2009 Muhammad Yunus Congressional Gold Medal Award
H.R.2000: Introduced by Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ), Jim Moran (D-VA), John R. Carter (R-TX), and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). To cosponsor H.R. 2000, please contact Will O’Neal with Rep. Holt (D-NJ) at (202) 225-5801.
S.846: Introduced by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Robert Bennett (R-UT). *Passed unanimously by the Senate on October 14, 2009.*
Impact of Awarding Prof. Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal
Presenting Prof. Yunus with the Congressional Gold Medal would help to:
- Raise public and congressional awareness of the power of microfinance to change lives;
- Build congressional and U.S. government support for this proven anti-poverty intervention;
- Send a strong signal to USAID and the World Bank that the U.S. is committed to microfinance for the very poor;
- Reinforce the message that microfinance is strongly supported by both political parties.
Honoring Prof. Muhammad Yunus with the Congressional Gold Medal
Since the American Revolution, Congress has commissioned gold medals as its highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. Although the first recipients included citizens who participated in the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, Congress broadened the scope of the medal to include actors, authors, entertainers, musicians, pioneers in aeronautics and space, explorers, lifesavers, notables in science and medicine, athletes, humanitarians, public servants, and foreign recipients.
As the recognized “father of microfinance,” Muhammad Yunus is esteemed in the United States and abroad as an innovative and tireless leader in the fight against poverty. For more than 30 years, his efforts to advance economic development and social change through microenterprise have been emulated by others and provided the tools for millions of desperately poor people to lift their families out of poverty.
Founder of Grameen Bank: Prof. Yunus launched the origins of Grameen Bank in 1976 with $27 from his pocket to provide business loans for 42 poor women in his native Bangladesh. This credit — given without collateral — has proven to be an incredibly cost-effective tool to fight poverty and serves as a catalyst for overall development for the poor who have been excluded from traditional banking services. Established in 1983, Grameen Bank is fully owned by its clients and has been a model for microfinance institutions around the world. Prof. Yunus played a key role in catapulting a movement to provide financial services on a global scale. Grameen has since expanded to serve more than six million poor families with loans, savings, insurance and other services and has partnered with corporations, such as Danone/Dannon.
Nobel Peace Prize: In 2006, the Nobel Committee awarded Prof. Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank the Nobel Peace Prize. The Committee noted that, “Microcredit has proved to be an important liberating force in societies where women in particular have to struggle against repressive social and economic conditions. Economic growth and political democracy cannot achieve their full potential unless the female half of humanity participates on an equal footing with the male.
Awards: Professor Yunus is the recipient of numerous international awards for his ideas and endeavors, including the Mohamed Shabdeen Award for Science (1993), Sri Lanka; Humanitarian Award (1993), CARE, USA; World Food Prize (1994), World Food Prize Foundation, USA; Independence Day Award (1987), Bangladesh’s highest award; King Hussein Humanitarian Leadership Award (2000), King Hussein Foundation, Jordan; Volvo Environment Prize (2003), Volvo Environment Prize Foundation, Sweden; Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth (2004), Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan; Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom Award (2006), Roosevelt Institute of The Netherlands; and the Seoul Peace Prize (2006), Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation, Seoul, Korea. He is a member of the board of the United Nations Foundation.
Biography of Professor Muhammad Yunus
Professor Muhammad Yunus established the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh in 1983, fueled by the belief that credit is a fundamental human right. His objective was to help poor people escape from poverty by providing loans on terms suitable to them and by teaching them a few sound financial principles so they could help themselves. From Prof. Yunus’ personal loan of small amounts of money to destitute basket-weavers in Bangladesh in the mid-1970s, the Grameen Bank has advanced to the forefront of a burgeoning world movement toward eradicating poverty through microlending. Replicas of the Grameen Bank model operate in more than 100 countries worldwide.
Born in 1940 in the seaport city of Chittagong, Professor Yunus studied at Dhaka University in Bangladesh, then received a Fulbright scholarship to study economics at Vanderbilt University. He received his Ph.D. in economics from Vanderbilt in 1969 and the following year became an assistant professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University. Returning to Bangladesh, Yunus headed the economics department at Chittagong University. From 1993 to 1995, Professor Yunus was a member of the International Advisory Group for the Fourth World Conference on Women, a post to which he was appointed by the UN secretary-general. He has served on the Global Commission of Women’s Health, the Advisory Council for Sustainable Economic Development and the UN Expert Group on Women and Finance. Prof. Yunus is the author of Creating a World Without Poverty and Banker to the Poor.
