text:
Senate Bill No. 579
(By Senators Unger, Cookman, Edgell, Laird, Miller, Palumbo, Snyder, Stollings and Kessler (Mr. President))
[Introduced February 14, 2014; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §31-18E-1, §31-18E-2, §31-18E-3, §31-18E-4, §31-18E-5, §31-18E-6, §31-18E-7, §31-18E-8, §31-18E-9, §31-18E-10, §31-18E-11, §31-18E-12, §31-18E-13, §31-18E-14, §31-18E-15, §31-18E-16, §31-18E-17, §31-18E-18 and §31-18E-19, all relating to improving housing development and land use; authorizing land banking by West Virginia municipalities, counties or a combination thereof; stating legislative findings; defining terms; providing requirements for the permissive creation and operation of land bank entities; detailing certain requirements for a land bank board and staff; requiring certain terms of the land bank be set forth; providing certain immunity to land bank jurisdictions; setting forth powers and limitations of land bank entities; explicitly stating that land bank entities do not have the power of eminent domain; detailing criteria for acquisition and disposition of property by land bank entities; authorizing certain land bank-related property as exempt from property tax; stating land bank funding sources; stating requirements and constraints on disposition of property; detailing potential financing of land bank operations; permitting special allocation of certain property taxes in certain situations; authorizing the issuance of certain bonds; requiring land bank entities to follow open meetings and freedom of information requirements; providing a process for dissolution of land banks; requiring the Ethics Act to apply to land bank employees and board members; providing for liberal construction of the article; providing process to discharge tax liens and claims; stating a policy to protect low-income, owner-occupant households; providing for expedited quiet of title proceedings in circuit court; and requiring an annual audit and report of all land banks.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated §31-18E-1, §31-18E-2, §31-18E-3, §31-18E-4, §31-18E-5, §31-18E-6, §31-18E-7, §31-18E-8, §31-18E-9, §31-18E-10, §31-18E-11, §31-18E-12, §31-18E-13, §31-18E-14, §31-18E-15, §31-18E-16, §31-18E-17, §31-18E-18 and §31-18E-19, all to read as follows:
§31-18E-1. Short Title.
This article may be known and cited as the "West Virginia Land Banking Authorization Act."
§31-18E-2. Legislative findings.
The Legislature finds and declares that:
(1) Strong communities are important to the social and economic vitality of this state. Whether urban, suburban or rural, many communities are struggling to cope with vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties.
(2) Citizens of this state are affected adversely by vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties, including properties which have been vacated or abandoned due to mortgage foreclosure.
(3) Vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties impose significant costs on neighborhoods, communities, municipalities and counties by lowering property values, increasing fire and police protection costs, decreasing tax revenues and undermining community cohesion.
(4) Vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties contribute to blight, invite crime and pests and provide unsafe play spaces.
(5) There is an overriding public need to confront the problems caused by vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties through the creation of new tools to enable municipalities and counties to turn vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent spaces into vibrant places.
(6) Land banks are one of the tools that municipalities and counties may use to facilitate the return of vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties to productive use.
§31-18E-3. Definitions.
As used in this article:
(1) "Board" means the board of directors of a land bank;
(2) "Deconstruct" means to attempt to remove salvageable pieces of a housing unit prior to or as part of demolition or renovation;
(3) "Financial institution" means a bank, savings association, operating subsidiary of a bank or savings association, credit union, association licensed to originate mortgage loans or an assignee of a mortgage or note originated by such an institution;
(4) "Land bank" means a public body established under this chapter;
(5) "Land bank jurisdiction" means: (A) A county or municipality in this state; or (B) two or more municipalities or counties that enter into an intergovernmental cooperation agreement to establish and maintain a land bank;
(6) "Low income" means a household with total income at or below eighty percent of the area median income, adjusted for household size, as defined annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development;
(7) "Municipality" means a municipality as defined in section two, article one, chapter eight of this code;
(8) "Owner-occupant" means a natural person with a legal or equitable ownership interest in property which was the primary residence of the person for at least three consecutive months at any point in the year preceding the date of initial delinquency; and
(9) "Real property" means all lands, including improvements and fixtures on them and property of any nature appurtenant to them or used in connection with them and every estate, interest and right, legal or equitable, in them, including terms of years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage or otherwise, and indebtedness secured by the liens.
§31-18E-4. Creation and existence.
(a) Authority.--A land bank jurisdiction may elect to create a land bank by the adoption of an ordinance to create a binding legal obligation. The ordinance must specify the type of entity created and the following:
(1) The name of the land bank;
(2) The number of members of the board;
(3) The names of individuals to serve as initial members of the board;
(4) The qualifications, manner of selection or appointment and terms of office of members of the board;
(5) The manner by which residents will be provided an opportunity to have input into the land bank decision-making process;
(6) Policies regarding former owner-occupants who are occupying homes acquired by the land bank. These policies shall show a preference for keeping the former owner-occupants in their homes, whenever feasible; and
(7) Additional terms and conditions the land bank jurisdiction deems reasonable and necessary for operation of the land bank.
(b) Filing.--The governing body of the land bank jurisdiction which creates a land bank shall file a copy of the ordinance with the West Virginia Housing Development Fund and with the Secretary of State. After receipt of the ordinance, the Secretary of State shall issue the appropriate documentation indicating the formation of the entity.
(c) Combinations.--(1) The authority under subsection (a) of this section may be exercised in combination pursuant to an intergovernmental cooperation agreement by:
(A) More than one land bank jurisdiction; or
(B) A land bank jurisdiction and one or more municipalities or counties.
(2) If a land bank is established under subdivision (1) of this subsection, the intergovernmental cooperation agreement must specify matters identified in subsection (a) of this section.
(d) Limitation.--Except as set forth in subsection (c) of this section, if a county establishes a land bank, the land bank may acquire real property only in those portions of the county located outside of the geographical boundaries of any other land bank established by another land bank jurisdiction located partially or entirely within the county.
(e) Legal status of land bank.--A land bank:
(1) Is a public body corporate and politic, exercising public and essential governmental functions, and having all the powers necessary or convenient to carry out and effectuate the purposes and provisions of this article; and
(2) Exists until terminated and dissolved under section fourteen of this article.
(f) Collaboration.--A land bank, a political subdivision and another municipal entity may enter into an intergovernmental cooperation agreement relative to the operations of a land bank.
§31-18E-5. Board of directors of a land bank.
(a) Membership.--A board shall consist of an odd number of members and be not less than five members nor more than eleven members. Unless restricted by the actions or agreements specified in section four of this article and subject to the limits stated in this section, the size of the board may be adjusted in accordance with bylaws of the land bank.
(b) Eligibility to serve on board.--
(1) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a public officer is eligible to serve as a board member, and the acceptance of the appointment neither terminates nor impairs that public office;
(2) A municipal employee is eligible to serve as a board member;
(3) An established land bank board shall include at least one voting member who:
(A) Is a resident of the land bank jurisdiction;
(B) Is not a public official or municipal employee; and
(C) Maintains membership with a recognized civic organization within the land bank jurisdiction;
(4) A member removed under subdivision (3), subsection (d) of this section is ineligible for reappointment to the board unless the reappointment is confirmed unanimously by the board;
(5) As used in this subsection, the term "public officer" means an individual who is elected to office.
(c) Officers.--The members of the board shall select annually from among their members a chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer and other officers as the board determines.
(d) Rules.--The board shall establish rules on all of the following:
(1) Duties of officers;
(2) Attendance and participation of members in its regular and special meetings;
(3) A procedure to remove a member by a majority vote of the other members for failure to comply with a rule; and
(4) Other matters necessary to govern the conduct of a land bank.
(e) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. Upon removal under subdivision (3), subsection (d) of this section, the position becomes vacant.
(f) Compensation.--Board members serve without compensation. The board may reimburse a member for expenses actually incurred in the performance of duties on behalf of the land bank.
(g) Meetings.--(1) The board shall meet as follows:
(A) In regular session according to a schedule adopted by the board;
(B) In special session:
(I) As convened by the chair; or
(ii) Upon written notice signed by a majority of the members;
(2) A majority of the board, excluding vacancies, is a quorum. Physical presence is required under this paragraph.
(h) Voting.--(1) Except as set forth in subdivisions (2) or (3) of this subsection, action of the board must be approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the board present and voting.
(2) Action of the board on the following matters must be approved by a majority of the entire board membership:
(A) Adoption of bylaws;
(B) Adoption of rules under subsection (d) of this section;
(C) Hiring or firing of an employee or contractor of the land bank. This function may, by majority vote of the entire board membership, be delegated by the board to a specified officer or committee of the land bank;
(D) Incurring of debt;
(E) Adoption or amendment of the annual budget; or
(F) Sale, lease, encumbrance or alienation of real property or personal property with a value of more than $50,000.
(3) A resolution under section fourteen of this article, relating to dissolution of a land bank, must be approved by two-thirds of the entire board membership.
(4) A member of the board may not vote by proxy.
(5) A member may request a recorded vote on any resolution or action of the land bank.
(I) Immunity.--A land bank jurisdiction which establishes a land bank and a municipality or county which are parties to an intergovernmental cooperation agreement establishing a land bank shall not be liable personally on the bonds or other obligations of the land bank. Rights of creditors of a land bank are solely against the land bank.
§31-18E-6. Staff of the land bank.
(a) Employees.--A land bank may employ or enter into a contract for an executive director, counsel and legal staff, technical experts and other individuals and may determine the qualifications and fix the compensation and benefits of those employees.
(b) Contracts.--A land bank may enter into a contract with a municipality or county for:
(1) The municipality or county to provide staffing services to the land bank; or
(2) The land bank to provide staffing services to the municipality or county.
§31-18E-7. Powers of the land bank.
A land bank is a public body, corporate and politic, exercising public and essential governmental functions, and having all the powers necessary or convenient to carry out and effectuate the purposes and provisions of this article, including but not limited to the following:
(1) To adopt, amend and repeal bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business;
(2) To sue and be sued in its own name and be a party in a civil action. This paragraph includes an action to clear title to property of the land bank;
(3) To adopt a seal and to alter the same at pleasure;
(4) To borrow from Federal Government funds, from the state, from private lenders or from municipalities or counties, as necessary, for the operation and work of the land bank;
(5) To issue negotiable revenue bonds and notes according to the provisions of this article;
(6) To procure insurance or guarantees from the Federal Government or the state of the payment of debt incurred by the land bank and to pay premiums in connection with the insurance or guarantee;
(7) To enter into contracts and other instruments necessary, incidental or convenient to the performance of its duties and the exercise of its powers. This paragraph includes intergovernmental cooperation agreements for the joint exercise of powers under this chapter;
(8) To enter into contracts and intergovernmental cooperation agreements with municipalities or counties for the performance of functions by municipalities or counties on behalf of the land bank or by the land bank on behalf of municipalities or counties;
(9) To make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary or convenient to the exercise of the powers of the land bank. Any contract or instrument signed shall be executed by and for the land bank if the contract or instrument is signed, including an authorized facsimile signature, by:
(A) The chair or vice chair of the land bank; and
(B) Either:
(I) The secretary or assistant secretary of the land bank; or
(ii) The treasurer or assistant treasurer of the land bank;
(10) To procure insurance against losses in connection with the real property, assets or activities of the land bank;
(11) To invest money of the land bank at the discretion of the board in instruments, obligations, securities or property determined proper by the board and to name and use depositories for its money;
(12) To enter into contracts for the management of, the collection of rent from or the sale of real property of the land bank;
(13) To design, develop, construct, demolish, reconstruct, deconstruct, rehabilitate, renovate, relocate and otherwise improve real property or rights or interests in real property;
(14) To fix, charge and collect rents, fees and charges for the use of real property of the land bank and for services provided by the land bank;
(15) To grant or acquire licenses, easements, leases or options with respect to real property of the land bank;
(16) To enter into partnerships, joint ventures and other collaborative relationships with municipalities, counties and other public and private entities for the ownership, management, development and disposition of real property;
(17) To organize and reorganize the executive, administrative, clerical and other departments of the land bank and to fix the duties, powers and compensation of employees, agents and consultants of the land bank; and
(18) To do all other things necessary or convenient to achieve the objectives and purposes of the land bank or other law related to the purposes and responsibility of the land bank.
§31-18E-8. Eminent domain.
A land bank does not possess the power of eminent domain.
§31-18E-9. Acquisition of property.
(a) Title to be held in its name.--A land bank shall hold in its own name all real property it acquires.
(b) Tax exemption.--(1) Except as set forth in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the real property of a land bank and its income and operations are exempt from property tax.
(2) Subdivision (1) of this subsection does not apply to real property of a land bank after the fifth consecutive year in which the real property is continuously leased to a private third party. However, real property continues to be exempt from property taxes if it is leased to a nonprofit or governmental agency at substantially less than fair market value.
(c) Methods of acquisition.--A land bank may acquire real property or interests in real property by any means on terms and conditions and in a manner the land bank considers proper.
(d) Acquisitions from municipalities or counties.--(1) A land bank may acquire real property by purchase contracts, lease purchase agreements, installment sales contracts and land contracts and may accept transfers from municipalities or counties upon terms and conditions as agreed to by the land bank and the municipality or county.
(2) A municipality or county may transfer to a land bank real property and interests in real property of the municipality or county on terms and conditions and according to procedures determined by the municipality or county as long as the real property is located within the jurisdiction of the land bank.
(3) A redevelopment authority located within a land bank jurisdiction established under this chapter may, with the consent of the local governing body and without a redevelopment contract, convey property which it acquired before the effective date of this paragraph to the land bank. A conveyance under this subdivision shall be with fee simple title, free of all liens and encumbrances.
(e) Maintenance.--A land bank shall maintain all of its real property in accordance with the statutes and ordinances of the jurisdiction in which the real property is located.
(f) Prohibition.--(1) Subject to the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection, a land bank may not own or hold real property located outside the jurisdictional boundaries of the entities which created the land bank under subsection (c) of section four of this article.
(2) A land bank may be granted authority pursuant to an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with a municipality or county to manage and maintain real property located within the jurisdiction of the municipality or county.
(g) Acquisition of tax delinquent properties.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, if authorized by the land bank jurisdiction which created a land bank or otherwise by intergovernmental cooperation agreement, a land bank may acquire an interest in tax delinquent property through the provisions of chapter eleven-a of this code.
§31-18E-10. Disposition of property.
(a) Public access to inventory.--A land bank shall maintain and make available for public review and inspection an inventory of real property held by the land bank.
(b) Power.--A land bank may convey, exchange, sell, transfer, lease, grant or mortgage interests in real property of the land bank in the form and by the method determined to be in the best interests of the land bank.
(c) Consideration.--(1) A land bank shall determine the amount and form of consideration necessary to convey, exchange, sell, transfer, lease as lessor, grant or mortgage interests in real property.
(2) Consideration may take the form of monetary payments and secured financial obligations, covenants and conditions related to the present and future use of the property, contractual commitments of the transferee and other forms of consideration as determined by the board to be in the best interest of the land bank.
(d) Policies and procedures.--(1) A board shall determine and state in the land bank policies and procedures the general terms and conditions for consideration to be received by the land bank for the transfer of real property and interests in real property.
(2) Requirements which may be applicable to the disposition of real property and interests in real property by municipalities or counties shall not be applicable to the disposition of real property and interests in real property by a land bank.
(e) Ranking of priorities.--(1) A land bank jurisdiction may establish a hierarchical ranking of priorities for the use of real property conveyed by a land bank, including use for:
(A) Purely public spaces and places;
(B) Affordable housing;
(C) Conservation areas; and
(D) Retail, commercial and industrial activities.
(2) The priorities established may be for the entire land bank jurisdiction or may be set according to the needs of different neighborhoods, municipalities or other locations within the land bank jurisdiction, or according to the nature of the real property.
(f) Land use plans.--A land bank shall consider all duly adopted land use plans and make reasonable efforts to coordinate the disposition of land bank real property with the land use plans.
(g) Specific voting and approval requirements.--(1) A land bank jurisdiction may, in its ordinance creating a land bank or in the case of multiple land bank jurisdictions and municipalities or counties creating a single land bank in the applicable intergovernmental cooperation agreement, require that a particular form of disposition of real property or a disposition of real property located within specified jurisdictions be subject to specified voting and approval requirements of the board.
(2) Except as restricted or constrained under paragraph (1), the board may delegate to officers and employees the authority to enter into and execute agreements, instruments of conveyance and other related documents pertaining to the conveyance of real property by the land bank.
§31-18E-11. Financing of land bank operations.
(a) General rule.--A land bank may receive funding through grants and loans from:
(1) The federal government;
(2) The state;
(3) A municipality or county;
(4) The land bank jurisdiction which created the land bank; and
(5) Private or other public sources.
(b) Funding.--A land bank may receive and retain payments for services rendered, for rents and leasehold payments received, for consideration for disposition of real and personal property, for proceeds of insurance coverage for losses incurred, for income from investments and for an asset and activity lawfully permitted to a land bank under this chapter.
(c) Allocated real property taxes.--(1) A taxing jurisdiction may authorize the remittance or dedication of a portion of real property taxes collected pursuant to the laws of this state to a land bank on real property conveyed by a land bank.
(2) Allocation of property tax revenues in accordance with this subsection, if authorized by the taxing jurisdiction, begins with the first taxable year following the date of conveyance and continues for a period of up to five years and may not exceed a maximum of fifty percent of the aggregate property tax revenues generated by the property.
(3) Remittance or dedication of real property taxes include the real property taxes of a school district only if the school district enters into an agreement with the land bank for the remittance or dedication.
§31-18E-12. Borrowing and issuance of bonds.
(a) Authority.--(1) A land bank may issue a bond for any of its corporate purposes.
(2) The principal and interest of a bond is payable from the land bank's general revenue.
(3) The bond may be secured by any of the following:
(A) A pledge of revenue. This paragraph includes a grant or contribution from: (I) The federal government or a federal agency or instrumentality; or (ii) the state, a state agency or an instrumentality of the state; or
(B) A mortgage of property of the land bank.
(b) Nature.--The bond is a negotiable instrument under the provisions of article eight, chapter forty-six of this code.
(c) Tax exempt.--A bond and the income from the bond is exempt from taxation by: (1) The state; and (2) a political subdivision.
(d) Procedure.--(1) A bond must be authorized by resolution of the board and shall be a limited obligation of the land bank.
(2) The principal and interest, costs of issuance and other costs incidental to the bond are payable solely from the income and revenue derived from the sale, lease or other disposition of the assets of the land bank. The land bank may secure the bond by a mortgage or other security device covering all or part of the project from which the pledged revenues may be derived.
(3) A refunding bond issued under this section:
(A) Is payable from: (I) A source described in this article; or (ii) the investment of the proceeds of the refunding bonds; and
(B) Is not an indebtedness or pledge of the general credit of a political subdivision within the meaning of a constitutional or statutory limitation of indebtedness and shall contain a recital to that effect.
(4) A bond must comply with the authorizing resolution as to:
(A) Form;
(B) Denomination;
(C) Interest rate;
(D) Maturity; and
(E) Execution.
(5) A bond may be subject to redemption at the option of and in the manner determined by the board in the authorizing resolution.
(e) Powers of municipalities or counties.--A municipality or county may elect to guarantee, insure or otherwise become primarily or secondarily obligated on the indebtedness of a land bank, subject, however, to all other provisions of law of this state applicable to municipal or county indebtedness.
(f) Sale.--(1) A bond shall be issued, sold and delivered in accordance with the terms and provisions of the authorizing resolution. The board, to effectuate its best interest, may determine the manner of sale, public or private, and the price of the bond.
(2) The resolution issuing a bond must be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the jurisdiction in which the land bank is located.
(g) Liability.--(1) Neither the members of a land bank nor a person executing the bond shall be liable personally on the bonds by reason of the issuance of the bond.
(2) The bond or other obligation of a land bank related to a bond shall not be a debt of a municipality, county or of the state. A statement to this effect shall appear on the face of the bond or obligation.
(3) On the bond or other obligation of a land bank related to a bond, all of the following apply:
(A) The state has no liability. This paragraph applies to the revenue and property of the state; and
(B) A municipality or county has no liability. This paragraph applies to the revenue and property of a municipality or county.
§31-18E-13. Public records and public access.
(a) Public records.--A board shall keep minutes and a record of its proceedings.
(b) Public access.--A land bank is subject to article nine-a, chapter six of this code, relating to open meetings and chapter twenty-nine-b of this code, relating to public records.
§31-18E-14. Dissolution of land bank.
(a) General rule.--A land bank may be dissolved as a public body corporate and politic upon compliance with all of the following:
(1) Sixty calendar days' advance written notice of consideration of a resolution to request dissolution must be:
(A) Given to the land bank jurisdiction which created the land bank;
(B) Published in a local newspaper of general circulation; and
(C) Sent by certified mail to the trustees of outstanding bonds of the land bank; and
(2) A resolution requesting dissolution must be approved under subdivision (3), subsection (h), section five of this article.
(b) Authority.--Upon receipt of a proper resolution described in subsection (a) of this section, the land bank jurisdiction which created the land bank may dissolve the land bank by adoption of an ordinance subject to the approval of the mayor in a city or the county commission in a county. If approved, the governing body of the land bank jurisdiction which created the land bank shall file a certified copy of the ordinance with the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of State shall cause the termination of the existence of the land bank to be noted on the record of incorporation. Upon the filing, the land bank shall cease to function. The Secretary of State shall also notify the West Virginia Housing Development Fund of the dissolution of the land bank.
(c) Transfer of assets.--Upon dissolution of the land bank, real property, personal property and other assets of the land bank become the assets of the municipality in which the property is located or the county in which the property is located, if it is not within a municipality. The following apply:
(1) Personal property, including financial assets, of the land bank shall be divided among participating land bank jurisdictions in proportion to the population of each jurisdiction.
(2) The municipality in which real property is located or the county in which the property is located, if it is not within a municipality, shall approve the transfer of title to the municipality or county.
(d) Multiple jurisdictions.--If multiple land bank jurisdictions create a land bank under section four of this article, the withdrawal of one or more land bank jurisdictions does not require dissolution of the land bank unless:
(1) The intergovernmental cooperation agreement provides for dissolution in this event; and
(2) There is no land bank jurisdiction which desires to continue the existence of the land bank.
§31-18E-15. Conflicts of interest.
(a) Ethics Act.--The acts and decisions of members of a board and of employees of a land bank are subject to chapter six-b of this code.
(b) Supplemental rules and guidelines.--The board may adopt:
(1) Supplemental rules addressing potential conflicts of interest; and
(2) Ethical guidelines for members of the board and land bank employees.
§31-18E-16. Construction, intent and scope.
This article shall be construed liberally to effectuate the legislative intent and the purposes as complete and independent authorization for the implementation of this article, and all powers granted shall be broadly interpreted to effectuate the intent and purposes and not as a limitation of powers.
§31-18E-17. Additional tax lien information.
(a) Power to discharge liens and claims.--(1) Except as set forth in subdivision (2) of this subsection, a land bank may, by resolution of the board, discharge a lien or claim to its real property for tax owed to the members of the land bank.
(2) For a land bank to discharge a lien or claim to its real property under subdivision (1) of this subsection for tax owed to a school district, the governing body of the school district must approve the discharge.
(3) The land bank must file evidence of the extinguishment and dissolution of liens or claims with the county, including copies of the resolution by the board, the intergovernmental agreement, receipt of payment and other necessary and appropriate documentation. This requirement must be satisfied no later than the earlier of: (A) Ten days prior to the conveyance of the property; or (B) within thirty days after the discharge.
(b) Remittance of payments.--To the extent that a land bank receives payments attributable to a lien or claim for real property taxes owed to a municipality, county or school district on property acquired by the land bank, the land bank shall remit the full amount of the payments to the municipality, county or school district.
(c) Policy to protect low-income owner-occupant households.--The land bank shall adopt policies providing for plans and agreements by which low-income, owner-occupant households may pay their delinquent taxes. Such plans and agreements shall take into account the household's ability to pay and shall be designed to promote the continued occupancy by that household whenever feasible.
§31-18E-18. Expedited quiet title proceedings.
(a) Authorization.--(1) A land bank may file an action in circuit court to quiet title to real property in which the land bank has an interest.
(2) A land bank may join in a single complaint to quiet title to one or more parcels of real property.
(3) For purposes of an action under this section, the land bank shall be deemed to be the holder of sufficient legal and equitable interests and possessory rights so as to qualify the land bank as an adequate complainant in the action.
(b) Procedural requirements.--(1) Prior to the filing of an action to quiet title, the land bank must conduct an examination of title to determine the identity of any person possessing a claim or interest in or to the real property.
(2) Service of the complaint to quiet title shall be provided in accordance with the requirements to serve a civil complaint generally, including that service to interested parties be made as follows:
(A) By first class mail to the identity and address reasonably ascertainable by an inspection of public records;
(B) In the case of occupied real property, by first class mail, addressed to "occupant";
(C) By posting a copy of the notice on the real property.
(D) By publication; and
(E) As ordered by the court.
(3) As part of the complaint to quiet title, the land bank must file an affidavit identifying:
(A) Persons discovered under subdivision (1) of this subsection; and
(B) The form of service under subdivision (2) of this subsection.
(c) Hearing.--(1) The court shall schedule a hearing on the complaint within ninety days following filing of the complaint and as to all matters upon which an answer was not filed by an interested party.
(2) The court shall issue its final judgment within one hundred twenty days of the filing of the complaint.
§31-18E-19. Annual audit and report.
(a) The land bank shall annually, within one hundred twenty days after the end of the fiscal year, submit an audit of income and expenditures, together with a report of its activities for the preceding year, to the West Virginia Housing Development Fund.
(b) A duplicate of the audit and the report shall be filed with the governing body of:
(1) The land bank jurisdiction which created the land bank; and
(2) Each political subdivision which opted to participate in the land bank pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to improve housing development and land use in West Virginia by providing an option to all municipalities, counties or combinations to create a land banking program in order to eliminate blight and address vacant, delinquent or foreclosed properties.
This article is new, therefore strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.


