text:
Southern Oregon Radio Show Lender updates Sept 2021
Posted by Alice Lema on Friday, September 10, 2021 at 8:06 AM By Alice Lema / September 10, 2021 Comment
[00:00:00] Alice Lema: Well, top of the morning to you. Alice Lima, Pete bell Castro. Welcome to the real estate show. We're both brokers here at John L. Scott and Southern Oregon. And we're here with the only weekly radio show discussing housing, Southern Oregon lending investing tenants. We have a lot to talk about with another strange week in real estate land here in Southern Oregon.
[00:00:27] Pete, how are you doing?
[00:00:28] Pete Belcastro: Yeah, doing fine. You know, 600 plus shows over 12 years of just never, you've never lost anything to talk about, you know? Oh all the time and it, and it changes from week to week, but this is a crazy week. This is, this is labor day weekend. That we're we're in right now, which is traditionally a very exciting time for so many of us.
[00:00:48] It's football seasons back. The beavers andducks are going on. High school football's backs. School's back in session. People are excited about the year. I don't know about you. It doesn't feel that way to me this year. It feels I don't even know. I don't know what, how to describe it. But mandates and mask and schools and people are divided over this thing Alice. And emotional emotions are taking place. Businesses are being forced to do things that they don't want to do. And it's just a mess in so many areas. And yet real estate continues to do well. It continues to sell and but not as much. We've had a great change. It's slowed down. Listings are down this week.
[00:01:29] Pending sales are down this week. Closed sales are down this week in Jackson county across the board. Days on the market are up. We know So the market is definitely in the fall beginning of the fall trajectory downward, which it does every year. Today we're going to talk with Guy Giles, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage about what that means for lenders and what that means for buyers getting lending to be able to do this correctly and do it well, and do it first and be successful.
[00:01:58] Alice Lema: And it's going to be another opportunity I think for a lot of our sellers that did not get on the market this last summer or last year. It's an unexpected shortage again. Unexpected shortage for people reacting to the second wave of, of COVID and our medical facilities being kind of full.
[00:02:19] I think that's, that's given people pause. But again, every time we have a chaotic or uncertain situation, it does create opportunity. And you can see by the numbers, Pete, you just said it, the numbers are down because of inventory. So this creates opportunity for sellers. If you want to get out there, you probably won't have very much competition.
[00:02:38] Pete Belcastro: It's the same in business in general, the supply chain. Oh, I mean, businesses are really suffering in a lot of ways. There's not enough workers and things like that. So it all affects real estate. And we're going to explore that today and see where it's taken us. As we began now we're going to slip into the fall selling season here now. And we'll see how it takes us. And we'll find that journey beginning today.
[00:03:01] Alice Lema: And Guy Giles, Pete Belcastro, Alice Lema. We'll be right back after a word from our sponsors.
[00:03:08] Well, welcome back to the real estate show folks. I'm Alice Lemahere with my cohost Pete Belcastro. We're both real estate brokers here in Southern Oregon with John L. Scott. And today we get to speak with Guy Giles, one of our sponsors Mutual of Omaha mortgage, talking about what he is watched occur in a last few weeks. Welcome back Guy.
[00:03:29] Guy Giles: Hey, thanks. It's good to be, I guess, out of the smoke seems to be. Feeling like fall out there a little bit. So I think we're going to at least move towards a little bit nicer outside.
[00:03:41] I don't know. I'm glad to be back. I glanced outside and lost my train of thought.
[00:03:46] Pete Belcastro: Well, look Guy, the temperature hitting the thirties over here. So maybe this was before labor day. So maybe it's a sign that fall is going to come quickly, that we can get fires out faster. Maybe you'll get some, we'll get some wet weather in here.
[00:04:00] Cause that's what we're really all praying for more than anything else. I think as we do into the fall, it's a crazy time isn't it. Tell me what's going on, tell us what's going on in the mortgage world. You know, when we talked about a month ago, we were all predicting all sorts of things, you know, and yet nothing's changed.
[00:04:14] What's happened in the last month in the mortgage world that you that you go into every. Well, really
[00:04:21] Guy Giles: I mean the only thing that's really changed is we're still struggling with investments in second homes. I think I mentioned it a while back that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are only allowing servicers, meaning the guys that collect the bills for them to have about 7% of their portfolio be investments or second homes.
[00:04:40] Consequently, everybody got really careful about how they loan on those. It's been tough because the government sponsored entities don't really want them. And it feels a little bit kind of like you know, from, from the government to let everybody have an owner occupied one, I guess.
