Aside from dreading taxes, drivers of automobiles have always faced another unpleasant reality of life: accidents. Whether this involves rear-ending another driver or slamming into that pole in the parking lot, we are subjected to the headache of who is liable for the accident and how our insurance will cover it.
One such response was taken by the United States government through subjecting human participants to various chemicals.
In cases involving sealed and unsealed documents, the Supreme Court has developed a policy in which access to court records should be strongly favored. Although parties do enter into agreements to seal documents after a district court trial, the party that moves to seal the records thus has a strong burden of proof to show that there is a "compelling reason" to keep access to these records at a minimum.
Within the last few years, the topic of immigration has come to the forefront of American politics. From the recent shooting this summer by an undocumented immigrant of a woman in San Francisco to the different plans set forth by presidential hopefuls about how to fix the "immigration problem," the topic is unfortunately as difficult to discuss as it is complicated.  One of the agencies at the forefront of this debate is the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. In particular, there are numerous allegations that the USCIS is purposefully delaying the Freedom of Information Act requests that immigrants need for their citizenship hearings.
To provide some context, the Freedom of Information Act was passed in 1967 to provide residents within the United States with the ability to request significant amounts of information from any federal governmental agency.  Throughout the naturalization process to become citizens, immigrants applying for citizenship need various items of documentation from the U.S. government whenever they appear before an immigration judge. In addition, if their petition for citizenship is denied, people often submit FOIA requests to obtain additional evidence to appeal the ruling.
In recent American politics, most citizens have experienced a heightened sense of uneasiness about the development of technology and the extent to which the government can obtain and retain their personal information. A prime example of this tension took place earlier this year, when Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) decided to filibuster the soon-to-expire Patriot Act, a law first passed after 9/11 which extended the government's ability to monitor citizens in its efforts to combat terrorism.  However, the public's concern over invasions of its privacy isn't just limited to the behavior of the government. With the growth of numerous technology-driven entertainment sectors, corporations are now coming under attack for the ways in which they handle personal data.
One particular effort to control companies' actions is the Video Privacy Protection Act. This legislation arose following the 1987 Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Judge Robert Bork, during which his personal movie rental data was released to the public.  The Act restricts video service providers' retention and disclosure of a consumer's personal information.  The retention component specifies that the corporation must destroy all of its information about a customer within one year after he or she stops using the company's services. This last point in particular has yielded interesting rulings from a few of the Circuit Courts.