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17 CFR 232.402 - Liability for XBRL-Related Documents.
(a)Not deemed filed for liability purposes. XBRL-Related Documents, regardless of whether they are exhibits to a document incorporated by reference into a filing:
(1) Are not deemed filed for purposes of section 11 of the Securities Act ( 15 U.S.C. 77k), section 18 of the Exchange Act ( 15 U.S.C. 78r), or section 34(b) of the Investment Company Act ( 15 U.S.C. 80a-33(b)), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of these sections, and are not part of any registration statement to which they relate;
(2) Are not deemed incorporated by reference;
(3) Are subject to all other liability and anti-fraud provisions of these Acts; and
(4) Are deemed filed for purposes of Item 103 of Regulation S-T ( § 232.103).
(b)Accurate reflection of underlying documents. An electronic filer is not liable under the Securities Act, Exchange Act, Trust Indenture Act or Investment Company Act for information in its XBRL-Related Documents that complies with the requirements of Rule 401 of Regulation S-T ( § 232.401) to the extent that such information was not materially false or misleading in the corresponding official EDGAR filing. To the extent the information in an electronic filer's XBRL-Related Documents does not comply with the requirements of Rule 401, the information in the XBRL-Related Documents will be deemed to comply with Rule 401 for purposes of this paragraph if the electronic filer makes a good faith and reasonable attempt to comply with Rule 401 and, as soon as reasonably practicable after the electronic filer becomes aware that the information in the XBRL-Related Documents does not comply with Rule 401, the electronic filer amends the XBRL-Related Documents and, as a result, the information complies with Rule 401.

