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NAR Taking Action
The article was published over the weekend from the Washington Post Online about the new legislation proposed for the 18 month moratorium on HVCC. Enjoy.
Washington (DC) Post via World Wide Web 07/03/2009
Lowball Appraisals Spark Uproar By Kenneth R. Harney
site: www.washingtonpost.com
Saturday, July 4, 2009
It's by far the hottest controversy in real estate this summer, and it could directly affect the value of your house — probably negatively — by tens of thousands of dollars.
The issue involves lowballed appraisals and the new rules guiding appraisers in both price-depressed and rebounding markets. Consider these snapshots:
*In San Diego, Steve Doyle, division president for Brookfield Homes, is trying to close out the final 20 houses of a 120-unit single-family subdivision. Prices range from $340,000 to $350,000. But recently there's been a major hitch: Appraisers assigned by banks are coming in with valuations of $60,000 or more under Doyle's selling prices. The appraisers, who Doyle says are inexperienced, unfamiliar with local market trends or both, are using distressed sales — foreclosures and short sales of existing houses — as their "comparables." Some of the distressed properties are in poor condition, and all of them offer fewer amenities, Doyle says.
*In Wilmington, N.C., a loan applicant with a house in excellent condition and an unblemished payment record sought to refinance into a 4.75 percent mortgage. She bought the property four years ago for $160,000 and made about $20,000 worth of improvements. Her loan application, according to Paul Skeens, president of Colonial Mortgage Group of Waldorf, was "a slam dunk — nothing to it." The house was worth $180,000 to $200,000, according to a local realty estimate.
But when the bank sent in an appraiser with little local knowledge, he chose as comparables two short-sale properties that had both closed in the mid-$140,000 range and one inheritance sale around $155,000. The last property was "in horrible condition," Skeens said. "I'd call it dog meat." The deal-paralyzing appraised value that came in for the slam-dunk refi: $149,000.
*In the suburbs near Cleveland, Enzo Perfetto, manager of Enzoco Homes, builds custom houses on clients' lots. Recently, he said, banks have begun assigning appraisers from far outside the area to value lots as part of mortgage packages on new homes. Some of the comparables they use are in foreclosure situations, and that depresses land valuations. A young couple who paid $75,000 for their lot recently had it valued at just $30,000 by an out-of-area appraiser who looked only at online data, according to Perfetto — discouraging the couple from proceeding.
"I think the pendulum is swinging way too far in the wrong direction on appraisals," Perfetto said. Bank-assigned appraisers often "don't know the local market and they're going for low numbers to be 'safe.' "
* * *
Complaints about lowballed appraisals — from builders, real estate agents, consumers and mortgage companies — have erupted since May 1, when government-backed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac put their new appraisal rules into effect nationwide. Critics charge that the new system fosters the use of appraisers willing to work for low fees — sometimes 50 percent below previous standards — and who are willing to conduct home appraisals far outside their typical areas of activity.
The Fannie-Freddie system — known as the Home Valuation Code of Conduct — is complicated by the fact that it is a byproduct of a legal settlement in 2008 between New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and the two big mortgage investors.
Under the code, appraisers are now routinely assigned by appraisal management companies rather than local mortgage companies or loan officers. The management companies pocket as much as 40 percent to 50 percent of the appraisal fee paid by the consumer.
Frustration with the new system boiled over and made its way to Capitol Hill late last month. The National Association of Home Builders called for an immediate change in the rules governing the use of foreclosures, short sales and other distress transactions as comparables for appraisals on non-distressed homes, whether new or resale.
Two congressmen — Travis W. Childers (D-Miss.) and Gary G. Miller (R-Calif.) — have introduced legislation calling for an 18-month moratorium on the appraisal code. In identical letters to Cuomo and to James B. Lockhart III, the top regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the National Association of Realtors also requested a moratorium and complained that the code is raising consumer costs, distorting property values and killing sales.
Asked for comment, Lockhart said through a spokesperson that his agency is "monitoring" the situation, and considers "the views of market participants important."
Bottom line: Be aware of the issue. It affects your equity, even if you're not currently buying or selling. And watch whether Congress fixes the problem.
Kenneth R. Harney's e-mail address is firstname.lastname@example.com. (c) 2009 The Washington Post Company
Markets have been in decline for years now. Why the problem now? I suspect it is more because appraisers are selected by the lender and not by the people trying to close the deal. Lap puppy appraisers have been used to support transactions for too long. Now the lender with real skin in the game are choosing the appraiser.
Appraisers are coming from no further away today than before May 1. The only real difference is that appraisers must be selected by the lender and not by the Realtors and developers.
If short sales and REOs dominate a market, then that is the market. Appraisers report market conditions, they do not create them.
Developers have been gaming the system for years, offering rebates, concessions and free upgrades, lowering the values of their homes without disclosing them to anyone. That is how people end up with $500,000 mortgages on homes only worth $350,000.
These people are just whining about not being able to use their "team player", number hitting appraisers anymore.
If that homeowner bought in 2005 in Wilmington, NC it is highly likely their home decreased in value in 4 years. If the deal by the mortgage company was a "slam dunk", why didn't they get it reviewed or get another appraisal? Those comments appear to be no more than sour grapes. The out of town mortgage brokers helped create a bubble market here, especially in the beach markets.
Appraisers were never ground 0 for the housing bubble (or their possible cozy relationship with local mortgage brokers). Loose lending guidelines that included neg-am loans and no doc qualifying were the main culprit. Dishonest players in the biz took advantage of this situation and we're now feeling the hangover after the party.
HVCC solved no problems, however created new ones. On the surface, HVCC looks great, but in practice it is a major mess. Appraisals are opinions and these opinions are supported by lenghtly reports. It is dream-land to believe that all appraisals are created equal, but that is what your friendly AMC would like you to believe. As an appraiser for over 10 years, you're not likely to receive an "aggressive" or "high-ball" appraisal that would requrie 2x or 3x the work of a "low-ball" report.
Anyone who supports the HVCC can be found in 1 of two camps. A. They are ignorant of the realities of the cost/speed/quality issues in the appraisal process. Or B. They are very happy with skimming 1/2 the fee from the very people who do the actual analysis.
Remember, you get what you pay for. And that includes lending money to people who really don't have the ability to repay their loans.
OK. How to solve the problem? Return lending guidelines back to prudent lending guidelines by requiring down payments and verification of assets. But, guess what, the lenders with skin in the game starting doing that a few years ago after trouble was bubbling (pun intended).
If the HVCC doesn't get fixed (and it should go away) it now becomes a crap-shoot as to whether a quality appraiser can be found to take the necessary time to write a decent report for YOUR home sale/purchase or refi.
Good luck!
The first two commenters are right on the money. The article says that the appraiser used properties that were in poorer condition, but does not say whether better comparables were available and does not say whether the appraiser made adjustments for the condition. When short sales are part of the market, you have to consider them. The question is not "what does the builder want to sell for?" The question is "what would a typical buyer pay?"
This is all about commissioned salespeople regaining control of the appraisal process. It is pathetic, whiney, corrupt, and disgusting. There were no complaints before HVCC when the mortgage broker's lackey appraiser showed up with his hands around his ankles ready to do the realtor's and the broker's bidding or risk not getting any more work. Most of those reports were utter crap, hiding defects, using superior sales, ignoring real competitive properties, and even worse. If you crooks can't get your commission without having an appraiser in your back pocket then go try and sell something that does not require a loan backed by the Feds. – pathetic, whiney, Turds.
There is truth to both sides. You get what you pay for is truly applicable here. The management companies are rushing these reports, paying disgracefully low appraisal fees and their reviewers are using computerized valuation statistics to knock down the appraised value given by the appraiser who actually performed an inspection. HVCC DOES NOT WORK. There has to be some regulation and supervision of the management companies. No appraiser can do a competent job on an appraisal within 24 hours for $150!!!
I spoke with Ken long before May 1st. He was well educated on what the HVCC and the results of AMCs. He just failed to report on the issues with AMCs and how they are bank owned. We have given him many issues on the problems with bank owned AMCs. MBs should not be able to influence value over the appraiser, AMCs should not be allowed to skim fees and banks should not be allowed to own AMCs at all. Not even 1% ownership.
It should be fully disclosed to the borrower what the cost of the AMC is and what the fee that is paid to the appraiser. MBs should not be able to state I need this much to make it work and AMCs should not be shopping for the "cheapest appraiser." Grow up everyone! The days of asking for comp checks are over with and AMCs that are shopping on cheapest priced appriaser, like Wells Fargo does every day should be regulated and put out of business. The cost of refinancing is paying for a qualified appraiser. Period the end. This should be regulated on a federal level or allow the local banking commission to have control over the banks doing business in their state. There have been so many complaints against Wells and Chase and their AMCs but the State Banking Commission cannot act. That is the article Ken should be working on.
If all the appraisals were coming in at the values needed to make the deals work, would the realtors and brokers be complaining about where the appraiser is coming from to do the appraisal??? No, absolutely not.
Just because an appraiser comes from a different area does not mean that he/she does not know the market. I'm an appraiser from Miami-Dade county in Florida, however I also have an extensive knowledge of the real estate markets in Broward and Monroe counties. I guarantee that I can provide ethical, honest, credible appraisals in all three counties eventhough my office is in Miami.
Most realtors and brokers don't even read the appraisal reports, they just look at the estimated value and if it meets or exceeds the value needed to make their deals work then there is no problem with the appraisal.
I'm sick and tired of realtors and brokers blaming appraisers for killing their deals. Unfortunately most realtors and brokers were spoiled by their "team player" appraisers that always provided appraisals with the values needed to make their deals work.
I will agree that the HVCC needs to be revised in order to regulate the appraisal management companies which are stealing money from the consumers and the appraisers. The appraisal management companies actually instruct the appraisers not to include a copy of the invoice with the appraisal because they want to avoid confusion for their borrowers (Confusion?, they just don't want the borrowers to know how much they're stealing from them).
However, I believe the HVCC must be working to some degree because realtors and brokers are voicing their opinions that they are not happy. The fact is that they can no longer do business as usual with their "team player" appraisers.
An appraiser's job is to provide an honest, ethical appraisal report to protect the integrity of the real estate market and the public. A REALTOR'S JOB IS TO MAKE AS MUCH COMMISSION AS POSSIBLE. A BROKER'S JOB IS TO MAKE AS MUCH COMMISSION AS POSSIBLE. Who do you trust? A realtor or broker that wants to make commission or an appraiser that is providing an honest, ethical service?
Buyers and home owners that are trying to refinance need to wake up and open their eyes. Did you ever think that the so called "low appraisals" might actually be a very good appraisals that will help you avoid being ripped off by the commission hungry realtors and brokers???
Not all appraisers were lapdogs owned by the realtors and mtg brokers. To be sure, that segment of the business was out there. I for one had plenty of business prior to the HVCC and I always stood up for myself against mtg brokers looking for me to hit a certain number. There are also good mtg brokers out there who repected an appraiser's opinion of value. Does any body remember the concept of honesty and integrity? I know first hand that most of the appraisers currently out there accepting assignments can't spell honesty or integrity nor do they know what the words mean. The good appraisers and mtg brokers who really cared about the business are the one's who are being hit the hardest since honesty and integrity have gone the way of the 8 track player. They are interesting to look at but nobody wants them anymore.
"Appraisers come from no further than before May 1st" – Chuck Mackley
When I started to read your post, I stopped when I got to that line because it became blatantly obvious that on the subject of HVCC, you have no clue what you are talking about. The furthest I've had an appraiser come from for one of my purchase loans was 248 miles away, and I'm not in a "rural" area. While HVCC may appear to be good, and while it's intention is well placed, putting unregulated AMC's in the drivers seat is not the answer. The AMC's are often owned in part (up to 49%) by the banks themselves. Furthermore, although HVCC has designed appraisals to be portable, lenders do not seem to have the understanding (because of all the misinformation from the AMC's) and so appraisals are not ever portable. This is a nightmare situation, I'm in the business of lending money, not gambling with my clients. When it comes to HVCC, I never know what I'm going to get, what a fun conversation with the borrower "we could lock at this great rate, but your appraisal is due back anytime between tomorrow and next month, so you're going to have to pay more for a longer lock or risk losing it all together" or how about "Give us $500 and then we can figure out if this deal is possible, you want a receipt…oh, sorry the AMC's haven't set up a system for receipts". What a joke. The AMC's put the word out that realtors cannot contact appraisers under any circumstance, and the appraisers and the realtors believe it. IT'S NOT TRUE!! READ HVCC!!! It simply is not feasible to do a loan without having the ability to communicate with the appraiser who is one of the most integral people to the transaction. Really folks: Non portability, out of area appraisers, Low ball (low work) appraisals, longer lock in fees, inability to communicate, duplicate appraisal fees, and our local hardworking appraisers are getting chopped off at the knees. Oh, and do you know why??? Because WAMU got together with an AMC and colluded value. So now we all have to work with AMC's??? Lastly, part of the settlement was to fund an oversight commitee to HVCC. Guess what, it was never formed.
