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Home > urban > I Will Return My New Brother > CH 18
I Will Return My New Brother CH 18
Author:Dana Category:urban Update time:2022-12-30 13:08:57
"I am Marianne Button."
I could see a glint of sadness in Orion's eyes when he gazed at me— his supposed sister, who still used Button as her last name.
"The young man and woman are truly beautiful .
"They're too young.
I believe they should keep their distance from each other."
Orion cut in, interrupting the Bishop's words.
He looked at Bertin while speaking clearly.
"Isn't this the time where you must work hard training in the drill hall as a paladin"
"One of my duties is to aid the bishop and to stay by his side."
"Then you can just protect Sir Bishop."
Orion stood in front of me.
I blinked, looking at the back that completely blocked my sight.
When the Bishop took one step to the side to talk with me, Orion shifted his body as well, continuing to block me.
"Thank you for your congratulatory speech.
Hey, I still haven't given my greetings.
Orion was kicking out a bishop who had been dispatched by the courtesy of the Vatican.
If this is also an act to protect his neutrality, how incredible it would be.
Eventually, when the Bishop had given up his conversation with me and left to check on the banquet, Orion volunteered to take me to the changing room.
While walking down a quiet aisle, he started a conversation.
"The wedding ended safely."
When I slightly turned my head at the repeated fake cough, Orion was looking at me with a bright red face.
"Now, then .
His voice oddly trembled with excitement.
"Now that they've married and become a family .
He looked at me with his sparkling blue eyes.
I was reflected on the very blue eyes as though they were glass beads.
I was a bit taken aback at the childish eyes that were filled with expectation.
Then, when he opened his mouth, I was truly at a loss for words.
"Try to call me oppa."
"It is Orion oppa."
As if all the boring wedding moments existed for this moment alone, he pressured me with his face that was filled with expectation.
Seeing my expression, he made a slight compromise in a few minutes.
"Yeah, it can still be awkward.
If oppa is hard, you can start by calling me orabeoni." (T/N: orabeoni is an archaic version of oppa.)
"I can wait."
Why would you wait
What was it that you were waiting for
I turned my head, pretending to not hear him and quickly spoke.
"Thank you for taking me here."
It was my duty as orabeoni to escort my little sister."
Some of his words were over emphasized, weren't they
I quickly escaped to the dressing room to avoid his sparkling eyes.
Then I asked the maid who was bringing my already prepared dress,
"Where is the emergency exit"
I seriously wanted to escape from here.
Fortunately, after I changed my dress, I couldn't see the owner of those blue eyes.
The one who was pressing me to call him oppa in front of the door.
Instead, Raynia greeted me as she linked our arms, now in a different dress.
"How long are you going to be at the banquet"
"I will just greet them before leaving."
"I'm glad.
I hate the sound of nobles faking their laughter."
But it's a relief you're here with me."
I knew that the reason Raynia— who rarely even attended local salons or small meetings— came here and stayed until the banquet was for me.
When I expressed my sincere thanks to my reliable friend, Raynia nodded her head lightly.
"The people called nobles are sophisticated thugs and that's why it will be difficult for you to face them.
I have no choice but to help you."
"But you are also a noble."
"What I mean is that group of arrogant people with middle names since they were born."
Raynia's mutterings continued.
It wasn't easy for rising nobles formerly of the merchant class to set foot in noble society.
The slander, contempt and disregard for her origin must have played a major role in Raynia's cynicism.
When I tapped lightly on our linked hands, she smiled sweetly.
"How happy I am that my friend lives under the same roof as the high ranking nobles.
It's the end of those who dare to pick on me."
"We're perfect now.
I have money and you have a high status."
"Rany, you didn't become my friend because of my status."
Raynia said proudly while smiling,
"Even so, it's good to have authority."
While I was speechless for a moment at my friend's overly realistic words, someone slowly approached us from the opposite end of the hall.
Raynia's grip became a little stronger.
The hallway was covered by a curtain and was dark, but the silvery hair that gleamed was quite apparent.
He smiled with a gentle face.
"Lady Button and Lady Rocke, should I be polite"
Raynia was trembling with anger.
I tapped her shoulder.
Her expression was as though she was directly facing a nightmare.
Bertin only laughed as he watched Raynia shake in that manner.
Because I could see that the two would surely bicker if I said nothing, I opened the conversation.
"I never expected that you would come."
"I know that Duke Miller is expressing neutrality, but he also possesses strong military power.
I meant to look good in his eyes, though it is difficult to appease him."
"You should do nothing but pray if you're even coming here.
Why are you doing political things"
Bertin smiled bitterly at Rany's words.
He pretended not to hear her as he changed the conversation.
"By the way, Zen will be really pissed."
"Hmm .
I had thought it wasn't that important, but looking at the guests who came to the wedding, my thoughts changed.
Indeed, marrying a 'Duke' was a bit different than the past marriage.
When I finally realized that this situation was more dangerous than I had initially anticipated, Bertin's words pierced me even more.
I was now beginning to worry about Zen's reaction.
"For now, I just want to safely finish today's banquet before returning home."
"I'll escort you, Ladies."
He courteously lowered his body while showing a gentle yet polite smile, then stood behind the two of us.
When we entered the banquet hall, I felt attention gathering at my back.
I turned my head to avoid the ladies' shocked bunny eyes and met Orion's eyes instead.
they were even wider than those of the young ladies.
Did something happen
Why were his eyes that wet
Orion's eyes were filled with moistness.


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Home > Jewish World
Israelis Charged in U.S. for 'Breathtaking' Hacking Heist
Three Jewish men allegedly hacked JPMorgan's site and stole hundreds of millions of dollars.
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Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks next to a chart during a news conference New York November 10, 2015.Reuters
Three Jewish men, two of them Israeli citizens, are among those charged with hacking the website of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and stealing hundreds of millions of dollars.
Three Israelis arrested in relation to JPMorgan hack, securities fraud
The indictments of Gery Shalon, Joshua Samuel Aaron and Ziv Orenstein in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York were unsealed Tuesday. The 23-count indictment encompasses the Chase hack along with numerous alleged crimes targeting 12 other companies, including nine financial service companies and The Wall Street Journal, Reuters reported.
Prosecutors said the three had been working together since 2007 and that their crimes include artificially inflating stock prices, an illegal bitcoin exchange, operating online casinos and creating at least 75 shell companies around the world.
"By any measure, the data breaches at these firms were breathtaking in scope and in size," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said at a news conference.
According to Reuters, Tuesday's charges are the first tied to the JPMorgan attack, which compromised information in 83 million customer accounts and was the largest theft of customer data from an American financial institution.
Shalon, 31, and Orenstein, 40, are Israeli citizens who were arrested in July. Aaron, 31, is a U.S. citizen who has lived in Moscow and Tel Aviv. Another defendant, Anthony Murgio, was also charged in the bitcoin exchange.
The charges depict Shalon as the leader of the group.
News Agencies and Affiliates

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


KT Tunstall's new album Tiger Suit came out this past week in the states and like a true fan, I downloaded it on iTunes. And because of things going on this week, I've missed seeing her on Leno and then on the Today Show on NBC this a.m. Rats.
But to the album. I first connected with KT via the The Hotel Cafe Christmas album from a few years ago where she did a cover of Sleigh Ride. Her version has become one of my top Christmas favorites, and I'd be scared to see how many times it's played in iTunes since Christmas of 2008. I also get SMS updates from her on Twitter, which over the past few months have given me an insight into what she's been up to as she prepared for the release of this latest album.
With the iTunes purchase comes a 52-minute "the making of" video. That helped to watch, too, as I delved further into the content of the album. Of course, I've been receiving her email updates over the past month or so, so I'd been able to see and hear some the new material before. But the album is out now, so what of it?
My fast favorite on the album isn't one of the tracks for commercial appeal like Fade Like a Shadow or Still a Weirdo, though I must say, I like the latter more than the prior.
Oh, yeah, my favorite so far: DIFFICULTY.
I've always been a sucker for a good bass line and this distorted guitar riff with it's repetition and then calculated rises in tone, followed by a repeat of the refrain have locked into my psyche and I will admit, offer me comfort much like how ants flock to the comfort of the vibrations in wires caused by electricity passing through them.
The chorus is uplifting, almost a glimpse of the feeling it must be like to break free of the difficulty.
When I don't want to.
The only thing I don't like about the song is the bridge in the middle. Then it gets away from me and I'm ready for the return to the comfort repetition.
I'll write more about the rest of the album as I migrate my way through the new sounds. But if Difficulty were on vinyl I'd already be hearing the sounds of wearing down the grooves.
I wish KT was going to be making a stop here in the Dallas area. It would have been nice to take the kids to see her so we could all enjoy Other Side of the World, (still my favorite of all) Little Favours, Cherry Tree, Like the Weather, Suddenly I See, and her catalog of great songs.
Would I buy this album again? Yes. And I recommend it to you, too. Some of the songs aren't going to be things that grab a hold of you on the first spin, but that's sometimes the best, where lyrics and tunes slowly seep into your consciousness and then all of the sudden, you're humming them or putting them on repeat in iTunes.
Difficulty? Watch for it next season on TV. The Good Wife would be a great candidate for it on CBS, or maybe as the ending song on one of the CSI episodes where one of the female mainstays goes through a difficult upheaval in a relationship and feels like KT sounds in the song and then the song just stops on one of the final notes as the screen goes blank before the Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer black screen credit and stay tuned for the news pitch comes on.
It's that kind of song. David Zucker and Jerry Bruckheimer producers, I hope you're reading.