subset: commoncrawl


text: BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//http://riotheatre.ca//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.14// METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Rio Theatre X-WR-CALDESC:Main schedule for Rio Theatre X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Vancouver BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20180324T081305UTC-1278vSURk4@http://riotheatre.ca DTSTAMP:20180324T081305Z DESCRIPTION:Fifteen years after its release\, SPIRITED AWAY remains one of the most explosively original and enchanting animated fil ms ever made - and it's even better on the big screen!\n\nJoin us for a sp ecial family-friendly Mother's Day screening\, and enter a captivating world of witches\, dragons and spirits\, in a critically-acc laimed story that became a worldwide phenomenon. The film followed a ten y ear old girl who wanders away from her parents along a path that leads to a world ruled by strange and unusual monster-like animals\, only to discov er that they have been changed into pigs along with others inside a bathho use full of these creatures.\n\n'Artful but not arty\, SP IRITED AWAY is a handcrafted cartoon\, as personal as an Utamaro painting\, yet its breadth and heart give it an appeal that should touch A merican viewers of all ages.' (Time Magazine) 'Miyazaki's luminescent\, gorgeously realized w orld is relatively safe for children\, but it also acknowledges blood\, pa in\, dread\, and death in ways that other animated films wouldn't dare.' ( AV Club) 'Knock me down with a feather\, it turns out to be terrific\; maybe not a masterpiec e\, but certainly aglitter with invention\, excitement and a mysterious ki nd of wit.' (The Independent) \n\n