House Cosponsors of H.R.2000 (as of September 27, 2010): 297 cosponsors
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 10/1/2009
Rep Adler, John H. [NJ-3] - 11/18/2009
Rep Altmire, Jason [PA-4] - 7/15/2010
Rep Andrews, Robert E. [NJ-1] - 6/24/2009
Rep Arcuri, Michael A. [NY-24] - 8/10/2010
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] - 9/14/2010
Rep Bachus, Spencer [AL-6] - 7/30/2010
Rep Baird, Brian [WA-3] - 7/15/2010
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 4/21/2009
Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] - 3/25/2010
Rep Bean, Melissa L. [IL-8] - 7/15/2010
Rep Becerra, Xavier [CA-31] - 7/15/2010
Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] - 7/23/2009
Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] - 7/13/2010
Rep Berry, Marion [AR-1] - 7/20/2010
Rep Biggert, Judy [IL-13] - 3/12/2010
Rep Bilbray, Brian P. [CA-50] - 8/10/2010
Rep Bilirakis, Gus M. [FL-9] - 7/13/2010
Rep Bishop, Rob [UT-1] - 7/31/2009
Rep Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2] - 7/1/2010
Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] - 7/17/2009
Rep Blumenauer, Earl [OR-3] - 5/4/2009
Rep Bono Mack, Mary [CA-45] - 7/30/2010
Rep Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [GU] - 6/3/2009
Rep Boswell, Leonard L. [IA-3] - 4/21/2010
Rep Boustany, Charles W., Jr. [LA-7] - 8/10/2010
Rep Brady, Robert A. [PA-1] - 4/29/2009
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - 7/1/2010
Rep Brown-Waite, Ginny [FL-5] - 7/29/2010
Rep Butterfield, G. K. [NC-1] - 7/28/2010
Rep Calvert, Ken [CA-44] - 7/27/2010
Rep Cantor, Eric [VA-7] - 7/30/2010
Rep Cao, Anh "Joseph" [LA-2] - 2/22/2010
Rep Capito, Shelley Moore [WV-2] - 8/10/2010
Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] - 7/17/2009
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-8] - 4/21/2009
Rep Cardoza, Dennis A. [CA-18] - 8/10/2010
Rep Carnahan, Russ [MO-3] - 7/31/2009
Rep Carson, Andre [IN-7] - 7/8/2009
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] - 4/21/2009
Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE] - 3/2/2010
Rep Castor, Kathy [FL-11] - 4/22/2010
Rep Chandler, Ben [KY-6] - 7/17/2009
Rep Christensen, Donna M. [VI] - 7/27/2010
Rep Chu, Judy [CA-32] - 4/21/2010
Rep Clarke, Yvette D. [NY-11] - 7/15/2010
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy [MO-1] - 9/15/2010
Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] - 3/12/2010
Rep Clyburn, James E. [SC-6] - 7/31/2009
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] - 7/1/2010
Rep Cole, Tom [OK-4] - 9/14/2010
Rep Connolly, Gerald E. "Gerry" [VA-11] - 7/10/2009
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] - 7/28/2009
Rep Costa, Jim [CA-20] - 4/21/2010
Rep Costello, Jerry F. [IL-12] - 3/2/2010
Rep Courtney, Joe [CT-2] - 7/15/2010
Rep Critz, Mark S. [PA-12] - 9/14/2010
Rep Crowley, Joseph [NY-7] - 4/21/2009
Rep Cuellar, Henry [TX-28] - 7/19/2010
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 4/21/2009
Rep Dahlkemper, Kathleen A. [PA-3] - 7/15/2010
Rep Davis, Artur [AL-7] - 9/14/2010
Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7] - 12/11/2009
Rep Davis, Geoff [KY-4] - 7/30/2010
Rep Davis, Lincoln [TN-4] - 9/14/2010
Rep Davis, Susan A. [CA-53] - 9/17/2009
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] - 3/12/2010
Rep DeGette, Diana [CO-1] - 3/12/2010
Rep Delahunt, Bill [MA-10] - 6/30/2010
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] - 7/13/2010
Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [FL-19] - 7/20/2010
Rep Diaz-Balart, Lincoln [FL-21] - 5/5/2010
Rep Dicks, Norman D. [WA-6] - 7/16/2009
Rep Dingell, John D. [MI-15] - 7/29/2010
