If you're reading this, chances are you are about to move, which scientists have proven to be about as enjoyable as a sharp stick to the eye. The tips below should help make your move a little less painful.
Add colored stickers to all of your boxes that correspond to the rooms of your new place. When you tape a red sheet of paper to your living room wall, you or your movers will easily know where everything goes. When your refrigerator ends up in your bathroom, you'll know your movers are colorblind.
Buy your moving supplies online. Boxes can be super expensive when you buy them directly from the movers. If you're cheap, have a chat with your friendly grocery store owner to see if any boxes are being thrown away.
Fill your luggage and duffle bags with all of your "need it now" stuff. Think of these as carry-on bags you don't have to stuff in the overhead bin. This way, you'll not only save money on boxes, but you'll also find your important stuff more quickly than you would if you had put it in red box number 214c.
Remember to change your address for your mail (moversguide.com), magazines, and parents (optional).
Remember to pay off all of your utilities and then to have them turned off. You don't want to be the joke of every party at your old apartment.
If you make a move on your own (code words for "make my friends do the work"), you'll save a lot of money, but that specific day in your life might not be very fun at all.
Reserve trucks early. The days at the beginning and end of the month are usually busy times (as that's when leases end). If you reserve early, you'll have more options, better pricing, and won't get stuck with a bottom-of-the-barrel truck that can only go in reverse.
You'll initially speak to the national office to get a quote. The national office can guarantee you a rate, but usually cannot guarantee you a truck (bizarre). You need to call your local office to confirm that you have a truck. Otherwise your moped will get very, very crowded.
Shop around for quotes for moving truck rentals. You may be surprised how much companies want your business.
When using a moving company, the boxes that you pack are usually not insured in the move.
Moving companies often charge by the hour for packing, so save yourself some cash by having things out and organized for easy packing.
Check your homeowner's insurance to see what's covered during a move. If you're covered, find out what you need to show the insurance company (photos, receipts, etc.) if something breaks.
Insurance from a moving company is often calculated on a per-pound basis. So if your 5-pound ceramic egg is damaged with $.60/pound insurance, you'll receive $3. If something is worth a lot to you, move it yourself.
Try to get an in-home estimate from a mover. It will be much more accurate than something quoted over the phone.
Many movers offer free temporary storage as part of your move, if your new place isn't ready for move-in yet (e.g., you haven't cleared out the police tape and body outlines).
Anyone can start a moving company (pick up box, carry box, put down box), so you may find a lot of operations that are "lacking in character." Do your homework before you choose a carrier. Ask for the number of years they've been in business, company insurance, refund policy, typical smell of mover, and so on.
If gas lines need to be disconnected or furniture needs to be disassembled, you'll probably have to pay a few extra bucks.
Movers prefer to load heavy boxes short distances, so if they can't get a truck close to your door or if you're on the fourth floor without an elevator, you'll probably pay more. Do what you can to make it convenient for them; it's best to not upset movers until after they've moved your stuff.
Keep important papers with you. Movers lose stuff.
The receipt and contract for all the stuff you're moving.
The amount all of your stuff (that you're moving) is worth. You usually quote this.
The guaranteed cost of your move.
A best-guess cost of your move.
Insurance that will pay you for the cost for buying new stuff that is broken or lost in your move. This type of coverage isn't standard.
Bert's free-loader friends were always asking him to help with their move rather than pay for movers. So Bert came up with a simple contract that you can share with your friends.
1. The Imposer's role shall not be restricted to "supervising" manual labor; she shall move at least one item larger than his/her torso every 10 minutes.
2. The Imposer shall be the "bottom lifter" in all two-man moves involving stairs.
3. The Imposer shall provide pizza for my consumption (purchased from a brand-name restaurant of my choosing; no homemade ketchup-and-bagel "mini pizzas").
4. The Imposer shall not request my moving services again for at least one (human) year.
5. The Imposer must agree to one request on my part without complaint, even if it involves public humiliation.


Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at http://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/6605, first published Sep 13, 2016.