text:
Case in point:
My supervisor had plans to hire someone that I and several other people think is quite flaky. This is for a position that requires a steady person. It is a overnight crisis counselor position. If they call in sick, I am on pager duty and I must fill in at the drop of a hat. I don't want to fill in on the night shift. I did that for four years and now I want to work lovely day time hours. Hours that let me live a non-sleep deprived life. Hours that let me socialize with real live humans who go out into the sunshine and buy groceries at four pm. I announced with in earshot of the agency's director that this person does not have my support for this position because she is unreliable and that we need to find another person for the job. This was a manipulative move on my part to ensure that said person will not get hired. So, my supervisor says that she will call a different person and see if they are available. She disappears into another room while I am making copies and re-emerges a few minutes later. She then announces very loudly that she has called this new person whose name shall be X, they had a conversation, and he is very interested in the job. They have set up an interview date for the job. Fabulous! I'm thrilled.
Well... I do not know what she was doing in the other room for five minutes, but it was not making phone calls. maybe she was doing some exciting nasal excavating. I later found out that my supervisor had not called the person. The next day she asked my co-worker to make contact with the very same person she told me she had already called. My co-worker was to ask them if they would like the job, and then set up an interview date for the position.
In other words, she lied to me. I should not be floored by this, but I am. It is not she first time she has lied for very odd reasons. At one time she informed one of my co-workers that I was paranoid and felt that my co-worker was trying to sabotage me. My co-worker and I talk all the time, so she knew there was no truth to this. And, even if she really really wanted to, we could not figure out a way that she actually might be able to sabotage me. We both decided that it was a projection.
At any rate, an intervention is needed. What kinds of medications would be good to grind up and sprinkle over the the morning pastries that would help quell some of these behaviors? I was thinking Ativan because it is soothing and not easily detectable intermixed with powdered sugar. But, clearly more needs to be added to the mix. Could I inject Abilify into the jelly of the donut?


text: In article <yrbois-270394152919 at 184.108.40.206>, yrbois at helix.nih.gov (Y.R. Boisclair) wrote: > I want to obtain very good quality mRNA from cells. I will start from > small amounts of total RNA (30-100 microgram). I am debating between the > micro mRNA purification kit from pharmacia and the Polytract mRNA isolation > system from Promega. Which one should I use for good yield and quality ? I > would like to hear from anybody who has used either system. > > Yves Boisclair > > yrbois at helix.nih.gov I've tried the mRNA purification kit from Pharmacia and I got some bad results. Every time I got a large part of genomic DNA even if I follow the instructions very strictly. I would rather try the magnetic system of Promega or Dynabeads. I have a beter feeling about it. Nathalie Landry nlandry at campus.ulaval.ca


text:
U.S. Information Agency (IA)
- U.S. Academic Explorer: A Guide to Higher Education in the United States IA 1.32/2:ED 8/CD
- 1996, 1998. Compilation of databases.
United States Information Agency INFOBASE, USIA Directives, Quick Reference Guide, CD-ROM IA 1.32:yr-no.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office USPTO
- EFS, Electronic Filing System (CD-ROM) C 21.32:F 47/CD
- Software for filing patent applications with the USPTO.
- Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patents, (CD-ROM) C 21.5/6:vol/no.
- Earlier editions in print and microfiche. 1995-present on USPTO website.
- Patents & Trademarks ASSIGN, (DVD-ROM) C 21.31/13:yr/no.
- US Patents & Trademarks Assignments recorded at the USPTO 1980 August to present
- Patents ASSIST, (DVD-ROM) C 21.31/5:yr/no
- Full text of patent search tools.
- Patents BIB, (DVD-ROM) C 21.31/2:yr/no
- Selected bibliographic information from US patents issued 1969 to present.
- Patents CLASS, (DVD-ROM) C 21.31/3:yr/no
- Current Classification of US Patents issued 1790 To present
- Trademarks ASSIST (DVD-ROM) C 21.31/10:yr/no.
- Latest edition only. Full text of trademark search tools.
- Trademarks BIB, (DVD-ROM) C 21.31/18:yr/no.
- Latest edition only.
- USAMark C 21.31/11:USM-001-
- Facsimile images of U.S. trademark registrations.
- USAPAT C 21.31:USP yr W #
- Facsimile images of U.S. patents issued 1790 to present
Veterans' Affairs (VA)
- Annual Reports of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 1980-1996, (CD-ROM) VA 1.95:SE 7
- Automated Reference Materials System (ARMS), June 1997 (CD-ROM) VA 1.95/3:997/6
- Updated version available on the Internet.
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Board of Veterans' Appeals Decisions, (CD-ROM) VA 1.95/2:yr
- http://www.va.gov/vbs/bva/
- Department Of Veterans Affairs, Serving Our Nations Veterans As "One VA", Annual Accountability Report, Fiscal Year 2000, (CD-ROM) VA 1.95:AC 2
- FY2000 Accountability report.
- OPA Office of Public Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs, Resource Disk 2000, (CD-ROM) VA 1.95:R 31
- VetPop2000, (CD-ROM) VA 1.95:V 64
- VetPop2000 is VA's official estimate of the veteran population and projection to the year 2029 by age, sex, period of service, and state of residence (including the number of: living veterans, deaths to veterans, separations from the military, and net state migrants). VetPop2000 is the official VA estimate and projection of the number and characteristics of veterans as of September 30, 2000. It is the first revision of official estimates and projections since 1993. Data in Excel format.


text:
|Member Since:
|Track This Author:
|Stories Posted:
|Reviews Posted:
|Favorite Author of:
I'm dedicated to Harry Potter my life depends on it! LOL... I love it, I espeially like Voldemort and Death Eaters. I'm sorry I'm taking so long in updating, but the thing is that school just started. '09
|< 1>|
: The Double-Crossing Traitor by Loopy
Lord Voldemort has decided to train a young, but talented witch; to spy on hogwarts. Meanwhile, not all death eaters are comfortable with this, and it seems very strange that the Dark Lord would use such a young witch...
Meanwhile at hogwarts the Trio meets this young witch, is she to trust? or will they leave her aside?
Sorry I'm taking so long! I was wondering, is anyone interested in making a banner? I would really appreciate it! Thanks!!
Genres: Horror/Dark, Mystery, Action/Adventure Era: Hogwarts Characters: Draco, Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, Lucius, Narcissa, OC, Ron, Snape, Voldemort Pairings: Harry/Ginny, Lucius/Narcissa, Ron/Hermione
Advisory: Mild Language, Mild Violence, Scenes of a Mild Sexual Nature
Published: 2006.12.20 Latest Chapter: 2008.01.16 Updated: 2008.01.16 Status: WIP (11088 words)
: A Toto Dog Story by Loopy
Ana a normal muggle girl who loves Harry Potter and Star Wars, ends up finding herself in the Harry Potter world with her dog, Toto. What will happen when Anakin Skywalker shows up? And Voldemort/Santa?
This story was inspired by my good friend Ana! Hope you guys enjoy! Oh and it has nothing to do with the books, or Star Wars...if you get what I mean! R&R
Genres: Crossover, Humor, Action/Adventure Era: Hogwarts Characters: Draco, Harry, Hermione, OC, OtherCanon, Pettigrew, Voldemort
Advisory: Mild Language, Mild Violence
Published: 2007.09.29 Latest Chapter: 2007.10.06 Updated: 2007.10.06 Status: COMPLETED (2546 words)