Located in the heart of Portland's southeast neighborhood near the Hawthorne, Division, and Clinton Street neighborhoods.
Gracious hospitality and great cooking!
The Everett Street Guesthouse is a lovely 1905 Craftsman style home plus a separate entrance contemporary studio cottage.
Whether you windsurf, kite, bike, hike, ski, boat, golf, fish, or read, we want to help you make the most of your time in Hood River.
River Run Lodge offers quiet, comfortable accommodations just a short walk from the wild and scenic Deschutes River.
Built in 1915 in a time when Metolius, Oregon was a booming railroad town.


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Enjoying the chassis: H&R sport springs for the new 4-series BMW Gran Coupé
Advanced Fiberglass Composites (AFC) Hardtop for the Ford Bronco!
Rotary piston engine with 1.217 hp: Mazda 3 for the Pikes Peak 2022!
Dinan Software Upgrade Stage 1 for S63 Engines!
Classic design - wire-spoke wheels on the vehicle!
tuning blog 20. February 2020 Tips, products, information & Co, Tuning Wiki
Wire-spoke wheels are also known in America as "Wire Wheels" and are a typical feature of classic cars and classic older sports cars. The rims shape the appearance of the car enormously and stand for durability, precision and absolute smoothness. The spoked wheels are known on certain British car models from Triumph, Jaguar, Morgan, MG, Austin Healey and also from the manufacturer Aston Martin. Incidentally, wire-spoke rims almost always form the basis for the crazy ones Elbow wheels the so-called "Slab Culture".
Which variants are differentiated?
The wheels with the chic wire spoke constructions are made of different materials. For example, a distinction is made between aluminum wire-spoke wheels and chrome-spoke wheels. The materials differ in weight, appearance and also in the need for care. Chrome-plated wire-spoke wheels can also be powder-coated to withstand the weather conditions. Chrome wire wheels are used, for example, in the MG series and in the Austin Healey. Old-timer wire-spoke wheels with chrome surfaces are particularly sensitive.
Tip: New wheelset planned? Our Tire calculator says if it fits!
Only a mild care product should be used for care. Rim cleaner should not be used on wire-spoke wheels. Especially if it contains acidic agents. Wire spoke constructions made of aluminum can be found, for example, in older Maserati vehicles. The aluminum surfaces should also only be treated with mild care products. Oxidation can already be seen in places (fogged rim rings), then a complete restoration of the wire spoke wheels should be carried out.
Restoration of wire spoke wheels
Wire-spoke wheels are durable and contribute to the special look of classic cars and classic sports cars. The articles can be prepared and restored by specialized companies. The professional restoration also includes centering the wire spoke wheels. Such reprocessing may also make it necessary to replace vintage tires. The companies specializing in classic car restoration can give interested customers appropriate advice and generally have contact points for original spare parts. It may be necessary to assemble and prepare the tires to see whether the tires with the original rims run properly. If you are not familiar with classic cars, you can quickly cause an unbalance that damages the wheels and also the vehicle. The old spoke technology has different requirements than modern rims and wheels.
Manufacturing the rims is very complex
The manufacturing method for wire-spoke wheels is different for many types of wheels and in some cases extremely complicated. Some are made using the so-called spinning technique, which requires a special spinning tool. These types of rims are often "cold" processed, thus ensuring maximum homogeneity of the material. Only later does heat treatment take place, which gives the material the required degree of hardening. Only high quality stainless steel spokes should be used for the wire spoke wheels. When the rim is finished, the unsprung masses are reduced by up to 25% when compared to conventional steel wheels. This benefits the handling of the car, the reaction and the comfort.
What are the advantages of wire spoke wheels?
Wire-spoke wheels can be repaired by specialists and are considered elastic and robust. The wheels should be taken down every year for maintenance and the wire spokes should then be checked. If the spoke heads are lost, this can lead to the wheel running out of true. In this case, there is a need for repairs and the wire-spoke wheels should be taken to the restorer. There are dealers who offer a free inspection of the spoked wheels and make a non-binding offer for the spoked wheel restoration. Incidentally, this type of rims is not only available for classic cars, but can also be installed on current cars. A good example would be the 17 or 18 inch S-Ray / X-Ray from the manufacturer Borrani, which is available for the Audi A1, for example.
Wire spoke wheels - conclusion
Wire-spoke wheels are known and loved on classic cars, British sports cars and other, older car models. The rims known as "Wire Wheels" contribute to the respective appearance of the oldtimers and offer many advantages. The wheels are considered to be durable and easy to repair. The wheels can be made of aluminum, for example, or they can be available in chrome-plated and powder-coated versions. Wire spoke wheels require regular maintenance and should be checked annually. Specialized companies offer controls and professional restoration of classic vintage bikes.
PS: The rims are often fastened with special wing nuts, all information on this topic is available here and also with the often necessary Knock-off adapters we have already dealt with it.
We hope that you the info report on the topic / term Laced wheels (Further designations / keywords: wire spoke rims, rim spokes, spoke wheels, chrome spoke wheels, aluminum spoke wheels, spoke rims) from the field of autotuning. Our goal is that the largest German-language tuning dictionary (Tuning Wikipedia) and to explain tuning terms from A to Z easily and understandably. Almost every day we expand this lexicon and how far we are, you can HERE see. Soon the next one will be Tuning scene concept be illuminated by us. By the way, you will be informed about new topics if you have ours Feed subscribe to.
Below are a few examples from our tuning lexicon:
But of course tuningblog has countless other articles on the subject of cars & car tuning in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. We would also like to provide you with news aside from the tuning. In our category Tips, products, information & Co we pick up contributions from car or accessory manufacturers. And also our category Test sites, laws, offenses, information has almost daily new information for you. Here are a few topics from our tuning wiki:
Feel when shifting - the clutch delay valve!
Top speed - the conversion to a long gear!
More safety in the car with an emergency brake assistant!
Tuning without limits - the VW Golf GTi from Markus!
Protection not only from animals - the corrugated pipe for the cable!
For rocket launch - launch control in the vehicle!
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Pieces Voitures Anglaises
30. December 2021 at 11: 18
Très interesting. Belle pub pour Borrani, legendary Italian marque!
Toyota Crown Royal Saloon with Airride & Camber tuning!
2021 Honda E with Innovate Composites widebody kit!
What you should pay attention to when buying jump start devices!
Retrofit contour lighting on the vehicle front?
Confiscation of driver's license only possible if you have it with you!


The investigated area extends for 3 km and was subjected to three phases of coastal alterations which affected not only the topography of the area but also the water quality, productivity and phytoplankton communities of coastal area. Beaches have been protected since 1934 in order to prevent further erosion and to provide newrecreational beaches.After 1998, protective wave breakers were built parallel to some of the beaches. This resulted in the formation of relatively large semi-closed, shallow lagoons. Due to their shallow depth, these lagoons became a suitable environment for algal blooms. From2010, other processes were done to reduce the harmful effect caused by the previous coastal modification in the area. The composition of the phytoplankton population was totally different for the two periods of coastal modifications. The most important bloom caused by Micromonas pusilla forming green tide. This bloomwas accompanied by the bloomof P. quinquecorne. Although there were no fish or invertebrate mortality in 2007, this bloomcaused economical losses for internal tourism. In the absence of Environmental Assessment, the coastal engineering increased the harmful algal blooms in Alexandria coastal waters even with corrective steps to mitigate the harmful effects.


