Saving Up for Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a numbers game. Policymaking, public perception, and the scholarly literature are captivated with the number of annual bankruptcy filings, which hit one million in 2008. The number of annual bankruptcy filings has become a barometer of economic health, reflecting an implicit assumption that bankruptcy is a useful proxy for financial distress. But at the level of the individual family, the causative relation between financial distress and bankruptcy filings is unclear. On the one hand, only a fraction of those in serious financial distress will ever file for bankruptcy. For example, a study by Michelle White examined a group of households in which bankruptcy relief would have afforded an economic benefit to about 15% of them, but only about 0.66-1% sought relief any given year. That is, most families in serious financial distress do not file for bankruptcy. In fact, each year foreclosure filings outstrip bankruptcy filings because many families do not even try to use bankruptcy to save their homes. Similarly, thousands of families are subject to collection calls for medical bills, and yet the number of bankruptcy filings – even at its pinnacle – represents only a sliver of those struggling with bills. On the other hand, we know that many families that file for bankruptcy are so mired in poverty – with no substantial income or assets – that they gain little obvious financial advantage. Those families discharge debts that creditors could not have collected in any event. These additional, and presumptively unnecessary, bankruptcies drive up the number of filings

Saving Up for Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a numbers game. Policymaking, public perception, and the scholarly literature are captivated with the number of annual bankruptcy filings, which hit one million in 2008. The number of annual bankruptcy filings has become a barometer of economic health, reflecting an implicit assumption that bankruptcy is a useful proxy for financial distress. But at the level of the individual family, the causative relation between financial distress and bankruptcy filings is unclear. On the one hand, only a fraction of those in serious financial distress will ever file for bankruptcy. For example, a study by Michelle White examined a group of households in which bankruptcy relief would have afforded an economic benefit to about 15% of them, but only about 0.66-1% sought relief any given year. That is, most families in serious financial distress do not file for bankruptcy. In fact, each year foreclosure filings outstrip bankruptcy filings because many families do not even try to use bankruptcy to save their homes. Similarly, thousands of families are subject to collection calls for medical bills, and yet the number of bankruptcy filings – even at its pinnacle – represents only a sliver of those struggling with bills. On the other hand, we know that many families that file for bankruptcy are so mired in poverty – with no substantial income or assets – that they gain little obvious financial advantage. Those families discharge debts that creditors could not have collected in any event. These additional, and presumptively unnecessary, bankruptcies drive up the number of filings

Characterization of Active Compounds Produced in the Biotransformation of Metabolites in Kombucha Tea

Kombucha is a fermented black tea that has been hypothesized to provide many health benefits. The exact origin of these benefits, however, is continually being investigated. This study aims to identify the various active compound produced in the biotransformation of the metabolites during the fermentation process of the tea beverage, as well as quantify functions such as antioxidant capacity. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic liquid-liquid extractions were performed on a filtered sample of GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha® using acetonitrile and ethyl acetate. Ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were run on both the Kombucha tea and the extracts to determine their antioxidant capacity. The Kombucha tea, acetonitrile extract, and ethyl acetate extract were found to have FRAP values of 146.9, 102.7, and 71.04, respectively. The high retention of FRAP in the acetonitrile extract gives evidence that a polar hydrophobic molecule is functioning as an antioxidant in the Kombucha tea. Antioxidant capacity was further tracked using a variety of chromatographic techniques including the use of silica gel and C-18 functionalized silica flash chromatographies, as well as reverse-phase C-18 HPLC. These studies aim to further purify and characterize the compounds responsible for antioxidant capacity

Waste Not, Want Not: The Potential for Urban Water Conservation in California

The largest, least expensive, and most environmentally sound source of water to meet California's future needs is the water currently being wasted in every sector of our economy. This report, "Waste Not, Want Not," strongly indicates that California's urban water needs can be met into the foreseeable future by reducing water waste through cost-effective water-saving technologies, revised economic policies, appropriate state and local regulations, and public education

'Sit anywhere you like, we're all friends together': reflections on bingo culture. GARP8