Background: Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) spend more time using electronic screen media than neurotypical peers; preliminary evidence suggests that computer-assisted or Web-based interventions may be beneficial for social skills acquisition. The current generation of adolescents accesses the Internet through computers or phones almost daily, and Facebook is the most frequently used social media platform among teenagers. This is the first research study to explore the use of Facebook as a therapeutic tool for adolescents with ASD.
Objective: To study the feasibility and clinical impact of using a Web-based social platform in combination with social skills training for adolescents with ASD.
Methods: This pilot study enrolled 6 participants (all males; mean age 14.1 years) in an online social skills training group using Facebook. Data was collected on the participants' social and behavioral functioning at the start and conclusion of the intervention. Outcome measures included the Social Responsiveness Scale-2, the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scale, and the Project Rex Parent Survey. Participants were surveyed at the conclusion of the intervention regarding their experience.
Results: No statistically significant differences in measurable outcomes were observed. However, the online addition of Facebook was well received by participants and their parents. The Facebook intervention was able to be executed with a careful privacy protocol in place and at minimal safety risk to participants.
Conclusions: The utilization of Facebook to facilitate delivery of social skills training for adolescents with ASD appears to be feasible, although the clinical impact of such an addition is still unclear. It is important to note that social difficulties of participants persisted with the addition of the online platform and participants still required assistance to engage with peers in an online environment. A Web-based intervention such as the one utilized in this study has the potential to reach a mass number of patients with ASD and could address disparities in access to in-person treatment services. However, the complexity and evolving nature of Facebook's website and privacy settings leads to a number of unique online safety concerns that may limit its clinical utility. Issues encountered in our study support the development of an alternative and closed Web-based social platform designed specifically for the target audience with ASD; this platform could be a safer and more easily moderated setting for aiding in social skills development. Despite a small sample size with no statistically significant improvements of target symptoms, the use of electronic screen media as a therapeutic tool for adolescents with ASD is still a promising area of research warranting further investigation. Our study helps inform future obstacles regarding feasibility and safety.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 68 children in the United States and is characterized by deficits in social communication; impaired social interactions; and repetitive and/or restricted interests, behaviors, and activities [1,2]. Adolescence is a time of particular risk and opportunity for patients and families affected by ASD, as the presence or absence of effective interventions can profoundly influence a successful transition into adulthood. These services often include group social skills training (SST), an intervention with demonstrated effectiveness in improving core ASD symptoms and social deficits in high-functioning adolescents [3-6].
Currently, SST groups are run in person, usually weekly over a 2-4-month period. However, access to traditional SST programs is limited, mirroring existing gaps for other ASD services that are often related to geographic and socioeconomic disparities . Multiple published studies of interventions using Facebook have demonstrated the social media platform's capability to reach other underserved patient populations [8-10], indicating that Facebook may also be a viable modality for reaching patients with ASD.
Interventions utilizing Facebook technology have been demonstrated to be effective in treating numerous other mental health conditions [11-19]. A recent study found 92% of US teens go online daily  and 71% of teens ages 13-17 use Facebook . Research of adolescents with ASD reflects a similarly high amount of use , so Web-based care has the potential to be desirable to adolescents with ASD, which could improve interest or time spent utilizing a therapeutic tool. Studies of social media use by adolescents with ASD also demonstrate they most often interact online with acquaintances they previously met in person  and may improve social interactions , leading to support of its use in conjunction with SST.
For these reasons, the investigators hypothesized that utilization of Facebook to deliver SST for adolescents with ASD would be feasible and acceptable to participants and possibly improve clinical outcomes. We define feasibility as a capability of being executed and we define acceptability as favorable ratings on participant satisfaction surveys. This pilot study is unique as there are no other published studies to date that augment face-to-face social skills instruction with a social networking site (SNS) component or curriculum.
Participants were recruited offline from within the Project Rex clinic, an SST program at the Medical University of South Carolina serving adolescents with ASD along with their families . A survey of Project Rex parents indicated most would be interested in having their child use a Web-based social network to build social skills and keep in contact with friends. Enrolled participants consisted of 6 males ranging from 12 to 19 years of age (mean 14.1 years), with a previous diagnosis of ASD and an IQ in the normal range.