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Analleli Solis (Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune)
The Loan Company That Sued Thousands of Low-Income Latinos During the Pandemic
A monthslong investigation revealed that Oportun Inc., which was founded to help Latino immigrants build credit, routinely uses lawsuits to intimidate a vulnerable population into keeping up with high-interest loan payments — even amid COVID-19.
by Kiah Collier, Ren Larson and Perla Trevizo
Aug. 31, 2020, 2:30 p.m. CDT
This article is co-published with The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan local newsroom that informs and engages with Texans. Sign up for The Brief weekly to get up to speed on their essential coverage of Texas issues.
Leer en Español.
HOUSTON — On an afternoon in mid-June, Analleli Solis was walking home from her brother's house just down the street when she noticed someone she didn't know retreating from the front door of her modest brick home.
Solis approached the woman, who handed her an envelope.
Inside was a lawsuit from Oportun Inc., a personal loan company Solis had turned to for years when she and her husband didn't have enough cash to cover rent, fix their cars or take a vacation.
Now, the company was suing Solis to recoup some of that money, demanding $4,196.23 including fees and interest.
Solis' shock quickly gave way to anger. Three months earlier, after she missed a few of her $130 bimonthly payments, she said she called Oportun to tell the company she had lost her jobs as a hotel housekeeper and fast food worker because of the coronavirus pandemic and needed some relief.
The 43-year-old mother of three expected the company would understand.
She was a longtime customer, after all. Her latest loan, which she took out to repair her aging SUV, was her fifth with Oportun since 2013, she said, and she had never missed a payment. Staffers were always friendly and helpful.
Silicon Valley-based Oportun, a subprime installment lender that operates in 12 states, also portrayed itself as a financial ally to the Latino immigrant community, its primary customer base, and had built a reputation as a more affordable and humane alternative to payday lenders. In its business filings and on its website, the company — whose name is short for "oportunidad," Spanish for opportunity — claimed to work with borrowers grappling with cash-flow problems beyond their control. Just two weeks into the pandemic, it announced a special hardship program that postponed payment due dates as long as impacted customers notified the company in advance.
But over a series of phone calls, Solis said, Oportun agents told her there was nothing they could do to help her, even though her financial situation was particularly dire as her husband had also recently lost his job. She said they didn't offer a payment plan or mention the hardship program.
"I feel powerless not being able to pay them," Solis, who immigrated from Mexico as a teenager, said in Spanish.
Solis is among tens of thousands of Oportun borrowers who have found themselves in a similar predicament in recent years, according to a monthslong investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that drew on more than a million Texas court records, hundreds of pages of company financial filings, and interviews with more than a dozen consumer advocates, attorneys and industry experts.
Our reporting revealed a company that draws clients in by depicting itself as a benefactor of the Latino immigrant community yet charges high interest rates, keeps customers like Solis on the hook with repeated refinancing and routinely uses lawsuits to intimidate delinquent borrowers into paying again.
An analysis of court records in nine of Texas' largest counties — home to the vast majority of the 80 kiosks and strip mall storefronts the company operates in the state — found that Oportun has sued borrowers after they fell behind on their payments more than 47,000 times from May 2016 through July of this year. That's 30 lawsuits per day on average.
So far this year, Oportun has filed nearly 10,000 lawsuits against customers in those counties, with more than half of those coming after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic in mid-March.
That number of filings makes Oportun the most litigious personal loan company in Texas and one of the most litigious debt collectors in the state overall this year. It is rivaled only by larger companies like Conn's HomePlus, Capital One and a handful of firms that buy unrecovered debts from banks and other creditors.
Asked why it sues so many of its customers, particularly during a pandemic, Oportun referred ProPublica and the Tribune to a recent blog post from company CEO Raul Vazquez that said the company used lawsuits as "a mechanism of last resort to get the small minority of our customers who have fallen behind in their payments and not answered our calls, letters, texts or emails for several months to reengage with us."
That was the case with Solis, according to a statement Oportun released after she gave the company permission to comment on her account.
"According to our records, this customer did not reach out to us and was unresponsive to our repeated attempts to reach them," the statement said, adding that "if a customer tells us they are impacted by the pandemic, they are eligible for our emergency hardship programs."
Vazquez defined the "small minority" of loans resulting in lawsuits as less than 6% over the past five years. Though he didn't say how many lawsuits that represented, he said that it had "become a big number" over time and announced that the company would drop all pending debt claims — including the one against Solis — and temporarily suspend the filing of new ones. He also vowed to reduce the company's filing rate by more than 60% and cap interest rates at 36%, an annual percentage rate that consumer advocates consider an absolute maximum for smaller personal loans. (While the company says its average APR is already 36%, ProPublica and the Tribune found that it has often charged rates as high as 66.99% in Texas and California.)
The blog post came after the company discovered that reporters from ProPublica and the Tribune, as well as The Guardian, were investigating its debt collection practices in Texas and California.
"We have always designed our products and practices to benefit our customers, so we asked ourselves how we can better serve our customers, especially in the current environment, while keeping our commitments to other stakeholders," wrote Vazquez, a former Walmart executive who grew up in El Paso. "After extensive discussions and with enthusiastic support from our leadership team and Board, we have decided that we can do better and I'm writing today to share how we intend to do that on a permanent basis."
Vazquez acknowledged that his company had become the No. 1 filer in small claims courts in both states. Still, the ProPublica/Tribune analysis shows Oportun has filed so many lawsuits that it would remain among the most litigious debt collectors in Texas even if it filed 60% fewer debt claims.
The company declined to make Vazquez available for an interview or respond to an exhaustive list of written questions regarding its legal collections strategy and general business practices.
Instead, it released a one-paragraph statement that touted its high customer satisfaction scores and rates of repayment. It also said it had enrolled more than 112,000 customers in its emergency hardship deferral program since the start of the pandemic, representing a total loan balance of more than $300 million.
"[Oportun is] consistently recognized by leading consumer advocates as a company that does right by its customers," the statement said. "We are proud to have proven that it is possible to lend responsibly in low-and-moderate income communities and we are proud to receive customer satisfaction scores that are consistently on par with beloved brands like Ritz-Carlton, Apple, and USAA."
But the same consumer advocates and legal aid groups who have recognized Oportun as a bright spot in the largely predatory world of subprime lending said they were disturbed by the scope of its legal collections activity. While the share of the company's loans that lead to lawsuits may seem low, they said the rate is far higher than that of its peers — particularly for a lender that paints itself as a flexible benefactor. The ProPublica/Tribune analysis of the company's loan originations show that its 6% filing rate would translate to well over 100,000 lawsuits.
Consumer advocates and legal aid groups also noted that the company has been certified for years as a Community Development Financial Institution, an esteemed federal designation for banks, credit unions and other lenders with clienteles that are largely low-income or in underserved communities of color, and said its collections practices fly in the face of that title.
Ann Baddour, director of the Fair Financial Services Project at the nonprofit advocacy group Texas Appleseed, said the scope of Oportun's legal collections activity is "really problematic."
"We've generally seen them as a positive player in the marketplace, so it was really shocking to me to see them as a major filer," Baddour said, when informed of the publications' findings. "We hope they will revisit their collections practices and look at aligning them with the community development mission that they have long highlighted as key to their business model."
Baddour is particularly familiar with Oportun as she recently served alongside Vazquez on the Consumer Advisory Board of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the federal watchdog agency formed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to better guard Americans from abusive lending practices.
Other consumer advocates say the measures Vazquez announced don't address what they see as the root cause of the problem: Oportun lends money to people who can't pay it back and not just during the pandemic. That's evident not just from its voluminous lawsuits, but also its practice of refinancing high-interest loans, which makes it appear that borrowers have paid them off but actually keeps them on the hook, sometimes for years.
"When we saw the announcement, we didn't immediately pop any Champagne bottles," said Kiran Sidhu, policy counsel for the Center for Responsible Lending's state policy team. (The center was started with support from the Sandler Foundation, which provided most of the original funding for ProPublica and remains its largest donor.)
Oportun's Origin Story
Oportun — originally called Progreso Financiero — was founded in 2005 by James Gutierrez, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, who launched the company while earning his master's in business administration at Stanford Business School. His vision was to help Latino immigrants gain access to mainstream financial services — and prove that subprime lending with zero collateral could be done compassionately and profitably with the right kind of underwriting.
"I wanted to make a big impact on our social problems in America, and I wanted to do something that helped the Hispanic community find economic opportunities," Gutierrez told Bloomberg TV in 2009, the year he turned 32.
While his grad school friends joined Wall Street hedge funds, Gutierrez set up folding card tables at Latino supermarkets in California and spent half a year trying to prove to angel investors that he could successfully lend to people with modest incomes and negligible credit histories using a scoring system that took into account hundreds of unique attributes to determine the likelihood an applicant would repay a loan.
He never broke even, but succeeded enough.
Before he left the company in early 2012, Gutierrez — who founded a competing firm a year later — had closed tens of millions of dollars in new funding from major players including Madrone Capital, run by the eldest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton, and Greylock, known for its early investments in tech startups like Facebook. The infusions bankrolled the opening of dozens of kiosks and storefronts in California and Texas, the states with the largest Latino populations.
The week after his departure from the company, Gutierrez told the Los Angeles Times that Progreso was finally on track to break even. But that wouldn't happen for years, even after Vazquez took the helm.
Under Vazquez, the company has expanded into 10 more states, started offering auto loans and an Oportun-branded credit card, and executed a major rebranding and overhaul of its marketing and public relations strategies. Last September, the company went public.
To date, it's disbursed more than 3.9 million loans totaling more than $9 billion. At the end of 2019, it had nearly 800,000 active customers, its first annual filing shows.
Revenues are up in recent years thanks to the expansion, and the company has reported five consecutive years of pre-tax profitability. But business filings show that as its operating expenses have soared, its profits have been modest and spotty.
In the first two quarters of 2020, Oportun's net profits dropped by $50 million, compared with the same period in 2019, amid the widespread economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its 2019 year-end filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Oportun explained the financial challenges ahead, saying it would need to continue with its rapid expansion to "achieve and increase profitability."
Even if it succeeded, it said "we may not be able to maintain or increase our level of profitability over the long term."
Oportun's Business Model
Nearly a decade ago, Texas Appleseed — Baddour's group — highlighted Oportun in a report as one of several new, non-bank players striving to offer affordable small-dollar loans. But, it said, few had reached significant scale.
Many statistics would indicate Oportun is bucking the trend. It added hundreds of retail locations across the country in the past five years and has grown its active customer count by more than 300,000 since 2016. In a filing announcing its initial public offering, it said that the vast majority of dollars lent had been repaid.
"Our track record as a responsible lender is clear — 92% of our customers have historically paid us back on time and in full," Oportun said in a statement to ProPublica and the Tribune, adding that its so-called loss rates compare favorably to prime lenders.
But consumer advocates say the large number of lawsuits Oportun is filing raises the question: Under what circumstances are those repayments occurring?
The company wouldn't say how much money it has recouped after "reengaging" customers via the legal system. And the ProPublica/Tribune investigation found that the company has other ways to retain borrowers that consumer advocates describe as questionable.
Under its "Good Customer Program," Oportun allows borrowers to take out larger loans with lower interest rates, which typically translates to lower monthly payments. To qualify, they must have never missed a payment, maintained their current loan for a year or paid off 40% of it.
"If a customer stays with us, we give them more capital and drop their rate," Vazquez, the Oportun CEO, said last month in an interview with the nonprofit Financial Health Network, in which he described the average Oportun borrower as 42 years old with a family to support and a $45,000 annual salary. "A customer should see a benefit for performing well on their loan."