Looking for examples, imagine this (these are things that have happened within the industry)
Appraisal is ordered through lender approved AMC, appraisal comes back BUT appraiser is on lenders blacklist. Whoops, guess we have to order another one…
Appraiser comes in from out of town, sends the appraisal about 4 weeks after order date; problem, THEY MEASURED THE WRONG HOUSE!!!
Appraisal comes in and is declined by lender; why? Because it is the appraisers first appraisal ever, and no senior appraisers signature! (AMC's don't require that you see, plus there's not enough money to go around)
So to all of you who clearly don't understand the situation, I say: "Get educated on HVCC or stay out of the debate"
Good Riddance.
I am an appraiser with 17 years experience. Prior to May 1st we took a great deal of pride in or research. We have never had a complaint filed against our office; nor a claim against our E & O policy. If undertaking an appraisal on a difficult property we would spend up to 3 days on the job. That same job now goes out in 24 hours or less.
On May 1st Everything Changed: Appraisers were asked to:
*Give up their existing lender clients, regardless of the age of their business.
*Provide 24 hour turnaround (or less) regardless of the assignment.
*Do at least 50% more work (1004MC, add 2-4 additional comps, etc).
*Surrender at least 50% of their income to appraisal management companies.
They are traveling 100+ to accept appraisal assignments because they were forced to give up their entire client base [appraisers also have families to fee].
They are throwing out trash reports because they are being forced to by AMCs. 24 hours is not enough time to do a decent report. 50% of the fee is not enough to support their businesses.
I openly admit that on May 1st I instructed my staff to cut every available corner when completing appraisals. I don't run a nonprofit business so something had to go (primarily time spent on analysis).
*If you're going to place time restraints on appraisers except junk appraisals.
*If you're going to force appraisers to do twice the work and reduce their fee by 1/2 EXPECT SUPER JUNK APPRAISALS.
*If you're going to force appraisers to give up their client base that some spent 40 years building…expect the appraiser to take assignments outside their region so they can feed their family.
As for the argument that states that appraisers are lowballing values to be on the safe side: Consider this fact: Lenders are asking appraisers to put the most emphasis on comps that occurred within the past 3-6 months. Duh…it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this creates an automatic bias towards the low side considering what happened to housing over the past 3-6 months.
Realtors need to cosider these things before they bash appraisers. It's not the appraiser causing the problem. It's the insane guidelines that appraisers are forced to follow (namely the 1004MC form and HVCC).
In the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (2009-2009) the Preamble states "USPAP is to promote and maintain a high level of public trust in appraisal practice…." This is what appraisers are supposed to do. Prior to HVCC appraisers were "cherry picked" to "make the deal work" this is NOT the appraisers job, nor has it ever been. Some of the posts are dead on…"not all appraisers are lapdogs owned by Realtors and mtg. brokers",…."Most Realtors don't even read the appraisal report, they just look at the estimated value". Realtors should take the latter and former as Gospel. While appraising in CA, I easily made the case that residential property in our area Fresno, Modesto, Tracy, etc… was depreciating at 2% per month. In short, it is the appraisers job to analyze the market and report his/her results. While I am no fan of AMC's, at least they provide some "buffer" and allow the appraiser to be impartial. Face it, the business models for Realtors, builders and appraisers are changing and no amount of whining will change it.
Problems are easily identifiable;
1.) Untrained staff at the lenders. Of the Big Three banks all of them have processing, underwriting and loan functions being outsourced to India. No formal training in real estate at any level only bank policy and procedures.
2.) MCS, lots of blame to go around here. Incomplete MLS listings by the Realtors lead to inaccurate MCS reporting. However, if the appraiser argues againsn't the veracity of the MCS and does no show EXACTLY that data in the report it will be considered unacceptable. SP/LP % will be incorrect, amount of 12 month decline may be incorrect, all kinds of things. So if you "have fast" your MLS listing data don't blame the appraiser for what the statistics show. In addition the folks from India that don't know how to read an appraisal report are also charged with review of the MCS.
3.) Lenders guidelines for appraisal reports are set in stone. An appraisal order used to be one page. Now 5 or 6 and includes "instructions to appraiser". Two comps in the last 90 days, One Pending, Two active. All market adjusted for date of sale. (Thats the decline % shown in the faulty MCS due to the faulty MLS data or SP/LP ratio from same).
4.) This notion of the HVCC screwing up values and costs and mandating use of AMC's. Mostly false. AMC's are an additional profitable line of business (including title insurance)that the big banks came up with. Most of the false info out there is from the AMC's themselves trying like hell to compete with each other. Latley appraisers have either quit, taken on other types of assignments that pay full fee or have been contracted by a lender directly at a reasonable compensation structure. The 48 hour turn around time comes from the AMC's having to look hard for a couple days to find an appraiser who will work for the low fee. Then send out the "rush" assignment. Some have even increased their fee split (about $30 !). Again, that assignment is attached with a set of "instructions to appraiser" with now the AMC as the enforcer. Since now the AMC's are having a little problem with finding appraisers, rushing them and enforcing the lenders "guidelines" some appraisal reporting is statistically accurate but may not reflect the true current market function. That takes some time to complete and support.
If anyone wants this all fixed its pretty easy.
Big banking needs to hire and train Underwriters, processors and support staff to accurately review appraisal reports. Not outsourced on the cheap.
They also need to get out of the valuation and title business and break apart that monopoly. There is no good reason for AMC's to exist ! Period. There are numerous portal upload programs that are secure, scrub the report for errors and cost $10 or less per report. ($200 to the AMC seems a little much doesn't it ?) Realtors need to input all data in the MLS fields and this should be required. The FNMA Market Conditions Summary should be reworked and shelved until the MLS Boards around the country can supply accurate data to analyze.
Mortgage brokers could not have pushed "Risky Sub Prime Loans' if they were not made available by the banks in the first place. If big banking had not got rid of the seasoned, experienced Underwriters who knew how to read an appraisal report the mortgage brokers who engaged in selective appraiser selection would have never been able to put one past them. Even with that getting rid of staff review appraisers paid on salary rather than production "per unit" was also a costly practice.
Big banking needs to bear the cost of regulation since they spent so many years and so much money avoiding them.
Appraisal fees will go up. They have to cover the same amount of overhead that any other business has. Appraisal fees, until just lately, have remained at 2003 levels.
State appraisal boards need to free up their time from investigating homeowner complaints about value opinion that lead to sanctioning for mispelling errors and other such nonsense. Go find the fraud, its up again this year !
Those are the solutions. I doubt big banking will give up their additional sources of profit and will fight any additional overhead for regulation to the bitter end. I doubt local MLS boards will fine Realtors for incomplete or incorrect listing data. I very seriously doubt the HVCC will be repealed or changed in any way.
Lenders are turning out to be their own worst enemies. We also know that appraisers have always been there own worse enemies.
The simple fix, for lenders/AMC's, that would quell the masses is under their noses and they can't see it for their greed. Everyone knows they still own or control the AMC"s. If they would pay the appraisers a larger part of the fee and increase the turn time, they would have better, happier, less stressed appraisers who would not mind working for them (so instead of being a 6 billion dollar a year industry it would become a 4 billion dollar industry). There would be less complaints and better quality reports.
Demanding a 24 hr turn time is self defeating for them. When I was trying to work with AMC I had reports coming back 60-90 days after completion with requests for meaningless changes. Why is turn time so important when it's taking so long for reviews. At one time "turn time" meant 5 days instead of 10; and we made the exception of our good clients.
If the AMC would use a rotation system that was not biased they would have happier appraisers. They should assign orders and not broadcast them so that work would be spread among all appraisers and not just to the appraisers with most sophisticated technology who capture first.
The solution for appraisers is one I have preached for the past 20 years.
Appraisers need to organize away from and in addition to the few existing groups (AI, Naifa, etc). They need to be more friendly with one another and share, not boast, and quit being "loaners." I know it's nice not to have to talk to anybody, but sometimes it's necessary for your own well being. Appraisers need to join together and strike back. Without appraisers, there can be no real Estate or loan transactions. A one week strike would bring the real estate and banking industry to it's collective knees. But it has to be done by ALL appraisers, even to country bumpkins who are travelling 200/mi for $200. Perhaps we appraisers need to practice saying words like team and join together, and cooperate more often.
I have mtg broker clients who can't use some of the smaller AMC's because their lenders won't take their paper unless it is with the LSI's of the business.
I am a virtually unemployed 20/yr, honest, good, knowledgeable appraiser. I tried working with AMC's. To the best of my knowledge I am in good standing with all of them. However, I have not been used by them in months, if not years. Oh and they all have rotating systems so they can't discriminate.
Thank you, Mr. Harney. I am a fan of your writing.
I agree. You have been doing this long enough to remember when appraisers were not competitors. Local appraisers knew each other and frequently got together for lunch or something. We had our own way of managment which was ; I'm too busy, not in my area do you want it ? and If you get one out of your area , too busy, shoot it to me. Things worked fine. AMC's promoted an increase in appraisers by allowing trainees to do volume and gave them a path to certification. Then used them to fill the rotation list of the big AMC panels. Increased their territories and sent them a ton of work while lining their own greedy pockets. This will probably not change. When I saw Freddie Mac's response to all the complaining and lobbying I knew this thing was over. Then to add insult FHA nominates a new chief who came from where;
World Savings Bank, and Wells Fargo with time spent at Freddie Mac !
Intergrated Assest Managment….look them up, that's were residential appraising is headed. $50 inspections and floorplans, automated value. REALTORS beware..if values are already set by the bank who needs marketing or sales assistance? Just call your bank tell them you are ready to sell and find out what the collateral value is. Sell the house to the first person who has a letter of loan commitment for that amount. Stop by the bank and have them fill out the sales contract and arrange for (bank owned) title search and set the closing date. Done.
Commerical, Tax Appeal and maybe some probate, divorce stuff will be available. Thats all. I have cut everything to the bone starting from late 2005 and now am almost a part timer. I laugh at some orders I get that are three counties away with a 3-day turn for $200. Hell I can get RELS to give me an REO assignment for more in my county. That is, by the way, all they ever give me since I refused to Limited FHA Desk Tops for $45. Jeez even the bank "staff" jobs are on a 45% fee split with the same expectations of any AMC and if you get low review rating on an assignment that will cost you 10% in fee split that month. 35% fee split….wow, last time I saw that was 1989.
No entity is going to do anything about this. We let the monopolies run crazy and now we can real them in. bailed them out thinking they would modify and refinance troubled loans. What a joke ! They have been pitifull and all of them declared stellar profits the last quarter.
I don't see this appraisal profession ever returning to a viable independent business model again.
"To promote and protect…
Perhaps in the near future FNMA should consider offering typing lessons to those in homeless shelters. They are only willing to pay for the service of "form fillers". By having the homeless fill in their appraisal forms they will providing a great service to society. At the same time they will then be able to make $50 appraisal orders a reality (and without complaints from appraisers). I seriously suggest that FNMA, Freddie Mac, & President Cuomo consider this option to make their lives easier.
HVCC I,B,6 states that a Realtor may not tell or inform or suggest to the appraiser what he, the Realtor , would like to see the appraised price come in at. OH , but he can give them a copy of the REPC. Get real ! Want a truly arms length appraisal that does not interfere with the Contract and Closing process? Do you want a sure and fair appraisal process in your real estate affairs. Order an appraisal when you do the listing. PERIOD, No not a CMA. They should be outlawed. An appraisal at the listing stage should be mandated by the states and the NAR should be supporting this. But I can hear them now yelling at me and waving the flag etc etc. A mandated appraisal at the listing stage would solve so many problems associated with the sale of a real property. Although I am a commercial realtor I have required my sellers of single family homes to geta full blown appraisal when I took the listing. If they refused I didn't take the listing. They were repaid at closing and everybody was pleased with a firm appraised price on the table from the onset.Especially the buyer's agent. This took a lot of questions out of play. Thanks Joe Scovel Sandy Utah