Rep Djou, Charles K. [HI-1] - 7/30/2010
Rep Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25] - 6/24/2009
Rep Doyle, Michael F. [PA-14] - 7/28/2010
Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] - 7/30/2010
Rep Edwards, Chet [TX-17] - 4/21/2010
Rep Edwards, Donna F. [MD-4] - 7/17/2009
Rep Ehlers, Vernon J. [MI-3] - 7/30/2010
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] - 4/27/2009
Rep Emerson, Jo Ann [MO-8] - 3/25/2010
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - 3/2/2010
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] - 12/16/2009
Rep Etheridge, Bob [NC-2] - 7/31/2009
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - 7/10/2009
Rep Fattah, Chaka [PA-2] - 7/13/2010
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 7/16/2009
Rep Fortenberry, Jeff [NE-1] - 4/21/2010
Rep Foster, Bill [IL-14] - 7/8/2009
Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] - 10/26/2009
Rep Frelinghuysen, Rodney P. [NJ-11] - 7/19/2010
Rep Fudge, Marcia L. [OH-11] - 7/15/2010
Rep Garamendi, John [CA-10] - 5/5/2010
Rep Garrett, Scott [NJ-5] - 7/21/2009
Rep Giffords, Gabrielle [AZ-8] - 6/24/2009
Rep Gonzalez, Charles A. [TX-20] - 6/29/2010
Rep Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6] - 9/22/2010
Rep Gordon, Bart [TN-6] - 3/10/2010
Rep Grayson, Alan [FL-8] - 3/25/2010
Rep Green, Al [TX-9] - 9/9/2009
Rep Green, Gene [TX-29] - 7/8/2009
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 7/13/2009
Rep Guthrie, Brett [KY-2] - 7/15/2010
Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4] - 9/9/2009
Rep Hall, John J. [NY-19] - 6/30/2010
Rep Halvorson, Deborah L. [IL-11] - 9/9/2009
Rep Hare, Phil [IL-17] - 3/4/2010
Rep Harman, Jane [CA-36] - 7/17/2009
Rep Harper, Gregg [MS-3] - 7/30/2010
Rep Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23] - 6/30/2010
Rep Heinrich, Martin [NM-1] - 11/18/2009
Rep Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie [SD] - 7/27/2009
Rep Hill, Baron P. [IN-9] - 10/27/2009
Rep Himes, James A. [CT-4] - 6/30/2010
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] - 3/2/2010
Rep Hinojosa, Ruben [TX-15] - 7/15/2010
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] - 10/26/2009
Rep Hodes, Paul W. [NH-2] - 6/30/2010
Rep Holden, Tim [PA-17] - 6/30/2010
Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] - 4/21/2009
Rep Hoyer, Steny H. [MD-5] - 7/28/2010
Rep Hunter, Duncan D. [CA-52] - 7/15/2010
Rep Inglis, Bob [SC-4] - 3/2/2010
Rep Inslee, Jay [WA-1] - 3/15/2010
Rep Israel, Steve [NY-2] - 7/20/2010
Rep Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [IL-2] - 7/17/2009
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] - 6/24/2009
Rep Jenkins, Lynn [KS-2] - 4/22/2010
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [TX-30] - 4/21/2009
Rep Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [GA-4] - 2/22/2010
Rep Johnson, Timothy V. [IL-15] - 6/30/2010
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] - 7/30/2010
Rep Kanjorski, Paul E. [PA-11] - 7/27/2010
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] - 7/31/2009
Rep Kennedy, Patrick J. [RI-1] - 7/31/2009
Rep Kildee, Dale E. [MI-5] - 7/21/2009
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] - 3/25/2010
Rep Kilroy, Mary Jo [OH-15] - 7/30/2010
Rep Kind, Ron [WI-3] - 7/1/2010
Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3] - 3/2/2010
Rep Kingston, Jack [GA-1] - 4/22/2010
Rep Kirk, Mark Steven [IL-10] - 4/21/2009
Rep Klein, Ron [FL-22] - 9/14/2010
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] - 7/15/2010
Rep Lamborn, Doug [CO-5] - 7/28/2010
Rep Lance, Leonard [NJ-7] - 7/31/2009
