florida State Office.
Virginia State Office, Culpeper Building, Suite 238, 1606 Santa Rosa
Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229, (804) 287-1596, TDD (804) 287-1753, CJ
Michels.
Washington State Office, 1835 Black Lake Boulevard, Suite B, Olympia,
Washington 98512, (360) 704-7706, TDD 1 (800) 833-6384, Bill Kirkwood.
Western Pacific Territories, served by Hawaii State Office.
West Virginia, 530 Freedom Road, Ripley, West Virginia 25271-9794,
(304) 372-3441, ext. 105, TDD (304) 284-4836, Penny Thaxton.
Wisconsin State Office, 4949 Kirschling Court, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
54481, (715) 345-7620, TDD (715) 345-7614, Dave Schwobe or Julie
Czappa.
Wyoming State Office, Post Office Box 82601, Casper, Wyoming 82602-
5006, (307) 233-6733, TDD 1 (800) 877-9965, Laura Koenig.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, applicants
may contact Bonnie Edwards-Jackson, Finance and Loan Analyst, Multi-
Family Housing Preservation and Direct Loan Division, USDA Rural
Development, Stop 0781, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC
20250-0781, telephone (202) 690-0759 (voice) (this is not a toll free
number) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD-Federal Information Relay Service) or
via email at, [email protected].
VIV. Non-Discrimination Statement
USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on
the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where
applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status,
religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs,
reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived
from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to
all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means
for communication of program information (Braille, large print,
audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600
(voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA,
Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), (202) 720-
6382 (TDD). ``USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and
lender.''
Dated:May 2, 2012.
Tammye Trevi[ntilde]o,
Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
Fiscal Year 2012 Pre-application for Section 533 Housing Preservation
Grants (HPG) Instructions
Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to submit this pre-
application form electronically by accessing the Web site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/HAD-HPG_Grants.html and clicking on the link
for the ``Fiscal Year 2012 Pre-application for Section 533 Housing
Preservation Grants (HPG).'' Please note that electronic submittals
are not on a secured Web site. If you do not wish to submit the form
electronically by clicking on the Send Form button, you may still
fill out the form, print it and submit it with your application
package to the State Office. You also have the option to save the
form, and submit it on an electronic media to the State Office.
Supporting documentation required by this pre-application may be
attached to the email generated when you click the Send Form button
to submit the form. However if the attachments are too numerous or
large in size, the email box will not be able to accept them. In
that case, submit the supporting documentation for this pre-
application to the State Office with your complete application
package. Under item IX. Documents Submitted, indicate the supporting
documents that you are submitting either with the pre-application or
to the State Office.
I. Applicant Information
a. Applicant's Name:---------------------------------------------------
b. Applicant's Address:
Address, Line 1:-------------------------------------------------------
City:------------------------------------------------------------------
State:-----------------------------------------------------------------
Zip:-------------------------------------------------------------------
c. Name of Applicant's Contact Person:
d. Contact Person's Telephone Number:
e. Contact Person's Email Address:
f. Entity Type: (Check One)
[ballot] State Government
[ballot] Local Government
[ballot] Non-Profit Corporation
[ballot] Federally Recognized Indian Tribes
[ballot] Faith-based Organization
[ballot] Community Organization
[ballot] Other consortia of an eligible entity
II. Project Information
a. Project Name:
b. Project Address:
c. Organization DUNS number:-------------------------------------------
d. Grant Amount Requested:---------------------------------------------
e. This grant request is for one of the following types of
assistance:
[ballot] Homeowner assistance program
[ballot] Rental property assistance program
[ballot] Cooperative assistance program
f. In response to e. above, answer one of the following:
The number of low- and very-low income persons that the grantee will
assist in the Homeowner assistance program: ------ OR
The number of Units for low- and very-low income persons in the
Rental property or Cooperative assistance program: ------
g. This proposal is for one of the following:
[ballot] Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) program (no set-aside)
[ballot] Set-aside for Grant located in a Rural Economic Area
Partnership (REAP) zone
III. Low-Income Assistance
Check the percentage of very low-income persons that this
application proposes to assist in relation to the total population
of the project:
[ballot] More than 80 percent (20 points)
[ballot] 61 percent to 80 percent (15 points)
[ballot] 20 percent to 40 percent (5 points)
[ballot] Less than 20 percent (0 points)
[ballot] Points: ------
IV. Percent of HPG Fund Use
Check the percentage of HPG fund use (excluding administrative
costs) in comparison to the total cost of unit preservation. This
percentage reflects maximum repair or rehabilitation results with
the least possible HPG funds due to leveraging, innovative financial
assistance, owner's contribution or other specified approaches.
[ballot] 50 percent or less of HPG Funds (20 points)
[ballot] 51 percent to 65 percent of HPG Funds (15 points)
[ballot] 81 percent to 95 percent of HPG Funds (5 points)
[ballot] 96 percent to 100 percent of HPG Funds (0 points)
Points: ------
V. Administrative Capacity
The following three criteria demonstrate your administrative
capacity to assist very low- and low-income persons to obtain
adequate housing (30 points maximum).
a. Does this organization or a member of its staff have at least
one or more years of experience successfully managing and operating
a rehabilitation or weatherization type of program? (10 points) Yes
------ No ------ Points: ------
b. Does this organization or a member of its staff have at least
a program assisting very low- or low-income persons obtain housing
assistance? (10 points) Yes ------ No ------ Points: ------
c. If this organization has administered grant programs, are
there any outstanding or unresolved audit or investigative findings
which might impair carrying out the proposal? (10 points for No) No
------ Yes ------ Points: ------
If Yes, please explain:
VI. Area Served
Will this proposal be undertaken entirely in rural areas outside
Metropolitan Statistical Areas, also known as MSAs, in areas
identified by Rural Development as having populations below 10,000,
or in remote parts of other rural areas (i.e., rural areas contained
in MSAs with less than 5,000 population) as defined in 7 CFR
1944.656 (10 points)
Yes ------ No ------ Points: ------
VII. Percent of HPG Funds for Administration
Check the percentage of HPG funds that will be used for
More than 20 percent (Not eligible)------------------------------------
[ballot] 20 percent (0 points)
[ballot] 19 percent (1 point)
[ballot] 15 percent or less (5 points)
VIII. Alleviating Overcrowding
Does the proposed program contain a component for alleviating
overcrowding as defined in 7 CFR1944.656? (5 points) Yes ------ No
------ Points: ------
IX. Documents Submitted
Check if the following documents are being submitted
electronically with this pre-application or will be mailed to the
State Office with your complete pre-application package.
NOTE: You are only required to submit supporting documents for
programs in which you will be participating as indicated in this
pre-application. Points will be assigned for the items that you
checked based on a review of the supporting documents. Please refer
to the NOFA for the complete list of documents that you are required
to submit with your complete pre-application package.
Submitted with this pre-   Submitted to state
Reference                          Item                          application                office
III.                   Low Income Assistance                     .......................  ......................
IV.                    Percent of HPG Fund Use                   .......................  ......................
V.                     Administrative Capacity                   .......................  ......................
VI.                    Area Served                               .......................  ......................
VII                    Percent of HPG Funds for Administration   .......................  ......................
VIII.                  Alleviating Overcrowding                  .......................  ......................
X. HPG 2012 Scoring
PLEASE NOTE: The scoring below is based on the responses that
you have provided on this pre-application form and may not accord
with the final score that the Agency assigns upon evaluating the
supporting documentation that you submit. Your score may change from
what you see here if the supporting documentation does not
adequately support your answer or, if required documentation is
missing.
Scoring Items for HPG 2012                          Points Earned
1.   Low Income Assistance (5, 10, 15, 20)               ...............
2.   Percent of HPG Fund Use (5, 10, 15, 20)             ...............
3.   Administrative Capacity (10, 20, 30)                ...............
4.   Area Served (10)                                    ...............
5.   Percent of HPG Funds for Administration (1, 2, 3,   ...............
4, 5)
6.   Alleviating Overcrowding (5)                        ...............
Total Score:                                        ...............
[FR Doc. 2012-11036 Filed 5-8-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P