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subset: commoncrawl


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PC Polly was an enthusiastic Police Officer in the Deerham Constabulary. She had been for quite some years now, although calling her enthusiastic was being very polite. Mainly because she was very clumsy.
Try as she might, and she did try a lot, if it could go wrong it would go wrong. And if it went badly wrong PC Polly would go home and leave poor Sergeant Blake to sort it all out.
With her mass of blond curly hair, her uniform usually looking worse for wear, PC Polly would be on the case regardless.
Join her adventures and read as PC Pete and Sergeant Blake try their hardest to tidy everything up after PC Polly has been involved.
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When a semi-truck driver causes an accident that results in injuries to one or more parties, the injured parties may be able to seek financial compensation through a personal injury lawsuit brought under the theory of negligence. In order to succeed in a negligence lawsuit, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant's negligent act or omission resulted in the plaintiff's injury. This requires the plaintiff to submit proof of four elements:
- The truck driver owed the plaintiff a duty of care;
- The truck driver violated that duty of care through some act or omission;
- The truck driver's breach of the duty owed to the plaintiff resulted in the plaintiff's injury; and
- The plaintiff suffered some kind of injury.
Generally speaking, evidence must be provided to the court as to each of these four elements, or the court will dismiss the case. In some cases, under the doctrine of negligence per se, evidence that a truck driver was violating the law at the time of the accident can help an accident victim's case because it helps them meet the second and third elements. This is also the case if the truck driver faces criminal charges after an accident.
Truck Driver Jailed after Fatal Truck Accident
Earlier this month in Missouri, a truck driver was arrested and jailed after he was involved in a fatal truck accident. According to a local news report covering the tragic accident, the multi-vehicle collision occurred in the morning hours on Interstate 44. Evidently, a truck driver failed to slow down for traffic that had come to a complete stop ahead. By the time the truck driver realized that traffic had stopped, it was too late for him to stop, and he collided with the back-end of another semi-truck. The truck driver's rig then flipped onto its side, colliding with two nearby pickup trucks. The driver of one of those trucks was killed in the collision. All other drivers and passengers were uninjured.
Police are currently conducting an investigation. The driver of the truck was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter, although he had not been charged at the time of the article's publication.
Have You Been a Victim of a New Mexico Truck Accident?
If you or a loved one has recently been a victim of a New Mexico truck accident, you may be entitled to monetary compensation to help you recoup the costs associated with being an accident victim. These may include amounts for your past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and any pain and suffering you endured as a result of the accident. The skilled personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at the Fine Law Firm have extensive experience in all types of truck accident cases, and we are happy to speak with prospective clients free of charge. Call 505-889-FINE to set up your free consultation today.
More Blog Posts:
Court Allows Defendant to Set Aside Default Judgment in Truck Accident Case, New Mexico Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, February 2, 2017.
Court Upholds $40 Million Verdict Against Chrysler after Gas Tank Explodes, Killing Young Child, New Mexico Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, January 25, 2017.