text:
Washington Supreme Court Issues MERS Smackdown
While MERS has served to illustrate the utter recklessness of the securitization industry, in that its promoters apparently believed that they could implement it nationwide and simply force state law to comply. But as the banks have found out, the law is not always so obliging.
Today, Washington State, which is a non-judical foreclosure state, gave MERS a serious setback. Its finding in Bain v. Metropolitan Mortgage, that MERS may not foreclose in Washington, is not as bad as it sounds, since MERS instructed in servicers to stop foreclosing in its name in 2011. But the reasoning of the ruling is far more damaging. And the court has opened up new grounds for litigation against MERS in Washington, in determining that it false claim to be a beneficiary under a deed of trust is a deception under the state's Consumer Protection Act (whether that can be proven to have led to injury is a separate matter).
The case came before the Washington Supreme court because it was asked by a Federal district court to address three certifying questions:
Is MERS is a lawful beneficiary with the power to appoint trustees within the deed of trust act if it does not hold the promissory notes secured by the deeds of trust? If no, then:
What is the legal effect of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., acting as an unlawful beneficiary under the terms of Washington's Deed of Trust Act? and
Can consumers claim violations of the state's Consumer Protection Act based on MERS having incorrectly claimed it was a beneficiary of a deed of trust?
The answer to the overriding question was indeed "no". The court's immediate objection was straightforward. MERS claims not merely to be an electronic registry of deeds, but also to be a beneficiary of the deed of trust. However, as the court points out:
Traditionally, the "beneficiary" of a deed of trust is the lender who has loaned money to the homeowner (or other real property owner). The deed of trust protects the lender by giving the lender the power to nominate a trustee and giving that trustee the power to sell the home if the homeowner's debt is not paid. Lenders, of course, have long been free to sell that secured debt, typically by selling the promissory note signed by the homeowner. Our deed of trust act, chapter 61.24 RCW, recognizes that the beneficiary of a deed of trust at any one time might not be the original lender. The act gives subsequent holders of the debt the benefit of the act by defining "beneficiary" broadly as "the holder of the instrument or document evidencing the obligations secured by the deed of trust."
These days, that "instrument or document evidencing the obligations secured by the deed of trust" is a promissory note, a borrower IOU. But MERS executives have said consistently in depositions that MERS has nothing to do with the borrower notes. So under Washington law, it can't be the beneficiary of the deed of trust and hence can't foreclose.
The court also rejected the idea that MERS could act as an agent of the lender/noteholder:
But Moss also observed that "[w]e have repeatedly held that a prerequisite of an agency is control of the agent by the principal." Id. at 402 (emphasis added) (citing McCarty v. King County Med. Serv. Corp., 26 Wn.2d 660, 175 P.2d 653 (1946)). While we have no reason to doubt that the lenders and their assigns control MERS, agency requires a specific principal that is accountable for the acts of its agent. If MERS is an agent, its principals in the two cases before us remain unidentified.12	MERS attempts to sidestep this portion of traditional agency law by pointing to the language in the deeds of trust that describe MERS as "acting solely as a nominee for Lender and Lender's successors and assigns." Doc. 131-2, at 2 (Bain deed of trust); Doc. 9-1, at 3 (Selkowitz deed of trust.); e.g., Resp. Br. of MERS at 30 (Bain). But MERS offers no authority for the implicit proposition that the lender's nomination of MERS as a nominee rises to an agency relationship with successor noteholders.13	MERS fails to identify the entities that control and are accountable for its actions. It has not established that it is an agent for a lawful principal.
As an aside, the funniest bit of MERS's argument was a dressed up "deadbeat borrower" pleading:
MERS argues, strenuously, that as a matter of public policy it should be allowed to act as the beneficiary of a deed of trust because "the Legislature certainly did not intend for home loans in the State of Washington to become unsecured, or to allow defaulting home loan borrowers to avoid non-judicial foreclosure, through manipulation of the defined terms in the [deed of trust] Act."
The court was not moved and basically said it was the banks' fault if they got themselves in the position of not being able to foreclose:
One difficulty is that it is not the plaintiffs that manipulated the terms of the act: it was whoever drafted the forms used in these cases.
But the ruling goes further and picks at the foundations of the MERS system, and not just its role in foreclosures. Most state hew to the view of the 1867 Supreme Court decision, Carpenter v. Longan, that the mortgage cannot be separated from the note, that the mortgage is a "mere accessory" of the note and has to travel with it. The Washington Supreme court focuses on the fact that MERS inserts a new party:
As MERS itself acknowledges, its system changes "a traditional three party deed of trust [into] a four party deed of trust, wherein MERS would act as the contractually agreed upon beneficiary for the lender and its successors and assigns." MERS Resp. Br. at 20 (Bain). As recently as 2004, learned commentators William Stoebuck and John Weaver could confidently write that "[a] general axiom of mortgage law is that obligation and mortgage cannot be split, meaning that the person who can foreclose the mortgage must be the one to whom the obligation is due."
The court later states that it is not clear whether MERS split the note and the mortgage; if MERS really is the agent for the noteholder, it is likely no separation occurred.
The court also took a dim view of the diffused responsibilities within the MERS system:
While not before us, we note that this is the nub of this and similar litigation and has caused great concern about possible errors in foreclosures, misrepresentation, and fraud. Under the MERS system, questions of authority and accountability arise, and determining who has authority to negotiate loan modifications and who is accountable for misrepresentation and fraud becomes extraordinarily difficult.	The MERS system may be inconsistent with our second objective when interpreting the deed of trust act: that "the process should provide an adequate opportunity for interested parties to prevent wrongful foreclosure."
The Supreme Court effectively punted on the second question, which was what would be the legal effect of MERS being an unlawful beneficiary under the state's Deed of Trust Act: "…resolution of the question before us depends on what actually occurred with the loans before us and that evidence is not in the record."
On the final matter, of whether MERS being an unlawful beneficiary would give rise to claims under the state's consumer protection laws, the court said it could, depending on the facts of the case:
…we answer the question with a qualified "yes," depending on whether the homeowner can produce evidence on each element required to prove a CPA claim. The fact that MERS claims to be a beneficiary, when under a plain reading of the statute it was not, presumptively meets the deception element of a CPA action.
The Seattle Times amusingly quoted the MERS attorney complaining that the court respected the law:
Douglas Davies, the local attorney who represented MERS, said the court imposed "the literal language of a dated statute," reaching a decision that didn't benefit either borrowers or lenders.
"The Supreme Court has created a chaotic situation and essentially left it to a taxed legislature to come up with a solution," Davies said in an e-mail late Thursday. "The only certainty that will come from this decision is a plethora of lawsuits that will overburden an already burden[ed] judicial system."
Funny, the state attorney general apparently didn't think so, since he wrote a brief supporting the borrower.
Perhaps most interesting is that MERS has taken to settling cases where it gets wind the court might rule against it, deliberately skewing the record to create the impression that its procedures and legal structure enjoy more acceptance from courts than they actually do. Given its recent conservatism, I wonder what led them to hazard a high profile loss. It might be that Washington's deed of trust is distinctive enough that they thought they could take the chance, in that they could take the position that its implications for other states are very limited. We'll see soon enough if that assumption is valid.
This entry was posted in Banana republic, Banking industry, Legal, Real estate on August 17, 2012 by Yves Smith.
← Links 8/16/12 Quelle Surprise! SEC Plans to Make the World Safer for Fraudsters, Push Through JOBS Act Con-Artist-Friendly Solicitation Rules →
Mark P. August 17, 2012 at 3:18 am
'Amusingly … Douglas Davies, the local attorney who represented MERS, said the court imposed "the literal language of a dated statute,"'
Otherwise known as the rule of law. Very droll.
Tim Bryant August 17, 2012 at 9:07 am
Not to mention that "Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc." ceased to be a legal corporation under Delaware laws in 1999. "MERSCORP, inc." replaced this entity under its' 1999 amendment to Articles of Incorporation. No new corporation was formed legally, as claimed by William Hultman. The trademark of "MERS" was even transferred to MERSCORP, inc in 2003.
This will be the next big bombshell, and hopefully, the death knell to this fraud artifice.
Social Apocalypse August 17, 2012 at 9:50 am
Let's talk about re-constructing the chain of title on most mortgage where MERS was the "bridge" between the original lender and the foreclosing lender. YOU CAN'T DO IT. THAT is the biggie. Also: All MERS loans will have to foreclose judicially now, and that means a judge will be looking at these silly documents… This is a massive decision.
binary logic August 17, 2012 at 1:20 pm
"in determining that it false claim to be a beneficiary under a deed of trust is a deception"
Fix this Yves.
George T. Cat August 17, 2012 at 3:42 pm
http://publicola.com/2012/02/09/mckenna-and-obama-hype-26-billion-foreclosure-settlement-with-mega-banks/
WA state AG also just settled a case with a BofA subsidiary for $1.1 million. He is running for Governor and was on the lead team of AGs putting together the bank settlement.
Thanks Yves. I'm surprised only 4 of us have responded. This was huge. Your final paragraph about Washington state deeds of trust being unique enough to Washington law that this ruling might not travel very far is unsettling. But until other states make their own decisions to go on to confuse themselves with all the fatal entanglements of allowing MERS to be an agent because there is "no law against it in this state" (in full knowledge of and in spite of this really dutiful Washington ruling), we can feel satisfied. Thanks Washington Supremes.
steelhead23 August 17, 2012 at 6:52 pm
"I'm surprised only 4 of us have responded." Well, its more now, but you know, this decision/answer is somewhat remote from an actual foreclosure action, so it is not entirely clear what the outcome may be. The question remains: who can foreclose where MERS is the beneficiary? Stay tuned.
I find Alex's comments below a bit startling. He is suggesting that HP may be the responsible party in creating this property title mess.
One thing is obviously true – if MERS cannot foreclose and has and has done so using forged and fraudulent documents – and it certainly appears it has in thousands of cases, unraveling this mess is going to take years. And MERS (or perhaps HP) should pay dearly for the mess they've made.
DANNYBOY August 18, 2012 at 9:41 am
DANNYBOY here to respond, making at least 5.
Been overwhelmed by financial crimes, must expand bandwidth.
Alex Morfesis August 17, 2012 at 5:52 pm
ah…life as the merscrusher…its been fun…and great to see these cases finally get somewhere in non judicial states…it was fun shadow boxing with the other side on these foreclosre issues…but as I have promised in other forums, we here in florida have only flashed a boob…we aint given the full monty yet…but the election will soon pass and this fight can finally be over in the next 6 months…but…since I like to give my friends at morgan and lewis sleeplessnights…one more peeling back of the onion…(see what happens when you send a cease and desist letter to the wrong bastard…:)
is MERS a real entity or a teflon semi non profit so that EDS/HP can make tens of millions per year processing information…remember…EDS used to belong to GMAC…
who gets most of the MERS "database fee" money…
EDS…it has gotten almost all of the money since day one…not only does MERS not handle the notes…it does not handle any of the work either…it has always, from day one been EDS…so…since EDS helped design this mess and then moved forward to make sure it was pushed out across the country…
Is HP liable for tens of billions of dollars in homeowner suits if it is the true financial benificiary of the MERS system…??
who who who benefitz….
Peter August 17, 2012 at 6:54 pm
(1) Can someone please refer me to an article or book which explains in one place how mortgages work? I find the whole story of mortgage fraud most fascinating and infuriating, but the more I read about it here (thanks Yves!) the more confused I get. I am not stupid, but this makes me feel I am.
This ruling is interesting because it raises some questions:
(2) In light of the court ruling, if someone were to stop paying their mortgage payments, who would have the authority to foreclose? I was surprised to note my credit union registered the mortgage with MERS. I think they said it would make it easier to transfer the mortgage to Fannie Mae.
(3) An acquaintance of mine has been jacked around by his mortgage holder/servicer when he tried to apply for a mortgage modification – classic symptoms included loss of paperwork, people on the phone asking for resubmissions of documentation, dragging out the process, people not returning calls, etc.
How can he use the court decision to force some action from his provider?
(4) Can local jurisdictions (e.g. county auditors) sue MERS to recover filing fees? When I contacted my county auditor about this, she didn't know if the MERS system was legal or not – it's a grey area.
Jake August 17, 2012 at 7:51 pm
See the work of law professor Christopher Peterson, particularly his article on demystifying the two faces of MERS.
Sam August 18, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Thank you Supreme Court Justices for WA!!
I've filed two law suits against Bank of America for illegal foreclosure procedings on my house. The banking system (including all GSEs with MERS) have hit this country harder financially and much worse than any other incident except our free trade policy with China.
Most promissory notes have undergone securitization and are no longer classified as loans. Most are still unaware of this. I'm convinced that many judges have been persuaded to rule in the favor of the "bankers" in order to maintain and preserve our economy against a tidal wave of lawsuits, destroying our economy. Unfortunately this is exactly opposite of what our country needs.
These bankers and all behind this dastardly system need to be brought to justice and hung for treason. The good American people are resilient and would easily be able rebound from the crippled destructive thieving banking system if the justice system would only uphold the state constitutions and common law. Fractional banking allowing bankers to lend what they don't own, at its root is criminal and the largest contributor to all the problems we see emerging in this financial crisis. I tell you the Federal Reserve Bank is the center piece in this criminal design. Although the Federal Reserve is above reproach as it is exempt from an external audit. My main question is why are the servicers allowed to foreclose even after they have been paid in full from the taxpayers via FNMA? The answer is the elephant in the room.
TitleZ August 19, 2012 at 2:12 am
Sam I think that you make a salient observation that many judges probably believe that they are protecting the economy by ruling in favor of the mortgage industry. But it is not just judges. I am an young attorney in the title insurance industry (a rarity), and I have studied MERS since the robosigning scandal broke in late 2010. It never ceases to amaze me how many of the more senior people in my industry and the mortgage services industry, a lot of them lawyers, truly believe that the legal attacks on MERS are a conspiracy by deadbeat borrowers to get out of paying back their loans. They believe this in the face of a trove of evidence that the MERS model was a half-baked wet dream of the lending community of the late 90's and 2000's that prized profit in the secondary mortgage market over creating reliable mortgage contracts. The MERS model was built on untested legal theories that seemed to work well during the housing bubble when borrowers had no real reason to question how it actually functioned. But now that millions of bubble-era mortgages have turned out to be toxic crap, and an unanticipated tsunami of foreclosures are in the pipeline, borrwers are exercising their right under the law to raise foreclosure defenses–exposing the scary possibility that MERS was built upon a legal foundation of sand. There are many people in the industry that have their reputations all wrapped up in the creation of MERS. It wasn't long ago that MERS was lauded as a triumph of legal wizardry that revolutionized a old fashioned system that was built upon 300+ years well-settled law. Hubris. Unfortunately, the mentality today by the movers and shakers in the financial world is that MERS has become too big to fail, just like many of our largest banks. We cannot forget that our current financial crisis is rooted in toxic mortgages, and as long as these mortgages remain in the foreclosure process, they still have life. Foreclosure is merely the last stage of the mortgage sausage-making machine, and serious threats to our economy exist as long as these mortgages are still "in play." Laboring over the legality of MERS slows down the foreclosures and delays putting the mortgage nightmare behind us. So I see how the temptation must be very real to buy into the fallacy that whitwashing problems with MERS will preserve the real estate market and the economy at large. However, the only thing that will truly restore confidence to the marketplace is the rule of law and good faith dealing. Hopefully the Washington Supreme Court decision will be a small step in that direction.
Richard Davet August 19, 2012 at 6:45 pm
Ask you elected represenatives as to why they guaranteed fnma's mbss (first implied and now explicit).
The reps & warrants not only protect fnma, but also the borrowers against the mischief of servicers.After all, you elected represenative are supposed to protect their constituents first…..then the gses.
Read more at http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/08/washington-supreme-court-issues-mers-smackdown.html#ufGkXdEapsmC86S7.99
Lisa August 18, 2012 at 5:22 pm
Wow. My attorney submitted the exact same argument back in 3/10. The Superior Court Judge who heard the case dismissed it. And, yes, he also threw me out of my home of 21 years. Can't wait to review the cases filed in response to this decision.
Thank you, Jake, for the reference. It's about a 50 page paper available as a pdf from here:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1684729
There is a note in the decision in which the foreclosee (Bain) alleges she was the victim of serious abuses (misrepresentation, fraudulent mortgage transfers, nondisclosure of loan docs etc.). She is suing in federal court and the judge asked the state court to clear up issues under state law so the lawsuit could proceed. I will now attempt to answer my own questions:
(2)If someone stops making their mortgage payment, the note holder most probably has grounds to foreclose.
(3)The problems people have with negotiating loan mods may be because it's difficult, due to MERS, to find the actual owner of the note. And the agencies servicing the note aren't wanting to make it any easier. If the effects of this lawsuit make it more difficult for MERS-registered companies to foreclose then they might find it in their interests to be more direct.
(4) Yes. I am not a lawyer but if the Supreme Court found that the MERS pretension that it owns the mortgage is fraudulent, maybe the counties could even use the Consumer Protection Act in the public's behalf to recover fees.
Math is Your Friend on Links 7/16/19" I've seen a prediction no ic cars...
RMO on 2:00PM Water Cooler 7/16/2019Are you sure he wasn't going for "Evel...
RMO on 2:00PM Water Cooler 7/16/2019Today's Tom Steyer He gets high on you...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Bird protection netting or pigeon nets simply reverse the function of aviary nets. Whereas aviary/poultry nets serve to protect your feathered livestock from birds of prey and ground predators in poultry farming, bird guard nets protect building facades and orchards from hungry birds. Pigeons, in particular, can thereby quickly become a pest. A pigeon guard net easily keeps these pesky birds at bay.
Various models of bird guard nets are available at Safetynet365. Depending on which bird species you want to protect your facades, orchards or vegetable beds from, you can choose from three different mesh sizes: 20, 30 and 50 millimeter mesh sizes are available. This allows you to optimise your bird deterrent net for your individual use.
The issue of pigeon control is becoming increasingly relevant. Particularly in cities, pigeons are becoming annoying pests. These "winged rats" attract more attention with their droppings than with melodious song. A bird protection net with a mesh size of 50 millimeters effectively keeps them at bay. These pigeon guard nets are mounted on facades to prevent these large birds from making themselves too comfortable there. Unlike many other types of pigeon deterrent, pigeon guard nets are completely safe for the birds.
Smaller birds can be "combated" using smaller mesh sizes. For birds of about the size of starlings you'll need a mesh size of 30 millimeters, and for sparrows, 20 millimeters. These bird species are attracted to fruit and berries, due to which the nets are used in allotment gardens and orchards to defend the precious fruit. Whether you're growing cherries, apples, pears, grapes, currants or strawberries – when installed correctly on trees and bushes, these light and thus easy-to-handle bird guard nets offer reliable protection. If you live in an apartment, you can also mount the bird guard net on the balcony to protect your pot plants.
This is due to the material properties of the bird protection nets which are of a quality that you won't find in a DIY store. The bird protection netting is made of high tenacity, knotless polypropylene with a square, regular mesh structure. They are characterised by their weather-resistance and UV-stability, which enable them to withstand many years of wind and weather in outdoor use. Here at Safetynet365 you don't buy nets in ready-made sizes, but instead design your bird deterrent net square meter by square meter, in accordance with your individual requirements.
Besides the pigeon guard net, there are a whole series of other methods to defend buildings from pigeons: the most common anti-pigeon measures are pigeon-deterrent spikes. These prevent pigeons from flying into certain areas and building nests or depositing droppings there. They are usually installed on large buildings. A spiral of similar design keeps pigeons at bay, while at the same time protecting people from getting injured on the deterrent device and are therefore recommended for private use on window ledges. Conversely, an electric bird deterrent ensures that pigeons are permanently driven away from certain places with the aid of low-voltage electric shocks.
A pigeon protection net (or bird protection net) is the gentlest way of keeping pigeons away, as it protects certain areas from pigeons in an aesthetically attractive way. Due to the fineness of the material, it is almost invisible and therefore has hardly any visual effect on its surroundings. At Safetynet365 you can find custom-made bird guard nets and pigeon deterrent nets!