[00:05:00] So, so that's been the only real change, you know, all the investments that I do this is just a little bit more difficult for them. It's still, if you look overall historically, it's still not a bad time to buy an investment property because they used to be a lot more expensive than they are right now.
[00:05:15] But I think we're a little bit spoiled with these low rates over the last couple of years.
[00:05:19] Pete Belcastro: So if I wanted to buy a second home right now, you know, a vacation home or something like that somewhere, this is the area thatyou're talking about. So what do I have to do to do that? What does someone have to do?
[00:05:31] Guy Giles: Well, I mean the criteria hasn't changed a ton. One of the things that they kind of tightened up on was if you don't own a primary residence they won't allow you to buy an investment property. I have some successful kids that have been living at home, believe it or not and buying some investment properties over the last six or seven years.
[00:05:50] And now they're living in apartments now and some investment properties and new girlfriend wanted to buy one. And just, it was pretty much a no go that way. They did allow one of the guys to buy.
[00:06:03] Alice Lema: So you're saying that it has to be, if you're going to, you can buy an investment property as your first one, but it has to be owner occupied. Is that what you're saying?
[00:06:13] Guy Giles: Well, no, yeah, you actually have to own a primary residence. So because, because she was living at home it wouldn't allow her to do it. One of the guys that did own an investment property already, he was allowed to do it, but I still had to go through kind of what we call our non QM channels, meaning that it wasn't, it wasn't the Fannie Mae Freddie Mac stuff.
[00:06:34] So that's gotten a little bit weird. I mean, it's. Yeah. I know Alice that you deal with, you know, you're one of the best people around that sells a lot of investment stuff. So I, you know, for the rest of us, it's not the biggest part of our market, but that was, you know, one of the biggest changes that, that I've seen.
[00:06:50] They had the fed, you know, this last week he talked and, you know, as far as changes go, he said that a lot of this inflation you believes is transitory, meaning it's just for a little while. Kind of like what I was speaking to a while back, everybody out spending the stimulus money. Every time they talk, they're talking about backing out a little bit of the mortgage backed securities that they've been buying they buy about 40, was it $40 billion a month?
[00:07:17] If you really look at the, at the numbers, it's closer to a hundred million that they're actually buying, but they're rebuying the stuff that gets sold off that gets refinanced and things like that. So a lot of what we hear as far as they're going to back off on them and that's going to cause the rates to rise up.
[00:07:33] I you're talking about a portion of that, of that 40 billion, but that doesn't really account for the other 60. Hopefully this, this is kind of making some sense, but realistically then backing off, isn't going to affect the rates as bad as some people had thought in the past. So I do expect rates to raise at some point, but I just don't think we're there with inflation.
[00:07:56] That's really their function is to watch inflation. And even though everybody sees it in the store right now, everybody sees it at the gas pump. I do think it is kind of transitory. I mean, it's not going to, it's not going to happen forever, at least at this pace. So I think we're going to have decent rates for a little while still. I guess it was the bottom line.
[00:08:20] Alice Lema: So one of the areas of interest right now is the sellers putting their house on the market. Have you seen any slowdown of people coming in to write offers or is that slowing down because there's just not enough on the market?
[00:08:37] Guy Giles: I've definitely in the last few weeks seen a slow down, but I, I think it's changed a little bit. I it doesn't feel like there are a thousand people running around, you know, just in a frenzy to get a house. And then it feels more like there's a hundred of them running around, but they're all very, very serious. My conversion rate is probably close to a hundred percent right now. It's really, really strange.
[00:09:04] I don't have just a whole bunch of people looking for houses at this point. I'll get a few referrals a week and people will actually get into contract. So it's, it's just different. I'm not dealing with as many people, but the quality of the people that I'm dealing with are really ready to go and still really ready to make a strong offer.
[00:09:20] Pete Belcastro: You guys know that in terms of the listings in Jackson county, you know, we do this every week, you know, two weeks ago, so there were 468 of those stick-built listings available this last week that dropped to 407. And, and it's not like we're at the end of the month, a lot of contracts come up at the end of the month, by the way.
[00:09:44] So that may have something to do with it, but that that dropped quite a bit. For the first it had been climbing up a little bit, you know, every week went down by quite a bit.
[00:09:55] Alice Lema: So do you think that this is our what used to be normal cycle? You know, we'd have a little bit of a change when school started.
[00:10:04] I I'm just trying to decide, is this in reaction to the second mask mandate and all the turmoil in the world, that there's a little bit of a slowdown, but, or is this like, Pete, you like to say the six cycles, is this just one of the normal cycle?