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How I Dress Up My Jeans
by Kéla Walker
For some very odd reason people seem to think I don't wear jeans. I don't know where they get such a silly notion from. I swear I do but whenever I do I still like to dress them up and give a chic appeal
Despite what the consensus of outies think and what most of my outfit of the day looks show, I love jeans and wear them quite often. I mostly wear them on humpday, Friday and weekends. When I do pull on my denim, I like to dress them up with heels and great pieces that contrast their casual appeal and balance out for a chic and effortless look.
Today's Kloset Pull
** Photos by DG Purdie
Vest old ~ Zara (Komparable) | Cami & Jeans ~ H&M | Purse old ~ BCBG | Shoes super old ~ Casadei
Get the look in your kloset
How do you dress up your jeans?


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New senior living developments are popping up throughout the region including in McCandless Crossing. The article below features Atria McCandless and Stonecrest of McCandless, two senior living facilities under construction in McCandless Crossing. Click here to read the Pittsburgh Business Times article here.
Music at McCandless is Back!
European Wax Center Promo!
Stay smooth all summer long with European Wax Center's special wax pass promo — buy 9 services, get 3 free or buy 12 months unlimited, get the 13th free! For a limited time only.
Pet Valu Customer Appreciation Day is May 19! The first 25 customers with a $30 purchase will receive a free goodie bag! There will be raffles, snacks, exclusive deals, and discounts on Saturday and Sunday!
PLANT SALE – Greybrooke Garden Club will hold a spring plant sale on Friday, May 11, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at McCandless Crossing, in the grassy area within the circle in front of Bonefish Grill and between Old Navy and Ethan Allen. Available for purchase will be: hanging baskets; perennials; herbs; annuals, with some in decorative pots; miscellaneous garden supplies. Proceeds help support the Club's annual donations to conservancy groups and worthy community organizations. For additional information or questions, please contact Barbro Kelley at 412-296-0538.
The Ripple Effect
Pet Valu is Hiring
Pet Valu is hiring a Full Time Assistant Manager and Part-Time Sales Associates. Please call the store or stop in to apply for these positions.
Lowe's is Hiring!
Pet Valu Events
Pet Valu has several fun events planned in the next few months!
January 30 - Military members and seniors receive 10% off their purchases.
February 10 - Meet your Paw Soulmate! They'll be hosting rescued animals up for adoption all day.
March 10 - Luck of the Paw - Come out to the store for a chance to win baskets, gift cards, a wine basket, and more! There will be pet and people friendly prizes given out all day!
Pet Valu is also hiring! Please contact Denyal at the store for more information.
Pet Valu Christmas Party
News + Events!
This page is the main hub for News & Events happening at McCandless Crossing.
January 2018