I can never contemplate Adam and Eve and the tree of knowledge without Newton. Don't we all gravitate towards the apple, the question, the why, in much the same way as we cling to earth. And what's wrong with seeking our own truth?


text:
Q: Communications strategy: Linux to .Net over SSL We have two machines which need to communicate: a Linux based gateway, and a windows server based application.  The software on the windows machine side is .NET based.
We currently have communications working over basic tcp/ip sockets using a custom protocol.
The problems I have with this are:
1) working with raw sockets is difficult to pull off effectively - what higher level abstractions might we be able to leverage?
2) we have a future requirement of implementing SSL secured communications - my impression is that this will be difficult to do when working at this level
If you were going to implement secure communications between Linux and .net, what technology stacks on both platforms might you use?
Some other potentially useful pieces of information:

*

*I am a .Net developer with almost no  experience in linux (other people will implement the Linux portion)

*the Linux gateway should be assumed to be be behind a firewall (connections must originate from the gateway)

*communications will be frequent - for example exchanging data once per minute

*the windows platform software is ultimately the one requesting data.  (so perhaps a long polling strategy might be appropriate)

If the gateway was .net based, I imagine I would be leveraging wcf and wsdualhttpbinding.  Given that it's Linux, what strategy would you recommend?  (Any merit in libcurl+long polling+wcf?)
Edit:  some different google queries have uncovered gSoap.  Perhaps this is what I'm looking for...

A: I ended up going with node.js and websockets for realtime communication, and a REST based service to satisfy some separate request/reply type needs.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


States may be able to opt-out of expanding Medicaid coverage if two Senators have their way. Senators Lindsey Graham and John Barrasso introduced a bill last week designed to provide 'Medicaid flexibility,' for states. The Senators argue that Medicaid is a drag on state budgets and plans to expand the program under federal health care reform legislation will only exacerbate the problem.
17 million new people will be eligible for Medicaid by 2014 under health care reform. According to the Senators, expanding eligibility will only add to the financial burden already on state governments and they should be allowed to opt-out of the expansion of the program.
While, eligibility for a program is no guarantee that an individual will choose to join the program, the Senators feel even the option is too much. Senator Barrasso argues that increasing the state matching requirement will force states to pull money from other programs in order to meet these new requirements.
Critics of the bill in Congress say that letting states opt-out does nothing to address the problem of health care access for children and low-income individuals. In the Graham's home state, nearly one in four people are on Medicaid now, many of them children. Even though federal health care reform legislation will open the insurance market overall, many people still do not earn enough from their jobs to afford insurance. Medicaid is there to provide access for these people and children.
The uninsured population in South Carolina grew from 16.8 percent in 2009 to 20.6 percent in 2010, according to the U.S. Census. As currently written, the bill offers no alternative solutions for the problem of access to health care for the working poor. There are no provisions for free clinics or other access to health care for individuals who would be eligible for Medicaid under the expansion.
The lack of alternatives makes the bill unlikely to advance in Congress, despite support from governors like Nikki Haley, who called the expansion a "disaster for South Carolina's budget." However, the bill has sparked some debate over the cost of health care for low-income populations – a bracket of individuals which is growing as the recession deepens throughout the US. Some states are trying to keep costs down by cutting reimbursements to health-care providers but these and measures like Graham's do little to get at the core issues of health care costs, individual incomes and the growing US jobs crisis.