Pre- and posttreatment surveys of participants, parents, and teachers (or other responsible adult) were administered via REDCap , a Web-based survey and data collection platform. Outcome measures included the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2) ; the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scale (SSiS-RS) ; the Project Rex Parent Survey, a 12-item Likert scale measuring utilization of various social skills in the past 2 weeks; and the Project Rex Connect Participant Survey, a 10-item yes/no survey on the participants' opinions about the treatment received.
Participants were recruited from the Project Rex clinical program and were followed for a period of 8 weeks. The participants were enrolled in a closed, invite-only group within Facebook facilitated by the investigators for 8 weeks. Online groups within Facebook provide a platform where users can post comments, pictures, and videos and have discussions. Each participant was directly aided by investigators to set up their account with a deidentified username and specific privacy settings. Participants were previously acquainted with each other from prior participation in the live Project Rex SST, which they had completed 2 weeks prior to study enrollment. The Facebook group curriculum included weekly shared topics and encouraged the use of social skills taught in the Project Rex SST, such as starting conversations, exchanging information with peers, and giving compliments.
To maximize the likelihood of safe and appropriate Facebook use, participants and their parents were provided with education and training on use of the account, online etiquette, and maintenance of privacy settings. Inappropriate use included adverse messaging, inappropriate friend requests, and cyberbullying. The participants were informed of the study rule that any sharing of photos or videos from a private collection or from the Internet would require parental approval prior to the participant posting it. All group settings were placed on Facebook's option of secret group to minimize the risk of a breach in confidentiality (see Figure 1), which meant information posted by participants was not publicly available. Participants were also unable to invite new group members due to privacy settings. Investigators and participants were Facebook friends with one another and no one else, further limiting access of individuals outside the study (see Figure 2).
The participants were free to use Facebook as they desired within the study guidelines. In an attempt to encourage social engagement, participants were asked to log onto their accounts for a minimum of 6 days a week with a minimum time frame of 15 minutes per Facebook session. The investigators provided a weekly topic of discussion and also posted general reminders drawn from the Project Rex curriculum on how to initiate and maintain a conversation.
Following safety protocols, a study investigator reviewed all posts on a daily basis. Investigators maintained sole access to each account's email address and had shared access to passwords, allowing access to intervene if any participant posted inappropriate material or attempted to obtain friends outside of Project Rex. Due to account settings, Facebook would automatically send an email if there were any attempts at changing the account password or accepting friend requests from outside members. All participant email accounts were checked on a daily basis.
Figure 1. Screenshot of Facebook group privacy setting utilized in this study.
Figure 2. Overview of the secret, private Facebook group utilized in this study.
Upon the conclusion of the study, there were no statistically significant differences in pretreatment and posttreatment measures according to the parent- and teacher-completed SRS-2; the parent-, teacher-, and participant-completed SSiS-RS; or the Project Rex Parent Survey. Outcome measures of this study were limited by the small sample size. Results of the participant experience survey indicate high satisfaction and acceptability rates. A total of 80%-100% of participants (N=5) selected "yes," indicating complete satisfaction, for each item. One participant did not complete the participant survey (see Table 1).
Table 1. Results of the participant satisfaction survey (N=5).
There were no adverse events during the course of this study, including breaches of confidentiality, cyberbullying, or inappropriate contact with individuals outside of the Facebook group. One participant did join a fan club and required multiple redirections, twice by Facebook message and once by telephone, in order to comply with the study protocol. Participants tolerated the intervention well and they all completed the study protocol.
This is the first research study to explore the use of Facebook as a therapeutic tool for adolescents with ASD. The results of this pilot study show that the utilization of Facebook to facilitate delivery of social skills training for adolescents with ASD appears to be feasible, although the clinical impact of such an addition is still unclear. Our study was conducted safely and confidentially, with the execution of many privacy measures not typical of community Facebook use. While there were no statistically significant effects of the Facebook intervention, it is very likely that this pilot study was significantly underpowered by having only 6 participants.