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© Written By Jimmy Sweeney
President of CareerJimmy and Author of the new,
"Amazing Resume Creator"
The functional resume is a format of resume which lists the candidate's skills and functions in a separate section from the job history. The purpose of the functional resume is to convince hiring managers that a candidate is qualified for a position even if their experience is significantly out of the normal for that position. If someone is applying for a position which is directly a continuation of their current job, or has built up a long and stable work history in the field of the position that they are applying for, then they aren't going to use the functional resume format. Instead, they will use the chronological format, which lists the job history of the candidate in reverse chronological order.
A functional resume that works does so because it speaks to the underlying need of the target hiring manager. A chronological resume says, in essence: "You say that you are looking for someone with five years experience in this job, and I've got five." By contrast, the functional resume says, in essence, "You may think that you are looking for someone with five years experience doing a specific job. But what you are really looking for is someone who is capable of doing these things for you, and solving these particular problems. I have that experience and have significant accomplishments solving those particular problems. I'll do a great job for you and it shouldn't really matter exactly how I got that experience, should it?"
Functional Resumes that Work
For the functional resume to have any chance of success, the candidate must have an accurate and thorough grasp of what the target company needs the candidate to be able to do. Specifically, the candidate needs to know that problems that must be solved, the environment that the problems must be solved in and the results that the company uses to determine whether the employee is successful or not. Finding these things out may require considerable research both online, in publications and through conversations and informational interviews with people who are familiar with that target company. Once the candidate has these pieces of information, then his or her task is to find ways to use his or her experiences and accomplishments as proof that he or she can solve the target employer's needs.
It's not enough for a functional resume to simply apply a lot of adjectives and characteristics to the candidates either. Nobody is going to believe a resume which merely says a lot of good things about the candidate. The functional resume must give proof of those characteristics by using results that the candidate has achieved throughout his or her career both in and out of the workplace. Accomplishments from school, hobbies, charity work are all legitimate sources of experience if it relates to the problems that the target needs solved. These results should be grouped under categories in the skills section, like "Leadership," "Sales," "Research" and whatever other categories the candidates research has determined to be the most relevant and important categories.
Next article: Whether or Not You Need a Resume Objective Example
Previous article: Making a Resume that Works
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
On February 12, 2004, the Memphis, Tennessee–based express shipping giant FedEx Corp. (founded in 1973 as Federal Express) expanded in a new direction when it purchased the Dallas, Texas–based Kinko's photocopy center chain, which was founded in 1970 in Santa Barbara, California. The purchase was not a complete surprise to industry analysts—FedEx had already been using many Kinko's copy centers as drop-off points for customers, and the purchase consolidated these services, among other things. After rebranding the company as FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Services and the outlets themselves as FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers, FedEx began to implement an ad campaign designed to attract small business owners as well as a more mobile customer, one who would find FedEx Kinko's services convenient as an ''office on the road.'' The ad campaign was tagged ''Our Office Is Your Office.'' The campaign was created by BBDO New York, FedEx's lead agency and creators of the award-winning 2003 campaign ''Relax, It's FedEx.'' Using the offbeat humor that had become a hallmark of FedEx advertising, the $25 million rebranding campaign broke with four 30-second television spots. Other spots were added later. In addition to television the campaign used radio, the Internet, print, and direct mail. The campaign had the important task of reintroducing a known entity to the public with ads titled ''First,'' ''Luggage,'' ''Welcome Aboard,'' ''Cloud Nine,'' and ''Plastic.'' ''Our Office Is Your Office'' intended to cement FedEx Kinko's new identity into customers' psyches. Several of the spots earned accolades from the advertising industry. Sales at FedEx Kinko's failed to soar as much as management had hoped, but for fiscal year 2005 the company still managed to report revenues of $2.1 billion, an increase over the previous year.
At a glance the combination of FedEx and Kinko's would seem an unlikely merger. The former was an established shipping company that practically reinvented the package delivery industry by concentrating on express delivery via jets. Kinko's, on the other hand, was one of the leaders in the print and photocopy field. At the time of the buyout, Kinko's was operating approximately 1,200 stores worldwide, serving 215 countries. The company estimated its annual revenue for calendar year 2003, which was just prior to the buyout, at nearly $2 billion. However, the relationship between FedEx and the privately owned Kinko's, which stretched back to the 1980s, had been growing more intertwined over the years. In 1988 FedEx became Kinko's exclusive shipper, and by the end of 2003 FedEx was conducting full-service retail business in 134 Kinko's stores.
Kinko's profitability aside, a further incentive for the buyout was a shift in corporate thinking at FedEx. Since its inception the company had been the leader in express delivery services, pioneering domestic and international air shipment. The financial downturn of the first years of the twenty-first century, however, was a major factor in the flattening out (and in some fiscal quarters a slight decline) in the company's express shipment sector. During this same time FedEx Ground experienced seven consecutive quarters of double-digit growth. Clearly customers were choosing a lower price over the convenience of fast delivery. With the corporate shift toward focusing more effort on its ground delivery service and the already solid relationship between FedEx and Kinko's, plus the high profitability of mobile customers who used the FedEx drop-off points in Kinko's stores, the decision to expand into the print and copy industry seemed an almost foregone conclusion in the information age. The announcement of the buyout came in December 2003. At that time, as reported in Brandweek, FedEx chairman, president, and CEO Frederick Smith declared, ''The FedEx and Kinko's combination will substantially increase our retail presence worldwide and will enable both companies to take advantage of growth opportunities in the fast-moving digital economy. Our two companies share a similar background, culture and customer focus, and that common ground is extremely important as we prepare for future growth and success.'' In February 2004 FedEx paid approximately $2.4 billion in cash to acquire the global operations of Kinko's.
Aimed at small business owners and casual and regular customers in need of the office and shipping services the new FedEx Kinko's could provide, the ''Our Office Is Your Office'' campaign relied on offbeat humor—practically a FedEx trademark. The spots made several points, primarily that the busy mobile customer and small business owner, who might not be able to afford or have the inclination for permanent office space, let alone myriad office equipment, could find satisfaction at FedEx Kinko's. The ad campaign targeted casual, more mobile customers because they, and to a lesser degree small business owners, were more likely to pay higher shipping rates in addition to making use of the full range of printing, copying, shipping, and electronic services—the latter dealing with electronic transfer and delivery of scanned and documents and PDF files. FedEx Kinko's also intended to lure customers away from the UPS Store, the leading provider of shipping, postal, and business services in the world. The UPS Store not only offered identical services as FedEx Kinko's, but it also provided mailbox rentals. To attract these UPS Store customers, ''Our Office Is Your Office'' focused on FedEx Kinko's lower shipping rates.
From the outset the main competition for FedEx Kinko's was the UPS Store. Shipping rival United Parcel Service (UPS) had actually led the way in diversification with its 2001 purchase (for $191 million) of Mail Boxes Etc., which was rebranded the UPS Store in 2003. In 2004 UPS opened 525 additional outlets, which raised the total number of UPS Stores to 3,771. This was approximately three times the number of FedEx Kinko's outlets. Regarding their retail pack-and-ship outlets, UPS had a strategy that differed from that of FedEx in three important ways. First, the UPS Stores were franchised as opposed to being a subsidiary company. The second difference was location. FedEx Kinko's were concentrated in urban areas, while UPS Stores were located in suburban and rural areas, though by early 2005 UPS Stores were expanding into urban neighborhoods as well as college campuses, military bases, and convention centers. Third, while both were after the growing retail shipping market, FedEx Kinko's offered more print and copy services than the UPS Store.
Dave Hirschman, writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution soon after the ''Our Office Is Your Office'' ad campaign broke, noted that while FedEx Kinko's lagged behind the UPS Store in terms of physical numbers, its urban stores took in ''far more revenue on average than suburban UPS Stores.'' Nevertheless, and despite its expansion elsewhere, UPS Stores remained wedded to the suburbs. On this subject Mark Davis, a senior analyst at FTN Midwest in Cleveland, as quoted by Sandra O'Loughlin in Brandweek, observed, ''UPS is very focused on the next battleground, which they believe is out in the suburbs and rural areas. That's where they feel the next opportunity exists for them to enhance their relationships with customers and provide an additional point of contact for them in their competition with both FedEx and DHL, but also the U.S. Postal Service.'' In time as FedEx Kinko's services evolved, the ''Our Office Is Your Office'' ad campaign would seem to foreshadow a whole new dimension. By 2005 FedEx Kinko's was in competition not only with the UPS Store (as an extension of UPS itself) and DHL but with office suppliers Staples and Office Depot as well.
The ''Our Office Is Your Office'' campaign was the first for FedEx Kinko's. The campaign debuted during the first week of July 2004 with nine television spots along with radio, print, direct-mail, and Web elements. The campaign's goal was to immediately position FedEx Kinko's as a less expensive, more convenient alternative to the UPS Store. The ''Welcome Aboard'' spot did this by specifically mentioning savings of up to 35 percent. As quoted in Business Wire at the time of the launch, Gary Kusin, president of FedEx Kinko's, declared, ''These ads reflect the value that FedEx Kinko's offers to our customers. In addition to the industry's broadest range of services—copying and printing, computer rental, Wi-Fi Internet access, videoconferencing, and FedEx shipping—we plan to launch a complete packand-ship capability before the peak holiday season.'' And FedEx executive vice president T. Michael Glenn (quoted in the same article) noted, ''FedEx Kinko's powerfully redefines the future of the business services marketplace by offering customers a fully functional office on the road.'' Many business journalists picked up on and advanced that theme.
From the outset the campaign strategy was to take on the UPS Store directly. When FedEx purchased Kinko's it went full steam into waters it had previously only been testing. While the number of domestic UPS Stores was far greater than the number of FedEx Kinko's, the latter relied on location—urban versus suburban—and its wider range of services to attract new customers. The spots ''First'' and ''Welcome Aboard'' both touted FedEx Kinko's over its main rival, the UPS Store. ''First'' used sight and sound gags to show the availability of FedEx Kinko's as opposed to the UPS Store and empathized with customer frustrations over not finding a UPS Store open. The spot depicted a man pointing out different company artifacts (the first dollar, which was framed, and the first letter from a satisfied customer) to a woman. The third artifact was a chair embedded in a wall, which signified the first tantrum. The man in the commercial, as quoted by Barry Janoff in Brandweek, went on to explain, ''because we had to ship a package and the UPS Store was closed.'' In ''Welcome Aboard'' a boss and an employee argued over whether the employee had been fired or quit. The spot ended with the worker being rehired after mentioning that by using FedEx Kinko's instead of the UPS Store he had saved up to 35 percent. Thus the humor had a very competitive edge to it. In another spot, ''Luggage,'' the convenience of utilizing FedEx Kinko's services was highlighted. Two would-be entrepreneurs struggled as they tried to unload office equipment from an airline carousel. One finally suggested that perhaps they ought to have gone to FedEx Kinko's.
In comparing FedEx Kinko's with the UPS Store, Jack Aaronson, CEO of the Aaronson Group, an awardwinning strategy and design firm, noted in his online column ''Customer Relations'' in September 2004 (two and a half months after the ''Our Office Is Your Office'' campaign broke) that the FedEx Kinko's ''rebranding was a lot more successful in terms of user perception. Users know both brands [FedEx and Kinko's] and the core competencies of each . . .No questions remain in consumers' minds as to what these newly rebranded stores can do . . . FedEx Kinko's commercials and online ads tell you everything you can expect from the stores. They reaffirm the consumer really does get the best of both worlds.'' Despite Aaronson's high marks for the rebranding effort and the ''Our Office Is Your Office'' ad campaign, the public was slower to make use of the wide range of services at FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers than had been hoped by company executives. Nevertheless in the first quarter of fiscal 2006, FedEx Kinko's reported revenues of $517 million. This was a 6 percent increase over the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. Operating income, however, had declined 16 percent over the first quarter of fiscal 2005. The increase in revenue was attributed to the traditional FedEx services that were available at the Office and Print Centers: FedEx Ground and FedEx Express delivery. There was a decline in revenue in the copy product line.
Despite the decline in revenue for ''traditional'' office services at FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers, corporate officials felt that the ''Our Office Is Your Office'' ad campaign had successfully implanted the notion of integrated services in customers' minds. The ad industry seemed to agree, as ''Cloud Nine'' was designated as one of Adweek magazine's Best Spots of 2004, and ''Plastic'' won an international bronze Andy award in 2005.
By the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2006, FedEx Kinko's claimed more than 1,450 employees with service in more than 11 countries. One year after the launch of the campaign, FedEx Kinko's was making plans to triple its number of domestic stores. In August 2005 the parent company took the office notion one step further when it began selling office supplies and furniture online.
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Latest News
It provides light lunches, speciality coffees and teas, plus cakes in the lovely atmosphere of the Merlin MS Centre and all the prices have been set at an affordable rate and following its first inspection was awarded a 5* food hygiene rating by the Food Standards Agency.
Sarah Snell, Income Generation Manager, said "Coming for a lovely coffee, tea or lunch is a way to meet people and
share experiences, helping to combat loneliness and isolation.
A lot of our clients have different therapies in one day, so the new café gives them somewhere to have a bite to eat and have a chat with other people in between their therapies"
Before the café was opened, the 12 café volunteers all underwent food hygiene and safety training; as well as barista and food preparation training.
We are still looking for volunteers, particularly to cover during holidays. If anyone already holds a food hygiene certificate and has
experience of working in a café, please contact Caroline Rickard, the volunteer co-ordinator at the Centre on 01726 885530
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On Friday, May 31, 2002 Bert wrote: > Steven Pemberton writes: >> I read and reread the relevant parts of >> http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/visuren.html to try and answer this question, >> and couldn't find from the text any reason why not. May elements with >> display:inline contain children with display:block? > Yes, absolutely. I do this occasionally to get a displayed, centered > image: > img {display: block; margin: auto} >
Some text  more text To me this looks like a block-level element nested in a block-level element. This produces linebreaks before and after the IMG, and the IMG is centered (in MSIE only in Standards mode). But what should happen with the background property of an inline element when it has a block-level child? Should this background also be applied to the block-level child? See this example http://rijk.op.het.net/test/inline-in-block.html
bla bla  bla bla.
 Mozilla and Opera leave the background transparent for the IMG, while MSIE colors it. > In HTML it is rare to have blocks inside inlines, but CSS was designed > to allow paragraphs interrupted by displayed material, such as quotes. > It would probably be a good idea to support that in XHTML: >
Some text before the quotation >
"A famous quote"
 > and the text continues.
 Isn't that what we have the 'Q' element for? > Or mathematical formulas: >
Some text leading to a grand formula, > <math display=block>...</math> > after which the text continues. Isn't that what we have the 'inline-block' display value for? Greetings, Rijk mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com Mot du Jour: One way to stop a run away horse is to bet on him.Received on Friday, 31 May 2002 11:03:01 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Monday, 2 May 2016 14:27:02 UTC