If you just look at the contracts on the books next season, there is an ungodly amount of money for teams to throw around this offseason. We're looking at over $45,000,000 of open "space" for some teams to fill with multiple max players that will undoubtedly bring their franchise to the promise land. Unfortunately, calculating a team's cap space is not that simple. And while this next salary cap spike will give teams the ability to spend big on free agents, there are a lot of variables influencing how much money any given team has to spend. And for many teams, that means their options are far more limited than it appears. Or, at the very least, it means that teams might have to give up something they have in order to have a shot at something they want.
This post will explain the variables that go into calculating cap space and the steps it takes to calculate that cap space. In addition, it will show the steps that teams can take to maximize their cap space.
Cap holds are a tool that the NBA uses to ensure the free agent playing field is fair and prevents teams from manipulating their cap sheet to act like they have more cap space than they do. There are three basic kinds of cap holds: free agent cap holds, rookie cap holds, and incomplete roster cap holds. Most cap holds add money to a team's cap sheet for players who are not under contract but are expected to be signed by the team in question due to an advantage it holds. This advantage is in the form of salary cap exceptions. Free agent exceptions (specifically the Bird, Early Bird, and Non-Bird Exceptions) and rookie exceptions give teams unique and unrivaled privileges to re-sign their own free agents or sign a draft pick. As such, free agent and rookie cap holds force teams to put "salaries" on their books as placeholders for expected deals.
For every player on a team that will be a free agent in the upcoming offseason, there is a free agent cap hold applied to the team's salary cap. This applies to any free agent of the team, even if he has not played with the team during the most recent season as long as he hasn't signed with any other NBA team or been renounced. While the idea is uniform for each one of a team's free agents, there are factors determining what the cap hold looks like depending on the number of years the player was under contract and whether he is an unrestricted or restricted free agent.
Veteran unrestricted free agents have four types of cap holds (Bird, Early Bird, Non-Bird, and Minimum Player) and they depend on the nature of the player's most recent contract. Many of these cap holds are intrinsically linked to their corresponding exceptions. Rookie unrestricted free agents follow similar rules with slightly different results. Both categories of unrestricted free agents and their cap holds are described below.
The Bird Exception is for players who have been under contract with the same team for at least 3 seasons or are under such contract and have been acquired via trade and it allows teams to sign players up to the max. The cap hold for Bird Free Agents is (i) 190% of the player's prior salary if such salary was below the average NBA salary, or (ii) the lower of 150% of the player's prior salary and the max salary that player can sign if the players prior salary was above the average NBA salary. Kevin Durant, for example, is a Bird Free Agent and his cap hold is $25,852,000 (the 2016-17 max) because his current salary is above the average NBA salary and 150% of his current salary exceeds his max.
The Early Bird Exception is for players who have been under contract with the same team for 2 seasons or are under such contract and acquire via trade and it allows teams to sign players up to 175% of the prior salary or 104.5% of the average NBA salary, whichever is higher. The cap hold for Early Bird Free Agents is 130% of the player's prior salary.
The Non-Bird Exception is for players who have been under contract with the same team for 1 season or are under such contract and acquired via trade and it allows teams to sign players up to 120% of their prior salary. The cap hold for Non-Bird Free Agents is 120% of their prior salary.
Regardless of how many years they have been with a team or under contract, players who are playing under minimum contracts have a cap hold that does not correspond with the free agent cap holds above. Free agents who are coming off of a year in which they are paid the minimum have a cap hold equal to the minimum salary applicable to that player for the upcoming salary cap year that will not be reimbursed by the league. For most unrestricted free agents, this means the minimum contract for a third year player or $980,431 for the 2016-17 season. It should be noted, however, that the relevant free agent exception will still apply to this player. Hassan Whiteside, for example, has a cap hold for the minimum but he is still an Early Bird Free Agent and the Heat can hypothetically sign him using the Early Bird Exception.
A separate category of free agents are rookies on their rookie scale contract who do not have their team options picked up for the third or fourth year (otherwise known as the first or second option years). These players become restricted free agents the summer after their team options are declined.
If a player's first year option is declined by his team, then he is technically an Early Bird Free Agent. His cap hold, however, is not the same cap hold as veteran Early Bird Free Agents but instead is the maximum amount his team can pay him using the Early Bird Exception. That maximum does not correspond to the Early Bird Exception described above but instead is the amount the player would have received under his rookie scale contract if his first year option would have been picked up .
For players who have their second year option declined by their team, they become Bird Free Agents. The cap hold for these players is the maximum amount the team can pay the player under the Bird Exception. Similar to the rookie scale free agents described above, the maximum amount teams can pay these players is the amount the player would have received under his rookie scale contract if his second year option would have been picked up.
While free agent cap holds can severely limit or perhaps entirely eliminate money teams have to spend in free agency, teams can get around most cap holds by renouncing a player.
When a player is renounced, his cap hold is eliminated because teams no longer have an advantage in signing the renounced player. If teams want to re-sign the renounced player, they can only do so by using their cap space, or another exception such as the Minimum, Mid-level (or Taxpayer Mid-Level), or Bi-Annual Exceptions. But free agent exceptions become unavailable and the player is technically treated like any other free agent.
Let's use Dwight Howard and the Rockets for a brief (and simplified) example. Dwight Howard has a player option this summer that he can decline by June 30th. If Howard elects to opt out, he will be one of the Rockets' Bird Free Agents and his cap hold will be $30,084,000 (or the estimated max salary for 2016-17). That basically eliminates any cap space the Rockets might have. However, if Houston renounces Howard, his cap hold comes off the books, their cap sheet opens up and they have some money to spend. If they wanted to re-sign Howard, the Rockets would need to use some of that cap space or another exception.
Restricted free agents also have cap holds, but their value is determined by multiple factors. For first round picks that play through their rookie scale contract, their cap holds are: (i) 250% of their prior salary for players who make less than the average NBA salary or (ii) 200% of their prior salary for players who make more than the average NBA salary. If, however, the player signs an offer sheet with another team, their cap hold will increase to the first year salary provided for in that offer sheet.
It should be stressed that this only applies to first round picks who are on rookie scale contracts. First round picks like Nikola Mirotic who did not sign a rookie scale contract  will not be restricted free agents and thus will have their cap holds determined as described in the "Unrestricted Free Agents" section above.
For restricted free agents who were second round picks, cap holds are the higher of their (i) free agent value, (ii) the value of their qualifying offer, or (iii) the amount of a signed offer sheet. Because most second round picks are on minimum contracts and are signed for two or three years, most cap holds for second round picks are equal to the player's qualifying offer, at least initially. If the player signs an offer sheet with another team, the amount of salary provided in the first year of that offer sheet becomes the player's new cap hold. Langston Galloway, for example, will be a restricted free agent with the New York Knicks this summer and his cap hold will initially be his qualifying offer of $1,180,431. If the Orlando Magic, for example, sign Galloway to an offer sheet with a first year salary of $5,628,000 (the max allowed due to the Gilbert Arenas Rule ), Galloway's cap hold would increase to that amount until the Knicks decide to match or let him walk.
Teams also have cap holds if they hold a first round pick in the upcoming draft. First round picks have salaries that are already set under the NBA's rookie scale. All NBA teams with a first round pick have a cap hold for 100% of the rookie scale value of their pick.  For example, the Minnesota Timberwolves are projected to get the number 5 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. As such, if they get that pick they will have a cap hold for $3,227,100. If the Lakers' pick falls out of the top 3 and the Philadelphia 76ers have the Lakers' pick and their own pick, then, assuming the picks are #1 and #4, they would have a two cap holds worth $4,919,300 and $3,952,500, respectively. A team like the New York Knicks, that does not have a first round pick in the 2016 draft, would not have any rookie scale cap holds.
Again, this is a tool that prevents teams from pretending they have cap space when they ultimately do not. If a team has a first round pick, they are likely going to sign him and they generally know how much money will be given to him because of the rookie scale. So a cap hold is necessary because first round picks are not signed immediately and teams can wait until July 15th to make a contract offer.
In addition to picks made in the most recent draft, teams must also add a cap hold for prior year's first round picks who they have yet to sign. The cap hold for these players is 100% of the rookie scale value that corresponds to their pick in the year they were drafted. A good example of this is Dario Saric and the Philadelphia 76ers. Saric was drafted #12 in the 2014 NBA with a rookie scale value of $1,803,400. Because he was a Eurostash pick, his cap hold was excluded from Philadelphia's team salary at the start of the regular season. But because the 76ers still hold his rights, the cap hold is applied to their cap sheet the following July 1st and this pattern continues until Saric is signed or has his draft rights traded or renounced by the 76ers.
In addition to cap holds for free agents and first round picks, there is a cap hold for having too few players on your roster. For every open roster spot below 12, a cap hold of the minimum salary for that salary cap year is added. The incomplete roster cap hold for 2016-17, for example, is $541,473. To add up how many players are on a roster, teams use the players who are under contract as well as non-renounced free agents, and first round pick cap holds. These cap holds are mostly used for teams who are clearing their free agent roster for cap space in hopes of landing one big free agent.
Cap space is not just about cap holds. In addition to adding cap holds onto current guaranteed contracts, teams must also add all of their exceptions to their cap sheet. This means the Mid-Level Exception, the Bi-Annual Exception, the Disabled Player Exception , and all trade exceptions. Though much like renouncing players, teams also have the option to renounce any or all of their exceptions in order to create cap space. If a team elects to do this, it loses all of those exceptions for the remainder of that season/salary cap year (though such teams would acquire the Room Exception). It is also important to note that a team can lose its exceptions. If a team is below the salary cap even after adding their exceptions to their cap sheet, those exceptions are lost and cannot be regained.
Step 1: Add all guaranteed and non-guaranteed contracts not including qualifying offers.
Step 2: Calculate the free agent cap holds for all of the team's free agents, including restricted free agents and any non-renounced free agents from prior years, and add to the value of Step 1.
Step 3: Determine what, if any, first round pick the team is projected to receive in the NBA draft and add the rookie scale amount for the upcoming season. Add this to the value calculated after Step 2.
Step 4: Determine whether the team has any unsigned first round picks from previous years. If they do, add the rookie cap holds that correspond to the year they were drafted and their draft position to the amount calculated in Step 3. If they do not, ignore this step.
Step 5: Add any and all trade exceptions, the Mid-Level Exception, the Bi-Annual Exception (if applicable), and Disabled Player Exception (if applicable) to the amount calculated in Step 4.
Step 1: "Waive and renounce" any players with non-guaranteed deals for the next season.
Step 2: "Waive and renounce" all of the team's unrestricted free agents. To create maximum cap space a team can decline to give any restricted free agents a qualifying offer, making them an unrestricted free agent. These players can be "waived an renounced" as well.
Step 3: "Renounce" all of the team's exceptions.
Step 4: Determine how many players are left on the roster and subtract that number from 12. If it is a positive number, then you need to multiple that number by the minimum salary for the upcoming season and add it to the guaranteed contracts. If it is zero or below, you don't need to do anything.
After step four, you should have the maximum cap space a team can create without trading or buying out a player. You can play around with this number by taking some but not all of the clearing steps, keeping in mind that Step 4 cannot be avoided if there are less than 12 players and free agents on a roster.
 A good example of this is Robbie Hummel who did not play with the Timberwolves during the 2015-16 season but has a left over cap hold after becoming a free agent last summer.
 Note: Teams must decide on whether to pick up their option by October 31.
 Eurostash players (or any first round pick) whose draft rights are held for 3 years but have not signed are able to sign a non-Rookie scale contract for any amount of money provided the team has the requisite space or exceptions and the contract does not exceed the players max contract.
 The Gilbert Arenas Rule protects teams who have restricted free agents who are also Early Bird free agents by limiting the first year in an offer sheet to a maximum amount of the Mid-Level Exception.
 The rookie scale listed in the CBA is considered to be 100% of the rookie salary, though teams and agents can negotiate any rookie contract to an amount up to 20% higher or lower.
 Note: Disabled Player Exceptions expire on January 15th of a season so any Disabled Player Exception added to a team's cap sheet for a summer must have been generated on or after July 1st.


Please have a good time, but do the right thing and don't get behind the wheel if you've had a "great" time. We'll see you next year!
Daily Commentary – Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 – Security or Privacy?
There have been complaints in the past that full body scanners are too invasive. They may have stopped the "underwear bomber" from getting through security – so the question seems to be, which is worse?
Dana gives his thoughts on the past year, on faith, and on next year's prospects.
Dana has a go at a sleep specialist's list of 19 reasons to take a nap.
Daily Commentary – Thursday, December 24th, 2009 – Merry Christmas!
We won't have any new programming for you till the 28th. In the meanwhile, enjoy the holiday and thanks for listening!
Comments on CNN's top 10 heroes list for 2009.
Dana comments on Fox's list of top celebrity gossip stories for the year.
Daily Commentary – Monday, December 21st, 2009 – Overreaction or Misunderstanding?
A story involving a police officer who allegedly jumped out of his car with a gun while off duty after being pelted with snowballs raises an interesting concern.