But consumer advocates and attorneys say the program can trap consumers in a cycle of debt because they are repeatedly rewriting potentially unaffordable loans, thus paying more interest than principal.
"In general, a model that pushes refinancing is not a good idea," said Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center. "Refinancing is masking troubles."
Oportun doesn't disclose its refinancing rate or how many customers are enrolled in its "Good Customer Program," but figures in its public filings and other publicly available information show the company depends heavily on repeat customers, which have comprised some 80% of its principal balance since at least 2017, according to the company's latest annual filing. And the 3.8 million loans the company has disbursed to date have gone to about 1.7 million people, meaning each person takes out an average of more than two.
A significant share of the company's revenue — more than 90% — comes from interest income, though that includes late fees.
Solis, the hotel worker in Houston, said she took advantage of refinancing several times. She doesn't recall whether her payments or interest rate dropped as a result but said she found the $130 bimonthly payments on her most recent $6,000 loan reasonable.
In its statement regarding Solis, Oportun said, "Each loan came after the customer had paid down a substantial portion of their balance, each loan came with a lower APR, and the customer's credit score was steadily improving."
Solis said her daughter tried to borrow from Oportun to help cover payments, but she was denied.
"It's really hard to get sued for something that's out of your control," she said.
Despite Oportun decreasing its interest rates with each refinance — compared with payday lenders that peddle short-term, single-payment loans with APRs that can top 400% — they are still high.
In May 2018, Oportun lent $800 at a 66.9% interest rate to a woman in McAllen, a city on the Texas-Mexico border, who needed it to pay rent. The terms: 15 months with bimonthly payments of $40. (That meant she would have paid a total of $1,189.70, including $389.70 in interest.)
But even that was too much. Struggling to juggle other loans, the woman defaulted, and Oportun sued her last year.
Oportun loan contract. (Highlights added by ProPublica)
Her pro bono attorney, Amy Clark of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, was able to settle the case by arguing that Oportun had harassed her client during the collections process by repeatedly calling the personal references the woman gave when she applied for the loan.
"They had collected information on 'references' as though it was to get the loan, but it was for collection purposes," she said.
Despite the near 67% interest rate in her client's loan, Oportun maintains that its average APR is 36%. But it doesn't disclose comprehensive data on its rates or fee structure and declined to disclose its median interest rate, a better indicator of the rate it typically charges.
Some websites that review credit products for consumers have pointed to that lack of transparency as a red flag and advised consumers to seek other options before borrowing from Oportun.
"Oportun loans are expensive, though the company is not transparent about their overall rates and fees, which vary by state," according to a May review in WalletHub, which noted that Oportun's opaqueness brought its score down considerably despite the company's "positive reputation."
The Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner, the state agency that regulates lenders, declined an open records request for Oportun's lending disclosures, which shed light on the number of loans disbursed and interest earned, citing confidentiality. But similar reports from California's Department of Business Oversight show that last year Oportun charged APRs between 40% and 69.99% on nine out of every 10 loans under $2,500 issued or refinanced in that state.
With those kinds of interest rates, the main reason Oportun's loans are more affordable is that the company allows customers to pay them back in installments with terms that range from six to 48 months. But Baddour of Texas Appleseed said multiyear terms for these kinds of consumer loans can become burdensome for borrowers who struggle to maintain consistent income.
The Lawsuits
Oportun in Austin, Texas. (Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune)
In 2010, Oportun obtained its first batch of operating licenses in Texas and now has 80 grocery store kiosks and strip mall storefronts in more than a dozen counties across the state.
Court records covering nine of the state's most populous counties show that Oportun didn't start suing borrowers until 2016, when its expansion was well underway, the ProPublica/Tribune analysis found.
That year, Oportun filed at least 3,500 debt claims in three of the largest Texas counties, those home to Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth. Its filings have grown every year since then.
Oportun sued more than 9,000 borrowers during the first half of 2020, nearly 2,500 more than it did in the same period of 2019, the analysis found. In Harris and Dallas counties, where more detailed records are available, the median claim amount this year is about $1,400.
Consumer advocates and attorneys say Texas' court system also makes it efficient for Oportun to sue.
Records show that non-attorney staffers called "legal collections specialists" — some of them straight out of college — file lawsuits en masse in justice of the peace courts, where claims are capped at $10,000, you don't have to be an attorney to sue and filing fees, typically about $50, are hundreds of dollars less per case than in county or state courts.
"I think it just doesn't cost them that much, so why not?" said Anderson Simmons, an Austin-based consumer attorney who regularly represents consumers in debt collection cases, though never against Oportun. "They have to pay employees to fill out the forms, but they could have someone doing that for $15 an hour, so it's probably just a mass assembly line."
In his July blog post, Vazquez described Oportun's legal collections activity as a success. That's why the company has dropped some two-thirds of the lawsuits it's filed, he explained.
Mary Spector, who directs the civil and consumer law clinic at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, said that suing a debtor with no intention of litigating the case is an abuse of the legal system.
"It smells like harassment and intimidation," she said. "Especially when cases are filed in large numbers."
Carl Smart, a Dallas-based consumer attorney who regularly represents borrowers in Oportun suits, said Oportun staffers always move to dismiss cases as soon as they realize the borrower has an attorney.
Smart said that's unusual because "these kinds of cases are generally fairly easy for the creditor to win because all they have to do is prove the debt is this person's."
Like Solis and other borrowers ProPublica and the Tribune interviewed for this story, Smart said it is often hard to get through to Oportun by phone.
How We Found Out How Many Debt Collection Lawsuits Oportun Inc. Filed During the Pandemic
Justice of the peace courts, where a majority of debt claims are filed in Texas, aren't required to report case-level information. Here's how ProPublica and Texas Tribune reporters got around it to reveal one company's aggressive tactics.
Smart said many of his clients are Latino immigrants who don't speak English or understand the difference between a civil and criminal lawsuit.
"They don't understand their rights. They think they're going to jail," Smart said. "I do kind of think that Oportun takes a little bit of advantage of that."
Oportun's contracts say borrowers are considered in default if they miss just one payment and must immediately pay the full amount remaining on the note — and that the company doesn't have to notify them in advance that it will demand they do so.
Borrowers have very little recourse unless they specifically opt out of provisions in the contract that bar them from joining a class action lawsuit against the company or taking disputes to trial, but legal aid and private consumer attorneys said that rarely happens.
Most of those provisions are standard in consumer contracts. But they "are what allows these companies to operate at will, because individual cases are like bug bites to them," said Clark of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.
Consumer advocates and attorneys say Oportun's legal strategy is also likely effective because many of its borrowers are undocumented and fear the legal system.
Oportun allows borrowers to use an individual tax identification number in lieu of a Social Security number when they apply for loans, making them easily accessible to undocumented immigrants. Even then, others may use Social Security numbers that they borrow or buy when they arrive in the country.
Oportun declined to say how many of its borrowers might be undocumented, but a review of available petitions in the 467 lawsuits Oportun filed in June in Harris County shows the company had Social Security numbers on file for fewer than half of the defendants.
While Oportun drops two-thirds of the lawsuits it files, Baddour noted that it files so many in Harris County — where it has the most retail locations — that it also secures more rulings there than most other debt collectors. The vast majority of those are won by default because the defendant doesn't respond to the lawsuit.
Very few Oportun defendants obtain lawyers, the ProPublica/Tribune analysis showed. Last year in Harris County, 105 out of 7,600 of them did, and it made a difference: Their cases were dropped 96% of the time before a ruling.
Like Solis, several Oportun borrowers said the lawsuits against them came as a surprise.
In late November, Augustine Ayala said he borrowed $300 to fix his car, but he fell behind on his payments totaling $30 a month after he contracted COVID-19 and was sent home from his warehouse job.
The 22-year-old, whose take-home pay was about $400 per week, was served at home on June 11 while awaiting a second negative diagnostic test so he could return to work. The lawsuit said he owed $305.28.
Ayala told ProPublica/The Texas Tribune in July that he was trying to pay the loan back, but it was challenging with interest still accruing.
"It just keeps going up and up and up, and I'm like … can y'all work with me?" he said. "It's been stressful because I have to worry about still having to help my dad, I have to give him rent money every month, and then I still have to pay off this loan … and I don't get that much of a check, you know."
Oportun declined to comment on Ayala's account without his written consent, which he didn't provide prior to publication.
"You Don't Get in Debt Because You Want To"
While Oportun has dropped all pending lawsuits and says it won't file new ones for a while, it will remain one of the top debt collectors in the state under the measures it announced in late July. The ProPublica/Tribune analysis showed that even if Oportun reduced its legal filings by 60%, its ranking would only drop from second to fifth by year's end.
Vazquez also didn't specify how the 36% rate cap would be applied, including whether the company would charge that much on all its loans, which range from $300 to $10,000. Consumer advocates have long considered that APR an acceptable maximum for personal loans but only for smaller ones, limited to a few thousand dollars at most.
Thirty-six percent is also still far higher than interest rates on subprime credit cards, which hover around 25%.
Sidhu of the Center for Responsible Lending said none of the measures address what she points to as the root cause: Oportun is lending money to a lot of people who can't repay, and its proprietary scoring model to determine whether an applicant will do so isn't all that accurate.
"If they aren't radically reshifting the way they understand their clientele, I don't see any real impetus for meaningful change," she said.
To Carla Nuñez, a Venezuelan immigrant and single mother who lives in suburban Houston, the Hispanic community is "easy prey" for Oportun.
She said Oportun approved her for a $6,000 loan last year even though she needed less than half that to cover a three-month deposit on a new apartment.
In a complaint filed with the state of Texas last year, Nuñez claimed that Oportun refused to arrange a payment plan with her when she fell behind on her $120 bimonthly payments after her teenage daughter was hospitalized with a rare breathing disorder and she had to quit one of her jobs to help care for her.
Nuñez is among at least three dozen people who have filed complaints against Oportun with the Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau since 2011. Complaints range from refusal to offer a payment plan to harassing phone calls to a legal threat.
Nuñez and Oportun resolved the matter without going to court, records show. She said she paid off her loan earlier this year after she got her income tax return. Still, she said, the ordeal had profound and long-lasting financial implications.
In a second complaint filed last December, Nuñez said that her credit score had been damaged after Oportun charged off her account, meaning it didn't expect to be repaid, despite the fact that she had resumed payments. Because of that, Nuñez said she was unable to purchase a special breathing machine that her daughter needed.
"You don't get in debt because you want to," she said in an interview. "Their best weapon is hurting your credit, because they know that closes a lot of doors."
Oportun declined to comment on Nuñez's account without her written consent, which she did not provide prior to publication. But in its one-paragraph statement, it suggested the number of complaints Texans have lodged against it is small in comparison to the more than 800,000 loans it has disbursed in the state since 2014.
"Each of those complaints was investigated and cleared with no finding of any impropriety," the statement said.
In Houston, Solis has been back at work for about two months now, but she's also the sole provider for her household — her husband hasn't been able to find another job — and is still struggling to catch up on bills after being unemployed for so long.
She received an email from Oportun on Aug. 5 saying it was dropping the lawsuit against her. She said it gave her some relief but that she is still uneasy knowing she can't pay back what she owes.
"They have no compassion for what you're going through," Solis said. "They only care about the money."
Chris Essig, Paul Kiel and Lexi Churchill contributed reporting.
Disclosure: Facebook, Southern Methodist University, Texas Appleseed and Walmart have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Kiah Collier
Kiah Collier is an investigative reporter for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune Investigative Initiative.
Ren Larson
Ren Larson is a data journalist for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune Investigative Initiative.
@renLarson_
Perla Trevizo
Perla Trevizo is a reporter for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune Investigative Initiative.
@Perla_Trevizo