Rep Langevin, James R. [RI-2] - 6/30/2010
Rep Larsen, Rick [WA-2] - 7/16/2009
Rep Larson, John B. [CT-1] - 6/30/2010
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - 4/21/2009
Rep Levin, Sander M. [MI-12] - 12/3/2009
Rep Lewis, Jerry [CA-41] - 6/23/2010
Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] - 6/23/2010
Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] - 7/13/2009
Rep LoBiondo, Frank A. [NJ-2] - 3/2/2010
Rep Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] - 5/4/2009
Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] - 7/15/2010
Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [WY] - 9/14/2010
Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9] - 3/25/2010
Rep Mack, Connie [FL-14] - 7/30/2010
Rep Maffei, Daniel B. [NY-25] - 7/1/2010
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] - 4/21/2009
Rep Markey, Betsy [CO-4] - 7/28/2010
Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] - 10/27/2009
Rep Matheson, Jim [UT-2] - 7/31/2009
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [CA-5] - 7/13/2010
Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] - 7/15/2010
Rep McCaul, Michael T. [TX-10] - 11/18/2009
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] - 6/24/2009
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] - 7/28/2009
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] - 4/22/2009
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 7/17/2009
Rep McIntyre, Mike [NC-7] - 7/28/2010
Rep McKeon, Howard P. "Buck" [CA-25] - 7/15/2010
Rep McMahon, Michael E. [NY-13] - 7/15/2010
Rep McNerney, Jerry [CA-11] - 4/29/2009
Rep Meek, Kendrick B. [FL-17] - 2/22/2010
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] - 6/30/2010
Rep Michaud, Michael H. [ME-2] - 4/22/2009
Rep Miller, Brad [NC-13] - 7/31/2009
Rep Miller, Candice S. [MI-10] - 4/21/2010
Rep Miller, George [CA-7] - 7/31/2009
Rep Mitchell, Harry E. [AZ-5] - 7/8/2009
Rep Mollohan, Alan B. [WV-1] - 7/27/2010
Rep Moore, Dennis [KS-3] - 7/31/2009
Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] - 7/29/2010
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 4/21/2009
Rep Murphy, Christopher S. [CT-5] - 7/27/2010
Rep Murphy, Patrick J. [PA-8] - 7/27/2010
Rep Murphy, Scott [NY-20] - 10/27/2009
Rep Myrick, Sue Wilkins [NC-9] - 7/8/2009
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8] - 3/25/2010
Rep Napolitano, Grace F. [CA-38] - 7/15/2010
Rep Neal, Richard E. [MA-2] - 8/10/2010
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] - 7/19/2010
Rep Nye, Glenn C. [VA-2] - 3/4/2010
Rep Oberstar, James L. [MN-8] - 7/31/2009
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - 3/2/2010
Rep Ortiz, Solomon P. [TX-27] - 9/14/2010
Rep Owens, William L. [NY-23] - 9/14/2010
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] - 7/10/2009
Rep Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [NJ-8] - 3/12/2010
Rep Pastor, Ed [AZ-4] - 7/16/2009
Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] - 6/23/2010
Rep Pence, Mike [IN-6] - 12/15/2009
Rep Perriello, Thomas S.P. [VA-5] - 7/17/2009
Rep Peters, Gary C. [MI-9] - 12/16/2009
Rep Peterson, Collin C. [MN-7] - 7/15/2010
Rep Pierluisi, Pedro R. [PR] - 9/14/2010
Rep Pingree, Chellie [ME-1] - 7/31/2009
Rep Pitts, Joseph R. [PA-16] - 4/28/2010
Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] - 7/15/2010
Rep Polis, Jared [CO-2] - 7/15/2010
Rep Pomeroy, Earl [ND] - 6/26/2009
Rep Posey, Bill [FL-15] - 6/9/2010
Rep Price, David E. [NC-4] - 7/10/2009
Rep Putnam, Adam H. [FL-12] - 4/21/2010
Rep Quigley, Mike [IL-5] - 7/13/2009
Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] - 7/17/2009