For cat people stuck in finding a last minute catsitter or have trouble finding excellent, affordable, clean, cat friendly accommodation, check out Momo Cat Hotel!
Finding myself having to leave the country suddenly and thus no time to organise a sitter, I searched high and low for a good cat boarding service. However I felt pretty depressed and deflated of the usual services offered by vets and small cat hotel cafes that sees cats confined to tiny cupboard like spaces or glass cabinets and would make any cat go crazy, neurotic, depressed or all of the aforementioned. So I jumped on Naver and searched cat hotels in Seoul and discovered Momo Cat Hotel.
They're located in Wolgye Dong, Nowon Gu, just near Changdong subway station, north east of Seoul, but don't let the distance deter you - they can pick up and drop off your kitty for a reasonable fee from anywhere in Seoul. Plus if your cat stays longer than 10 days, one trip will be free! The manager Jung Min was also kind enough for us to kindly join him on the pick up and see our kitty Hobbes settle into his room, then drop us off at the nearby subway station after.
Momo Cat Hotel is a converted villa apartment space and has 13 private rooms for cats and a open office/lounge space full of cat towers and cat friendly furniture. There are three types of rooms, all of which have ample space, places for cats to jump, play and hide as well as go to the toilet.
3. Special room - this is the largest room, ideal for more than one cat and has some nice cat furniture.
When you make your reservation you are required to pay 10% of the total amount, including any transport fee, and the remaining amount on the day of pick up.
Each room has a humidifier and bacteria filter appliance. You can also choose what kind of litter you would like - from fragrant less to fragrant sand, as well as pellet litter. Litter is cleaned everyday and the box washed once a week.
Cats are also let out of their rooms once a day to roam around, play and hang out on the cat furniture and socialise with other cats and the resident feline manager, Momo. The staff also spend time playing, grooming and petting your cat in their rooms.
The rooms and hotel space are wonderfully clean and quiet for the cats i.e no bad cafe music playing, but I believe you can choose to have music played in your cats room, from light jazz, classical and instrumental!!? However, it's still a peaceful and low key environment for the cats. Addditionally, there is always at least one person at Momo throughout the day and night to be there with the cats. Jung Min is also wonderful is keeping a daily diary of your cat and documenting your cats activities and wellbeing.
And the best thing! ...... each room has a WEBCAM so you can see how your kitty's doing anywhere, anytime, 24 hours a day! Jung Min was kind enough to set it up as an app on my phone for extra convenience. I have to say, this was a wonderful thing to have and reassures the most concerned kitty guardian, no matter how far away you are. However, the webcam only works on Firefox and Safari, not Chrome.
I really cannot be happier with the care, consideration, facilities and service of Momo. It's great to actually find something like this in Seoul and it gave me much peace and mind while I was away. Jung Min and his staff are lovely cat people and they give excellent individual attention to each cat. My kitty Hobbes developed a mild runny nose and slight sniffles the day before he was due to return to my house, and though he recovered two days after he returned home (just spring allergies) Jung Min continued to follow up with me on how he was doing after he left. He showed genuine concern for Hobbes even though he was experiencing his usual seasonal allergies. I was touched by his thoughtfulness and concern. Besides this, Hobbes came back to us happy, healthy and well. We even got some small print outs of adorable photos Jung Min took of Hobbes during this stay there which was very sweet! Jung Min is a little shy as he doesn't speak English but he also has a friend, Jian, who does and she was wonderful and helpful to deal with when I needed to. If you can't speak Korean, ask a Korean friend to help you make a reservation or contact Jian.
Also, if you have any questions you can contact me (Daisy) at dbisenieks@gmail.com.
Thanks for writing up all the info about this place!!
I've added the link to the ARK Links Directory as well under the (relatively new) category "Pet Sitting and Boarding".
Wow, this is soooo cool! Thanks SO much for the info on this place! Love, LOVE the webcam idea! Can't beat those prices either... Wow, my husband and I may actually be able to get away for our tenth anniversary after all!!! Is the price per cat or per room?
Hi Amanda! The aforementioned prices I'm guessing are per cat for each room type. Here's the prices for boarding 2 or more cats in each room, but you may need to clarify with Jian if Jung Min charges the mentioned prices per cat or if it's the price for both cats, I'd say it's for both??
Oh I see- 2,3,4,5 cats- got it, great! Still a bargain compared to what you'd pay in the States for the same facilities (but probably inferior care from what it sounds like)! Thanks!!


text:
Federico Delbonis was the defending champion but chose not to compete.

Alejandro Falla won the final against Italian Paolo Lorenzi with partial 7–5, 6–1, and in which it becomes the first Colombian to win this tournament, Carlos Salamanca was as yet the only Colombian to reach the final losing in 2009.

Seeds

Draw

Finals

Top half

Bottom half

References
 Main Draw
 Qualifying Draw

Bucaramanga Open - Singles
2014 Singles

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: How do I install the PYEPHEM module (pip) in Termux? I tried to install ephem or pyephem python module in Termux* but I could not. Can anybody help me?
Termux is a simulator terminal linux android app...

A: I tried to reproduce your error but couldn't ¯_(ツ)_/¯


Election Day 2016. Thank goodness it is finally here. No, not because I am a political wonk, but because I am tired of hearing about it. Regardless of your candidate of choice, I think we all agree that it will be a bit more enjoyable to not be inundated with "coverage" from the 24/7 news outlets or rantings on social media from our "friends". While I admire people's passions and advocacy, I will somewhat enjoy returning to hearing only about what a great dinner a friend had or seeing pictures of pets and children.
While I don't pontificate on election preferences, I do wonder what the next few years will have instore regardless of the winner. Here are a few thoughts along those lines.
Where will interest rates head? After bottoming in the summer, post Brexit, at an all-time low, the 10-year treasury note yield has risen recently to about 1.83%. Still rather low but headed upward and would seem to continue on that trajectory in the foreseeable future. Mortgage rates are sitting around 3.50 % for a 30 year fixed and 2.77% on a 15 year, per Bankrate.com's averages.
Recession or not? I heard at a conference not too long ago that it is about 75% likely that we will experience a recession in the first 2 years of the next President's term, regardless of the winner, based on historical patterns. The good news is that the expectation is that the next recession will not be as severe and broad as the last. It may be focused in regions where high growth has been occurring over the last few years. For areas like ours, where we have recovered but not too rapidly, we may not be as significantly affected.
What is the next wave in housing? Urban, downtown living has been the trend and continues to carry momentum. But as with everything, how will it evolve? Will apartment dwellers decide they would rather own? Will they want to stay in the city or move out for more affordable space? Are millenniums ready to become first time home buyers? Do we have affordable housing stock to sell to first-time buyers? I keep hearing that new construction is steady but there is a shortage of qualified, skilled labor that is making it difficult to build affordable, first time homes.
Will Amtrak bring a wave of new tourists into Virginia's Blue Ridge? The new station is slated to open in downtown Roanoke next year. Will the train help us continue to become a destination? I think with a good marketing effort we will see more folks from DC, the northeast and European countries coming to visit.
How will unmanned vehicles (think drones and driverless cars) change the way we live? Did you know that the Ridge and Valley Chapter of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has a significant membership in our region? There are many local companies working with Google, Amazon, the Department of Defense and many other interested entities to define and establish how Unmanned Vehicles are introduced and used going forward. Burritos are being delivered by drones as part of a study at Virginia Tech and Liberty University is starting a major program in unmanned vehicle repair next semester. There is great opportunity for our region to be a leader in this sector. How can you be part of it?
And what will our region look like 10 years from now? In my opinion. We need to think bigger geographically and cooperatively. It is great that Roanoke(Carilion) and Blacksburg(Tech) are working together on many new endeavors, but as the future develops, we should consider the benefits of joining forces as a mega-region. Think beyond political boundaries to perception. Imagine if the area from Wytheville to Lynchburg to Martinsville to Lexington became perceived as a region. What could we get accomplished without giving up autonomy but leveraging each areas' strength and understanding that the success of one will benefit the whole? Jobs created in Pulaski indirectly benefit Roanoke City because workers in Pulaski will come to Valley View to shop and grab dinner. Don't believe me? Go to dinner on a Friday night at one of the restaurants near the Mall. We are all integrated as citizens of this region. Welcome the successes of each other and develop partnerships to benefit everyone. Consider the recent formation of the Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facilities Authority(WVRIFA) and it's acquiring of land for a new industrial park as a forerunner of mega-region opportunities. Maybe I-73 will be next.
I hope you all have a great election day.
Thieves, Scammers, and Scaliwags- Oh My!
Thieves have hit the real estate transaction market. Yeah, no surprise there, is it? Given that we are all exposed to some degree in today's "e"-world, every online interaction we participate in is at risk of being spammed, phished, trolled or spoofed.
But, it is easy to not realize how prevalent the risk of identity theft is during a real estate transaction. So buyer, seller, REALTOR, lender, attorney, settlement agent, appraiser, home inspector, title examiner BEWARE.
If you are buying, selling, or refinancing real estate or helping the transaction to occur, you are being targeted for fraud. Scaliwags are watching both online and for yard signs for listings, announcements of the sale of a property, and collecting information via the internet and in-person to determine when a property is being sold or financed. When they find one, they are then spamming, phishing, trolling or spoofing all parties involved in the transaction to try and gain access to personal account information in hopes of being able to steal the monies that are changing hands, be them from the lender to the borrower, or from the buyer to the seller. And if they get their grubby hands on your information they will use it to try and steal you funds.
One recent example. A settlement closing officer was contacted just prior to closing via email by a person pretending to be the seller with "new" wiring instructions. Those instructions were to have the seller's proceeds wired to a different bank account than what had been part of the original instructions from the seller. The diligent and observant escrow officer questioned the new e-mailed instructions as she had not previously corresponded with the seller via email and the email was poorly written. To confirm the change, the escrow officer called the seller and the seller confirmed that they had not sent "new" wiring instructions. In fact, they were insistent on receiving a check for their proceeds. It was an attempt by the crook to have the funds wired to a fraudulent account. The question you probably are asking is how did the criminal know that the seller was due to receive funds just days later. As I mentioned when I started, everybody has everything online now and unfortunately the criminal element is very adept and informed on how to gain access to information that they can use to get your funds.
So, what can we do to limit the chance of fraud.
1.	Be suspicious of requests(especially via email) for secrecy or pressure to take action quickly.
a.	Out of Band Communication: Establish other communication channels, such as telephone calls, to verify significant transactions. Arrange this second–factor authentication early in the relationship and outside the email environment to avoid interception by a hacker.
b.	Digital Signatures: Both entities on either side of transactions should use digital signatures. However, this will not work with Web–based email accounts. Additionally, some countries ban or limit the use of encryption.
c.	Delete Spam: Immediately delete unsolicited email (spam) from unknown parties. Do NOT open spam email, click on links in the email or open attachments. These often contain malware that will give subjects access to your computer system.
d.	Forward vs. Reply: Do not use the "Reply" option to respond to any business emails. Instead, use the "Forward" option and either type in the correct email address or select it from the email address book to ensure the intended recipient's correct email address is used.
Significant Changes: Beware of sudden changes in business practices. For example, if a current business contact suddenly asks to be contacted via their personal email address when all previous official correspondence has been on a Company email, the request could be fraudulent. Always verify via other channels that you are still communicating with your legitimate business partner.
So, beware of the crooks. Thanks to Fidelity National Financials Fraud Insights Newsletter for providing details for the example above and for the helpful ways to avoid a scammer.
I recently attended the 25th annual Real Estate Trends conference organized and hosted by the VCU School of Business in Richmond. This was my first time attending and I found that the speakers were informative and provided useful information regarding national real estate trends, government sponsored programs to support housing initiatives, and the movement towards using social media in real estate.
I thought I would share with you the top takeaways from the best of the presenters. She is Mary Ludgin and is a partner and Director of Global Research at Heitman. Heitman is a Chicago-based, global investment firm focused solely on real estate.
Email me back if you would like to see the full version Ms. Ludgin's presentation and I'll get it to you.
-Economic Recovery has only been OK, but US Real Estate has had a strong performance with unleveraged real estate returns over the last 4 years exceeding 11%.
-We are closer to the end of the expansion than the beginning. Average post-WWII period between recessions is 61 months, we are now in month 75 since the bottom of the last recession.
Average recession begins 5 years after FED starts to tighten, which hasn't happened yet and 5 years after housing starts reach 1 million units which occurred in January 2015.
Other factors were discussed but they all point to it being closer to the end of the expansion than the beginning. Mary's "guess" was that we still have about 1 to 3 years left in this expansion.
-Offshore buyers are representing a greater percentage of cross-border investors growing from 7.6% to over 10.7%. European and Australian investors are moving into the US.
-Strong growth is dependent on strong job growth. While the US has been relatively flat, certain metro areas like Austin, San Jose and Charlotte have been thriving.
-Industrial RE market hasn't peaked yet but is trending up. Apartments are still hot everywhere. Office space has been a slow recovery due to slow job growth, redesign of space, and shrinking square foot per worker. Retail-Top end is doing well, older less attractive space needs to be repurposed.
I hope you find the informational interesting and useful.
Let me know your thoughts about these emails. If you'd like to be taken off the distribution list, I'll be glad to do so.