Deltech Furnaces is now an SBDC success story! The Small Business Development Center is one of the best places that is unknown to most small business owners. From the North Metro Denver center website: The SBDC combines information and resources from federal, state, and local governments with those of the education system and private sector to meet the specialized and complex needs of the small business community." And how do they do that? Again from the North Metro Denver center website: "All locations provide free, confidential one-on-one business consulting and low cost training." And how do they do it for free? All SBDCs are federally mandated and funded. Over the past year, Deltech Furnaces has received business planning, market research and marketing, employee development, inventory management, and production floor management assistance from experts in their respective fields. Our primary advisor is Jon Jaggers. After reading his very impressive bio, I'm sure you'll realize that having this kind of expertise would normally be financially prohibitive for most small businesses. And while we know about furnaces, we need the assistance of experts like Jon to best serve our customers, our Deltech team, and our community.


A pair of cybersecurity businesses have new high-level executives in Austin, including a 10-year veteran of HomeAway who moved over to one of our towns newest public tech companies.
Imandra is tackling one of the most important problems facing society right now, according to co-founder Grant Passmore. Goldman Sachs, one of their highest-profile clients, seems to agree.
The Austin Reggae Festival returns for its 26th year this weekend.
Everyone will be impressed by your new skills that you learned while having a good time.
The foundations CEO said they chose to sell so they could use the money to help the cancer community.


The sustainable reduction of emissions of climate-relevant gases which are associated with the generation, transformation and use of energy is becoming an increasingly important task for energy and environmental policy. Various strategies can ce envisaged to solve this problem. The aim of the IKARUS project (instruments for greenhouse gas reduction strategies) is to provide computer aided instruments with which strategies can be developed and understood using different technologies, tested with regard to their consistency and examined with respect to their economic impacts.


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Q: ASP.NET Core 2.0 SignInAsync without principal I'm trying to follow the IdentityServer4 Quickstart Samples to setup my idP for Amazon Alexa, but the sample was not made for .NET Core 2.0.
Specifically, the following line:
await HttpContext.SignInAsync(user.SubjectId, user.Username, props);

Is no longer present. It appears to have been replaced by the IAuthenticationService- However, this service requires a ClaimsPrincipal rather than just an id/username.
How can I sign in a user without more information? Or am I doing something wrong when my only goal is to acquire an authorization code?
I've used the samples here and here, but they both appear to be based on the same code.
Any suggestion or samples of the authorization code flow would be greatly appreciated.

A: I found SignInManager<ApplicationUser>, which did the trick. _signinManager is injected by the ASP.NET Core DI container.
var user = await _userManager.FindByNameAsync(model.Username);
AuthenticationProperties props = null;
await _signinManager.SignInAsync(user, props);

A: If you encounter this issue now it's likely due to - HttpContext.SignInAsync(user.Id, user.UserName) #4546
Basically, the Quick Start UI has been updated to use a new extension method of SignInAsync() that takes an IdentityServerUser object.

See our updated UI - this has all the changes you are asking about...e.g.
https://github.com/IdentityServer/IdentityServer4.Quickstart.UI/blob/main/Quickstart/Account/ExternalController.cs#L114-L121

It basically boils down to replacing your SignInAsync() line with;
// issue authentication cookie for user
var user = new IdentityServerUser(model.SubjectId)
{
  DisplayName = model.Username
};
await HttpContext.SignInAsync(user, props);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Just joined the group and this is my first post.
Buyer needs the RAW image.
Did any of you receive such a request before? I am not sure what to do . I don't feel too comfortable to send out my RAW files. As it appears there no additional compensation for doing so.
I received a similar email when a buyer wanted an EL. So enabled EL for all and got the sale.
Many people aren't comfortable uploading RAW so that is a decision you will need to make. Search on the DT forum and you should find a thread discussing peoples thoughts and concerns on uploading RAW.
Someone here might alos pipe up too.
There is a slight compensation (RAWS cost more for the buyer), but I don't think that it is enough to compensate for selling an original.
how much more will you be getting?
According to the DT website (@ http://www.dreamstime.com/sellimages.php) , you receive $2 for the sale of an additional format (which includes RAW).
yeah.. i would hold out for more.
I haven't uploaded any raw files and i don't think i am going to.
The RAW file is effectively the original. It's almost like sending the buyer the film negative (in the pre-digital days).
I'd hold out for a load more money if you're going to do that.
I haven't seen this, but i'm a little confused by the reaction. How is sending out the raw different from a jpg? If you don't shoot in raw, the original is a jpg. If I don't modify my jpg, I am always sending the original. It's not like sending the negative, because you still have the raw file and own the rights.
On the other hand, if they are going to let buyers specify a non-standard format, you should be able to set the price. Had someone on FeaturePics want one of mine in B&W. I charged them triple the price, converted the file and made the sale.
I understand the point about RAW being "the original", but in the end isn't it the same as selling a EPS/AI vector file instead of the JPG generated from it?
And that (IMO) is why vectors sell much better than JPGs (because they are the original and can be modified at will to create other images).
Everyone works differently, so mileage will vary.
Some people take a photo and then send it to the review queue. These type of people typically believe in quantity. They also believe that they shouldn't be editing files, because time is money and they would rather be shooting more images to upload. So these people might take 100 photos and send all 100.
Other people want to only send the best images. So they will wade thru the 100 photos and pick a few that they believe are the best. They will also post-process them to see if they can make them "better".
Personally, I do the second. I edit each image. I believe in quality (at least in my eyes). (And please don't take that the wrong way. I am not saying that my images are better than others).
I don't believe that I have ever sent an original. And if I have it was by mistake. Every file that I send, I post-process. I will modify the levels, contrast, hue, saturation, noise reduction, etc. to make a file the best it can be. So even though I might shoot in JPG mode, the image that I send can be very different from the original.
This also protects me in case of any sort of ownership/copyright issue (since I have the original).
I don't disagree with any of that, and honestly, I have rarely sent an original. Almost always adjust lighting and colors, a bit of sharpening etc. My point was that I didn't understand the difference between sending the original or the post-processed one from an ownership/rights issue. We post-process to make it easier to sell and market, but if someone wanted to buy the original, I wouldn't have a problem with that.
Not knowing what an 'EPS/AI vector file' is, I couldn't say.
1) You can alter exposure (to a certain extent) white balance and other things with a RAW file which can't be done so easily with a JPG file.
2) Every time you work on a JPG file and save it you lose a little quality.
RAW is what it says it is, the raw data, un-tampered with, that was collected from the camera's sensor.
And I do the same as Geopappas - select my images carefully and work on the RAW files to 'improve' them (at least, I think its improvement ). I guess, on average, I only submit 10% of the pictures I take.
I agree with dbvirago. It is not the same thing as sending negitives/slides. It's like sending a duplicate of a negative. If someone else wants to mess around with the raw file I see no logical reason to not let them.
The comparision to a vector is silly. Vectors are popluar because you can adjust the size of the image without effecting the quality. It is also easier to get isolated things from the vector, whereas jpgs/raw you have to do more work.
I honestly don't know what people would be worried about? There are no actual downsides to providing the raw file.
yeah well perhaps i would have to agree. It is more like providing a copy of a film negative. Not sure there should really be a problem.
I have had two requests for RAW files but to be honest, the $1 commission is not worth the time it will take me to find the RAW files on an external HDD. For $10 I might consider it.
well curiosity killed the cat.
I was given a request for an additional format, so i decided to upload my raw file for one image to see how i like it. I think i agree with phildate though... $1.00 is pretty measly for the extra work, and probably no future sales on that one raw file. Give me a few more $$ and it might be allright to do.
Uh uh, not me. They want a RAW file they better be prepared to shell out the cashola for it. I am not giving my negatives to anyone for under a couple 100 bucks at least. That is where I draw the line.
how about if you took the image in jpg format. then THAT would be the negative... and there are lots of jpgs floating around.
I have seen a few people say that sending a "copy" of the negative is not the same.
Sending the RAW file is sending the original. Although it is a "copy", it is also a digitally exact duplicate, which makes it the "original" as well.
If someone then uses your RAW image to create another image and sell it on a stock site, you will be hard-pressed to prove that you have the "original copy" since you both now have the same exact file.
This is one of the reasons that I refuse to upload the original (whether it is a RAW or JPG) - so that I can protect myself in the event that someone "claims" that an image is theirs.
just playing devils advocate here though... i am not really sure what i think about this all. I agree that it IS an exact copy of the original basically making it the original, but it is also not like just handing over your film negatives.
And making this akin to jpg's, if you took the image in jpg format, how are you ever going to prove anything if this was a concern.
Another option on the other hand is converting the canon raw file into a DNG file. Since it is in a dng file it is still a raw format, but it is not the ORIGINAL format so they could not claim the image was theirs.
I'm gonna hang on to my RAW files. Why should anyone else want them anyway? I can only think of 2 reasons.
1) They want to take copyright for the picture. Fair enough. Then they can pay me handsomely for it.
2) They want to make their own modifications that are best done (or can only be done) in RAW. No thanks. I'll keep as much creative control over my pictures as I can. Yes, I know changes can be done in JPG and TIF ... I have to live with that.
commenting on your second point.
Isn't that the whole point of stock photogrpahy. Creating imagery that people can cut up and paste and making into something they can use to advertise or illustrate something. I think if you want to control the final look of your images fine art, or portrait photography is more the way to go.
Yes, IMO it is like handing over your film negatives.
Imagine there was a way to make an exact duplicate of a film negative in such a way that they were indistinguishable from each other. Now imagine handing over one of those "copies" to someone. They would have EXACTLY what you have. That is essentially what is happening when you hand over a RAW file.
I only work with 3d designs but in IMO selling RAW format is like giving your client a 3d scene file and not just a render still.
I wouldn't recommend selling RAW unless you get what you deserve to be paid for it and that is probably more than $2.
Bad Behavior has blocked 64923 access attempts in the last 7 days.