There were several interesting observations gathered from this pilot study that should influence follow-up studies of a similar nature. Investigators found participants' impaired social functioning was observable even in an online environment. That is, computers and Web-based social media did not mask the symptoms of ASD in this study. Future studies could potentially begin with a basic training session aimed at the participants' core deficits and ways to generalize skills acquired from the live groups to the online environment. For example, investigators noted participants in the Facebook group frequently posted material of interest to them, but not necessarily to others. In future studies, it may be beneficial to teach participants to consider what others may be interested in viewing. In this way, researchers could potentially address deficits in the ability of individuals with ASD to experience the world through the perspective of another person, a core deficit related to "theory of mind" [28,29]. Although not utilized in this study, collecting data on the frequency and quality of participants' posts while online could help further characterize patterns of social media usage in individuals with ASD, assist in measuring potential response to Web-based social skills training, and serve as a useful feedback tool for the participants. Also not investigated in this study was observer-expectancy effect. It is likely that investigators' monitoring techniques had some effect on subjects' behavioral reactivity, although whether this positively or negatively impacted subject satisfaction and participation warrants further exploration.
The privacy restraints used in this study represent a potential trade-off between the engagement and use of Facebook by the participants and security and confidentiality. The privacy restrictions allowed participants to have a more controlled and supported online experience versus the opportunity to practice newly acquired skills in a more anonymous virtual platform. Given the extensive privacy features used during this study, Facebook's evolving privacy policies, and the utility of having a closed system designed as an adjunct for SST, it may be beneficial to develop a new, self-contained SNS geared specifically toward ASD youth and adults. This would provide the opportunity for more secure interactions between participants as it would lessen the risk of public posting of information that could happen with Facebook use. If a private site was utilized, investigators would also have increased ability to moderate the online environment if inappropriate posting did occur.
A direction suggested by multiple participants was a gaming component of the online experience. It may be beneficial from an engagement standpoint to incorporate gaming into an online social group for patients with ASD. Evidence suggests patients with ASD most frequently visit websites related to gaming  and the potential research directions for therapeutic gaming is largely unexplored. This would represent another benefit of developing a self-contained SNS geared specifically toward ASD youth and adults, as a gaming component could be specifically targeted to maximize opportunities for social interaction.
Given its potential to reach a vast number of patients with ASD, especially those who are underserved, the feasibility and effectiveness of using an SNS to enhance social functioning warrants further investigation. Potential benefits of adding such a component include the increased ability to engage and attract youth with ASD and that the nature of social networking allows for an extended reach to additional populations who may not typically be able to access SST. Ideally, an SNS platform could be used to reinforce new friendships established with SST peers and serve as a virtual training ground or "dress rehearsal" for the development of live friendships outside of the clinical realm. If successfully implemented, an SNS platform can be a powerful modality both for the delivery of SST and for addressing disparities in access to clinical services for patients and families affected by ASD.
The investigators wish to thank the Medical University of South Carolina Interprofessional Institute who funded the work reported in this article, making this project possible. In addition, the investigators extend their thanks to Teri Lynn Herbert, research librarian at the Medical University of South Carolina, and Dr Michael Madson in the Medical University of South Carolina Writing Center.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th edition. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.
Constantino JM. The Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2) Manual. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services; 2012.
Gresham FM, Elliott SN. Social Skills Improvement System (SSiS) Rating Scales. Minneapolis, MN: NCS Pearson; 2008.
©McLeod Frampton Gwynette, Danielle Morriss, Nancy Warren, James Truelove, Jennifer Warthen, Charles Paul Ross, George Mood, Charlotte Anne Snook, Jeffrey Borckardt. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 23.01.2017.


The Texas Motorcycle Practice Test 1 was created by our experts to closely resemble the official exam. This practice test features questions covering the same subjects that are on the real test as well as a similar format. Our experts have written 25 challenging questions based on the content of the Texas Motorcycle Operator's Manual. You need to answer at least 20 of the questions correctly in order to pass. The test questions are presented in a format similar to the real test that you will take at the Texas DMV.