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The Politics of the Iraq Timetable
The role of the Iraq war in shaping the issue agenda for the 2006 midterm election and 2008 presidential contest continued to grow today as the two parties offered dueling resolutions aimed at addressing increased concerns among the American public about the conflict.
In keeping with Senate Democrats' increased willingness to speak out about the need for the Bush administration to set a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Joseph Biden (D-Del.) offered a non-binding resolution to do just that. It failed 58-40.
Republicans offered a counterproposal that called on the White House to provide more information about the Iraq conflict to the Senate but did not contain a provision seeking a timeline for withdrawal. That resolution passed 79-19.
A look at yeas and nays on both votes is an instructive lesson about the confluence of politics and policy.
On the Levin resolution, only one Republican -- Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee -- crossed party lines to support the Democratic call for a timetable. Chafee sits in by far the Bluest state of any Senate Republican seeking re-election (John Kerry won the state by 22 points in 2004) and faces a serious primary and general-election challenge next year.
Similarly, three of the five Democrats who voted against the Levin proposal represent states carried by President Bush and are up for reelection in 2006: Sens. Ben Nelson (Neb.), Bill Nelson (Fla.) and Kent Conrad (N.D.). The other two Democrats voting "no" were Sens. Mark Pryor (Ark.) and Joe Lieberman (Conn.)
Every Democrat considering the 2008 presidential race supported the Levin proposal, including New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Biden; all three of these senators have previously been wary of establishing a timetable for pulling U.S. troops from Iraq. Spokesmen for each said the vote was aimed at forcing the administration to consider the idea of a timeline and did not amount to an endorsement from the lawmakers for a specific withdrawal plan. Biden is expected to give a speech further explaining his position and the way forward in Iraq within the next few days.
The votes on the GOP resolution offered by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.), which could easily be read as a rebuke to the White House's information-sharing policies on Iraq, are also intriguing.
Every Republican Senator eyeing the 2008 race, with the exception of Arizona's John McCain, supported the amendment -- a sign perhaps that following the president's position on the war in lockstep is no longer tenable for politicians with national ambitions of their own. The vote allowed each of the aspirants to paint themselves as supportive generally of the president's policy (as is much of the Republican base) while also giving them the chance to look as though they are not entirely satisfied with the situation.
Among Democratic presidential hopefuls, only Kerry opposed the Frist legislation. Kerry is the most high-profile Democrat to call for a specific plan to draw down the American forces in Iraq. Under the Kerry plan, that withdrawal would begin with 20,000 troops following the Iraqi national elections scheduled for next month.
Chris Cillizza
November 15, 2005; 4:27 PM ET
Categories: Eye on 2008
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Posts tagged Once
The Gift & Rock n Roll Movies0
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
We've got five new movies this week: The Fantastic Four, Ricki and the Flash, Shaun the Sheep, The Gift, and Irrational Man. The Fantastic Four was boring and poorly directed but the director blames the studio and oh yeah Josh liked it. Both The Gift and an Irrational Man are must sees according Sean. I wish I could go see both of these. Sean sold them well. Rick and the Flash received mixed reviews on the show. Sean really disliked it and Josh really liked it. Because of Ricki and the Flash we asked our audience what their top five favorite movies about rock n roll. Included in those lists is Almost Famous, Once, This is Spinal Tap, Rock n Roll High School, High Fidelity, School of Rock, The Runaways, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Blues Brothers, The Harder They Come, Begin Again, La Bamba, Empire Records and The Doors.
Our Undisputed Classic is A Hard Day's Night
In 1985 Summer Rental, Mr Science Project, Dance with a Stranger
Our trailers this week are:
Deadpool Red Band
The Last Witch Hunter
By the Sea
A Year In Review: Gone Girl's Still the Best0
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Welcome to the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast. This week there is only one new movie so we take a look back and celebrate the great movies of 2014.
We each list our top 10 movies of 2014. Among the movies mentioned "Gone Girl," "Inherent Vice," "Enemy," "Under The Skin," "A Most Violent Year," "Chef," "Foxcatcher," "American Sniper," "Birdman," "Selma," "Boyhood" and several more.
The new movie is Woman in Black 2, but it's not very good and we don't get into it until very late in the podcast.
Our Undisputed Classic is Jules and Jim. It seems like a really cool movie. It really affected Sean more than Josh but both of them seemed to enjoy it. It seems to have influenced Quentin Tarantino.
1985 – "Hot Moves," Tomboy," and "Defense of Realm"
Woman in Gold
Kill Me 3 Times
Terminator Genisys
Happy Holidays Bonus Episode0
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Happy Holidays from us at I Hate Critics.
This year Sean, Josh and I decided that our bonus Christmas episode should be about giving. We decided to buy each other Christmas gifts in the form of movies to talk about on the show.
Here are the gifts:
From Bob, To Josh – "Night of the Comet"
From Sean, To Josh – "To Kill a Mockingbird"
From Josh, to Sean – "Code 46"
From Josh, to Bob – "Once
From Bob, to Sean – "The Warriors"
From Sean, to Bob – "Vertigo"
We had a lot of fun doing this episode, I hope you enjoy it.
…And So it Goes, Brett Ratner is Dumb0
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Welcome to the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast Bonus episode. We've got three new movies in "Lucy," "Hercules" and "And So It Goes." All of which are sort of dumb, but "And So It Goes" takes the cake. But Sean checks out "Begin Again" and claims that Josh undersold it last week. Best movie of the year? Maybe.
This weeks Undisputed Classic "Melancholia." Lars Van Trier is an interesting man and director. You don't have to like his films, but for the most part you're going find his films fascinating.
In 1984 Prince came out with the musical masterpiece "Purple Rain." He's almost as electrifying as the Rock according to Sean. Yes music/artistic royalty was compared to pro wrestling royalty. Sean doesn't read these. Then two other movies came out but who gives a shit.
Tweet our friends at @awesome80spod and let them know you want them to talk about #PurpleRain from @h8critics.
Miss Julie
Another Me
Young Ones
Fifty Shades of Grey
The Death of Superman Lives
Hot Tub Time Machine 2
Happy Thanksgiving Bonus Episode0
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
We at I Hate Critics wanted yet another reason to hand out a bonus episode because podcasting is fun and what better reason than Thanksgiving?
The problem is there aren't a lot of Thanksgiving themed movies out there so we decided we'd pick a handful of movies to give thanks to. This time we invited our podcasting friends to contribute as well.
This episode you'll hear from:
Nick Seuberling of Who Dey Weekly/Irish Impact and the SPNT Podcasting network.
Jeff Lassiter of Killer Queens from Outer Space
The ladies of Mommy's Cocktail Hour
The Cub from Ivy Envy
Some of the movies we talk about include:
Rocky, Finding Nemo, Summer of Sam, Dumb & Dumber, Almost Famous, Once, Black Christmas, Casablanca, Clerks, Newsies, Empire Records, Cars, Wizard of Oz, Space Balls, Mary Poppins, The Shawshank Redemption, Wet Hot American Summer, The Color Purple, Magnolia, Rushmore, The Big Lebowski, They Live, The Thing, Best in Show, This is Spinal Tap, Grumpy Old Men, High Fidelity, Fishing with Gandhi