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] - 7/30/2010
Rep Rehberg, Denny [MT] - 5/26/2010
Rep Reichert, David G. [WA-8] - 6/24/2009
Rep Richardson, Laura [CA-37] - 7/15/2010
Rep Rodriguez, Ciro D. [TX-23] - 7/19/2010
Rep Roe, David P. [TN-1] - 7/15/2010
Rep Rogers, Mike D. [AL-3] - 7/30/2010
Rep Rohrabacher, Dana [CA-46] - 6/26/2009
Rep Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [FL-18] - 4/21/2009
Rep Roskam, Peter J. [IL-6] - 7/30/2010
Rep Ross, Mike [AR-4] - 7/31/2009
Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] - 5/4/2009
Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille [CA-34] - 4/21/2009
Rep Royce, Edward R. [CA-40] - 6/26/2009
Rep Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1] - 6/29/2010
Rep Ryan, Tim [OH-17] - 7/8/2009
Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [CA-39] - 7/31/2009
Rep Sanchez, Loretta [CA-47] - 7/20/2010
Rep Sarbanes, John P. [MD-3] - 3/25/2010
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 5/4/2009
Rep Schauer, Mark H. [MI-7] - 10/1/2009
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29] - 7/28/2010
Rep Schock, Aaron [IL-18] - 7/10/2009
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [PA-13] - 3/12/2010
Rep Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [VA-3] - 7/31/2009
Rep Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] - 3/25/2010
Rep Sessions, Pete [TX-32] - 8/10/2010
Rep Shea-Porter, Carol [NH-1] - 3/25/2010
Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27] - 9/14/2010
Rep Shimkus, John [IL-19] - 9/14/2010
Rep Shuler, Heath [NC-11] - 12/3/2009
Rep Shuster, Bill [PA-9] - 8/10/2010
Rep Sires, Albio [NJ-13] - 6/29/2010
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] - 7/28/2009
Rep Smith, Adam [WA-9] - 5/19/2009
Rep Smith, Christopher H. [NJ-4] - 7/13/2010
Rep Smith, Lamar [TX-21] - 6/18/2009
Rep Snyder, Vic [AR-2] - 7/1/2010
Rep Space, Zachary T. [OH-18] - 8/10/2010
Rep Speier, Jackie [CA-12] - 3/12/2010
Rep Spratt, John M., Jr. [SC-5] - 7/27/2010
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 7/16/2009
Rep Stupak, Bart [MI-1] - 7/8/2009
Rep Sutton, Betty [OH-13] - 9/14/2010
Rep Tauscher, Ellen O. [CA-10] - 4/21/2009
Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] - 3/12/2010
Rep Thompson, Bennie G. [MS-2] - 7/28/2010
Rep Thompson, Glenn [PA-5] - 7/15/2010
Rep Thompson, Mike [CA-1] - 7/27/2010
Rep Thornberry, Mac [TX-13] - 4/21/2009
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] - 7/10/2009
Rep Titus, Dina [NV-3] - 3/23/2010
Rep Tonko, Paul D. [NY-21] - 3/12/2010
Rep Towns, Edolphus [NY-10] - 6/29/2010
Rep Upton, Fred [MI-6] - 7/30/2010
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8] - 7/27/2010
Rep Velazquez, Nydia M. [NY-12] - 7/28/2010
Rep Visclosky, Peter J. [IN-1] - 11/6/2009
Rep Walz, Timothy J. [MN-1] - 3/25/2010
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] - 7/27/2010
Rep Waters, Maxine [CA-35] - 3/15/2010
Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] - 4/21/2009
Rep Watt, Melvin L. [NC-12] - 7/31/2009
Rep Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30] - 7/13/2010
Rep Weiner, Anthony D. [NY-9] - 7/28/2010
Rep Welch, Peter [VT] - 7/15/2010
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-3] - 4/28/2010
Rep Wexler, Robert [FL-19] - 9/16/2009
Rep Whitfield, Ed [KY-1] - 8/10/2010
Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] - 7/15/2010
Rep Wolf, Frank R. [VA-10] - 4/22/2009
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 7/17/2009
Rep Wu, David [OR-1] - 3/2/2010
Rep Yarmuth, John A. [KY-3] - 8/10/2010
Rep Young, C.W. Bill [FL-10] - 4/28/2010
Rep Young, Don [AK] - 3/25/2010