The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund encourages you to read and circulate this excellent article that appeared today on the Counterpunch website. The article exposes the collusive relationship between Wall Street banks and corporations and the NYPD. The PCJF filed a class-action lawsuit on Oct. 4 on behalf of the 700 protesters who were entrapped and falsely arrested by the NYPD during a march of thousands from Wall Street to Brooklyn. Forward this article to your friends through email, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking websites.
Videos are springing up across the internet showing uniformed members of the New York Police Department in white shirts (as opposed to the typical NYPD blue uniforms) pepper spraying and brutalizing peaceful, nonthreatening protestors attempting to take part in the Occupy Wall Street marches. Corporate media are reporting that these white shirts are police supervisors as opposed to rank and file. Recently discovered documents suggest something else may be at work.
If you're a Wall Street behemoth, there are endless opportunities to privatize profits and socialize losses beyond collecting trillions of dollars in bailouts from taxpayers. One of the ingenious methods that has remained below the public's radar was started by the Rudy Giuliani administration in New York City in 1998. It's called the Paid Detail Unit and it allows the New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street corporations, including those repeatedly charged with crimes, to order up a flank of New York's finest with the ease of dialing the deli for a pastrami on rye.


text:
Flybe Is Back, With Planes And Passengers!
by Spyros Georgilidakis | Apr 20, 2022 | Airlines, News | 0 comments
Last week, Flybe was back flying – or perhaps we should say that the new Flybe is now flying. Either way, it is picking up where it left off!
Photo: Belfast City Airport
At its height, the pandemic was an extreme test for many, including the world of aviation. But in hindsight, we can probably say that it didn't cause the demise of as many airlines as some feared. Some carriers certainly did close their doors, as a direct result of these times. However, other carriers that went away, did so in large part because of troubles predating the events of 2020. Norwegian was one of them, Flybe was another.
But like Norwegian, now Flybe is back – sort of. Technically, this is Flybe 2.0, a separate entity from the previous airline. The original company changed its name, into [the somewhat uninspiring] 'FBE Realisations 2021 Ltd'. Similarly, the new company originally had the name 'Thyme Opco Limited', as we saw.
G-JECX in its original Flybe colours.
Flybe Is Back, But As A New Airline
The company's return wasn't easy. Originally, its investors wanted to retain the first company's Air Operator Certificate (AOC). This would make its licensing process somewhat simpler. Crucially, it would also have allowed it to retain the original airline's valuable slots, in Heathrow and elsewhere. Alas, Flybe is a new airline, with a new AOC – but it still got back some of those slots.
Launch flight! Photo: Birmingham Airport
This return to operations had some interesting highlights. Early last year, we saw that Flybe would get a Dash-8-400, previously operating for Austrian Airlines. This aircraft (MSN 4014, reg. OE-LGA with Austrian) will never fly for the airline. Flybe only used it to get its AOC, then put it back on the market – it is now with Canada's PAL Airlines.
Instead, the airline restarted its operations with another Q400. This is a plane that was previously in the fleet of the first Flybe. G-JECX is a fifteen-year-old aircraft, belonging to lessor Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC). The plane's history is a good record of how Flybe made its way back to operations. It was briefly registered with Virgin Connect when the original airline was set to become a Virgin subsidiary. This was one of the many chapters in the airline's list of troubles.
Changing Competitive Environment?
In any case, the new airline's base is Birmingham Airport (EGBB) in the UK. Its launch flight was BE404 on April 13th, from Birmingham to Belfast George Best Airport (EGAC) in Northern Ireland. This flight takes just under an hour, in a Q400. Interestingly, this is a route that now has more competition than before the pandemic. However, we've seen that other routes that the airline previously operated, remain underserved today.
The new colours are simpler, but the brand identity remains mostly intact. Photo: Alec Wilson, CC BY-SA 2.0
Flybe has since brought back another aircraft, also formerly with the old airline; this is G-JECY. The airline intends to make a gradual return to operations. Flybe should have at least six aircraft before the start of the summer season. And counter to trends elsewhere, it appears that the airline intends to offer complimentary refreshments.
Many expected Flybe to return in the summer of 2021. That didn't happen, but perhaps it was intentional. Flybe did not benefit from government support – at least not as much as other airlines rising from their ashes. On the other hand, the new company is free from the debt of the old operation. But in any case, timing its return for a time with as few restrictions as possible (hopefully) will help its growth.


At React Fitness we provide technologically advanced equipment that offers club operators and health care professionals an opportunity to create additional revenue and a real differential over the competition. Our products engage, excite and motivate members. We are the exclusive partner in the UK and Ireland for Styku, the world's most powerful and consistently precise 3D Body Scanner. The Styku software quickly and simply captures the body in 3D and gives insight into all aspects of body composition and shape analysis. Set goals, determine health risks, compare statistics and rankings and track changes over time using powerful and motivating visuals and trend analysis. Styku is helping health clubs, fitness and wellness centres to generate substantial income by enabling businesses to actively engage with their members and create a better position to offer personal training, small group training, nutritional programmes, drive membership sales and increase retention levels.
Our portfolio also includes the recently launched Expresso GO Bike - a new gold standard for indoor cycling which we will be exhibiting for the very first time in the UK. The Expresso GO Bike offers a unique and thrilling interactive experience to inspire well-being and create a connected motivated community. Working out on an Expresso Bike is an experience unlike anything else.
We also offer expert advice in all aspects of supply, installation, service support, maintenance and training. Customer Care and Satisfaction has always been our major focus and we pride ourselves on providing the best possible service and support to all our customers. Please visit www.react-fitness.com and come and have a chat at Elevate on Stand G21.