text:
Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.
|Click On Image
For Full Size Image
|Image Description
|USS Pocono (AGC-16)
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) underway, 18 March 1946, location unknown. Pocono eliminated some of the merchant ship features of the earlier AGCs; she had only a pole mast aft, and her two forward kingposts were made considerably lighter. The port kingpost carries radar direction finders. She also has a much-reduced boat outfit.
US navy photo, and text from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.
|Robert Hurst
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) moored pierside, location unknown, 1953.
|Mel Nelson YN3, USN
Member Admiral Jonas Ingram's
staff during WWII
|Reserve Fleet Basin, Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania. Photographed on 19 May 1955 with numerous cruisers, escort carriers, and auxiliaries in reserve. The nearest ship is the never-completed
Hawaii (CB-3), which lacks her previously-installed three 12" gun turrets.
The cruisers outboard of Hawaii are (in unknown order)
Honolulu (CL-48),
Columbia (CL-56),
Denver (CL-58),
Galveston (CL-93), and
Portsmouth (CL-102).
To their left are
Tranquility (AH-14),
Sanctuary (AH-17), and
Pocono (AGC-16).
Behind Hawaii (from left to right) are
Montpelier (CL-57),
Houston (CL-81),
Huntington (CL-107),
Savannah (CL-42),
Cleveland (CL-55), and
Wilkes-Barre (CL-103).
Beyond them (from left to right) are
Wichita (CA-45),
Oregon City (CA-122),
Chester (CA-27), and
New Orleans (CA-32).
The cruisers on the left side of the basin (from front to rear) are
Minneapolis (CA-36),
Tuscaloosa (CA-37),
San Francisco (CA-38),
Augusta (CA-31),
Louisville (CA-28), and
Portland (CA-33).
Among the other ships in reserve in the basin are
Fomalhaut (AE-20),
Webster (ARV-2),
Albemarle (AV-5),
Tangier (AV-8),
Pocomoke (AV-9),
Chandeleur (AV-10),
Abatan (AW-4),
Mission San Carlos (AO-120),
Prince William (CVE-31),
Anzio (CVE-57),
Block Island (CVE-106),
Palau (CVE-122), and
San Carlos (AVP-51).
Moored in the shipyard at the extreme left are
Tennessee (BB-43),
California (BB-44), and
Cabot (CVL-28).
US Navy Photo # 80-G-668655, now in the collections of the US National Archives.
|Robert Hurst
|USS Taconic (AGC-17), USS Pocono (AGC-16), USS Valley Forge (CVS-45) and USS Forrestal (CVA-59) moored at Naval Station Norfolk, circa March 1956.
US Navy from "All Hands" magazine, March 1956 issue.
|Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) moored pierside circa August 1956, Naval Station, Norfolk, VA.
US National Archives Identifier #6929436 a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) at anchor in Hampton Roads, 28 August 1956.
US National Archives Identifiers
6929434, US Navy photos now in the collections of the US National Archives
|Starboard side view of USS Pocono (AGC-16) moored pierside at Naval Station, Norfolk, VA., in May 1957.
|Photo by Derick S. Hartshorn
|Starboard aft quarter view of USS Pocono (AGC-16) moored pierside at Naval Station, Norfolk, VA., in May 1957.
|Photo by Derick S. Hartshorn
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) moored at Pier 5 Naval Station Norfolk, VA., circa 1957-58.
|Gail Caster
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) operating with an amphibious force circa the 1960s.
Photo courtesy Shipscribe.com
|Mike Green
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) moored at Genoa, Italy, 20 April 1960. Note the Helicopter Utility Squadron Two (HU-2) Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever on the flight deck.
|Photo by Carlo Martinelli
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) being assisted by the large harbor tug Oshkosh (YTB-757) at Naval Operating Base (NOB) Norfolk, VA., circa 1961.
US Navy photo contributed to the National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors by Rolan Conoley.
|Robert Hurst
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) underway off NOB Norfolk, VA, August 1964
|© Richard Leonhardt
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) underway, location unknown, 1965.
|Robert Hurst
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) underway in October 1964 during Operation Steel Pike I
|Jim McCoy
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) moored aft of USS Taconic (AGC-17), probably on the breakwater at Naples, Italy, date unknown.
|Gail Caster
|USS Pocono (AGC-16) under way, date and location unknown.
US Navy photo.
|Robert Hurst
|USS Pocono (LCC-16)
|First day postal cover for USS Pocono's change of designation on 16 November 1968 from AGC-16 to LCC-16.
|Richard Hoffner
|USS Pocono (LCC-16) moored pierside at San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1969.
US Navy photo courtesy Lou Sanders.
|Robert Hurst
|USS Pocono (LCC-16) showing damage to her bow after colliding with USCGC Courier (WTR-176) in June 1970.
|Chuck Grecco USS Pocono (AGC-16), 1970.
|Overhead view of USS Pocono (LCC-16) underway off the coast of Lebanon during the Suez Canal crisis of 1958.
US Navy photo.
|Robert M. Cieri
|Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page
|Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index
|Back To The Amphibious Command Ship (AGC) Photo Index
|Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster
This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo


text:
IWC Water Leadership Program
"The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority" - Dr Ken Blanchard, The Ken Blanchard Companies
Applications for the 2017/2018 Water Leadership Program scholarships are now closed. Self-funded direct applications are welcome, learn more here
Designed for emerging water leaders at the project to middle management level, this program is customised for the water sector through sound research and collaboration with experienced industry practitioners.
The program focuses on helping leaders to build the leadership abilities (e.g. skills, knowledge and networks), to manage complex challenges, as well as collaborate and exert influence across organisational boundaries.
The program won the 2013 Stormwater Industry Association of Queensland Award for Excellence in Policy and Education.
Who is this program for?
Participants will have opportunities to identify and strengthen key leadership attributes (e.g. skills) that are relevant to their individual work context. So, while the program has been designed in Australia, it can also benefit water practitioners from overseas.
Project and middle managers with:
- At least three years of experience in the water sector.
- A strong commitment to learning and personal development.
- A desire to complement their technical and management skills with advanced leadership capabilities.
- An aspiration to improve their ability to influence stakeholders and drive change in order to deliver more integrated forms of water management.
Program participants gain:
- Improved ability to strategically influence and to effectively drive change, especially in relation to challenging integrated water management projects and policies.
- Guidance on leadership behaviours and tactics from specialist researchers and respected water industry executives.
- New skills and tools to continue to develop as leaders over their careers.
- Greater self-awareness and improved ability to mentor other developing leaders and staff.
- Strengthened leadership skills that are necessary to advance to executive roles.
- New social networks with developing and established water industry leaders.
- Made an investment to a program which aims to generate a positive return on investment for participants' organisations in one to two years.
IWC Water Leadership Program versus Master of Integrated Water Management
To understand the relationship between the IWC's Master of Integrated Water Management and the Water Leadership Program, and how they both contribute to the IWC's vision of creating water leaders, download a high level conceptual model of effective water leaders here.
Are you ready to apply? Use our self-assessment tool
If you are not sure if this program suits your development needs, or if you are eligible, please use our 15 minute self-assessment tool:
Scholarship applicants
Applications for Water Leadership Scholarships are now closed.
Direct applicants (no scholarship)
Applications are now open. Learn more here
Other courses and services
Besides the Water Leadership Program, IWC also delivers other programs and services including a one-on-one water leadership service. Read more
Water Leadership Program/Scholarships webinar
Dr Andre Taylor, Leadership Specialist at IWC, presented the Water Leadership Program/scholarships webinar on 15 August 2017. Watch the recorded webinar here


