THE BIG “IF”

This is a time in the life of our church that is known as a high holy moment. We have gathered here today for a purpose that usually comes only once in the lifetime of a congregation. But for us in the short history of seventeen years in the life of Cornerstone Baptist Church it is the second dedication of a building to the work and glory of God. When we lost our building last June 15th due to a lightning strike that set the building on fire, we had no idea what God had planned for us. But look about you and will see how the work of many people has resulted in this reconstruction that we dedicate to the Kingdom of God today.

The scripture passage that we read together took place at the dedication of the first Temple in Jerusalem. In time it would be destroyed and rebuilt three times. Today,We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and glass mosaic Tiles. all that is left of the third Temple is a wall where the Jewish people pray known as The Wailing Wall. As we stood on Temple Mount we were told that there are plans to build a fourth Temple in fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.All RUBBER MATS is comprised of all types of mats.

We do not know how long this building will stand. Hopefully, it will serve the succeeding congregations until Jesus comes again. It does not matter how earnestly we pray today or how joyfully we celebrate as to the future of the church. What does matter is whether or not we are the obedient and dedicated people of God who worship in this place. We can learn from Holy Scripture how God responds to Sanctuaries dedicated to Him.

King David had purchased the property for the Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. But he was not allowed to build it because he was known as a “man of war.” But God promised him that his son, King Solomon, would be the builder. In the fourth year of his reign, 966 B.C.,Secured handsfree building and door access solutions with Hands free access by Nedap AVI. Solomon began the project that would take seven and a half years to complete. He conscripted 3,850 foremen to supervise 183,300 men for the work. There were 80,000 stone masons and 70,000 carriers. All of the stone work was cut and fitted at the quarry so that there was no sound of a hammer in the actual construction. Cedar was used for the beams. Bronze was used for all of the outside furnishings in the great courtyard. Everything inside the Temple was overlaid with pure gold.

The dedication ceremonies were set in the fall of the year during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jerusalem was filled with many thousands of people from all of the twelve tribes of Israel who attended the fifteen day celebration. The ceremony began with the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant from it temporary location on the southeast side of Jerusalem to the Temple. For hundreds of years since it’s formation after the Exodus, it had resided in the tent of meeting known as the Tabernacle. The Ark of the Covenant symbolized the presence of God among his people. You can imagine the excitement that went through the great throng when they saw the Ark being carried by the priests through the streets of Jerusalem to its permanent place in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. Trumpets were sounding. Cymbals were clanging and other music instruments were playing.Master Arts specialises in oil painting reproduction. The choirs were singing,Zenith manufactures a comprehensive range of RUBBER SHEET. “He is good. His love endures forever.” The priests could not touch the Ark but carried it through long staves that were attached to each side. It contained the two tablets of stone on which were written the Ten Commandments. The Ark reminded the people of God’s presence and the blessings under the Mosaic covenant. It was placed between the cherubim and was separated from the Holy Place by a six inch thick veil behind which only the High Priest could enter once a year on the Day of Atonement to place the blood of the sacrifices on the Mercy Seat. As soon as the Ark was in place, a great cloud filled the Temple symbolizing God’s approval as He had done when the Tabernacle was dedicated.

Wildlife tourism a free-for-all loot

Aptly titled, ‘Corbett, now on sale’, a story in a weekly magazine brought an open secret out in print: The land around — and even inside — the Corbett Tiger Reserve is up for grabs, controlled by the country’s Who’s Who. It highlighted how tourism resorts have destroyed the Kosi river corridor, cutting off access for animals to a crucial water source. This matter had in fact first come to light in a report, ‘Impact of tourism on tigers and other wildlife of Corbett’, published in January 2010. Over two years have passed since then, but the powers that be haven’t moved a muscle to regulate the resorts whose numbers have only increased — and this is in spite of the intervention of none less than the Prime Minister himself.

Most resorts in Corbett have flouted every law of the land, from changing the course of the Kosi to baiting tigers so that tourists can have a glance at the big cat. Ugly, humongous structures offer an array of attractions that have little to do with wildlife: Discotheques, rain dances, night safaris and even quad-biking on the riverbed. One particularly insensitive resort extolled the fact that it was right “on the bank of Kosi river close to the spot where a tiger attacked and killed a women” (sic), perhaps trying glamourise the “man-eater”, and encash on it.