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Aviation History
FLIGHT, JANUARY 10, 1930 ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY AND " FLIGHT Complimentary Dinner to Mr. Stanley Spooner •» 1WANT you to feel that this is just a family partyduring Christmastide (which, I may remind you, incase you were surprised at seeing the decorations, does not end till twelfth night) at which friends have come together to mark the coming-of-age of the oldest regular weekly aeronautical publication in the world, and, what is, no doubt, of greater importance to us here, to show in a distinctive personal way our admiration for a modest and retiring friend—the founder and editor of FLIGHT." With these words Col. the Master of Sempill, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society, opened his speech on the occasion of the dinner in honour of Mr Stanley Spooner, founder, proprietor and editor of FLIGHT, given at the Savoy Hotel on January 3. A large number of friends of Mr. Spooner and of FLIGHT had gathered to celebrate the twenty- first anniversary of this journal, among them many of the old-timers of British aviation. Col. the Master of Sempill was in the chair, and in proposing the toast of FLIGHT, coupled with the name of Mr. Stanley Spooner, he said that a number of telegrams and messages had arrived from prominent people. The Patron of the Royal Aeronautical Society, H.R.H. the Duke of York, had sent a message asking Col. Sempill to convey his sincere good wishes to Mr. Stanley Spooner, whose paper FLIGHT had been privileged to receive a special message from the Duke. The Air Minister, Lord Thomson of Cardington, had sent the following message : " Please convey my very cordial congratulations to that veteran of aeronautical journalism, Mr. Stanley Spooner, on the 21st anniversary of Fiir.HT. Mr. Spooner's courage, foresight, and energy have been invaluable in the development of British aviation." The Duke of Argyll also sent best wishes. The chairman said he would not read all the messages, as he wished to spare Mr. Spooner's blushes. Col. Sempill said that he was glad to see there that evening so many of the pioneers, designers, constructors, and pilots. That their great work had eventually been recognised was largely due to the never-flagging energy of Mr. Spooner. He did not think he could do better than to quote a passage from a letter sent by Sir Francis McClean, who had wished to be present. In that letter Sir Francis said : " Those of us who passed through the 1909-1910 days know the value of his work at that time, and, for that matter, since, when a little sympathy was very pleasant among a lot of crashes." That sentence struck exactly the right note—sympathy. Mr. Spooner was very sympathetic. Let them go back, the chairman said, for a moment and imagine the difficulties which had to be faced in the early days. He read the following extract from a London contem- porary of 1909 : " There is quite a boom at present in aeroplane matters. Of course, it is always nice to see people enthusiastic about new undertakings in which they think they are interested. . . . Even in warfare, where so many important claims are made for the aeroplane, the low elevation of flight of the latter and the excellent target the driver would make for the marksman almost restrict the use of such an appliance to night time." Another contemporary wrote in 1910 : " We can scarcely say that FLIGHT has all the world before it where to choose, because, although for the present printed on solid earth,below, its sphere ' is the upper world, the empyrian, and may some day shift its place of publication to N.I* Red Avenue,' Mars, with district correspondents on the edge of the crater Coper- nicus, on the moon's face, and other coigns of vantage well out of the way of militant socialists and land taxes. The vivid picture of an airship in the clouds, which adorns the nrst page, is admittedly ' faked,' but he would be a foolish man who would wager that he would not live long enough to see it in reality. This flying business is a bit uncanny, especially when the thing comes to grief." The chairman also recalled a letter from the Vice-president of the R.Ae.S. (Lieut-Col. Moore-Brabazon) which appeared in the first number of FLIGHT, and in which " Moore-Brab " interred to the difficulties of furthering aviation in thisc °untry, " where everyone is so ready to discourage one, "Uiculc one, and look upon one as an amiable lunatic." Jney should follow Mr. Spooner's example and think of otners who had helped through the difficult years. For ^^P'6. the editor of what, he thought, Mr. Spo'oner would probably call " our distinguished contemporary," Mr. C. G. th jWaS Present- Mr. Grey, he recalled, was editor of "it. Aero, owned by Sir Edward Iliffe, many years ago, and in 1911 he founded The Aeroplane. Maj. C. C. Turner, another old-timer among aeronautical journalists, had contributed a weekhr article to the Observer from 1908 to 1924 without a single break. He watched all the early pioneers, and was the first journalist to loop the loop with Gustav Hamel in 1914. He was also the first journalist to get his pilot's certificate, and long before that he was a skilled balloonist and held a world's record for distance. Harry Harper, of the Daily Mai!, was another aviation writer associated with flying since the earliest days. Unfortunately, his digestion did not permit him to partake of banquets, and so he was not present that evening. Then again, the chairman said, he ought to mention a past-president of the Society, Maj. Baden-Powell, who, when editor of Knowledge, began an aeronautical supplement which developed into the journal Aeronautics, with John Ledeboer as editor, with whom was associated Wing-Comdr. Hubbard. Colonel SenTpill then referred to other early writers present at the dinner, and who went to report the Rheims meeting in 1909. Among them was Mr. Hamilton Fyfe and Mr. Berri- man, who was the first technical editor of FLIGHT. He regretted that Mr. Edgar Wallace was not able to be present. Probably it came as a surprise to most of them that Edgar Wallace was among those who reported the Rheims meeting. His absence that evening was probably dictated by a desire to catch up with " John Lawrence," otherwise Captain Pritchard, their trusted secretary, who was contributing articles on aviation as early as 1909. Before sitting down, Colonel Sempill said he wanted to express to Mr. Spooner, Mr. Poulsen and the other members of FLIGHT'S staff, the Society's gratitude for their unfailing courtesy and support. In days gone by, when the Society was not so well off financi- ally, FLIGHT used to let them have the loan of blocks and photographs free of charge. Notices of the proceedings of the Society, and the proceedings themselves, had been published in full, to the benefit of the paper and of the society from the very first issue up till the present time. " In the first issue," the chairman concluded, " was published the paper around which so much controversy had raged—Dr. Lanchester's on the Wright and Voisin types of flying machine. Therefore I would say to you, in proposing the toast of the coming-of-age of FLIGHT, coupled with the name of Stanley Spooner, that as sixth president of the Royal Aeronautical Society—which will complete its 64th year in a few days' time—I offer you the cordial thanks of the Society and, may I say, of the aeronautical community for what you have done, and say that we look—I hope not in vain—for your active and continued assistance." Lieut.-Col. J. T. C. Moore-Brabazon, Vice-President of the Royal Aeronautical Society, in seconding the toast, said that all he had to do after the chairman's speech was to " dot the i's and cross the t's." They were thankful to have been associated with Mr. Spooner from the earliest days. He personally could speak feelingly on the subject as he was a " frontispiece " in the first number of FLIGHT. He first met Mr. Spooner 26 years ago on the Committee of the Automobile Club, where he (Moore-Brabazon) was one of the bolshevist members. Mr. Spooner, lie said, would regard them with his benevolent smile, but under the table he was kicking Moore-Brabazon's leg. He next met Mr. Spooner in the old FLIGHT office in St. Martin's Lane. That was one of the most extraordinary offices he had ever seen. It was more like a huge pantomime waste paper basket in the middle of which sat Mr. Spooner. He looked for all the world like a large old hen, hatching the egg of aviation. He (Moore-Brabazon) was one of the chickens hatched. If he might without being accused of advertising any particular firm, refer to the earlier volumes of FLIGHT, he would say that they read like a fairy tale. With reference to the Birthday Number of FLIGHT, it was extremely gratifying to find that messages had been received from all the corners of the world. Now FLIGHT was 21 and of age, and that brought with it responsibilities and thoughts of bank books and bank balances. They now had to pass from play to work. The British aircraft constructors sought world-wide markets, and upon what were they to rely if not on their two technical papers to act as ambassadors ? In other industries the tendency was towards amalgamation. He hoped, however, that there would be no amalgamation of FLIGHT and The Aeroplane. He liked to regard that gathering not as marking a single step but as marking a definite stage in the progress of flying. In conclusion he was very glad that Mr. Spooner 99
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Your use of the packages on this site means you understand they are not supported or guaranteed in any way. Due to the nature of a public repository and unreliability due to distribution rights, these packages should not be used as is for organizational purposes either. Learn more.
Search for "tag:datomic" returned 1 package
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C:\> choco install datomic-free
Datomic Free 0.9.5067
Datomic is a distributed database designed to enable scalable, flexible and intelligent applications, running on next-generation cloud architectures. Datomic Free is suitable for open-source projects requiring distribution, but is limited to 2 simultaneous peers and transactor-local storage only. You can download Datomic Console http://docs.datom... More information


text: Soups are as good in summer as they are in winter, and they are really healthy too. They've also never been easier to prepare. With the Moulinex Soup & Co blender you will create tasty soups in no time. From cooking to blending, this neat blender does it all. Besides soup, it does what any regular blender can do too. Whether it's a healthy fruit smoothie or a breakfast on the go, the Moulinex Soup & Co blender will be loved by your whole family, and will make cooking soup a breeze. For your chance to won one for free, go and enter this SA Home Owner competition where they're giving away one of these.


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Did you become curious to know who the Gerard Saliot is when you heard people talking about him? I'm very much sure hundreds of tourists visiting to Fiji for tourism might have heard his name. Most of you who are not at all aware how important that person when it comes to tourism of Fiji, would surprise. Friends, if you are at all interested to know about him, then of course this blog is the right portal for you to acquire certain sort of insight about his personality and contribution towards Fiji tourism!
When people usually discuss about tourism in Fiji Gerard Saliot becomes the subject of discussion in a major way. His social attitude and down to earth personality has earned him reputation in worldwide and he is always remembered with great respect for his selfless contribution towards tourism development in this beautiful country. In fact, it was his Natadola marine project that brought significant amount of fame and popularity to him. His project later proved immense help for those residing in Fiji in terms of availing them employment opportunities. Earlier prior to his contribution to tourism Fiji was considered only a simple country with of course certain geographical features but packaging all these wonders into tourist interests and attractions is all his contribution in a substantial way.
Within the passage of few years the facet of Fiji has fully changed; it also transformed the mindsets of people in general. Today the contribution of Louis Gerard Saliot bore fruits in the form of recognition achieved by Fiji as one of the major scintillating destinations for tourists visiting from different parts of the world.
This country has become highly accessible and friendly for every kind of tourists. So friends if you are also planning to spend your exotic holidays to spend in exotic land, I feel there is no better destination than Fiji!