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The test questions cover a variety of subjects related to the safe operation of a motorcycle. For example: what part of the lane should you position yourself while riding normally? If not careful when downshifting the sudden change in power to the rear wheel can result in what happening?
There may also be questions on pre-ride safety checks, solo riding, carrying passengers, riding on slippery surfaces and much more.
The Lone Star state is filled with numerous great motorcycle roads that bypass a variety of scenery. From the rolling grassy plains of the panhandle to the hills of the southwest to the lakes and forests of the east to the hundreds of miles of coastland in the south, Texas truly has a lot to offer.
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In the late 1970s and early 1980s, to think that we would be here to celebrate 60 years of the E-type and to be able to say that this iconic Jaguar is still going strong, would be almost inconceivable.
The final Series 3 cars had been a tough sell for Jaguar and some of the, now much prized, earlier cars were being dismantled for their components. Jaguar had all but given up on the parts supply, thinking that this relic of the swinging 60s would be forgotten, along with the mini-skirts and flares.
Yet, it was in this period that SNG Barratt was founded, initially from the garage, garden, and kitchen table of the home of Stephen and Hazel Barratt in rural Shropshire. Stephen had owned an E-type and, on struggling to find the parts he needed to keep the car running, had purchased another car as a donor vehicle. Once he had taken off the parts that he needed from the donor, he put an advert in a local newspaper offering the rest of the parts for sale. The phone started ringing and never stopped.
Eventually, in the early 1980s, they decided to take the plunge, packing in their day jobs, buying a small warehouse outside Wolverhampton and taking on a couple of people to help out as SNG Barratt was formed.
As parts from donor cars and scrap yards became ever scarcer, Stephen and his small team started to source E-type parts for themselves, either finding the original manufacturers from within a growing network of contacts and suppliers within the West Midlands area or by re-manufacturing them from scratch if needed. Amongst the earliest parts to be re-tooled were the boot springs and the exhaust manifolds, both of which are still manufactured by the company today and, in the case of the manifolds, were retooled for a second time in early 2020.
The years that followed were hard but exciting times, with Stephen and his wife Hazel building up the business in their spare time as both had full-time jobs. Weekends were spent at scrap yards, while their young children became accustomed to the hustle and bustle of a Jaguar Spares Day or the Beaulieu autojumble.
The 1990s was a time when the company really set down the roots that put them into the position they are today.
During this period, SNG Barratt purchased manufacturing and assembly firm Sovy, a parts supplier to Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, Aston Martin, Bristol, and other British car firms. The existing Sovy range, including brake and clutch fluid bottles, was continued alongside a raft of new lines from a growing in-house assembly team specialising in low volume, high mix production. These parts included washer bottles, mirrors, exterior lighting, switchgear, ignition systems, and wiper motors, all of which contribute to the many 1000s of parts that are still made at SNG Barratt HQ today.
The location of these headquarters changed in the late 1990s. The old Wolverhampton site was taken over by the government, making way for the construction of a new motorway and so the company moved to a new site in Bridgnorth, which also had room to grow.
It was around this time that SNG Barratt introduced fabrication work when a couple of welders joined the team and started making products that were not available elsewhere. As the scope of work grew, the new premises allowed the in-house fabrication team to expand from simple welding and brazing jobs to small press work and cutting/forming operations.
The early years of SNG Barratt proved to be the simple building blocks that allowed the company to grow, but it was the E-type's enduring popularity that proved equally as important in the development of the business.
And growth didn't just come along without risk. In hindsight, the reintroduction of many of the parts at the time was a huge risk that caused many a sleepless night. After all, the company at that time was just a handful of people with a few big ideas who were trying to create a range of parts that were originally manufactured by Jaguar, a huge operation with 1000s of staff that would dwarf the resources available to the Bridgnorth-based team.
Every time a "green light" was given to bring a product back to market, it would mean thousands of pounds being invested in tooling and production runs. To most manufacturers at the time, this would have been a drop in the ocean, but to a fledgling SNG Barratt, this meant tying up large sums of money in many years' worth of stock.