Now, we learn that the cancer has spread to the other side in the Durgadevi zone. Land along the 17km stretch of the Ramganga River — the lifeline of Corbett — has been bought by influential outsiders with a motive to develop it for tourism.

The Corbett landscape has amongst the highest densities of tigers in the world, and also the highest density of hotels around any reserve in the country. While Corbett leads the pack, tourism infrastructure is destroying vital wildlife corridors in Mudumalai, Kanha, Kaziranga, Pench — the list goes on. Even lesser known parks like Gorumara in North Bengal are succumbing to the onslaught. In some reserves, the problem is only now cropping up and must be nipped in the bud. A recent visit to the Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Karnataka showed that the pristine forests adjacent to the reserve are being pillaged by ugly construction, largely fancy resorts and gated colonies for metro-dwellers looking for a weekend home. These forests connect Bhadra with other reserve forests, onward to the Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary and the Kudremukh National Park. Scientific documentation exists of the regular movement of endangered wildlife such as tigers, leopards and elephants along this corridor. Not just private resorts, but the forest department’s own tourism infrastructure has taken up crucial meadows inside core areas of tiger reserves — the Kanha meadows and Dhikala in Corbett are classic examples.Zenith manufactures a comprehensive range of RUBBER SHEET.

We all know that tigers need inviolate habitats to survive. To facilitate this,All RUBBER MATS is comprised of all types of mats. there is a major effort to relocate villages that are inside core critical tiger habitats. It isn’t an easy task, made all the more difficult when locals perceive they’re being ‘displaced’ while the ‘rich outsiders’ — tourists — move in. So, is tourism ‘evil’? Is it ‘killing’ tigers?

The matter is sub judice. At least the question of whether tourism should find place in core/critical tiger habitats, is.

Tourism is a double-edged sword. Regulated and managed sustainably, it is among the best ways to win support for conservation and provide livelihood options to communities around reserves.

In its current form,My advice on what to consider before you buy oil painting supplies so your money is well spent. the benefits of ‘tiger tourism’ accrue to a select few, as it has been established by a study published in Conservation Letters by Karanth et al, which says that 95 per cent of revenue generated from such commercial ventures goes into private hands while the reserve gets less than five per cent; local communities receive not even a measly 0.5 per cent. Yes, tourists do serve as a vigilant third eye but that has a limited role. The huge influx of tourists in Sariska and Panna could not save the tiger there. And,What is a real time Location system (RTLS)? to everyone’s surprise,InLocality specializes in indoor Tracking. tigers have survived against the worst odds in Similipal’s core where no tourists are allowed to venture, or in the non-tourism areas of Corbett. It hurts to say this, but sadly, the tiger has become a cash cow which we are milking dry.

It is not just tiger reserves that suffer from such irrational tourism models. Innumerable instances come to mind, especially of charming hill stations and pristine beaches desecrated by monstrous hotels and so-called ‘eco-resorts’.

Unplanned tourism infrastructure can wreak havoc with our priceless natural heritage. A glaring example is the proposed road through Flamingo City in Gujarat — an unmitigated disaster for India’s only nesting site for these graceful birds. Though the reason cited for the road is ‘national security’, it’s a well-known fact that the primary purpose is tourism: The proposed road passes through major tourist attractions. The proposal to construct it ‘coincides’ with the Government’s efforts to sell the Rann as a major tourism attraction in Gujarat. The Rann Utsav in itself has invited criticism as the heavy influx of tourists is negatively impacting the fragile desert ecology of the region. In Ladakh, the calm of Tsomoriri Lake — now labelled ‘Three Idiots’ lake, after the Bollywood film shot here — has been shattered with the rush of ‘film’ tourism, disturbing migratory birds.

Students racing to careers

For budding engineers interested in an automotive career, there's no better resume builder than the Formula SAE competition.

This year, the race-car-design competition is at Michigan International Speedway, and college teams from near and far are performing their final tune-ups as they prepare to compete in the 120-car field.Siebenwurst Werkzeugbau ist ein Unternehmen für Konstruktion und Fertigung von Werkzeugen im Bereich Stanztechnik und Umformtechnik.

"It encompasses a real engineering world, a real engineering job," said Lucas Kizer, a University of Toledo junior and team leader for Rocket Motorsports.