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Vientiane Times, 20 August 2014
Vietnamese nationals have been felling trees illegally in Lao territory, with clandestine logging reportedly taking place in Xieng Khuang province which shares a border with Vietnam's Nghe An province. Lao government officials reported that the Vietnamese have used slings to transfer the logs they cut in remote Lao forest areas back to Vietnam, said Deputy Director General of the Department of Forest Inspection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Mr Thongphanh Ratanalangsy.
He spoke to local media at a press conference held recently at the National Assembly (NA) in response to an issue raised through the hotline of the NA's ordinary session. A resident of Mok district of the northern Lao province called for, via the hotline, relevant officials to inspect the logging situation in the district after suspicions were raised that illegal logging was taking place in the area. Following the call, officials from the ministry and the provincial office inspected the situation.
The Vietnamese have found it easy to carry out illegal logging and transfer the logs they cut in Laos to Vietnam as concrete roads along the border on the Vietnamese side have already been constructed, Mr Thongphanh said. On the other hand, Lao forest officials have encountered difficulties in carrying out regular missions to safeguard the forests due to poor road conditions. Worse still, some remote forest areas are not accessible. "We still can't assess the illegal logging situation in some forest areas along the border where our forest officials are unable to access," he told the conference, citing a report from forest officials who are stationed along the border areas.
Logs cut previously by both Lao and Vietnamese nationals, which have not been transferred, have been found in forest. However, forest officials reported that they have not seen the illegal logging movement by the Vietnamese recently, noting that it might be due to the fact that the current rainy season makes it difficult for the wrongdoers to undertake logging. In addition, Mr Thongphanh noted that ongoing efforts by both Lao and Vietnamese authorities, especially of the two provinces, might have resulted in a cessation of the illegal movements. However, the Deputy Director General said the ministry will propose that the Lao government work together with its Vietnamese counterparts, especially the authorities of the two provinces, to address the issue in the long run.
During the inspection, the Lao forest officials also discovered more than 4,732 cubic metres of logs amounting to over 45.6 billion kip (more than US$5.6 million) that had been cut down in the province without permission from authorities. The illegal logs [the 4,732 cubic metres] were cut by three timber companies, who had received a quota from the government to cut logs, however they had all exceeded the approved quota. According to relevant laws, the three companies will be fined double the amount of the loss. This means the companies will be fined 91.2 billion kip. The wrongdoers are also subject to face imprisonment of between three months to five years.


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CRA has responded to the CoM 2012 Street Gardens proposal stating general suppory for the initiative, subject to appropriate controls and consultation.
CRA promotes CoM Greening Policy and has long lobbied MCC Planning Committee for increased Median Strip Greening. The idea of returning median car parking areas to greenspace has been a focus for many years and was emphasised in the Carlton 2010 vision document.
Explore Melbourne's Urban Forest:
Learn more about the CENTRAL CITY URBAN FOREST PRECINCT PLAN 2013 – 2023:


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Activision confirms Call of Duty 5
Activision also revealed the Call of Duty 4 engine is being used for the new James Bond movie tie-in. The game is due out this autumn, which is also when new film The Quantum of Solace will be released. It's being developed by COD3 developer Treyarch, also responsible for the Spider-Man 3 game.
The publisher has yet to give a release date for Call of Duty 5, or confirm whether Infinity Ward is developing. But seeing as the last COD game they made sold 7 million copies worldwide, it seems likely.


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Why did we choose to use a DB2 backend? It is complicated... but the real reason we chose to use DB2 is that someone at my company believed that Notes was not secure enough for storing sensitive data. Most everyone who reads this knows that this is far from the truth. Notes is extremely secure and its security model is looked at as one of it biggest strengths.
When presented with this assertion, I did my best to present arguments against using DB2. I knew the security premise was wrong, and I knew it would dramatically increase project completion time. Lastly, I knew Notes was well suited for the project at hand.
Even though I fought hard for what I felt was right, I was not very disappointed when I lost the battle. The reason being that I knew that using a relational backend would be a fun learning experience and good for the career. In my last job, I had experience retrieving Oracle data through a java agent, but I never bound an XPage to relational data real time.
Around this time, I went to the MWLUG conference in Grand Rapids and heard an excellent presentation by Toby Samples on using Hibernate in Xpages. When I came back, I did my best to sell the use of Hibernate because I felt it would be a benefit, and I now had the information to make it work. Despite this, the decision was made to go with JDBC, mainly because we had already had another database with the same functionality that we could copy, and the developers who wrote it were now on the same project.
Series Contents
With that background, I am going to discuss the following topics in this blog series:
- Setting up your database to connect to DB2.
- Using the Extension Library Relational Controls
- Using Connection Pooling
- Storing the DB2 Credentials in a managed bean
- Coding a simple SELECT statement
- Selecting information from two tables using a JOIN
- Coding an INSERT
- Coding an UPDATE
- Populating a combobox dropdown with values from a DB2 query
- Retrieving a collection of data in JSON format for using in a data table
Note: Due to a very heavy load at work, it might take me up to two months or more to finish this blog series.
Throughout I am going to make the assumption that you know the basics of SQL. For me, SQL was the one thing I learned in college that I actually still use today. Another assumption is that you know something about java, because all the coding is done using it. You can use SSJS to access DB2, but early on, we made the decision to have as much of the business logic as possible in java.
I was busy with another project while the groundwork was setup for connecting to DB2. Credit for doing this work goes to my coworker Dwain Weurfel. Dwain, thanks for helping me document and explain the setup, and for helping me to proof these posts, so that I get it right! I should also give credit to former coworker Eric Dyer who had a large role in creating the groundwork while working on the first DB2 backend project at my company.


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How to upload FHM league files
Posted by Gary Breckenridge, Last modified by Lukas Berger on 03 November 2016 11:46 PM
For some types of problems, the only way we can help you is to see your league files. OOTP Developments uses FTP to allow customers to send us files. Below are instructions for sending us your league files:
Windows PC:
Unless you have an ftp program, one way to get to the ftp site is as follows: Open up Windows Explorer by right-clicking the start menu and then choose "Open Windows Explorer". Now up at the top in the address bar (it probably will say "Libraries" in there), paste over top whatever is in there with "ftp://ootpsupport.com/incoming/fhm/saved_games/"
There's no built in way to upload your league files to our ftp server, so you'll need some third party software, like the free Cyberduck. If you don't want to try that, then submit a support ticket and we'll see if there's another solution.
Assuming you have an ftp program to use, then you'll need to find your saved game so that you can upload it. Here's how:
To begin, you'll need to zip up the league files first and then you can upload them. Here's how to find and zip up the files:


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the flowers blossomed with the
blissful chirping of the little birds
they sung of the story of the princess
how she was caught in the net of love
trapped, but the exquisiteness of love
was not forgotten to describe
it made her life worthy, they said
but why didn't they mention of the unbearable
pain she felt, love was exquisite they said but
they never mentioned of the cost of love
it can tear you, break you and let you live
drowned in regret, yearning and pain only
they said being in love is worthy but they never said
of how worthless you feel after deserted
how it makes you feel as cold as the white snow,
how dead you feel, how bare you feel
As you are ripped of the one thing
You can't live without
You feel as bare as the cold tree with its leaves shed
in winter.
Like the trees in autumn, you shed leaves
leaves of past, of the lost love and dreams
you realize that it is necessary to start new
if not shed ever, you will never live
you will never learn
that it is a part of this cycle you are in
and it won't stop till the last bit of air you respire.
you realize that nothing is as audacious as life is
and that it's all in exploring the amazing, varied kinds of
emotions you possess.
Most Helpful Girl
I will give you my honest opinion. It is alright, but you have a lot of room for improvement. Maybe this is just my personal taste, but I like when poems are a lot more subtle; when you have to think about it and figure it out, and when they can be interpreted in many ways. That's ok if you prefer to be more straightforward, I just feel it is more artistic the other way. I think you should try adding more techniques like metaphors, similes, personification, juxtaposition, etc.
A few lines which I like in your poem:
"how it makes you feel as cold as the white snow"
"You feel as bare as the cold tree with its leaves shed"
I think these are good similes. Work on these techniques and you will get a lot better.
Thanks! I'll work on it


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Welcome to The March Conservation Fund
Executive Director Ivan Samuels directs all grant making activities at the fund. He has a bachelor degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from University of California- Santa Cruz and a Masters of Science in Zoology from the University of Florida. Ivan brings to the fund a diverse set of skills in the biological sciences including ecology, ornithology, forestry, and land management. Prior to joining the fund full-time in 2007, Ivan worked on field research projects, mostly with birds, in both temperate and tropical environments. He serves on the board of several conservation organizations, and he is very active in land management in northern California. During his free time, Ivan enjoys hiking, biking, swimming, birding, and (like his grandfather Laurel) mountain climbing.


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Product DetailsAction hero Steven Seagal goes behind bars -- though don't worry, he isn't really a bad guy -- in this action thriller. Sascha Petrosevitch (Seagal) is an FBI agent working undercover to infiltrate a gangland kingpin's operations. While Petrosevitch is able to gain the trust of one of the gangster's lieutenants, Nick Frazier (Ja Rule), things go haywire during an FBI raid, and Petrosevitch takes several slugs in the back as he struggles to maintain his cover. Eight months later, Petrosevitch and Frazier are serving time together in the newly refurbished Alcatraz Penitentiary, as Petrosevitch secretly continues his investigation. Prison warden Hubbard (Stephen J. Cannell) is arranging for the execution of convicted killer and thief Lester (Bruce Weitz), and U.S. Supreme Court justice Jane McPherson (Linda Thorson) has announced she will attend as a witness. But Hubbard's assistant Donny (Morris Chestnut) has devised a secret plan -- it seems Lester stole and stashed away 200 million dollars in gold before he was arrested, and Donny, along with an underground SWAT team, takes control of the prison and takes Hubbard, McPherson, and the other assembled dignitaries hostage, demanding to be told where Lester has hidden his fortune. Now Petrosevitch must drop his cover and persuade his allies within the prison -- including Frazier and Little Joe (Michael "Bear" Taliferro) -- to join him in a desperate bid to foil Donny and free the hostages.
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