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nylon wire Findings are the connective components of a piece, such as clasps, earwires, crimps, jumprings, linklocks and boltrings. Findings can be made from virtually any metal and you will find silver findings, gold findings and copper findings commonly used to enhance a piece of wire wrapped jewellery. Wire wrapping tends to be confined to smaller-scale production; and as a technique is more often associated with hand crafted pieces. The individual craftsmen and artisans use their skills to create interesting and intricate items combining wire with findings, beads or other adornments. In its basic form, wire wrapping uses looping to link the components of a piece of jewellery. Loops can vary in complexity from a simple ‘O’ shape, to ‘P’ loops and ‘eye’ loops. By their very nature, these are open loops, meaning they can be opened to accommodate another component of the piece. P loops are a wire loop formed in the shape of the letter P, whereas eye loops are more intricate; a tennis-racket shape is achieved with a full circle of wire centred over the stem of the loop. Closed or wrapped loops are also used to create more permanent links; the end of the wire is wrapped round the stem of the loop, so that it cannot be opened. This method of looping gives wire wrapping its name. In essence, it describes a method of creating jewellery using mechanical, rather than soldered, links. Open loops, such as P loops and eye loops are commonly found in handmade ear-rings, whereas closed loops are used in necklaces and bracelets, so that the links do not open should the jewellery become snagged or caught. Most craftsmen and artisans will use three basic tools in their work: a flush cutter, a pair of round-nosed pliers and chain-nose pliers. The flush cutter achieves a cut in the wire that leaves one end flush or flat, so that the sharp or pointed end that remains can be discarded. Round-nosed pliers have a conical shape that allow easy manipulation of the wire into loops, whereas chain-nose pliers have flat, smooth jaws for gripping and bending wire. As well as these three basic tools, craftsmen are likely to have loop-closing pliers, an anvil, a chasing hammer, step-jaw pliers, nylon-jaw pliers, a cup bur and a good, old-fashioned ruler. Many artisans also employ a jewellery-making jig, which is an open frame that is used to establish a pattern for use in the shaping of wire or sheets of metal. There are various types of wire available to the craftsman, in different alloys (Silver, Gold), carats (9ct, 18ct), styles, shapes and diameters. With advent of enamelled wires the design can even incorporate a variety of vibrant colours. Each type of wire allows the designer to achieve different effects, offer different levels of malleability and build something unique into their designs. Whether you are a professional jeweller, a student or hobbyist, the quality and cost effectiveness of your materials will always impact on the finished work. For a wide selection of wire and findings, it’s worth searching for a company that specialises in supply direct to the jewellery trade – many companies now sell online, so it’s worth searching either for “jewellery supplies” or the specific item you are looking for.

Indicator Switch Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the First Quarter 2008 Lincoln Educational Services' Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. We will be conducting a question-and-answer session and we ask that you please limit your questions to no more than one and one follow-up. This conference call is being webcast and an audio version of the call will be available on the Company’s website for 90 days. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded for replay purposes. Before we begin today’s call, the Company would like to remind everyone that this conference call may contain certain forward-looking statements relating to future events, future financial performance, strategies, expectations, competitive environment, regulations, and availability of resources. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those stated in any forward-looking statements based on a number of factors and other risks, which are more specifically identified in Lincoln’s filings with the SEC. And now, I would like to turn the call over to Mr. Dave Carney, Chairman and CEO of Lincoln Educational Services. Please go ahead, David. Dave Carney - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Grace Ann. Good morning to everyone on the call and welcome to the Lincoln Educational Services first quarter 2008 earnings conference call. Joining me today is Shaun McAlmont, our President and Chief Operating Officer, as well as Cesar Ribeiro, our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Following my remarks, Shaun will provide an update on operations and Cesar will provide a review of our first quarter results. We will then open the call for the question-and-answer session. Now turning to our results from continuing operations, we are very pleased with first quarter results and that we were able to continue the positive momentum we experienced in the last several quarters. We reported earnings per share from continuing operations of $0.02 in the first quarter versus a loss of $0.04 in the same quarter last year. Revenue from continuing operations was 84 million in the first quarter, up 10.3%. The revenue increase was