text:
Rimuru Tempest VA Miho Okasaki to Release Her 2nd Single...
Watch Teaser PV for Maaya Sakamoto's Debut 25th Anniversary Concert...
Get the Chance to Sleep Next to a Life Sized Version of Chizuru From Rent-a-Girlfriend
by Lone Detective 5 months ago 5 months ago
An online lottery appeared on the Slash Gift website the other day for a giant acrylic image of Chizuru from Rent-a-Girlfriend falling asleep that the winner can put alongside their bed (or on their giant office desk to watch the non-moving image sleep while they work). The 140 cm oversized acrylic board is the grand prize of the campaign which features other exclusive Rent-a-Girlfriend merch.
The other merch includes a life-sized towel featuring images of each girl from the first season of the TV anime series, a much smaller acrylic stands with an image of each girl, a smartphone keychain of each girl and Kazuya, and finally a sticker with images from the series.
A Prize, the towels
B prize, the acrylic stands
C prize, the smartphone keychain
D prize, the stickers
The massive Chizuru on the other hand is a double chance prize on top of the existing prizes and is only available to enter if someone buys 10 entries to the general lottery, which is priced at 880 yen (US$8) per ticket and no discounts if buy 10 tickets at once, which would then be priced at 8,800 yen (US$80). Though it does mean that the winners could win the two grand prizes!
Only two giant Chizuru's will be given out, while the rest of the prizes range from 200 winners for the towels to 2,280 winners for the stickers, but everyone who buys a ticket is guaranteed to get a prize.
The shipping for the prizes is at the expense of the winners and is only available inside Japan from September 17.
Rent-a-Girlfriend is available to watch right here on Crunchyroll.
Source: Slash Gift
Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.
by Lone Detective 45 mins ago 45 mins ago