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Event: Best Interests of the Child Review "Ask Us Anything" conference
Posted by Natasha in Researching Reform
Britain's first parent-led review of children's social care is holding an online event tomorrow, where attendees can ask members of the review team any questions they wish about the review.
The "Ask Us Anything" online conference follows the launch of the Best Interests of the Child Review (BIC) on 20th November, World Children's Day.
The hour-long event will be introduced and hosted by BIC's lead, Michele Simmons, who is a care experienced mother. She will be joined by review team members Simon Haworth and ourselves.
During the conference, attendees can ask any members of the review team questions about the review, such as how it will be run, what projects it will work on and any other questions related to the review which guests might want to ask.
The conference will take place on Wednesday 1 December, 2021 from 5pm to 6pm on Zoom.
If you would like to attend the event, please email the review team at contactbicreview@gmail.com to receive information about how to access the conference.
Please confirm you would like to attend the event in your message, and let us know if you are a care-experienced child or parent, social care stakeholder, government affiliate, academic, journalist or member of the public.
We look forward to welcoming you.
BIC review website
BIC team
"Children and their families have rights" booklet
Welcome to another week.
These are the latest child welfare items that should be right on your radar:
Derbyshire mum's heartbreak at having children taken from her
Children in care reaches 300 in Hartlepool – with 'high level of deprivation' to blame
Hundreds of Oldham children in care
Controversial family court judgment "published in error", says family court president
A controversial document that was published on the judiciary's website on 23rd November was "published in error", according to the office of Family Court President Andrew McFarlane.
The document contained graphic details about suggested child sexual abuse, and included a confused preamble which appeared to confirm the document had been approved for publication by the presiding judge, Richard Clarke.
The preamble said:
"This judgment was delivered in private. The judge has given leave for this version of the judgment to be published on condition that (irrespective of what is contained in the judgment) in any published version of the judgment the anonymity of the children and members of their family must be strictly preserved. All persons, including representatives of the media, must ensure that this condition is strictly complied with. Failure to do so will be a contempt of court."
Researching Reform tweeted the document after it was published on the judiciary website, but deleted the tweet once the document had been removed from the site.
The document was taken down from global legal database BAILII several hours after publication and removed from the judiciary website more than 24 hours after the initial upload, without any formal announcement from the President's office about the public availability of the document.
Family law commentators on Twitter had suggested that the file contained at least one reference to a person's name in its redacted form and additionally, that the document had used the real initials of the parties to the case.
It is not clear whether Judge Clarke had allowed the document to be published due to a lack of understanding about what judgments could be shared, whether he failed to review the document after it had been redacted, and whether parties to the case had been consulted prior to publication.
Researching Reform contacted the President on 26th November to ask for information about the document, and why it had been published and then subsequently removed.
Responding to the request today, a spokesperson for the president's office said:
"Judges are working hard to publish more family court judgments. In this case the judgment was published in error and every effort was made to remove it from both websites as quickly as possible. We will be reviewing publication protocols."
London Live speaks with the Best Interests of the Child Review
London Live spoke with the Best Interests of the Child Review (BIC) on Thursday, 25 November, to discuss the review's purpose, what it hopes to achieve and why children and parents are at the heart of the review.
During the interview, Alicia Edwards asked us how BIC came about, who was leading the review, what it will do over the next few months and what changes we would like to see in children's social care in Britain.
Apologies to PFAN for getting their name wrong during the interview – the correct name is Parent, Family and Allies Network.
The interview, which aired on London Live's News At Six, can be viewed here.
The full length version of the interview can be watched here.
Watch Again: London Live News 25 November
Researching Reform contacts the President of the family court about a controversial judgment's publication
Researching Reform has today written to the President of the Family Division, to ask why a case with graphic details of suggested child sexual abuse was published, and then later removed.
The case involved a father who had sent several thousand texts to his partner in which they both spoke about sexually abusing their own children produced with other partners.
Researching Reform shared the case on Twitter, after it had been uploaded onto the judiciary's website.
The document offered an important insight into how child sexual abuse within families occurs, and the levels of coercion and manipulation, often of women, associated with this form of violence.
The case was then removed from BAILIII, a global legal database which publishes publicly available cases from courts around the world.
The link to the case on the judiciary's website remained active throughout the day and the following night, and no notice was issued by the President of the Family Division about the case or the document.
The link on the judiciary's website appears to have been deactivated this morning, however no formal statement has been issued by the President about whether the document had been published in error, despite the first page of the document being labelled "Judgement Approved" and with the following notice attached:
We have written to Andrew McFarlane this afternoon to ask for further details about the document, why it was published and why it was subsequently removed. A system which hopes to operate transparently must explain its actions and direct members of the public and the press when events change or documents are taken down.
This is what we wrote to the President:
We will update this site when we receive a response.
The latest child welfare items that should be right on your radar:
Speaker seeks review into MPs bringing children into UK parliament
Children and Families Minister speech at NCASC conference
UN marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls
Children's social care stakeholders vow to keep families together after budget cuts make child protection plans unsustainable
County leaders in Britain have called for an "unrelenting focus on keeping families together" wherever possible, following budget cuts which have left councils unable to sustain the vast volume of child protection investigations and care plans initiated by local authorities.
While the move to try and keep families together should be welcomed, the decision itself has stemmed from concern among social care stakeholders that their jobs are at risk following ongoing council budget cuts by the government, rather than a genuine desire to do the right thing by children and their families.
This is an important distinction, and one to keep in mind over the next few months as the landscape of children's social care is debated and potentially reformed through an economic lens rather than a social justice one.
As the press release for the County Councils Network (CCN) notes, children being taken into care are the most expensive decisions for local authorities.
And now that jobs may be lost, stakeholders are looking for ways to justify funding for other forms of care. The trouble is, most support services on offer are still not good enough and need to be fully reviewed, and where necessary replaced with support that actually works.
The comment by county leaders to try to keep families in need together follows a report produced by the CCN which found that the number of children in care could rise to 95,000 by 2025, up from 69,000 in 2015.
You can access the press release and the report here.
Many thanks to Tum Mum for sharing this press release with us.
Women to sue Tasmanian government over forced adoptions
Catalogue of failings at children's home banned from taking any more children
MPs back raising marriage age to 18 to protect children
Children in care in England could hit almost 100,000 by 2025
Photo by Mateus Henrique on Pexels.com
Children's and parents' experiences of social care
Following the launch of the Best Interests of the Child review (BIC) on Saturday, we're sharing the project's testimonials page, which features children's and their families' experiences of social care in Britain.
Several of the testimonials are heart breaking. Many more will resonate with our readers. But they are all important experiences highlighting how children's social care in England and Wales affects children and their families.
If you would like to add your experience to BIC's testimonials page, you can share it with BIC using their contact form. or email the review at contactbicreview@gmail.com.
Please help the review by keeping testimonials to a maximum of 500 words, so that it can include as many experiences as possible on the site, and place the word 'TESTIMONIAL' at the top of the message. Thank you.
The BIC testimonials page can be found here.
Researching Reform launches Britain's first parent-led review of children's social care
Today, on World Children's Day, Researching Reform is launching the Best Interests of the Child Review (BIC) – a complete review into children's social care in England and Wales.
It is also launching "Children and their Families have Rights" – the first booklet to set out every legal right children and their families have when they go through child welfare and child protection processes in Britain.
BIC is parent-led and places children's and families' views at the front of its work. Our review has four main goals:
Identify problems affecting children and families inside the social care sector;
Offer immediate help and support to children and families impacted by these problems;
Highlight the cultural, legal and social work practices creating or contributing to the problems, and share pioneering solutions to those problems and;
Produce real-world, workable solutions to address problems, at little or no extra cost to the tax payer.
The review's lead is Michele Simmons, a care experienced mother who lost her son to adoption but was later reunited. She now works as a groundbreaking researcher looking into irregular adoptions, and pioneered Section 20 consent forms for parents and children. As part of her work, Michele supports and helps other families who have been through, or are going through, public family law proceedings.
BIC also welcomes Simon Haworth, a lecturer within the Department of Social Work and Social Care at the University of Birmingham. Simon is a core member of the Parents, Families and Allies Network (PFAN), a parent-led organisation which aims to change children's social work from being child protection and rescue focused to child rights focused in order to strengthen the family and the community.
The review's website has a testimonials page which features comments from children and families who have experienced the system, and we will keep accepting testimonials from families throughout the review.
The review is not funded by any organisation, body or government department. Every team member for the review is working without financial compensation.
BIC will be holding an "Ask Us Anything" online conference, where attendees can ask us questions about the review. The conference will take place on Wednesday 1 December, 2021 from 5pm to 6pm.
Email the review team at contactbicreview@gmail.com to receive information about how to access the event. Please confirm you would like to attend the event in your message, and let us know if you are a care-experienced child or parent, social care stakeholder, government affiliate, academic, journalist or member of the public.
Access the BIC website here.
Read families' testimonials here.
Download "Children and their Families have Rights" for free, here.
Listen to a short podcast about the BIC team here.