Were there errors along the way? Of course. No business owner would tell you otherwise. Anyone who got their hands on an SNG Barratt version of the USA spec E-type Series 3 rubber over-rider in the early 1990s would also attest to the fact that not everything was perfect. With that particular example, however, the fact that we got those parts so horribly wrong may just have encouraged owners of those cars to remove the original monstrosities and fit a Euro-spec bumper instead! Every cloud…
As the popularity of the E-type remained strong all over the world, opportunities to expand SNG Barratt into other territories lead to the opening of new branches in the USA, Holland and France.
During this time, Stephen and Hazel's son, Julian Barratt, joined the team full-time after many a school holiday spent assembling light units, wax oiling manifolds and manning the phone lines.
As the company moved into the 2000s, SNG Barratt introduced catalogues to showcase the huge range of products that were available, having previously relied upon price lists or simply word-of-mouth. The first was a 300-page classic called "The Ultimate Jaguar Parts Catalogue", which is still used as a reference guide today by some members of the sales teams, despite being long out of print. This was followed by a range of more specialised catalogues including a special edition for the E-type 50th anniversary in 2011. And despite SNG Barratt distributing this catalogue for free at the time, this gold-coloured special issue has since become something of a collector's item on eBay, selling for good money too!
The 50th anniversary in 2011 also saw the arrival of 50EE at SNG Barratt, an E-type Series 1 Roadster that the company decided to restore as part of the celebrations. It was intended to be used as a show-car to demonstrate the parts we could offer, but over the years that followed, the car became much more important to us than a simple marketing tool, covering 1000's of miles road-testing numerous new products and now an integral member of the SNG Barratt family. Today, we own many different Jaguar models that are used for road-testing new products.
This is an important part of the SNG Barratt DNA where we continually strive to understand the challenges faced by owners of Jaguar classic cars in the modern world and ensure the latest advances in technology and modern engineering are applied to our parts.
Today, SNG Barratt continues to be run by Julian Barratt. The company has come a long way since those early days of clearing parts off the kitchen table so dinner could be served.
With a team of over one hundred people supplying tens of thousands of parts all over the world, the company is dedicated to keeping Jaguars on the road. In-house production combines time-honoured manufacturing skills with new technologies, such as 3D printing and scanning, to keep the quality and availability of parts as high as possible for customers far and wide, ranging from enthusiasts in their garage to large OEM manufacturers such as JLR and Aston Martin.
SNG Barratt is a company that was founded on the E-Type
While the business now supplies classic and modern Jaguar parts right up to the current F-type, it is the 1961 masterpiece that got us off the ground and will always hold a special place in our hearts.
The classic car movement owes so much to the E-type and the E-type, on its 60th anniversary, owes a lot to the people at SNG Barratt.
Julian Barratt, CEO
The Heritage Building,
Stourbridge Road,
Bridgnorth,
WV15 6AP,
E: sales.uk@sngbarratt.com
62 Chemin du Bois d'Alier,
Zone Des Berthilliers,
Charnay-lès-Mâcon,
E: france@sngbarratt.com
Sneeuwhaas 4,
5236NX,
's-Hertogenbosch,
T: +31(0)73-2064090
E: sales.nl@sngbarratt.com
92 Londonderry Turnpike,
T: +1 800 452 4787 (Toll free)
E: sales.usa@sngbarratt.com
© 2023 SNG Barratt Group Limited. All rights reserved. VAT Number: GB346892416. Company Registration Number: 3583719.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


What is a Rain Garden ?
A rain garden is a garden which takes advantage of rainfall and stormwater runoff in its design and plant selection. Usually, it is a small garden which is designed to withstand the extremes of moisture and concentrations of nutrients, particularly Nitrogen and Phosphorus, that are found in stormwater runoff. rain gardens are sited ideally close to the source of the runoff and serve to slow the stormwater as it travels downhill, giving the stormwater more time to infiltrate and less opportunity to gain momentum and erosive power.