"Everything from team management to design to failure of parts and remanufacturing. It's a perfect opportunity to take the equations you learned in the classroom and apply them to the real world."

It's fun, sure. But it's also incredibly time-consuming. Work is done after classes, not for credit, and students sometimes dig into their own pockets to help cover the costs of the build.

Tuesday morning,Master Arts specialises in oil painting reproduction. the team from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology stopped at IMCO Carbide Tool Inc. in Perrysburg Township to thank the company for donating cutting tools they used to fabricate much of their wholly custom car.

Weary of cheap tools that broke down easily or weren't exactly right for the job, the team wrote tool makers around the country asking for help. Only two responded. One was IMCO, which sent two big batches of specialized tools and a bit of tech advice on fabrication.

"I believe that the manufacturing base is what built this country, and they're going to go into manufacturing. They're young, they're problem solvers, and I just wanted to support them.What is a real time Location system (RTLS)? And who doesn't want to be involved with a race car? It sounded like fun," said Matt Osburn, vice president and technical director at IMCO.

Team member Evan Hog- lund said nearly every part of the car relied on equipment donated by Mr. Osburn's company, from creating molds to machining wheel components. Especially useful was a prototype tool used for cutting carbon fiber, a super lightweight and strong material that can be tricky to work with.

"A lot of the problem with carbon fiber is the layers will peel apart," said Mr. Hogland, who graduated this year and is heading to a job with Honda Motor America in Ohio. "It's kind of like a fraying rope. If you do it correctly, it comes out pretty clean. You can look at these, and there's really no postmachining work done. It came out pretty much perfect."

The cars compete in a series of runs that test acceleration, road-holding,InLocality specializes in indoor Tracking. and endurance.

The UT team placed 17th out of 120 in 2011 and 12th out of 120 in 2010.

"We're hoping for a top-10 finish this year," Mr. Kizer said. "The car's looking really strong, really good. We've got enough driver training in. I think we're pretty well set for this competition."

Sponsors of the Rocket Motorsports car include Dana Holding Corp.My advice on what to consider before you buy oil painting supplies so your money is well spent., Holland Engineering Co., TW Metals Inc., and Harmon Sign.

Building a car is nearly a yearlong process. Mr. Kizer said design typically begins in June, with fabrication beginning in August or September. The competition begins today and runs through Saturday at MIS.

Each car is slightly different and is limited to 100 horsepower, although most don't put out nearly that much. The South Dakota school's car produces 42 horsepower but weighs only 372 pounds. That's good enough to shoot it to 60 mph in about 4 seconds. It has a top speed of 72 mph.

IMCO's Mr. Osburn said the team from South Dakota contacted him about stopping by to show off the car.

The event ended up drawing a large crowd. Students said they needed to thank Mr. Osburn and the rest of the company.

"They've been fantastic to us," said Jordan Krell, another graduating senior who has a job lined up at Pratt & Miller Engineering in Michigan.

IMCO, founded in 1977, makes tools for many industries, including aircraft and automotive. Between its Perrysburg Township location and a second office in Warren, Mich., it employs about 100 people.

A bump on the head, a band and best friends forever

I first met Pat McDermott when we were in “Oklahoma!” together at Rockville High. The cast was practicing some choreography in a school hallway when I slipped and cracked my head against the linoleum floor. Pat leaned over and said, “I think spinal fluid is leaking from your ear.”

That was 34 years ago.We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and glass mosaic Tiles. If I should die someday from a very slow brain bleed, I hope Pat feels guilty for making that joke.

Despite this, we became friends. Pat sang and played guitar. I played drums. With some classmates we formed a band called EKG. We spent hours in my basement on Twinbrook Parkway trying to learn the Beatles’ “If I Fell.” It was like a coal face we hacked at,We offer over 600 landscape oil paintings at wholesale prices of 75% off retail. little realizing that we were free men and could put our pickaxes down and walk away. We never did learn to play it, but I think it instilled in us an admirable work ethic.

Pat was two years older than I. (He still is; this isn’t an obituary.) He was considerate enough to time getting kicked out of his dorm at the University of Maryland — he’d set off a fire extinguisher in a hallway — so that we could get an apartment together when I started there in 1980. We were proud of and ashamed of our Langley Park flat in equal measure. Proud of it because it was our first place and we were grown-ups. Ashamed of it because we weren’t quite grown-ups and in the six years we lived there we cleaned it approximately 12 times.