[00:10:19] Pete Belcastro: don't think so anymore. I, I, that the cycles have kind of seemed to be this whole thing has changed so much because of what school's doing.
[00:10:25] I'm thinking maybe the things people have decided, okay, school's going to start again. We got extreme. We're getting we're stopping. We're going to pull them off the market right now. And we're going to stay put again. Maybe we're going to see that happen, like we saw in last year. I'm not sure Alice, no one really knows.
[00:10:39] That's what's so weird about it guy, is that we're in such uncertain times. Everything around the market that we, that we deal with, everything around us is just seems like it's upside down.
[00:10:52] Guy Giles: It does, you know, and then, you know, if you talk about your cycles and then we have to add the new, you know, smoke season into our, our life from now on. It looks like it's, I don't know. It's kinda like fall and right before fall, we have smoke now. So I think everything kinda, kinda kinda changed, but I think what's going to really keep driving our market is I still see more and more people that are able to work remote. I'm having them move here from different places. So I, I do believe there's a little bit of a slow down.
[00:11:23] I mean, obviously when school gets back, you know, people don't like to move their kids around during that time. So I think that is definitely part of it. People are trying to see where this, this thing's going to land. You know, now that the Supreme court has ruled that it's, you know, you can't have these memorandums forever where, you know, at some point someone's going to have to start paying their rent.
[00:11:47] I haven't really done the research to be honest, to see what, what our lovely governor has done. You know, fix or not fix that at all. But really, I think it just boils down to, there's still uncertainty, like you said, you know, there's, there's people wondering, you know, are things going to tighten down? Are they, is this really short-lived?
[00:12:09] Is it going to kind of loosen back up? Which is my feelings on the thing. But we are dealing with people going back to school. We were at such a expensive place that, and everybody felt that. And, and I did see a lot of people coming in here just saying, you know, we're at the top right now. And it has to come down a little bit.
[00:12:28] So I think that there are some buyers out there that are just kind of you know, hey we're going to wait this out just a little bit. And see if I get any kind of a reduction or at least maybe get $3 of my closing costs paid for, by a seller.
[00:12:42] Alice Lema: Well, and I think if we had that was funny if we had continued our normal process of recovering from the shutdowns and not had the second mask mandated. I'm not being political or saying right or wrong. I'm just being observant and saying that when we have these additional overlays from the government, then it starts to slow people's behavior down. But again, all of this creates opportunity and I really cannot stress enough that I feel like we have a second chance here for people to sell their house.
[00:13:18] And in an environment where there's hardly any competition again, when we were well-prepared to have a real tsunami of listings come on the market. And now that seems to be kind of slowed down. So I still think there's a great opportunity.
[00:13:32] Pete Belcastro: And Alice you're absolutely right. It, you know, you talked about the cycles. I'm sorry that I did, because that labor day was always where that cycle tipped over and we started seeing a lessening of fewer listings all the way through winter. Remember what goes in it, backed it up here because we're down, we're down quite a bit. Now, as we, as we go into the labor day in school has started.
[00:13:54] We're already seeing that, but what makes it so hard and you're absolutely right about now is the time to sell it because we're already starting the downward cycle with little inventory. Remember last year we had six. Now we're at 400, so we're starting 200 down. And again, you always have to look at where the, where the listings are coming from.
[00:14:17] We still had 85 of those 400 are luxury homes. That's down you see? So. I think we're starting you're right though. It's a great time to sell but we're starting from a lower position than we even did a year ago with fewer listings.
[00:14:34] Alice Lema: And this was not predicted because we weren't really seeing another kind of mini shutdown. The uptick that we had in the COVID cases in our area was, was really, really high. I just don't think any of us were ready for that. So I mean, we all figured there'd be some kind of something that happened, but now that it's here and it's in full force, again, it creates an opportunity if you're willing to put your house on the market. Boy, you will have hardly any competition, especially if you're under that $800,000 mark. You'll sell fast and you'll probably get really, really good offers. But remember, where do you go to find the replacement property or where do you go? Many of our people doing exactly what you're doing, they're leaving.
[00:15:20] Pete Belcastro: They're not coming up with replacement property. They're not moving within our community. They're leaving our community.
[00:15:26] Alice Lema: Or they're finding some temporary something. So they can get out while the getting's good and then get another place at their leisure.
[00:15:36] Pete Belcastro: Hey, try to find a rental. There you go.
[00:15:38] Alice Lema: Well, yeah, we'll have to talk about that too, so, okay.