text:
Hi-Fi Show Report -
June, 1996
By Stacey Spears
HiFi 96 in the Big Apple!
I first attended this show series last year at the Double Tree in LA; this time I headed to NYC for HiFi 96, my first time in the Big Apple. I spent 3 days in and out of the convention. The show took place on floors 3-10 and 16-18. There were local shops giving demos, to manufacturers who were doing their own. And most of the major magazines were handing out free issues of their latest. I am trying to get this information out as soon as possible to everyone on the net, so if you want more info on what I saw, just write me with the question and I will try to answer. A little DVD was there, along with DTS. I missed the Krell demo, and Cello was always booked. Some of the best of the show, I thought, was the Audio Alchemy Visual Reality Engine 1.0, the Meridian DSP5500's, and the Video setup in the Linaeum site showing Joe Kane's new Video Essentials LD.
At the entrance, there was a sign with the winners of the 1996 Golden Note awards:
- Analog Source Design- VPI TNT III with a flywheel, VPI Industries; Harry Weisfeld.
- Digital Source Design- Krell KPS-20i/L, Krell Industries; Dan D'Agostino.
- Digital Converter Design- Krell Reference 64, Krell Industries; Dan D'Agostino.
- Signal Processor Design- Angstrom 200 Surround Sound Processor, MMLabs; Mike Moffat.
- Tube Electronics Design- Audio Research Reference 600, Audio Research Corp.; William Z. Johnson.
- Solid-State Electronics Design- Pass Labs Aleph 3, Pass Laboratories; Nelson Pass.
- Cable Design- Transparent Music Link Reference Interconnect, Transparent Audio Inc.; Jack Summer.
- Peripherals Design- A.S.C. Revised Corner Traps and Tube Traps, ASC; Arthur Noxon.
- Loudspeaker Design- Wilson WATT 5/Puppy, Wilson Audio; Dave Wilson.
- Best Loudspeaker Value- Aerius, Martin-Logan Ltd.; Gayle Sanders.
- Aesthetic Design- B&W Nautilus, B&W Loudspeakers; B&W Design Team.
- Best New Company- Angstrom, MMLabs; Mike Moffat.
- Best Reissued Recording- Harry Belafonte, "At Carnegie Hall""; Classic Records.
- Best Original Recording- Mighty Sam McClain, "Keep on Movin"; Audio Quest Music.
- Innovative Technologies- Meridian 518 Noise Shaper, Meridian Audio Ltd.; Bob Stuart.
Angstrom showed their AC-3 add-ons: the 195 and 205. The first is a separate decoder that anyone who wants AC-3 can add to their own receiver. The other is built as an add-on for the Angstrom HED 200. The 195 is around $1,995 while the 205 is about $1,495. They were setup using Martin Logan Speakers with Muse electronics. Good demo. They played the opening of The Lion King, followed by Batman Forever. Their processor uses the Zoran chip with enhanced proprietary software. This was a nice demonstration of what AC-3 is capable of.
Audio Alchemy: One of the coolest new products at the show could be found in the AA booth. This is the VRE 1.0, Awesome! It made dot crawl extinct, and without the loss of detail! I will admit that the demo was setup in a way which favored the VRE, I mean I have never seen as much dot crawl at my house as the Mitsubishi exhibited in the AA booth. They said June 10th is the day it will ship for $750.00; you can bet I will be getting one, I hope, on June 11! They played several scenes from A Video Standard, including the famous super market scene. The fruit and signs where completely exempt of dot crawl. Even my CLD-99 has a couple of dots, so as soon as I have one in my hands I will put it up against my CLD-97, 99, and my TV to see just how good it is. I will report on it shortly after, here in SoHT.
The Citation booth made me sad. They gave the same old 7.0 demo from CES and HiFi 95, rather than showing their new 7.5 digital add-on. They played a segment of the Eagles Hotel California. Sounded good, but I was hoping to see their AC-3/DTS add-on.
Dolby had a unique demo. Instead of showing AC-3, they presented their 'S' type noise reduction, switching back and forth between cassette and CD. It was impressive to hear how good the cassette was against the CD. A lot has changed in the last couple of years! They handed out a sample cassette when we left. They also had a modified car stereo with S noise reduction. It was not as good as the home piece, but better than any cassette I have every heard before!
DTS was alive at the show, with a promise of 100, yes that's 100 LDs by Christmas!!! It seems like a long shot, since Dolby Digital (AC-3) has been pumping out discs for over a year, and they still have not reached 100. Brad Miller had several of his Music CDs for sale. They all retailed for $24.99. Unfortunately, there were no processors for sale at the show, and they said 30 to 60 days till they arrive. DTS announced the first 12 manufacturers who will be releasing DTS decoders: A.D.A, B&K, Counterpoint, Eigher Systems, Enlightened Audio Designs, Harman Kardon/Citation, Kinergetics, Krell, Mondial Designs, Rotel, Theta Digital, and Wadia Digital. The only demos I saw were the Eigher, Theta, and DTS's own. DTS used their prototype processor with a Runco Projector and NEW Runco Qaud. The picture was pretty good, although the motion artifacts did show themselves. It looked much better than their (Runco) line doubler ever did. The Rocket launch from Apollo 13 was demonstrated, and of course the scene from Jurassic Park where T-Rex escapes. Both sounded fantastic! Since MCA/Universal has no plans to release any titles using AC-3, I hope DTS survives.
Across the hall, Theta was showing their Casablanca model in DTS mode with music. WOW, I like multi-channel music!
Eiger Systems gave a THX, DTS, and AC-3 demo and also used the prototype DTS decoder. They will probably use the Motorola 56009 for their decoding. Although the music sounded beautiful, the video left a lot to be desired. First came Amadeus, then Casper in DTS with the morphing scene which started with Clint Eastwood, then morphed into Rodney Dangerfield, then Mel Gibson, and finally The Crypt Keeper. Cool! True Lies came last, but not least. The whole demo was very short.
Enlightened Audio Designs had a setup in two rooms. One was a music based room, using their transport and DAC. The other had their full system, TheaterMaster, SwitchMaster, Theatervision, and System Controller. Video was a Pioneer rear projector, showing Star Trek Generations, with Martin Logan Speakers. Nothing to brag about. There did not seem to be much motivation in the room. Perhaps it was the time of day.
Hsu Research showed their new HRSW12Va sub and 10V. This is a company that knows how to get down! Dr. Hsu always rocks the house with his demos. He had two of his new 12Va's in the front, one in the closet behind everyone, and a 10v in the closet next to the 12Va. He played the beginning of side three of True Lies, then he played a Drum CD. The bass was Tight and Deeeep! After the demo, Dr. Hsu told everyone that the only sub on was the little 10V in the back. Everyone looked blown away that a little sub could do so much. He said that he had the 12Va's going but neighbor exhibitors complained he was too loud. Not only does the bass kick, but the prices are ultra cheap: $750.00 for the 10v with amp, $450.00 without amp. $899.00 for the 12V. A price on the 12Va was not available yet.
Kenwood presented their new THX processor with AC-3. It looked very nice and had the unit with its top off. I did not stick around to hear it because it was late and time to go.
Lexicon showed a DC-1 with the lid off, but no demos though! Looks like a great piece, and my only complaint is the lack of digital outputs for external DACs.
Linaeum had a killer video setup, arranged by Joe Kane himself. They were displaying his new disc, Video Essentials. I can't wait for mine, and since I have attended the ISF course, I am getting one a couple weeks before the stores. I will tell you all about it when it arrives. I got to see Side 2, Chp 15, which is a video test that made the mighty Faroudja stress!! It also showed just how awesome the Faroudja is. I hate the thought of seeing what happens when I run that same chapter at home. The disc also has an AC-3 soundtrack.
Michael Green: I spoke to the man himself, who was very nice and helpful, while a lot of companies tended to blow off the attendees. He was really great, answered questions, and gave suggestions. He said that adding his room tunes, one on each side of the TV, helps make the TV disappear. Sounds good to me. You should experiment with the location. He was showing off what can be accomplished with his tuning racks, and said that a rack could be custom made for any application, including a rear projection TV.
Monster Cable: New cable called M2.4s, M2.2s, M1.4s, and M1.2s looks killer. These cables are replacements for the M1.5 and M1 line's. The 1.4 represents bi-wire, and 1.2 represents standard. Both of these cables have a new termination network which apparently helps to prevent rolling off frequencies above 2Khz. Their M100v video cable is now ISF certified. If Joe Kane says its good, well . . . .
Sony demo'd DVD, showing a prototype. The picture was not that great. It's funny how some of the hottest new products this decade got little attention.
Toshiba showed new 40" and 56" rear projectors with component inputs running DVD. These two TVs should be out by September, with the 40" around $3,000 and the 56" around $5,000. The 40" had an annoying glass screen that did not seem to be removable. If I get one, you can bet I WILL remove the screen. The 40" was in a room with some other TVs and a DSS dish. The other room was a full blown demo, but the picture was not setup properly, at least during my viewing. Both TV's were using the component input with anamorphic material (widescreen movies). Lots of potential. I asked if September 1 was still their goal, their reply was this Fall! They seemed very confident about that. Their DSS did not have Component or Digital outputs. How can a company that is smart enough to put these on DVD players forget to add them to DSS?
THX gave away cool badges, the latest version of their Home THX installation manual, and their Spring 1996 "Home THX Express." Inside it (Express) talks about a new THX laserdisc trailer, one that is said to be optimized for digital surround, with panning sounds from front to left and right rear channels. There are also several new THX video tapes coming: The Abyss, Heavy Metal, Last of the Mohicans, The Sound of Music, Speed, Tenchi-Muyo, and True Lies. There were seven demonstrations of complete home THX Systems: Atlantic Technology, Denon, Harman/Kardon, Citation, JBL, Kenwood, Marantz, and McIntosh.
Big Demo's:
McIntosh, Faroudja, and Vidikron had a very nice demo. They used McIntosh CD and LD players, Faroudja VP400 Quad., and Vidikron Ferrari RED Projector. They showed three different clips, the first two being Dolby Surround matrix, the last an AC-3 demo. The first scene was from First Knight, in which Richard Gere was dueling for money. This scene was mainly for visual purposes showing how it was filmed. The second was from Man of the House, the scene in the forest when Chevy Chase and son were being chased. This scene showed off some new filming techniques, very rich color, The third and final scene was from Golden Eye, the driving scene when Bond is racing his BMW against the Ferrari, mainly to show off the Faroujda. Amazing ability to handle motion on screen. Once the lights went out, I was drawn in, and awoke when the lights came on. That's what home theater is all about. I forgot about the equipment being used and just enjoyed. Nothing special about their AC-3 demo.
Meridian: They were showing off their new DSP-5500 loudspeakers. These fall in between their current high end and entry level Active Digital Loudspeakers. Their current top is the DSP-6000 at $16,000 a pair, then the DSP-5500 at $10,700, and finally the DSP-5000 for $5,400. The 5500s use the same electronics as their big brother, except there is one piece instead of two (head and base) and two forward firing woofers instead of four side firing. This allows them to be mounted in a TV rack/wall rack system. They also take a new approach at making them magnetically shielded. Instead of shielding the individual drivers, they slap two sheets of steel on the insides of the speakers. This also helps make the cabinet more rigid and keeps the drivers cleaner sounding. (They sounded AWESOME.) I first heard their prototypes at CES. The ones shown here (NY) had just started shipping the last week of May. Meridian also showed off their 518 Resolution Enhancer. This takes the 16 bit digital signal, and outputs up to 24 Bits, of dithered, de-jittered, not-digital-sounding music! I have lived with this unit for around 9 months. I am about finished with my review of the product and will publish it as soon as I am done!
Additionally, there was Meridian's new 566 true 20-bit DAC, feeding into their new 557 power amp. I only spent a few minutes in this room, and I kept going back to the other Meridian demos. In the main room they were showing what the 518 did to music, then they would show how their surround processor (565) yielded AC-3. When Bob Stuart was demonstrating the system, he played the Enya LD which was recorded using Ambisonic. This is the first time I have every heard it, and as soon as I returned home, I went out and purchased the LD!
For panel discussions, there was "Upgrading Home Theater for the Digital Age": Moderator was Lawrence Ullman. There were five panelists: Roger Dressler of Dolby Labs; Mike Moffat of MML, Inc; Bob Stuart of Meridian; Joe Kane of the ISF; and Mike Fidler of Pioneer.
First, Lawrence Ullman asked Roger to explain AC-3, then Mike Fidler was asked to explain about the RF and coax outputs of LD players and the need of a demodulator. Bob Stuart talked about the new music standard on DVD. He said it looks like it will be a couple of years away for music, and then he went on to explain the demodulator as well. He talked about laserdiscs and that the RF output is not going to be the main source of AC-3 in the future. By keeping the demodulator out of the processor, you can have a cleaner signal. Joe Kane went on to discuss the video portion of DVD, and his most important words were of concern. He is afraid that DVD could be killed by lack of consumer knowledge. This has to do with properly setting up the TV, and sharpness was his main point. Because DVD has much more detail than even laserdisc, the sharpness control needs to be turned down or even off. Sharpness does NOT really "sharpen" the picture but instead it adds noise and causes motion artifacts and dot crawl to become more visible!! Mike Fidler did not have much to say, but that Pioneer will support DVD. Then there was a question period from the audience. Joe got most of the questions; some were about copy protection. I think it was Gary Reber of Widescreen Review who asked about Macrovision on the component outputs. Joe said they are talking about not producing VCRs that can record in the component format, rather than protecting the component output. That is all still up in the air. Joe was also asked about component outputs on DSS. He said that currently no one is doing it at the factory, but there are custom installers who are modifying the Sony and RCA's by adding the outputs, as well as S/PDIF for better audio.
So there it is: Hifi-96.
Stacey Spears
© Copyright 1995, 1996, 1997 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue.