An emblem of our apartment: In our first month there we made Rice-A-Roni for dinner, put the leftovers in the refrigerator, then forgot about them. When we rediscovered the Tupperware some time later, the Rice-A-Roni was whiskered in white mold. We were fascinated by the transformation. It seemed sad to throw the Rice-A-Roni away — it was like a third roommate — so we kept it, checking it periodically as it cycled through yellow, green, orange.

By the time we moved out in 1986, it was a desiccated black lump rattling around in its plastic sarcophagus. This we took outside one night and buried near the parking lot while mumbling incantatory phrases.

We played in a band together then,Capture the look and feel of real stone or Ceramic tile flooring with Alterna by Armstrong. too. After gigs, we humped our equipment up three flights of stairs. We wrote a song about the woman who lived next door: “Mrs. Hilger-Mullin.”

Pat introduced me to My Lovely Wife, by which I mean he dated her first. We were best men at each other’s weddings. We bought starter homes, had children, then bought bigger homes. We didn’t play music anymore and we seldom ate Rice-A-Roni.

Then about 10 years ago, Pat got the itch to play again. He started with just his guitar, playing rockabilly and country music at open mike nights. He called himself J.P. McDermott. He put a band together and called it Western Bop.

Soon it seemed as if he was playing everywhere: nightclubs, swing dances, weddings. Six years ago, he began hosting Rockabilly Saturday Night at the Quarry House Tavern, a delightful subterranean bar on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring.

Though I never quite got the hang of rockabilly’s signature shuffle, I’d sit in with Western Bop from time to time. It had become a rotating cast of musicians that over the years harbored some of the area’s best string-benders, bass-thumpers and skins-bashers.

With a friend named Chuck on bass, Pat and I started a power pop band called the Spectacles. Just Friday we played at the Black Cat,Painless Processing provides high risk merchant account solutions. where they ask what kind of beer the band likes then put a case of it in their dressing room. On Saturday, Western Bop played at the Quarry House. The long brick shoe box was packed with hot sweaty people dancing to Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly.

For the past 22 years, Pat’s day job has been at Freddie Mac.TeleTracking has developed the most advanced rtls for real-time. Last month, he decided to take a new job. This one’s in Los Angeles.

People ask me: “What about the band? What about Rockabilly Saturday Night?” Some of Pat’s band mates will keep the fires burning at the Quarry House. Chuck and I will hire ourselves out as a crack rhythm section. And I’ll thank whatever fates brought two teenagers together 34 years ago and turned them into best friends.

Discovery at every turn off the beaten path

There’s something to be said for getting out of the valley’s pollen-filled air, up into the mountains where pine trees,We offer over 600 landscape oil paintings at wholesale prices of 75% off retail.TBC help you confidently buy mosaic from factories in China. rock outcroppings, flowing streams and winding back roads can make for a relaxing yet invigorating afternoon adventure.

Kat and I headed for the hills (literally) after I finished covering Love Newman Saturday morning, pointing the car east rather than heading west for our traditional coastal getaway, and just spent the day poking around the area from Mariposa down to Oakhurst – most of it off the beaten path.

We do have the good fortune of being just an easy drive of a couple hours from some of the most famous destinations in the world…..Monterey, San Francisco and Yosemite, to name just a few….places that most people have to get into an airplane or plan an extended vacation to enjoy.

While some folks would prefer adventures into the fast-paced hubbub of the City (to each their own), we lean more toward the serenity of the beach or the hills.TeleTracking has developed the most advanced rtls for real-time.

Each is magnificent, and each is a different world from the valley in its own unique way.

Getting to the hills requires making that seemingly-endless 30-mile drive to Merced for starters, but then the terrain starts changing, with valley giving way to foothills. Once you’ve passed through Cathey’s Valley, a serious climb and gorgeous drive into Mariposa leaves the world of the valley completely behind.

Towering pines – which serve as nature’s air purifier – line the roadways and cover the hills.

The allergies of the morning were gone soon after, and we both enjoyed being able to breath the clean, fresh mountain air.