tool lockers 1320312655in charge tool lockersconstruction steel tool lockers.
tool lockers tool vault elite 72 20 drawer roller cabinet w hutch and side locker garden tool lockers.
tool lockers trinity 72 stainless steel rolling workbench mechanic tool storage lockers.
tool lockers metal tool storage lockers.
tool lockers large candy colored plastic drawer storage cabinets lockers finishing cabinet childrens bedroom drawers garden tool lockers.
tool lockers tool cabinets menards.
tool lockers garden tool lockers for sale.
tool lockers tool lockers side cabinets garden tool lockers industrial tool lockers metal tool storage lockers.
tool lockers extreme tool boxes 55 29 drawer professional tool cabinet wtop chest and 2 tool cabinets.
tool lockers hutches and horizontal lockers tool storage lockers.
tool lockers extreme tools 24 professional side cabinet blue plastic tool lockers.
tool lockers tool charging lockers steel lockers kwazulu natal.
tool lockers tool charging soild door lockers with rcd plug equipment storage lockers.
tool lockers get quotations old series workers ikea drawer storage cabinets cabinets lockers baby child children closet clothes storage cabinets tool cabinets harbor freight.
tool lockers laptop locker and tablet lockers tool lockers cupboards.
tool lockers lightbox tool cabinet.
tool lockers 56 2 drawer side locker steel lockers philippines.
tool lockers ironworks iwtc4355d tool chest 43h x used tool box lockers.
tool lockers plastic tool lockers.
tool lockers stack on 40 drawer storage cabinet tool cabinets home depot.
tool lockers tap to expand tool charging lockers at school.
tool lockers homcom 24 rolling tool cabinet garage cart with 5 sliding drawers tool lockers for sale.
tool lockers tool cupboards rust.
tool lockers extreme tools 19 3 drw and 2 shelf metal tool storage lockers.
tool lockers small office cupboard 380x470x205 mm blue steel lockers manufacturer.
tool lockers locker equipment storage lockers.
tool lockers other charging lockers steel lockers suppliers.
tool lockers stainless steel lockers tool cabinet medicine factory operating toolbox sample food factory made shoe shop steel lockers pictures.
tool lockers welcome to listacabinetscom steel lockers for sale.


text:
Q: How can I play more than one song at a time in PyGame? I've got it working now but with the time delay is there a better way because I want two different scripts to be working I want to have these playing in this order and have my images come up in order and the images are a long script and have time delays on them too.
#!/usr/bin/env python
import pygame
pygame.mixer.init()
pygame.mixer.pre_init(44100, -16, 2, 2048)
pygame.init()
print "hey I finaly got this working!"
sounda= pygame.mixer.Sound('D:/Users/John/Music/Music/FUN.OGG')
soundb= pygame.mixer.Sound('D:/Users/John/Music/Music/Still Alive.OGG')
soundc= pygame.mixer.Sound('D:/Users/John/Music/Music/turret.OGG')
soundd= pygame.mixer.Sound('D:/Users/John/Music/Music/portalend.OGG')
sounda.play()
pygame.time.delay(11000)
soundb.play()<P>
pygame.time.delay(180000)
soundc.play()
pygame.time.delay(90000)
soundd.play()

A: Did you check the pygame.Mixer module ? On default, you can play 8 songs simultaneously
If you use the pygame.mixer.music, you'll be able to play only one song at the time.
If you use the pygame.mixer.sound, you'll be able to play up to 8 songs at the time.
The music module is here to stream music (it doesn't load all the music file at once).
The sound module is here to play differents sounds during game (sounds are completely loaded in memory).
So, in your example if you want to play the 4 songs at the same time :
import pygame
pygame.mixer.init()
pygame.mixer.pre_init(44100, -16, 2, 2048)
pygame.init()
print "hey I finaly got this working!"
sounds = []
sounds.append(pygame.mixer.Sound('D:/Users/John/Music/Music/FUN.OGG'))
sounds.append(pygame.mixer.Sound('D:/Users/John/Music/Music/Still Alive.OGG'))
sounds.append(pygame.mixer.Sound('D:/Users/John/Music/Music/turret.OGG'))
sounds.append(pygame.mixer.Sound('D:/Users/John/Music/Music/portalend.OGG'))
for sound in sounds:
    sound.play()

A: The following script will load 4 sounds (sound_0.wav to sound_3.wav) and play them.
sounds = []
for i in range(4):
    sound = pygame.mixer.Sound('sound_%d.wav'%i)
    sound.play()
    sounds.append(sound)


text:
BOOK REVIEW: American Mother by Gregg Olsen
Title: American Mother: The True Story of a Troubled Family, Motherhood, and the Cyanide Murders that Shook the World
Author: Gregg Olsen
Audiobook Length: 14 hours and 7 minutes. Book length: 496 pages
Genre: Nonfiction, True Crime
Read Start Date: November 10, 2022
Read Finish Date: November 14, 2022
Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: At 5.02 pm on June 5, 1986, an emergency call came into the local sheriff's office in the small town of Auburn, Washington State. A distressed housewife, Stella Nickell, said her husband Bruce was having a seizure. Officers rushed to the Nickell's mobile home, to find Stella standing frozen at the door… Bruce was on the floor fighting for his life.
As Stella became the beneficiary of over $175,000 in a life insurance pay-out, forensics discovered that Bruce had consumed painkillers laced with cyanide.
A week later, fifteen-year-old Hayley was getting ready for another school day. Her mom, Sue, called out 'I love you' before heading into the bathroom and moments later collapsed on the floor. Sue never regained consciousness, and the autopsy revealed she had been poisoned by cyanide tainted headache pills. Just like Bruce.
While a daughter grieved the sudden and devastating loss of her mother, a young woman, Cindy, was thinking about her own mom Stella. She thought about the years of neglect and abuse, the tangled web of secrets Stella had shared with her, and Cindy contemplated turning her mom into the FBI…
Gripping and heart-breaking, Gregg Olsen uncovers the shocking true story of a troubled family. He delves into a complex mother-daughter relationship rooted in mistrust and deception, and the journey of the sweet curly-haired little girl from Oregon whose fierce ambition to live the American Dream led her to make the ultimate betrayal.
Originally published as Bitter Almonds. Revised and updated edition.
My Review: I received this book as an audiobook and ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. With respect to the different formats:
Audiobook: The audiobook was great. I also really liked the interview with the author that was included in the end.
Ebook: The ebook was also great. It was easy to read and it was organized well.
With respect to the story itself, American Mother is the true crime story of a woman, Stella Nickell, who murdered her husband Bruce by giving him Excedrin capsules filled with cyanide. The medical examiner initially stated that the cause of death was emphysema. Stella was free and clear of the murder — that is — until she became greedy. You see, if the death was accidental, then Stella would get a bigger payout from the life insurance.
Sickly inspired by the "tylenol murders", which was a series of poisoning deaths resulting from drug tampering in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1982, Stella formulated a plan: she would contaminate Excedrin bottles with cyanide filled capsules and put them on the shelves at drug stores. Then, when someone else took them and died, it would be seen as another "drug tampering" case, and Bruce's death would be ruled an accident. This plot is sick and twisted, and Stella almost got away with it. Who would think that someone would be so callous as to murder complete strangers to cover up the murder of her husband?
A short while after Stella put the bottles on the shelves, a woman named Sue took those cyanide pills and died. This time the medical examiner found the cyanide in her system. After Sue's death hit the news, Stella started calling authorities stating her belief that her husband had also taken contaminated pills. It was found to be true.
Essentially, what it boils down to, is that Stella murdered Sue so that Bruce's death would be ruled an accident and Stella could get more money. What a heartless piece of garbage!
Gregg Olsen tells the story of not only the murder and the victim, Sue, but also the background on the Nickell family. While I'm not a big fan of focusing on the killer (because the focus should be on the victim instead), it was important to see Stella's family dynamics, as there was some speculation, although never proven, that Stella's daughter was in on the plot as well.
I really like how Olsen told the story — it wasn't dry like some true crime books, and it held my interest. There was some repetition of the facts when Olsen wrote about the trial (and honestly this was my least favorite part), but on the other hand it really drove home the point that Stella was a heartless monster who killed 2 people for the money.
If you like true crime, I would definitely recommend this book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Posted in 4 stars, Book Reviews, Gregg OlsenTagged #AmericanMother, #NetGalley., audiobook, book, book review, books, crime, Gregg Olsen, nonfiction, true crime


text:
Peony Cottage Cakes and Bakes
"It's not just a cake…it's a Peony Cottage cake"
It's not just a blog…
Home It's not just a blog... Valentines It's not just a blog… It's your Lucky Day!
updated on 14 February 2021 13 February 2021 Valentines
It's not just a blog… It's your Lucky Day!
Lou Judd Leave a Comment on It's not just a blog… It's your Lucky Day!
It's an exciting day at Peony Cottage HQ, today is the official launch of my website (…..and blog), and also the next stage of the journey for my small business. Firstly I would really like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way so far, and a massive thanks to all my customers, new and returning.
It has been an epic journey so far, and I have learned so many new skills and techniques along the way. I have also managed to source a number of local suppliers in an attempt to keep Peony Cottage a local company that supports other local small businesses.
So to mark "Launch Day" I am giving away 10 vouchers which will entitle the lucky recipients a 25% discount off a bespoke Peony Cottage cake. To be in with a chance of winning, simply share my post which has the link to my new website www.peonycottagecakes.co.uk with 10 of your friends on Facebook or Instagram and include the hashtag #peony25 in your post. Closing date for entries is 28 Feb 21, I will select 10 lucky winners at random and contact you via Facebook Messenger with a unique discount code.
As an added bonus, the first Lyndhurst based person to share my post with 10 friends and tag #peony25 will win a valentines smash heart worth £25, delivered free of charge.
Remember, it's not just a cake…it's a Peony Cottage cake!
Happy sharing!
Lou 🌸
Previous Article Launch day is coming soon!
Next Article No cakes today....and relax!
No cakes today….and relax!
updated on 9 February 2021 6 January 2021 Valentines
updated on 10 February 2021 9 February 2021 Valentines
Launch day is coming soon!
© Copyright 2022 Peony Cottage Cakes and Bakes. All Rights Reserved. Yummy Recipe | Developed By Blossom Themes. Powered by WordPress.Privacy Policy