text:
Q: fetch distinct column values in a single row This is the data:
id    name     period      data1    data2
===================================================
111   name1    monthly     aaaaa    bbbbb
111   name1    quaterly    ccccc    ddddd
111   name1    halfYearly  eeeee    fffff
111   name1    annually    ggggg    hhhhh

I want query which fetch data in a single row like
id    name     monthlYdata1    monthlYdata2      quaterlydata1    quaterlydata2      halfYearlydata1    halfYearlydata2      annuallydata1    annuallydata2
==========================================================================================================================================================
111   name1    aaaaa           bbbbb             ccccc            ddddd              eeeee              fffff                ggggg            hhhhh

A: You did not specify what RDBMS you are using but, this will work in all of them:
select id,
  name,
  max(case when period = 'monthly' then data1 end) as MonthlyData1,
  max(case when period = 'monthly' then data2 end) as MonthlyData2,
  max(case when period = 'quaterly' then data1 end) as quarterlyData1,
  max(case when period = 'quaterly' then data2 end) as quarterlyData2,
  max(case when period = 'halfYearly' then data1 end) as halfYearlyData1,
  max(case when period = 'halfYearly' then data2 end) as halfYearlyData2,
  max(case when period = 'annually' then data1 end) as annuallyData1,
  max(case when period = 'annually' then data2 end) as annuallyData2
from yourtable
group by id, name

See SQL Fiddle with Demo
If you are using an RDBMS that has a PIVOT function, then you can do the following which uses both an UNPIVOT and PIVOT to produce the results.  As Andriy M pointed out the UNPIVOT is assuming that the datatype for both data1 and data2 are the same types, if not, then a conversion would need to take place to UNPIVOT the data:
Oracle 11g:
select *
from
(
  select id, name, value,
    period||data new_col
  from yourtable
  unpivot
  (
    value for data in (data1, data2)
  ) u
) x
pivot
(
  max(value)
  for new_col in ('monthlyDATA1', 'monthlyDATA2',
                  'quaterlyDATA1', 'quaterlyDATA2',
                  'halfYearlyDATA1', 'halfYearlyDATA2',
                  'annuallyDATA1', 'annuallyDATA2')
) p

See SQL Fiddle with Demo
SQL Server:
select *
from
(
  select id, name, value,
    period+data new_col
  from yourtable
  unpivot
  (
    value for data in (data1, data2)
  ) u
) x
pivot
(
  max(value)
  for new_col in ('monthlyDATA1', 'monthlyDATA2',
                  'quaterlyDATA1', 'quaterlyDATA2',
                  'halfYearlyDATA1', 'halfYearlyDATA2',
                  'annuallyDATA1', 'annuallyDATA2')
) p

A: Get the data from the query itself.
Get the id and name from the query1 and concatenate that query with the monthly, quaterly and annually data using the id fetched from the query1

A: three use full articles for your question:
How to Display rows as Columns in MySQL?
How to pivot a MySQL entity-attribute-value schema
http://forums.mysql.com/read.php?20,75357,75357#msg-75357

A: First of all you should retrieve all differents id's into a temporal table..
Select DISTINCT id
into #tmpIds
from Table

Then create a temporal table with the columns you want (id, name, monthlYdata1, monthlYdata2, quaterlydata1, quaterlydata2, halfYearlydata1, halfYearlydata2, annuallydata1, annuallydata2), and loop through your first temporary table in order to get the id's.
For each id you should do:
Insert into #tmpTable
   @id,
   '',
  (Select data1 from Table where id=@id and period='monthly') as monthlyData1
  ...

This is the first solution that came to my mind.


text:
Horizontal Gene Transfers in prokaryotes show differential preferences for metabolic and translational genes
Kanhere, A; Vingron, M; (2009) Horizontal Gene Transfers in prokaryotes show differential preferences for metabolic and translational genes. BMC EVOL BIOL , 9 , Article 9. 10.1186/1471-2148-9-9.
1471-2148-9-9.pdf
Background: Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important process, which contributes in bacterial pathogenesis and drug resistance. A number of methods have been proposed for detection of horizontal gene transfer. One successful approach to the detection of HGT events is due to Novichkov et al. (J. Bacteriology 186, 6575-85), who rely on comparing phylogenetic distances within a gene family with genomic distances of the source organisms. Building on their approach, we introduce outlier detection in the correlation between those two sets of distances. This approach is designed to detect horizontal transfers of core set of genes present in many bacteria. The principle behind method allows detection of xenologous gene displacements as well as acquisition of novel genes.Results: Simulations indicated that our method performs better than Novichkov et al's original approach. The approach very efficiently identified HGT between distantly related bacteria and also a limited number of gene transfers between closely related bacteria. In combination with sequence similarity and likelihood tests, it yields a measure robust enough to derive a set of 171 genes deemed likely to have been horizontally transferred. Further analysis of these 171 established horizontal transfer events gave interesting insights in the direction of transfer.Conclusion: The majority of transfers between archaea and bacteria have occurred in the direction from bacteria to archaea rather than the other way round. Genes transferred between the archaea and bacteria are mostly metabolic genes. On the other hand, genes transferred within the bacterial phyla are mainly involved in translation.
10.1186/1471-2148-9-9
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-9-9
© 2009 Kanhere and Vingron; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
TRANSFER-RNA SYNTHETASES, GENOMIC SIGNATURE, TRANSFER EVENTS, EVOLUTION, TREE, LIFE, QUANTIFICATION, RECONSTRUCTION, REGRESSION, BACTERIA
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences


Myst Online: URU Live Forums • View topic - Guild Meetings?
Last edited by pokemon71096 on Tue Aug 24, 2010 8:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
however, the most important meeting is the All Guilds Meeting on the first saturday of each month, in Kirel at 13.00 KItime. I think I have already seen you at one of them.
thanks. also, i heard about a guild and group interest meeting? whassat?
I think that's the same thing. It's called the All Guilds meeting...but other groups represent too.
I'm working on a way to better differentiate the two dates. How it currently works is that all of Saturday and Sunday, the first weekend of each month, Guilds can come in and represent themselves, and you can go around and see what other Guilds do and see if you might want to join them.
The "All Guilds' Meeting" takes place on the first Saturday of the month, 13:00 KI time, and is essentially an update by every Guild that wants to come. They come in, say what they've been working on, and essentially update people on Guild workings.
Again, I'm working on a way to better differentiate the two dates. If anyone has any "major" ideas, I'm open to them via PM, of course.
Get rid of Sunday. Then again I'm never there - but the way I see it is: people go for the meeting...and some go early. The population increase in Kirel is the main driving-force getting new people in and interested. I'm sure it's happened - but I've never actually /seen/ someone say "oh, I saw this advertised on the forums so I thought I'd come and learn about the guilds!"
If people have /no/ idea about the Guilds - they won't have seen the advertisement on the GoG or GoMe, etc. And there's only a slight chance that they've been here to the forums or received a cavern events KI mail.
Kill Sunday. Get everyone together on Saturday. Concentrate the troops in one place and time.
Getting everyone together is an ongoing challenge. Europeans, Americans, Asians, and folks sliding off the bottom of the planet all have different hours and in some cases different days.
Concentrating everyone to one time has never worked well for Uru fans. But, I understand the idea.
Having some splash page that we all see when logging in with news on it would probably do more for events than anything else.