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October 25th, 2015
For kids in poverty, a shoe that grows with them
Any parent can tell you how often kids grow out of shoes, so it's no surprise millions of children living in extreme poverty go to school barefoot. But now there's a generous campaign to help this growing need. TODAY's Erica Hill reports.


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Ashley Cain replaced Katarina Kulgeyko. (USA)
Does anybody know what happened to Katarina?
A junior pair can compete at senior GP but that's a kind of extracurricular activity. As long as S/H (presumably) have no chance to compete at senior worlds and are expected to compete at Jr worlds again, their main field should be JGP.


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If trees come into contact with electricity lines they can cause damage to electricity lines and electricity outage, injury, electrocution, and, in dry conditions, even fires. When trees come within a prescribed distance of an electrical conductor, the tree must be trimmed so it no longer constitutes a hazard to the line. If an electricity company becomes aware of a tree that is a hazard it will send the landowner a trim notice.
If a trim notice has been issued, the tree owner must allow the electricity company to cut or trim the tree or arrange for a qualified contractor to do so. Generally, the first trim is at the electricity company's cost. Subsequent trimmings are at the cost of the landowner.
A different rule applies if the trees subject to the trim notice are within an Open Space covenant because the area is protected. A trim notice cannot be issued to you for this reason.
Contact the electricity company (a written notice is best) and let them know that:
You should ask your QEII regional representative for an approval to trim covenanted trees and to detail how they will check that any trimming is carried out to their satisfaction. This must be a written approval, and can be done by letter or email. Once approval has been given you can ask the electricity company to contact you to arrange the trimming.
We have a template letter on our website that you can use to write to your electricity company about a trim notice that affects your covenant. Alternatively, give us a call (0800 467 367 - ask to speak with a member of the legal team) and we can send you the template letter.
The template letter can be found at this link TEMPLATE LETTER.
A number of regulations are set out in the Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003 that are attached to the Electricity Act 1992. Regulation 8 triggers an exception where an Open Space covenant is concerned. In summary:


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Posted by News-Bot on August 03rd 2006
Is bigger really better? If you ask Ultra Products, they may answer both yes and no. At least when you ask them about their MicroFly Micro ATX Case. I'm not sure if
View article at bigbruin.com
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Will Wagenaar's Tin Can Robots
Artist and tinkerer Will Wagenaar proves that one man's junk is another man's robot with his photo album featuring dozens of robotic characters built out of old tin cans, forks, and assorted odds and ends (including some rather out-of-place and off-putting modern plastic toy parts). His amusing creations can be seen in all their antique goodness over on his Flickr account, brimming with personality and (of all things) popcorn and cheesies.
[source: Will Wagenaar @ Flickr] via [Robots-dreams]


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Innovation and Entrepreneurship
(Critical Survey of Contemporary Fiction)
Peter F. Drucker, author of many works including MANAGING FOR RESULTS and MANAGEMENT: TASKS, RESPONSIBILITIES, PRACTICES has now written a work on innovation and entrepreneurship. This book, whose primary focus is on the actions and behavior of entrepreneurs, presents innovation and entrepreneurship as a practice and a discipline.
INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP is divided into three main sections: "The Practice of Innovation," "The Practice of Entrepreneurship," and "Entrepreneurial Strategies." The introduction describes innovation and entrepreneurs in relation to the economy; the conclusion describes them in relation to society.
In Part 1, Drucker defines innovation as a means by which entrepreneurs may exploit change in order to create new service and business opportunities. Entrepreneurial enterprises by their nature create a market niche and fill a consumer need. These enterprises include small businesses, large enterprises, and nonbusiness service institutions. Sources for innovative opportunities in enterprises include new knowledge (scientific and non-scientific) and changes in industry structure, demographics, and perceptions.
Drucker's principles of innovation require analysis of opportunities, receptivity to new opportunities, starting small, looking to the simple, and achievement of leadership.
Part 2 focuses on managerial strategies for the new venture, the existing business, and the public service institution. All organizations must acquire entrepreneurial competence to keep pace with changes in economy and society. Leaders in the three types of organizations must become skilled in entrepreneurial management.
Part 3 examines practices and policies that entrepreneurs should follow in the marketplace. Drucker's strategies involve aiming for leadership and/or dominance of a new market or existing market, finding and occupying a specialized niche, and changing the economic characteristics of a product, market, or industry.
In concluding, Drucker stresses the need for innovation and entrepreneurship in society. To obtain this, entrepreneurial executives must make innovation and entrepreneurship "a normal, ongoing, everyday activity, a practice in their own work and in that of their organization." This treatise on innovation and entrepreneurship should be required reading for today's business people.


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The Oscars were rather... human!
March 8th, 2010
I watched the Oscars last night. I normally don't and normally really don't care about them, but somehow ended up watching them and was really surprised by the whole affair. It didn't seem like a whole lot of glitz with no substance this time. It actually seemed like real people getting honored for real achievement.
I really am wondering how this came about. Who is the mastermind behind turning the Oscars into an event that is somewhat worth caring about? Who was smart enough to turn it into a bit of an intimate affair about real people? Where did all the ridiculous dresses with plunging necklines and rising hemlines go? Did someone send out a memo to everyone and tell them to come looking like real people to this event?
Here are some brief points:
- Steve and Alec were awesome and so funny in such a simple, understated way.
- The show took the time at each step to answer the question "why should I care?"
- why should I care about the award for short films? – answered!
- why should I care about the award for sound engineering? – answered!
- why should I care which star wins an award? – answered!
- Sandra Bullock was so gracious! Actually, I used to be really "meh" about her, but since "The Blind Side" and associated behind the scenes stuff on that movie, I see that she's a real person with real gratitude. It seems so rare and so marvelous in Hollywood.
What can you learn from this?
You need to answer the question – "why should I care" for the people around you. Then you will be interesting. You will be able to lead. You will be able to close deals. You will be able to make new contacts.
Now for business people, go look at your website and marketing materials. How well have you answered the question "why should I care?" Make sure it's a human answer because people really only truly care for and about people in the end.
New Site: Personal Style Consultant
December 9th, 2006
I just recently finished building a website for Denise Saldana. Denise is a personal style consultant. This means that she will help you never have to worry about clothes again.
For the design of the site, it was important to come up with something that was classy and would appeal both to women and men. Men aren't as likely to look for a personal style consultant, I don't think, but we may be the ones who need it the most! Denise really enjoys helping out men and women both.
The site is built on Mephisto , so Denise can log in and modify her site herself, and it's really easy for her to upload photos and include them on her site. I can't wait to see the ways that she uses the site in the future!


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Father's Day is a special time for fathers and their children. Many fathers will spend time with their children doing their favorite activities. Some dads will go out to eat, barbeque, throw the baseball around, fish, or watch a movie with their family. But, some fathers will be thousands of miles from their family, out on the road driving a truck.
These men are a special breed of dad. These dads not only take care of their families, they also take care of important shipments that keep this beautiful country going. These dads support their families from long distances, which is no easy task. These fathers often miss important events within their family and they deserve the utmost respect. They sacrifice precious time with their children to make sure Americans get everything they need.
These dads have so much to be proud of. Not only should they be proud of their children but they should be proud of themselves for doing what many men are not capable of. They would insane hours in every condition to ensure their kids have a good life. These men have the ability to dive a vehicle that so many other men can't, and they create art with the way they load and tarp, and this is something to be proud of.
Dads in the transportation industry know the importance of family, that is why they take every safety measure while out on the road. Safety is personal to these drivers, they want to protect all families while they are driving.
From every son, daughter, wife, and friend, thank you truck driving dad for all you do and Happy Father's Day.