Below the surface of the garden, a number of processes are occurring which mimic the hydrologic action of a healthy forest. Soils are engineered and appropriate plants selected for the rain garden. The garden is a small bioretention cell in which stormwater is cleaned and reduced in volume once it enters the rain garden. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels and overall sediment loads in the stormwater are reduced by the action of the plants and growing media on the water. Multiple rain gardens over an area will have a positive cumulative effect on both the volume and quality of stormwater run off.
There are two basic types of rain gardens – under-drained and self-contained. Both types of rain gardens are used to improve stormwater quality, reduce runoff volumes and generally facilitate infiltration of cleaned water. Which type of garden is selected to be built is a balance of volumes of water to be treated, existing soil conditions, available space, and budget for the project.
In some cases where infiltration is not desired, the underdrain system can move excess water into a conventional storm sewer pipe system. Cases where infiltration would not be desirable would be if the bottom of the garden has less than 4' of clearance to the seasonal mean high water table or if the adjacent soils are contaminated and the cleaned water from the garden would become recontaminated by coming in contact with the adjacent native solids.
Rain gardens are designed to be drained within four hours after a 1" rain event. Under-drained rain gardens typically are designed to drain within 2 hours of the design storm event. This is achieved through the use of highly porous planting media and underdrains which carry the cleaned rainwater away from the garden. As a result, the plants selected for the bioretention cell need to be able to withstand both the extremes of flooding and drought. Plants on the upper edges of the garden are often xeric in their cultural requirement descriptions with plants lower in the garden being more adapted to floodplain conditions. Many riparian edge species are particularly well suited to the extreme environments of rain gardens.
Rain gardens with no underdrain typically hold moisture longer, particularly in the lower areas of the garden. Plants selected for this garden should be able to tolerate inundation for a more extended period of time. However, as in the case of the underdrained rain garden, the surface is drained within four hours, although the soil may be saturated. As in the bioretention cell, soils are amended with a very porous planting media, minimally to a depth of 8" and ideally to a depth of 2'- 3'. The lower the amount of soil amendment added when the garden is built, the more necessary it is to have plants adapted to prolonged periods of wetness. As with the underdrained rain garden, the plants on the upper edges of the garden will need to be more xeric in their cultural requirements than the plants in the lower areas.
In both types of gardens, the ground is excavated and the planting media is imported to the site. The imported planting media should be clean and weed seed free. A liner may or may not be used, depending on the local conditions.
In both the under-drained and self-contained rain gardens, the success of the garden is greater when you start with healthy and smaller, rather than larger, plants. Some plants listed are successful in rain gardens only when they are installed small and have a chance to adapt to the conditions as they grow.
Plants with deep fibrous roots tend to have a competitive advantage in a rain garden and provide the most cleaning and filtration benefits to the environment. Typical rain gardens are populated with natives or native cultivars because those are most well adapted to a locality, but other ornamental horticultural plants that are non-invasive but able to grow in the garden conditions can also be excellent choices.
Most of the examples of rain gardens that are available to review are populated with either herbaceous perennials, woody shrubs or trees. This does not mean that annuals are not a possible choice for such gardens; rather it means that the gardens constructed have been designed for habitat and low maintenance goals rather than purely seasonal aesthetics and color effects. Some annuals are good candidates for a higher maintenance version of a rain garden.


A well-designed estate plan brings peace of mind by ensuring your wishes are fully known, clearly stated, and centrally located. A will or trust provided through Schmidt Law will ensure those you designate receive the assets and income you've worked to build your entire life. The attorneys at Schmidt & offer a variety of estate planning services, whether that be a simple will or a comprehensive trust, we will consider your financial situation, the size of your estate, the special needs of your family, and the tax consequences involved in making investments and gifts.
Don't take the disposition of your family lightly. Be proactive in securing a future for your loved ones. Also, in taking the legal steps necessary to ensure fulfillment of your desires.