We also love the old-time feel of towns such as Mariposa, with its wonderfully historic downtown, stately buildings and steep streets. This is a place with character (and characters, I suspect)…..the only drawback this day was that the little burger place we tried to patronize for lunch was packed, so we just kept going.

Heading out, we decided to get off the beaten path and go exploring some of the many back roads which lead to entire communities tucked away in the mountains between Mariposa and Oakhurst. There are an amazing amount of homes back in those hills, some close together in rural clusters; others found only after a bumpy drive on winding dirt roads which seem to lead one to the middle of nowhere .

Some are absolutely gorgeous properties with a vista worthy of a postcard, while others appear to be much more spartan and bare-bones,We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and glass mosaic Tiles. cabins short on amenities but offering solitude and distance from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the world.

It’s easy to lose yourself in that world, I suspect.

And also quite easy to get lost in that tangled maze of rural backroads, as I managed to do on a couple of occasions.

We found ourselves on roads that even our wonderful technological mapping devices didn’t seem to know existed…..and in a way, I thought that was kind of the whole purpose.

But we were able to make our way back to the main roads regardless, without even having to ask for directions (good thing, because there was nobody around to ask….it’s not like you can pull up to a corner gas station).

Back on the main roads, we found ourselves going through towns with names like Bootjack and Coarsegold…..how can you help but to like places with names like that, when you think back to the roots of those monikers?

Of course, the hills aren’t without their modern amenities.

Having been turned away in our quest for a burger in Mariposa, we settled for fast food in Oakhurst, and then poked around some more until we got down to Chuckchansi, where we spent an hour or so donating a little money at the slot machines before deciding to head back down the hill for home.

We seem to be increasingly drawn to the mountains of late…..like the ocean, one of the things we greatly enjoy is finding something new and different on each visit.

You can cover a lot of ground in an afternoon drive to the hills, in more ways than one.

If “making good time” is your mantra, or if the destination is more important than the journey,Painless Processing provides high risk merchant account solutions. jumping in the car and seeing what you can discover in the hills might not be for you.

But if you’re all about just getting away for a few hours, I highly recommend the drive.

North Pole students show mechanical skills at state auto test

Jerry Million says when he finished auto shop at Lathrop in 1971, he had the skills he needed to start a career as a mechanic. He worked at Tip Top Chevrolet and then went on to run Million Automotive for 25 years.

Million says that others he went to school with met with mechanical success in Fairbanks. He mentioned just a few.

“Tim Davis went to work for Jim Thompson Ford and is still with Seekins as a shop manager. John Dashiel went to work for A & B Auto on Gaffney and is still working. He is the recognized best Mercedes Technician in the state,” Million said.

Tommy Hutchison went to work at Hutchison Service on Gaffney Road.

“There are others, just can’t recall at this moment. The point being, the technology then was such that a young person could go to work out of high school and be fairly competent to work on the vehicles of the day,” he said.

“Now,Painless Processing provides high risk merchant account solutions. that has all changed.TeleTracking has developed the most advanced rtls for real-time. The technician of today has to have above average academic skills to success. Not that we didn't, but you get the point.”

He said a Chilton or Haynes manual is written at a 10th grade level, but new factory manuals require a substantially higher level of reading comprehension.

“Almost all students need to pursue post-secondary training to acquire the skills to work on today’s transportation,” he said.

Million, now a teacher at North Pole High School, shared this information by way of introducing Anthony Merrill and Andrew Howard, North Pole students who just won the Ford AAA Student Auto Skills Competition in Anchorage.

They earned tools and scholarships worth more than $50,000 by posting the highest team score on the written exam and by diagnosing and repairing a complicated set of intentional malfunctions in a 2012 Fort Fusion SEL.

Merrill and Howard will next test their skills in June against the winning teams from the other states.

Fairbanks meteorologist Ted Fathauer, a dedicated student of the weather, says the temperatures since March and the rising pollen counts point to “Greenup Day” taking place Monday or Tuesday.

Greenup is the day on which the landscape starts to change colors, usually so suddenly that a difference can be noticed within a space of 24 hours or less.Let us find you the best ceramic tiles suppliers around you.

Fathauer says temperature is the most important factor in the exact timing of the release of pollen from aspen,TBC help you confidently buy mosaic from factories in China. birch, alder,We offer over 600 landscape oil paintings at wholesale prices of 75% off retail. willow, etc. It is also the most important factor in determining when the leaves on the deciduous trees spring forth.