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Salespeople and car buying etiquette?
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Major General
Drives: BMW 335i - Coupe
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Washington, DC
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Originally Posted by
Man is it ironic I read this thread today, a guy I've followed up with months just send me this.
"My justification for the price - I have an offer of $250 over invoice for an order/PCD from an out of state dealer. Since this creates some hassles Id much rather work with a local dealer, plus its only fair to give you a chance to match what he can do."
Match 250 over invoice? Wow thanks for the opportunity, so now I'm invested because I've spent so much time and have to go beg my sales manager to sell the car at 250 over invoice otherwise I've wasted my time for nothing and some guy in some other state gets a flat for 30 minutes of paperwork, he'll never even see this guy.
You can't honestly think that a buyer should pay more than the lowest price they can negotiate? It sounds clear to me that your customer
Seems to understand how the car business works
Doesn't see the value in buying from you store as opposed to a different store
Ultimately, for you, it comes down to whether you want to deliver the car or let some other salesman do it. For the dealership's owner, it's a matter of whether there is profit in the sale at that price or not.
For potential buyers of cars who don't fully understand car business economics, here's some background and real facts that you can use to negotiate the best price on a car. Yes, if you are successful at this, you'll screw the salesperson's commission, but as a buyer, it's your job to minimize the price you pay.
Given the nature of the car business -- profit from the sale of the car minus cost to put the car on the lot/floor (floorplan) minus commission = dealer gross profit -- the customer's best negotiating position is obtained by separating the salesperson's objectives from the dealer's objectives. The reason for this is simple, and I'll explain it in just a bit.
Like all retailers, for car dealers there is a strategic continuum on which profit can be earned. At one end, they can seek to make money by selling large quantities of product at lower prices. At the other end they can sell less product at higher prices. Like all retailers, dealers maximize profit (from car sales rather than profit from providing car service.) by finding the right balance between those two extremes. Additionally, dealers are motivated (by the car company or the finance company) to move higher volumes because it improves the dealers negotiating position with the car/finance company as goes the cost paid to obtain vehicles and as goes the dealer's priority rating in getting vehicles. The reason for this is also because loans (to businesses) work on the same continuum; therefore volume matters also to lenders.
Thus ordering a car usually puts the customer in the best negotiating position because the customer is haggling price over a vehicle in which the dealer's objectives -- profit, borrowing leverage, and priority -- are met, and the salesperson's objectives are superseded by those of the dealership. Exceptions to this rule are, for example, cases such as when there is so much floorplan invested in a vehicle that the dealership knows it cannot sell the car at a profit and is thus willing to just move the thing to "stop the bleeding."
Let's look at why this is so. Consider that you (a dealer) go to a lender (bank, government, finance company, etc.) and they agree to give you the sum of money it takes to obtain a car, say $45K. The loan is collateralized by the car itself (because you and the lender know/believe you plan to and can sell the car, that is, the car is your inventory) therefore you put no money down. Now, you must make payments on that loan, so at the end of the first month, you will do so, let's say that it's $500. We'll say too that the retail price of the car is $50K and, as said earlier, the manufacturer sold the car to you at $45K.
Now, on the 13th day of the second month, you sell the car for $48K. Your profit (excluding commission since I've not included a salesperson in this scenario) will be:
($625 represents a proration of the payment amount for the portion of the second month that you had the car. Or in other words, the amount of the second loan payment you owe the lender for the use of their money for 13 days.)
As you can see, in 43 days, the you have turned $625 into $2375. You calculate the rate of return on that investment...Additionally, it would not surprise me if the monthly payment amount I've used in this example is far higher than reality, but even if it's not, it doesn't matter. They key is that dealers make huge amounts of money due to the incredibly high rates of return they earn on their invested cash. So the next time you hear, "Oh, we can't sell it at that price; that car just got here yesterday." Smile and just keep pushing for your price; there's nearly no floorplan invested in such a car.
Now, let's say that you get a customer who wants to order a car. What does that customer do? He puts down a deposit. What do you think that deposit is? It's at least the amount of money the dealer needs to get the car to his lot. In most cases, it's more than enough to get the car on the lot; thus, the deposit is free money the dealer can play with for as long as it takes to get the ordered car to the lot. So let's say, for example, the dealer must borrow $500 for each car he wants to put on his lot. The ordering customer gives a $2000 deposit. That becomes either three more cars the dealer can put on his lot at a cost to him of zero, or most likely it's three floorplan payments for cars already sitting on the lot. Let me rephrase that: that's three cars that for one month cost the dealer nothing to put them on his lot. Thus the dealer is using the ordering customers', not his own, money to finance keeping cars on his lot. Dealers love this!!! (Do you begin now to see why car businesses are all about the cars sold in a month?) And here you thought that the phrase "No money down" applied only to buying houses...
So now, for the car you, Mr. Customer, want to order, whose money got the car on the lot? It wasn't the loan from the lender, it was the customer's money; your money. And how much is the dealer's investment in that car? Zero. So now we are talking about the dealer making profit while having invested no money to obtain that profit. And therein lies the power of ordering a car rather than buying one off the lot. how often would you let someone walk into your store and say: I'll give you $250 for free?
Another factor to consider is something called "full absorption." When a dealership is fully absorbed, all it's operating costs are covered by the income produced by the service part of the business. That is why you never see a new car dealer (and few used car dealers) that doesn't do service. (You do see service operations that don't sell cars.) In general, if you see a dealer that's been around for a long time, they are fully absorbed (or damn close to it).
(Next time you are are the car store, and not negotiating the price of a car, ask them if they are fully absorbed. Smile broadly and congratulate them if they tell you, "Yes." You just dramatically improved your negotiating position. If they tell you, "No," you may want to make a comment such as:
Really? Did you folks have some weak managers for a time? What I mean is, I'm surprised that for as long as you've been around you haven't yet reached, or you have lost, that status. Why should I buy a car from you knowing that the continued existence of your store still depends on car sales, which we both know is highly susceptible to economic fluctuations, to cover your costs? Any manager you are talking to will get the point.)
As a customer, what does full absorption mean to you? It means that when you are negotiating for a car, your ability to split the dealership's profit motive from that of the salesperson is improved. Here again, given that the dealer puts cars on the lot via floorplan and the dealer is fully absorbed, the profit from the sale of the car is less critical and the quantity of cars sold becomes more important.
So now, the question is, how often will you let someone walk into your store and say to you: I'll give you $250 for free and you won't even have to pay administrative overhead or salesperson commission on it because the service department operations already has that covered? Change that $250 to $1000 and how often would you do it? ($250 is the amount over invoice price the customer is offering...)
When a customer can establish a negotiating position that pits the dealership's profitability against the salesperson's profitability, it likely sucks for the salesperson because the offer from the customer, though yielding no meaningful commission for the salesperson, lets the dealership make a satisfactory profit or advances a volume target. Thus by negotiating on an ordered vehicle, the customer pits the dealer's interests against the salesperson's, and strategically speaking, that's the best position the customer can be in.
It is for these sorts of reasons that I try to buy cars that very recently arrived on the lot or order cars. Indeed, I'd be completely outraged, and tell the GM so, if they thought I were going to walk in and give them some huge amount of my money that provides them with an infinite rate of return (the rate of return on zero invested is infinite), and lets them use my money, interest free no less, to get the car there and using my money to finance at least one other car already there.
One final note: you can be sure that if the dealer obtains the car you want from another dealer, you are definitely paying far more that you should for that car. Again, the reason is simple: that car costs the dealer more than do the cars already on his lot. Indeed, you are paying so much more that you could travel to the car you want (by plane even), negotiate a price and drive home for less than the excess you are paying to have your dealer obtain it from another dealer.
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Beruthiel and Saniel: Guild Reward Fish Feasts And New Characters
Every so often I like to do something really nonsensical. Like wear the nearest item to hand like a hat, or decide to do some sewing while we watch our pre-sleep TV. Well, today I'm going to throw two posts together for you that really don't go together for any reason other than they're both short and good reads.
Oh, I guess it kinda makes sense to put them together then. Anyway, the first is a quick solution for any guild that wants access to one of the fish feast guild rewards. As Beruthiel notes those rewards aren't quick to get hold of and you might not be sure where to start. So she's put together a quick guide on exactly how to achieve one of the feasts and what you'll need to do it. She says that it's not the best feast you can get through guild rewards but it's a start – useful for any guild, especially those looking to start raiding soon.
On a coupletely different note Saniel's poking you about your habits. Not in a bad or creepy way: he's just curious what little quirks you have when you create new characters. He gives an example of one of his own – I didn't even twig that the starter hairstyles weren't the only options – and is genuinely interested to hear what traditions you might have. A fun topic and one I suspect we can all pitch in to.
So do you have any quick tips or amusing quirks in game that you don't mind sharing?
_No quote taken this time as both posts are quite short – go read, will take you but a mo.
You can find Falling Leaves and Wings' homepage here
You can find Primal Precision's homepage here_


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Broken Social Scene: Live in Dallas
Kevin Drew and Amy Millan of Broken Social Scene
If I were to revisit my 2005 "Best of" list, Broken Social Scene's self-titled release would be much closer to the top spot (it was #9 on my list.) Hearing songs like "Shoreline," "Ibi Dreams of Pavement," and "Superconnected" performed live by the Canadian supergroup/art collective reaffirms why they're one of my favorite bands: they make loud, expansive, densely layered songs that have incredible depth and complexity, often drawing attention away from the fact that these are some of the most melodic, catchy pop songs ever.
While the absence of Feist almost automatically meant that this show wouldn't be as good as last time I saw BSS, this was still one of the best shows I've seen all year. Openers Do Make Say Think's swirling instrumental post-rock was a pleasant surprise, and the only complaint I have about their set is that it was too short. BSS' Kevin Drew is an intriguing dude. It's fascinating to me for some reason to watch this kid try to rein in and hold together the huge group of amazing musicians on stage, most of whom often seem more interested in veering off into total noise/chaos. Amy Millan was great in Feist's place, and "Anthem For a Seventeen Year Old Girl" sounded great despite some technical difficulties. The band's performance of "Hotel" (or as Drew called it, "dancing time") was markedly better than last time. It's become my favorite song from BSS:
Broken Social Scene Hotel mp3
The Decemberists and Lavender Diamond are playing tonight at Gypsy. LD's Becky Stark was formally-trained in opera, and from what I've heard about her live performances, she's not to be missed:
Lavender Diamond You Broke My Heart mp3