primarily driven by new student starts, which grew by 7.5% in the first quarter compared with the same quarter last year coupled with an 8.5% year-over-year improvement in the carry-in population at the beginning of the quarter. The total student population at March 31 was 18,600, an increase of 10% over the prior year. While average population for the quarter was 18,459, up 9.3% from 16,885 for the same quarter a year ago. Now, equally important, the average population increased in all of our verticals versus the first quarter of 2007. Our first quarter results exceeded our previous guidance range for starts, revenue and earnings per share. As we’ve discussed on prior calls, during 2007, we successfully executed on a series of initiatives aimed at improving the overall effectiveness of our organization. These initiatives addressed a number of functional areas such as student recruitment processes, sales organization and marketing efforts, product development. It also included the realignment of our organization and rationalization of our campus footprint. The successful implementation of these initiatives resulted in our beginning 2008 with an 8.5% higher carry-in population compared to 2007. Due to a combination of start growth, including increases in recently launched new programs such as criminal justice and licensed practical nursing, coupled with improved retention, we continue that trend and began the second quarter with 1,700 or 9.3% more students than last year. During the first quarter 2008, we also continued to benefit from improvements in our marketing implementation over the past year. For example, our new website, launched in third quarter 2007 is providing us with a significant increase in leads versus our old website, and the conversion rate from lead to enrollment has now surpassed TV. Overall, we are pleased to have sustained the business momentum experienced during the second half of last year. Our primary focus in 2008 is execution as we look to build upon the strong foundation that we laid in 2007 by growing our student population, promoting further efficiencies across our organization, and converting our operating success into enhanced financial returns for the benefit of our shareholders. We believe one key area of strength that will continue to drive starts and enrollment growth in 2008 and beyond is our expanded program mix. Over the past several years, our strategy has been to significantly diversify our program offerings through an effective combination of acquisitions, internal development and program replication. We believe this was the correct strategy, which has resulted in us being a much different and stronger company today.

Polymer Battery Charger Dave Clow and his executive staff probably could teach a seminar in crisis management at any business college in America. The lesson plans would be their own personal experience. Clow and the staff at Harding Energy Inc. in Norton Shores were stunned by a destructive -- but not catastrophic -- fire Aug. 7 in the company's lower level test laboratory. A battery pack being charged caught fire and burned the lab beyond recognition. Luckily, no one was injured in the overnight fire that was detected by the Norton Shores Fire Department and was nearly out when firefighters arrived. Clow said there was no damage beyond the lower level and no hazardous materials or gasses were involved. However, smoke damage drove the company from its offices and production facility in what was the former General Telephone building at 509 E. Ellis across from the Muskegon County Airport. Harding shares the building with Western Michigan Christian High School, which was not affected by the battery company fire.David Clow Harding provides rechargeable battery packs for equipment manufacturers of medical device, test equipment, bar-code readers and printers along with flashlights for police and fire personnel. It was able to return to the Ellis Road facility in March, seven months after the fire. After his staff responded to adversity with new innovations, Clow said, "we are a stronger company today than before the fire." When it first began operations in 1994 and through its first decade, Harding provided nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries for cameras and audio devices. But in the past half-dozen years, the company has moved into niche equipment markets. The company employs 38 with an expected 10 additional staffers to be hired in the coming three years, company officials said. The total damage to the building, equipment and inventory was $1.4 million, of which Clow said insurance covered $1.15 million. The most devastating loss was the $400,000 in inventory, half of what the company was planning to ship to customers. It also lost about 30 research and development projects in the test lab that eliminated those opportunities for new business, the company president said. "We did lose orders, but not any customers and we kept all of our employees," Clow said. "Our biggest loss was the momentum we had on those 30 projects in the testing area." In the early morning hours of Aug. 8, Clow was left standing in front of his company's facility contemplating the next move. He and the privately held company owners had already decided to temporarily move operations to a vacant building in Coopersville. Crew members were starting to move undamaged equipment as Clow counted his company's blessings that August morning.