Drafting a will allows you to say how your assets will be distributed after you pass away. If you do not have a will, the state of Utah will distribute your estate through the laws of intestacy. An attorney insures the document correct. If the court deems the will void for any reason, pieces of it, or the whole thing, will be struck and not enforced. The court would then substitute its own directives where needed. At Schmidt Law, we pride ourselves in ensuring you will be fully compliant and therefore, fully enforceable.
A living trust is an excellent option if you have substantial assets and want to minimize estate taxes. A living trust, however, created and funded during your lifetime. This option avoids the cost associated with probate with proper set up, funding, and all property in the trust is titled correctly.
Living trusts and testamentary trusts, both used to protect beneficiaries from poor financial decisions. You should also consider a trust if you have children or other family members with special needs.
A Health Care Directive provides a clear statement of wishes about your choice to prolong your life or to withhold or withdraw treatment. You can also choose to request relief from pain even if doing so hastens death. Health Care Directives can also give someone else the power to determine what medical treatment you should receive, including whether life-sustaining procedures will be utilized.
A durable power of attorney gives someone else the power to make financial decisions on your behalf.
Regardless of your estate needs, Schmidt Law can assist you in designing and executing a plan of preparation and foresight. We are here to help you!
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Media Goes All out Praising Biden for Something Trump Has Already Done
Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden has begun to impanel his dream team of officials he hopes will staff his administration, should he be inaugurated on Jan. 20. Liberals have lauded his would-be team of socially acceptable ivy league elites, calling him the antithesis to President Donald Trump in every possible way.
However, what many seem to have forgotten is that they might have preemptively branded Trump with some of their dirtier terms, such as racist, bigoted, and sexist. This constant indoctrination by the left and their back-pocket media talking heads might have caused some to jump to conclusions when they lauded Biden for his "all-female senior communications team."
"Members of his staff include Elizabeth Alexander as communications director for Dr. Jill Biden, Kate Bedingfield as White House communications director, Ashley Etienne as communications director for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Karine Jean Pierre as principal deputy press secretary, and Jen Psaki as White House press secretary," the Independent Journal Review reported.
Even overlooking the distinct possibility that Biden isn't actually the president-elect, but in fact a defunct figurehead for a corrupt political machine that could well be ruptured in the near future, he's also not the first person to have selected an all-female senior communications staff, as was pointed out by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Twitter.
"President @realDonaldTrump already has an ALL FEMALE Senior White House Press Team," McEnany tweeted.
"So does @VP…
"So does @FLOTUS…
"So does @SecondLady…
"The completely DISCREDITED @washingtonpost once again reveals their blinding propagandist Fake News proclivities."
Not to be confused with the facts, however, the press team hopefuls issued statements in thanks and adulation after the Biden team announcement.
"Honored to work again for [Joe Biden], a man I worked on behalf of during the Obama-Biden Admin as he helped lead the economic recovery, rebuilt our relationships with partners (turns out good practice) and injected empathy and humanity into nearly every meeting I sat in," Psaki tweeted on Sunday.
Bedingfield also tweeted her thanks on Sunday saying, "I'm unspeakably proud to have the opportunity to serve as White House Communications Director for [Joe Biden]. Working for him as VP and on this campaign gave me insight into what kind of capable, compassionate, clear-eyed president he will be and it will be a profound honor to…be one small part of his work," Bedingfield wrote.
In his statement about the picks, Biden said "Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House. I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women. These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better."
"Our country is facing unprecedented challenges–from the coronavirus pandemic to the economic crisis, to the climate crisis, and a long-overdue reckoning over racial injustice," said Democrat Vice President nominee Kamala Harris. "To overcome these challenges, we need to communicate clearly, honestly, and transparently with the American people, and this experienced, talented, and barrier-shattering team will help us do that. These communications professionals express our commitment to building a White House that reflects the very best of our nation."
"Today's appointees are respected communicators with a breadth of experience and a strong commitment to serving the American people," said Biden's pick for White House Chief of Staff, Ron Klain. "President-elect Biden has a history of advocating on behalf of women in the U.S and around the world and today's announcement is a continuation of that work, elevating this dynamic team of leaders to senior White House positions. They embody Joe Biden's commitment to a diverse administration where the voices of all Americans are represented."
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