There is a solid record of pollen counts in Fairbanks because of the work of the late Dr. Jim Anderson of the Institute of Arctic Biology and Susan Harry, a lab technologist at the Tanana Valley Clinic.

Fathauer is completing his master’s degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a these on “The Relationship of Pollen Release to Weather in Fairbanks.” He analyzed 23 years of pollen and weather data to determine statistical relationships between weather parameters and pollen release.

He said the time when birch pollen reaches levels of “clinical concern” is when it is about 50 grains of pollen per cubic meter. That is also the time when the birth leaves appear.

On Friday, birch pollen levels were “medium,” at about 16 grains per cubic meter. The pollen counts for alder, willow and aspen were low.

The Tanana Valley Clinic says when pollen levels are medium, “Many individuals sensitive to these pollens and molds will experience problems.”

The story of the world's best zippers

The zipper is one of those inventions — along with the bicycle — that seem as though they should have occurred much earlier in history. How complicated could it be to assemble two wheels, two pedals and a chain? Or to align two jagged strips of metal teeth and shuffle them together? There is no complicated chemistry here, no harnessing of invisible wavelengths. And yet the modern bicycle didn't appear until the late 1800s, and the zipper didn't really become the zipper until 1917, when it was patented by a Swedish immigrant in Hoboken, N.J. The precision necessary to craft a working bicycle chain or a smoothly meshing zipper was simply beyond us for all those prior millennia.

More confounding still: Now that the zipper has been around for nearly a century,Shop for oil painting and oil paintings for sale included. you'd think something so simple might have been perfected — becoming a 100 percent reliable commodity.TeleTracking has developed the most advanced rtls for real-time. But that hasn't happened. There are still tons of faulty zippers out there — teeth that break, pulls that pop, herky-jerky sliding and irreparable lockups.

One zipper gone wrong can render an entire garment unwearable.Protomold offers custom Injection mold parts in as fast as 1 day. Thus, consistent quality is a must for reputable fashion brands. For decades now, apparel makers who can't afford to gamble on cut-rate fasteners have overwhelmingly turned to a single manufacturer. YKK, the Japanese zipper behemoth, makes roughly half of all the zippers on Earth — more than 7 billion zippers each year. Those three capital letters are ubiquitous — no doubt you've seen them while zipping up your windbreaker or unzipping someone else's jeans. How did YKK come to dominate this quirky corner of industry?

Founded by Tadao Yoshida in 1934 in Tokyo, YKK stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha,Argo Mold limited specialize in Plastic Injection Molding manufacture. which roughly translates as Yoshida Company Limited. The young Yoshida was a tinkerer who designed his own customized zipper machines when he wasn't satisfied with existing production methods. One by one, Yoshida brought basically every stage of the zipper-making process in house: A 1998 Los Angeles Times story reported that YKK "smelts its own brass, concocts its own polyester, spins and twists its own thread, weaves and color-dyes cloth for its zipper tapes, forges and molds its scooped zipper teeth" and on and on. YKK even makes the boxes it ships its zippers in. And, of course, it still manufactures its own zipper-manufacturing machines — which it carefully hides from the eyes of competitors. With every tiny detail handled under YKK's roof, outside variables get eliminated, and the company can ensure consistent quality and speed of production. When the Japanese earthquake hit last year, many supply chains were shredded, but YKK kept rolling along.

Yoshida also preached a management principle he termed "The Cycle of Goodness." It holds that "no one prospers unless he renders benefit to others." In practice, this boiled down to Yoshida striving to produce ever-higher quality with ever-lower costs. It seems intuitive, but it's far from easy to do. And in the end,Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings? the secret to YKK's success is equally uncomplicated but equally impressive: YKK makes incredibly dependable zippers; ships them on time without fail; offers a wide range of colors, materials and styles; and never gets badly undercut on price. The feeling in the apparel industry is you can't go wrong with YKK.

"There have been quality problems in the past when we've used cheaper zippers," said Trina Turk, who designs her own line of women's contemporary sportswear. "Now we just stick with YKK. When the customer is buying $200 pants, they better have a good zipper because the customer will blame the maker of the whole garment even if the zipper was the part that failed."