text:
Adult Ads Roundtable
What are the implications of taking them? How do they affect the industry as a whole? How much do these bring to our bottom line? How are they affecting other business relationships and are they a turn-off to readers.
Tags: Management
Moderator: Rob Jiranek, Southcomm Inc.
Rob Jiranek
Rob Jiranek , chief operating officer, joined Southcomm in January 2012. Previously he served as vice president for EW Scripps Commercial Appeal where in 2008 he launched the niche publishing division. Before Scripps, Rob was partner and group publisher of Portico Publications in Charlottesville where he led the acquisition and/or startup of eight individual publishing lines. Rob and his wife, Pam, have three children and live in Charlottesville.


text:
https://www.registercitizen.com/nationworld/article/Fox-News-anchor-sues-Hasbro-over-toy-hamster-with-11976017.php
Fox News anchor sues Hasbro over toy hamster with her name, persona
Published 11:48 am EDT, Wednesday, September 2, 2015
In this April 28, 2015, file photo, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner poses for a photo on the set in New York. Harris sued toymaker Hasbro Monday, Aug. 31, 2015, in federal court in New Jersey for more than $5 million over a toy that shares her name. Harris' suit claims Hasbro wrongfully appropriated her name and persona with its plastic "Harris Faulkner" hamster. less
In this April 28, 2015, file photo, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner poses for a photo on the set in New York. Harris sued toymaker Hasbro Monday, Aug. 31, 2015, in federal court in New Jersey for more than $5 ... more
Photo: AP Photo/Richard Drew, File
PROVIDENCE, R.I. >> An anchor for Fox News is suing Hasbro for more than $5 million over a toy hamster that shares her name — and may even resemble her.
Harris Faulkner sued the Rhode Island-based toy company this week, saying it has wrongfully appropriated her name and persona with its plastic Harris Faulkner hamster in the "Littlest Pet Shop" line.
Faulkner has been at Fox News for a decade. She hosts the daytime show "Outnumbered" and anchors a Sunday evening newscast.
A Hasbro spokeswoman says it doesn't comment on litigation.
Faulkner's lawsuit says in addition to sharing her name, the toy bears a physical resemblance to Faulkner, including its complexion, eye shape and eye makeup.
The suit says the company's portrayal of her as a rodent is demeaning and insulting.


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text:
"Water from the Moon" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, recorded for her second English-language studio album, Celine Dion (1992). The song was commercially released in March 1993 as the fifth single in the United States. In Canada it was a radio single only. "Water from the Moon" was written by Diane Warren and produced by Guy Roche, with additional production by Walter Afanasieff. Warren also sang the background vocals.

Background and release
Two music videos were made for this song. The first one is entirely in black and white (contains some religious sign and scenes). Later, they modified the video to include additional footage of Dion, colored brownish-yellow.

"Water from the Moon" peaked at number seven in Canada. In the US it had moderate success on the adult contemporary format, reaching number 11 on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.

Critical reception
American magazine from Billboard complimented the song as a "lush" and "dramatic" ballad. An editor, Larry Flick, wrote that after a brief dance flirtation, "Dion returns to her comfy ballad turf with an appropriately dramatic bit of diva dynamite. Guy Roche's grand production values are the perfect setting for Dion's large, stirring voice". Randy Clark from Cashbox described it as a "big, broken-hearted ballad", stating that "her voice is a natural for hit writer Diane Warren's music, and when backed with the production of Guy Roche and Walter Afanasieff, you got a winner no matter how you look at it, or how big it sells."

Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented, "In the short timespan between her debut album and this follow-up, that awesome vocal presence has only gotten stronger. Pairing this remarkable singer with the songwriting skill of Diane Warren spells slam dunk-and the result is just that". Another editor, Ron Fell, felt it's a "forlorn ballad of exquisite sentimentality". Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel viewed it as "a real Star Search contestant's dream, but Dion manages to keep it from getting too out of hand." In an 2019 retrospective review, Christopher Smith from Talk About Pop Music described it as "high drama" and a "rock-ballad". He added that "it's another excuse to show off her most prized possession, those amazing lungs!"

Music video
A music video was made to accompany the song. It begins with various people in a small town. Children are going to or from school. Older men are playing dominoes at a cafe. Women with black veils light candles in a church. A young man, working at the pier watches Dion driving in a car through town. She wears a black headscarf. Sometimes she is also seen in a telephone booth or walking on a beach. Occasionally there are close-ups of Dion singing, with dark make-up on her eyelids. Later in the video, the young man is at home. He watches Dion, who are getting out of her car outside his window. He opens the fridge and suddenly Dion appears, pushing him away. Towards the end, a teary-eyed Dion sings. The man, looking through his window, sees Dion driving away in her car. The video was later published on Dion's official YouTube channel in 2019, and had generated more than 2.7 million views as of February 2023.

Track listing
US 7" and cassette single
"Water from the Moon" (Radio Edit) – 4:11
"Little Bit of Love" – 4:27

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

1992 songs
1993 singles
Celine Dion songs
Song recordings produced by Walter Afanasieff
Songs written by Diane Warren
Black-and-white music videos

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
A Renewed
The creation of the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth (FCCRG) in 2012 marks the birth of a new era of support for economic development in Fulton County. Formed to integrate and build upon the successes of two existing economic development entities, the FCCRG has been tasked by the leaders of Fulton County to focus and reinvigorate efforts to attract, retain and assist quality employers in Fulton County and its neighboring communities.
The economic development triumphs of the last two decades are a gauge of greater things to come. Since the late 1980s, nearly 2,000 jobs have been created by employers drawn to state-of-the-art sites in beautiful rolling expanses at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains
Since the late 1980s, more than 50 buildings with a combined square footage of more than 2.5 million square feet have been constructed or renovated, bringing in investments exceeding $120 million. Transportation and export access is easily available via I-90, I-87 and I-88, as well as an in-county airport, the nearby Albany International Airport and port access in Albany for international transport.
In 1995, the international retailer Walmart chose the Johnstown Industrial Park for its regional return center, and five years later added the 868,000 square foot Northeast Distribution Center #6096. The retailer's capital investment exceeded $70 million, creating 900 jobs.
FAGE USA Dairy and feta cheesemaker Euphrates Inc. have taken advantage of Fulton County's wealth of dairy farms, well-educated and motivated workforce, low cost of living and proximity to New York City, Boston, Montreal, Buffalo and other major metropolitan markets.
CG Roxane began bottling and shipping Crystal Geyser® Alpine Spring water from a 176,757 square foot bottling plant in Johnstown, drawing water under a lease and water purchase agreement with the Village of Canajoharie in neighboring Montgomery County. Along with the Chobani Yogurt plant in nearby Chenango County and Spanish charcutier Pata Negra, these Fulton County manufacturers are developing the region as a major food processing hub.
A New Frontier with Tryon Acquisition
The new Tryon Technology Park on County Highway 107 in Gloversville accepted its first tenant, pharmaceutical manufacturer Vireo Health, in 2015. Local officials are working on development plans for 500 acres of shovel-ready sites at the complex, a former juvenile facility deeded to the county by New York State.
Born of Necessity
These accomplishments are even more remarkable for the climate in which they developed. During the 1980s, Fulton County had the highest unemployment rate in the State of New York and the seventh highest in the nation, exceeding 19 percent. There was no centralized economic development program. Business and government leaders realized that drastic action was needed to pull the area out of the doldrums.
Fulton County Economic Development Corporation (FCEDC) was established by the private business sector of the area to start developing a more positive future for the region.
Designed to wield the tools necessary to develop shovel-ready and state-of-the-art industrial parks, infrastructure and monies to react to the needs of business, FCEDC helped attract jobs and reinvigorate hope. In the late 1980's, Crossroads Incubator Corporation was established to work as the real estate management arm of EDC. Working with Fulton County Industrial Development Agency, the Crossroads Industrial Park broke ground in Gloversville. By the 1990s, a beautiful rolling expanse of almost 200 acres – the Johnstown Industrial Park – was added to accommodate national corporations looking to site buildings with a large footprint. These two parks quickly filled to near capacity.
In the late 1990's, the County began work on the Crossroads Business Park. Developed for high-tech businesses, this park contains smaller wooded lots and a hilltop with a view of the foothills of the Adirondacks.
As the development needs of the county evolved, so did the organizations that promoted them. With a growing real estate portfolio, CIC become an independent entity. It took on more challenging development projects, such as transforming a 1920's era hotel into The Johnstown Professional Office Complex in 2001. An abandoned school in downtown Gloversville saw new life in 2007 as Estee Commons Apartment Complex.
More recently, the boards of EDC and CIC reconsidered the advantages of being a single, focussed corporation, as was originally envisioned. The FCCRG was created under a board of local business leaders committed to the betterment of the citizens of Fulton County and surrounding communities.
With a broader, more regional focus, the FCCRG will continue to provide loan funding to qualified small businesses; work with new or expanding businesses in the development of commercial property to suit their specific needs; and market the region on a national and international scale. CRG's President and CEO is part of a regional marketing group that is working to cross county borders, bringing Fulton and Montgomery Counties together in an unprecedented way as they prepare for shared economic development success along their borders.