This paper constitutes a response to stereotyped notions of life at the bingo hall, notions which have created barriers of derision, snobbery, patronising fondness, even taboo, between bingo as a socio-cultural fact and mainstream society. Research interviews and observation sessions were carried out in an attempt to question clichés on the basis of accounts of lived experience and personal reflection. The idea that the bingo hall represents, particularly for working-class women, a place of social focus, almost of social refuge, is challenged and assumptions about bingo's social side critically explored. Rather than upholding the notion that game players have autonomously restructured bingo culture to suit their needs and lifestyles, I argue that other forces, over which players have little or no control, have shaped social life at the bingo hall, namely notions of opportunity, possibility, and safety in a male-dominated, capitalist society. I therefore also discuss the presence of money at the bingo hall, and I speculate upon its impact on socialising there, as well as on the taboos surrounding gambling and competitiveness. The suggestion that bingo might not constitute an entirely positive and socially-affirming experience for some players is explored, and set against those cultural stereotypes which characterise the bingo hall as more a social centre than a place to win money

Urban Agriculture and Community Food Security in the United States: Farming from the City Center To the Urban Fringe

Urban Agriculture and Community Food Security in the United States: Farming from the City Center To the Urban Fringe is prepared by the Urban Agriculture Committee of the Community Food Security Coalition to raise awareness of the ways that urban agriculture can respond to food insecurity. The document advocates for policies that promote small-scale urban and peri-urban farming, and thereby prepare the next generation of urban farming leaders

Building Partnerships to Bridge the Transfer Gap and Increase Student Success

Transfer partnerships continue to be one of the most critical elements of student success. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the bridges and transfer gaps from a two-year college to a university and respect the value of the support and knowledge students are currently receiving at their community college, from the context of the practices and experiences of Iron Range Engineering - Bell. The transfer process, afterall, can be daunting to some students who plan to transition from a community college to a university to finish a Bachelor’s degree. Iron Range Engineering - Bell is a unique, co-op based upper division program that strives to facilitate a positive experience for students undergoing this transition. The transfer process can be equally as challenging for community college faculty and staff who may feel the need for additional support in their roles. They play a large role in the transfer process and oftentimes go above and beyond their responsibilities to meet with students to determine their pathway forward after spending time at their respective community colleges. This paper proposes unique ways that university faculty and staff can support two-year colleges during the student transfer process, making these partnerships a more positive experience while achieving a shared goal of supporting student success. Some of the unique ideas include encouraging back transfer to fulfill Associates degree requirements, shared teaching methods, offering bridge courses without two-year colleges changing their curriculum, allowing flexibility for the timing of transfer to meet the needs of students, and active university participation in advising and supporting students. In the end, students who are prepared and have more context tend to perform better and absorb more information sooner in the experience-based learning model that is Iron Range Engineering - Bell

Can implementation failure or intervention failure explain the result of the 3D multimorbidity trial in general practice:mixed-methods process evaluation

Objectives During a cluster randomised trial, (the 3D study) of an intervention enacting recommended care for people with multimorbidity, including continuity of care and comprehensive biennial reviews, we examined implementation fidelity to interpret the trial outcome and inform future implementation decisions. Design Mixed-methods process evaluation using cross-trial data and a sample of practices, clinicians, administrators and patients. Interviews, focus groups and review observations were analysed thematically and integrated with quantitative data about implementation. Analysis was blind to trial outcomes and examined context, intervention adoption, reach and maintenance, and delivery of reviews to patients. Setting Thirty-three UK general practices in three areas. Participants The trial included 1546 people with multimorbidity. 11 general practitioners, 14 nurses, 7 administrators and 38 patients from 9 of 16 intervention practices were sampled for an interview. Results Staff loss, practice size and different administrative strategies influenced implementation fidelity. Practices with whole administrative team involvement and good alignment between the intervention and usual care generally implemented better. Fewer reviews than intended were delivered (49% of patients receiving both intended reviews, 30% partially reviewed). In completed reviews >90% of intended components were delivered, but review observations and interviews with patients and clinicians found variation in style of component delivery, from ‘tick-box’ to patient-centred approaches. Implementation barriers included inadequate skills training to implement patient-centred care planning, but patients reported increased patient-centredness due to comprehensive reviews, extra time and being asked about their health concerns. Conclusions Implementation failure contributed to lack of impact of the 3D intervention on the trial primary outcome (quality of life), but so did intervention failure since modifiable elements of intervention design were partially responsible. When a decisive distinction between implementation failure and intervention failure cannot be made, identifying potentially modifiable reasons for suboptimal implementation is important to enhance potential for impact and effectiveness of a redesigned intervention. Trial registration number ISRCTN0618095