Photos for the profile are taken from my page on the social network "Vkontakte" (it should be noted I have not waited for the promised photo shoot).On the next day the administrator Julia sent me a letter with the username and password to log onto the site, the program for automated sending the letters and the 22-minutes video lesson, which shows how to use the site.First of all, I got acquainted with the system of penalties, and I did not know if it was an attempt to intimidate me or to argue into seriousness of this work.In any case, the penalties are taken here with special attention.There aren't many situations in the life where it's acceptable to talk at length about yourself to random strangers without pause or interjection.And it's usually even less socially acceptable to start disclosing your life story, what you're looking for in a life partner, your ideal date, your music taste, and your favorite movies—in rapid succession—to people you don't know and have never met.
For more information you can read our blog and follow up our Facebook page.Schedule a call with the matchmaker and online dating expert Personal Matchmaking Service Is for people who are serious about their future, who really want to change their life and to meet a special and beloved person.Our team of experienced and highly qualified professionals will work for your successful results that to assist you to fulfill your dream to meet a beloved person.And when creating that connection, time is our most precious resource.The more you have to offer, the more difficult it is to meet that special someone.Our matchmaking Tours will open the door to the successful and happy relationship, to love and affection! Follow up our news and information about our upcoming tours. Coach is a person who helps you to understand your needs and to realize your desires If you feel that you need to make some changes in your life before starting relationship with someone who will become a very important person for you and you feel that you need to get coaching from an expert in love industry, feel free to contact our team of coaches and be ready for the fantastic changes not only in your love life, but in each aspect in your life!Coaching is a powerful way to positive changes in your life!Those that are not comfortable going out alone often choose to go out on group dates.It is safer to go out on group dates, especially when you do not know much about the other person.Why do Ukrainian Real Brides look for someone who lives in another country or even continent?We know the answer, because Ukrainian men not all, but many of them are very immature and they are not ready to take a decision to start serious relationship or marriage, because they are afraid of the responsibilities.
Results 1 - 12. Dating Ukraine women. Profile ID 2537087. Nadiia, 58 y.o. Ukraine Height 5'3" 1 m 61 cm Weight 154lbs 69.9 kg Looking for man 56-75. Registered 12/03/2016. Online now. free Ukrainian personals. Profile ID 3130631. Viktoria, 22 y.o. Ukraine Height 5'8" 1 m 73 cm Weight 132lbs 59.9 kg Looking.
FAQ1 Are there any FREE Russian and Ukrainian dating sites.
May 28, 2014. Welcome to Video Tutorial Series "TOP 5 Most Frequently Asked Ukrainian and Russian Dating Questions". FAQ #1 Are there any FREE Russian and Ukrainian dating sites? Free dating sites are a great alternative to paid marriage services which are pretty expensive and often helpless against scam.
You have probably heard a lot about Ukrainian beauties that are sought after by western men for their wifely skills. It's time to see for yourself. Victoria Hearts, RomanceTale, LoveSwans, Bridge Of Love, Dream Marriage, Ukraine Date, and other top mail order bride sites and marriage agencies will help you meet wonderful.


text:
Ford expects to lose half of Q2 production amid chip shortage, Japan supplier fire
Ford CEO Jim Farley takes off his mask at the Ford Built for America event at Fords Dearborn Truck Plant on September 17, 2020 in Dearborn, Michigan.Nic Antaya | Getty ImagesDETROIT – Ford Motor beat Wall Street's expectations for the first quarter but CEO Jim Farley warned an ongoing semiconductor chip shortage would worsen before it gets better.The company said Wednesday it now expects to lose about 50% of its planned second-quarter production, up from 17% in the first quarter. The increase is largely due to a fire at chip supplier Renesas Electronics for Ford and other automakers in Japan, according to the automaker."There are more whitewater moments ahead for us that we have to navigate," Farley told investors during the company's first-quarter earnings call. "The semiconductor shortage and the impact to production will get worse before it gets better."Ford CFO John Lawler provided some optimism regarding the situation, saying the company believes that the semiconductor issue will bottom out during the second quarter, with improvement through the remainder of the year.Lawler said the company expects to lose about 1.1 million units of production in 2021 due to the shortage.Shares of Ford were down about 3% in after-hours trading. The company's market cap is more than $48 billion.Here's how Ford did compared with what Wall Street expected based on average estimates compiled by Refinitiv.Adjusted earnings: 89 cents versus an expected 21 centsAutomotive revenue: $33.55 billion versus $32.23 billionThe chip shortage has led automakers to shutter factories for varying periods of time across the globe, leading to tight vehicle inventories on dealer lots. However, the lower supplies have led to higher profits per vehicle, allowing automakers to continue to perform well despite the shortage.Ford said Wednesday its full-year adjusted pretax profit is expected to be between $5.5 billion and $6.5 billion, including an adverse effect of about $2.5 billion from the semiconductor issue. Adjusted free cash flow for the full year is projected to be $500 million to $1.5 billion.The company had estimated it would earn between $8 billion and $9 billion in adjusted pretax profits in February. That didn't factor in the shortage of semiconductor chips, which the automaker has publicly said could lower earnings by $1 billion to $2.5 billion this year.Lawler said Ford was able to offset earnings losses from its reduced production in the first quarter through reduced incentives on vehicles sold, prioritizing production of more profitable vehicles and lower manufacturing costs, among other cost reductions. The automaker also benefited from higher profits from its financing arm Ford Credit.Farley on Wednesday vowed Ford would maintain lower vehicle inventories, assisting its profit per vehicle, following the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and chip shortage.The chip shortage is expected to cost the global auto industry $60.6 billion in revenue, according to consulting firm AlixPartners.Correction: Ford maintained its guidance for 2021. A previous version of the story misstated the guidance.
More in BUSINESS NEWS
The team of Charity Calendar congratulate children from the Living Hope Foundation on St. Nicholas Day
On December 17, the advertising company "Amillidius" headed by Bogdan Terzi and Elvira Gavrilova, together with...
Arpine Abrahamyan: happiness is the most profitable business project!
A woman has always occupied and will continue to occupy one of the most important places...
Amazon's top doctor on why air quality is the biggest workplace health challenge of this century
The U.S. is by no means out of the woods when it comes to the pandemic....
Europe's low-cost airlines could have the edge in a post-Covid world
Ryanair and EasyJet airplanes.Horacio Villalobos | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesLONDON — European low-cost airlines...
People are booking Christmas vacations earlier than ever before
What a difference a year can make.Last September, the travel industry agonized over a dearth of...
A major new facility in Oregon could help transform the prospects of wave energy
Covid threat for Europe 'remains present,' WHO says despite falling infections


I love Nashville, currently working my way through the end of series 1, so this sounds right up my street. Looking forward to getting my paws on this.
Oh my gosh, Magan, this sounds wonderful!! How has this not shown up on my radar until now?! This is SUCH a Leah book!
🙁 That's disappointing about the ending though. A few months ago I read a novel that felt like it was missing the last few chapters..it simply ended in the middle of a scene. Talk about abrupt!
I like the name Bird, seriously, I do.
I just downloaded Wildflower from one of those LB emails and I am so glad I did now. This books sounds like a me sort of book – in that there's family and country music and record labels and siblings and I love ALL THOSE THINGS.
Also, I do not love books that don't have solid endings but knowing there will be a sequel eases that.
Rosie, I'm so excited! I hope you read Wildflower and love it, especially since you're a fan of Nashville. i think it'll be perfect for you!


text:
São Pedro da Afurada é uma antiga freguesia portuguesa do município de Vila Nova de Gaia, com 1,00 km² de área e 3568 habitantes (2011). Fica na margem esquerda {Sul} do rio Douro; na margem direita do rio Douro {lado Norte} localiza -se a cidade do Porto. A sua densidade populacional era 3568 hab/km². A partir de 29 de Setembro de 2014, São Pedro da Afurada passou a fazer parte integrante da União de Freguesias de Santa Marinha e São Pedro da Afurada.

São Pedro da Afurada é uma das três antigas freguesias urbanas da cidade de V.ª N.ª de Gaia, juntamente com Mafamude e Santa Marinha.

É uma localidade bastante ligada à tradição piscatória.

O seu santo padroeiro é o São Pedro.

A sua festa principal é o São Pedro da Afurada.

População

Criada pelo decreto lei nº 38.637, de 09/02/1952, com a povoação de Afurada, que foi desanexada da freguesia de Santa Marinha

Média do País no censo de 2001:  0/14 Anos-16,0%; 15/24 Anos-14,3%; 25/64 Anos-53,4%; 65 e mais Anos-16,4%

Média do País no censo de 2011:   0/14 Anos-14,9%; 15/24 Anos-10,9%; 25/64 Anos-55,2%; 65 e mais Anos-19,0%

Festa de São Pedro
Gente de grande devoção, todos os anos os pescadores prestam a devida homenagem ao santo, com toda a pompa e circunstância onde, para além das cerimónias religiosas, não falta a tradicional sardinha assada, com a típica Broa de Avintes e o fogo de artifício. Esta festa atinge o seu auge aquando da saída da procissão, cujos andores transportam imagens de santos e santas, sendo alguns de tamanho natural, seguidos pelos seus fiéis trajados com as tradicionais vestes das gentes da pesca.

À passagem defronte ao Rio Douro, procede-se à bênção dos barcos, acompanhada pelo toque das sirenes e morteiros.

Durante as Festas de São Pedro da Afurada, são colocadas na Praça de São Pedro as imagens da N.ª Sr.ª de Fátima, N.ª Sr.ª do Carmo (padroeira dos homens do mar) e de São Miguel Arcanjo. A imagem de São Pedro (padroeiro dos pescadores) é permanente neste local, pois aqui existia a antiga Igreja da Afurada, cuja fotografia está patente no restaurante "A Casa do Pescador", mesmo ao lado deste largo. Essa igreja foi destruída pelas enchentes do Douro.

Data: 29 de junho e 1.º domingo de julho

Local: Freguesia de São Pedro da Afurada

Escolas
 EB1/JI da Afurada de Baixo
 EB1/JI da Afurada de Cima

Antigas freguesias de Vila Nova de Gaia