With the world's online mobile population growing day by day, and a home market dominated by giants such as Tencent, Baidu, and Alibaba, Chinese app developers are increasingly looking to market their apps abroad.
The regulatory tide is turning on the tech giants and that can only be good news for the smaller ad tech companies that want to compete fairly on a more even playing field.
Ad tech and analytics firm Mobvista has posted its first financial results following its IPO.
Since China is the most fast-growing market in the world and the domestic environment is becoming more uncertain and competitive, China-to-global is a very interesting trend. But where can we see the impact of China on the global market?


Withholding of Removal is very similar to the relief of Asylum detailed above. The major difference between Withholding of Removal and Asylum is that there is no deadline for filing relief in the form of Withholding of Removal. In addition, Withholding of Removal requires a higher likelihood of persecution if the applicant is returned to their home country.
Asylum relief requires the applicant to prove to the Court that there is at least a ten-percent chance that the applicant will be persecuted if they are returned to their home country. Withholding of Removal requires the applicant to prove to the Court that there is at least a fifty-one percent chance that they would be harmed or persecuted if they are forced to return to their home country.
Another major difference is that relief in the form of Asylum can lead to a green card and eventually allow the applicant to become a U.S. citizen, while Withholding of Removal will grant the applicant legal status in the U.S., and stop the deportation process until conditions change for the better in the applicant's home country.
Why Should I Contact An Immigration Attorney Immediately?
The number one reason Asylum applications are denied is due to the applicant's failure to apply for relief within their first year of arrival to the U.S. Even if it is past the first year of your arrival, you may qualify for an exception to the one-year filing deadline. Another major reason Asylum claims are denied is due to the applicant's previous criminal convictions.
Please feel free to contact our office to determine whether you qualify for an exception to the one-year deadline for filing an asylum claim, or to conduct an interview to determine your eligibility to gain legal immigration status in the U.S.
If you have been harmed in the past or you have a legitimate fear of future harm if you are returned to your home country, then contact an Immigration Attorney immediately to determine whether you qualify for relief under Asylum, Withholding of Removal, or the Convention Against Torture.


text:
Q: Conectar a Xampp desde netbeans en MAC estoy realizando un proyecto en netbeans y a la hora de conectar el servidor MYSQL me dice que debo poner un "path" o "url" en admin properties para realizar la conexión. El problema es que no estoy segura que archivo poner ahí, ya que cuando descargué xampp no me creo una carpeta con los archivos, solo descargó la aplicación.
Todo esto desde Mac (que le agrega mil complicaciones por si solo).
Si no se entendió o se necesitan más detalles no tengo problemas en darlos, pero por favor necesito ayuda!.
Gracias de antemano!!!!!!!]1

A: Mac no agrega complicaciones, mas bien no lo sabes usar. MAC OS X ya trae instalado un apache en el sistema operativo es por eso que xampp no te instala archivos. MAC OS X no trae MySQL ese si lo tienes que instalar. Pero debido a todo eso la versión de xampp para mac solo funciona como un control de interfaz gráfica. En las configuraciones de XAMPP le tienes que decir donde esta el ejecutable de apache para que lo levante. También ocurre con mysql, por eso te marca ese error, porque no sabe donde esta mysql. Recuerda que MAC OS X es un unix y... como levantas apache y mysql en unix??? Por ejemplo Linux: la respuesta es que se levantan por linea de comandos.
El XAMPP de MAC te ahorra el tener que levantarlos por linea de comandos. Solo los configuras y los puedes levantar por modo gráfico. Te dejo esta liga para que sepas donde esta el apache por defecto en MAC OS X. Esto no quiere decir que tengas que usar ese apache forzosamente puedes instalar tu propio apache (mas recomendable porque esta mas actualizado) y configurarlo con XAMPP. Recuerda XAMPP en MAC solo funciona como control gráfico.
Por ultimo, para que funcione con netbeans yo lo que hice fue hacer mi carpeta del workspace en htdocs y asi todo se publica inmediatamente. Solo le das run en netbeans y carga todo facilmente, si es que apache esta corriendo. Si instalas otro apache recuerda no encimar los puertos.
Ahora XAMPP si te instala un apache pero esta dentro de la app. Ahi es donde tienes que apuntar la configuración. Mira la 1er pregunta.