[00:15:44] Well, we're talking to you, Guy Giles mutual of Omaha mortgage, one of our sponsors. Pete Belcastro, Alice Lema, we'll be right back after a word from our other sponsors, rogue valley Association Realtors and John L. Scott here in Southern Oregon. We'll be right.
[00:15:58] Well, welcome back to the real estate show. Alice Lema, Pete Belcasro,your host here today. We're both brokers, John L. Scott here in Southern Oregon. And we're having a great conversation with GuyGiles Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, who's also one of our sponsors.
[00:16:14] And, and Guy right before the break, we were kind of starting to talk a little bit about tenants and the laws and how that affects landlords. And you had another quick point you wanted to make.
[00:16:26] Guy Giles: Yeah, the, the main thing I was talking about it, I really do believe that our, that our governor is trying to do what she thinks is the best to keep everybody safe with the mask mandates. I was speaking more towards the I can stay in my house forever if I don't pay my rent ,piece of the thing, which kind of got struck down by the Supreme court.
[00:16:45] So I guess we'll kind of see where that one lands. I was thinking that, you know, maybe that could open a few rentals here and there, if people feel like they can, they can move around on that. So I'm just seeing people that are, that are going to sell their house and we end up, you know, kind of getting all the way to that point.
[00:17:05] And then for one reason or another, they're deciding to rent it out just because rents are so high right now. So that that's something that literally just happened yesterday with a buddy of mine. And he ,all intent to sell his house. And the next thing you know, he said, Hey, I'm coming in with 15% down instead of 30% down.
[00:17:24] You know, what are the numbers look like? And by the time we factored in the rents that he's getting for the house, it just made more sense for him to rent the thing out. And now he has another big asset that's appreciating for him. Plus. You know, I mean, when it's all said and done, he's in a new house and he's really not paying any more than he was for his old house.
[00:17:45] Alice Lema: Wow. This is so good that you brought this up because people don't realize you can change your mind in mid application and do a different direction in situations like this. But you have to explain to your lender what you want to do. And then Guy, can you kind of tell people the mechanics, if you do want to keep your house, how does that work? If you want to use it as a rental and still buy something?
[00:18:09] Guy Giles: Yeah, we'll basically give you 75% of the rent. So if you're going to rent it for a thousand dollars a month, we give you about $750 credit for it. The good part is that so many people are in their house that have, that have been there for awhile and rents have gone up so much, that even though you lose a little bit on that, on that occupancy factor that we have to use while qualifying you, it's, it's still penciling out to where people are making money every month. And, you know, to be honest, even if they're breaking even, or losing a hundred bucks a month, the appreciation and, and what you can do with your CPA, with an investment property, it actually pencils out pretty well a lot of the time.
[00:18:51] Alice Lema: Well, and you have somebody else buying you a house, which if you're a tenant, listen up, don't do that. Buy your own house.
[00:19:01] Guy Giles: Yeah. I mean, you know, hundred percent financing that we can fit in for anybody. It comes with a second mortgage and if are under the medium income, that second does not have to be paid back. And if you're over it, it does. But that is that actually it's a program that I haven't looked at for a couple of years, because it did get weird right at the start of COVID. But some of these programs are coming back around where they are actually viable options.
[00:19:31] Other than maybe USDA we're the only place you can live is three blocks out of Butte falls or something. So there are some good things going on.
[00:19:41] Alice Lema: Well, and actually the, the USDA area is bigger than that, but that's kind of funny, cause it is hard to find property. Isn't it? Pete. And in the USDA category?
[00:19:52] Pete Belcastro: Well the area has a lot. It's only the urban areas of Medford, Central Point, in Grants Pass, really that are restricted in USDA loans. The problem is that sellers don't want the USDA loans. They want a conventional loan from guy and not a USDA. When, when we started this show back in 2009, if it was not for USDA loans, towns like Roseburg, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls would have fallen off the maps because that was the only kind of lending that was even selling anything back in 2009 and 2010. But USDA, but you don't even use it any more.
[00:20:36] Guy Giles: If you're talking about an income limit, and I apologize, it kind of broke up a little bit. So I'm having trouble tracking. If you're asking me what the income is. I mean, if you have a few people in your household, you could be up over $90,000 a year. So it has gone up. It is probably the most conservative program out there as far as debt to income ratios, consequently their default rate isn't bad.
[00:21:02] I would think that, you know, that the sellers, probably their apprehension with accepting a USDA offer are it's under some of the same guidelines as the as the FHA and the VA, as far as a little bit. You know, then all of a sudden, you know, you might, you might run into trouble and, and delay your closing, set a domino effect that you don't want to do.
[00:21:22] That that's usually the downfall with with the USDA one.
[00:21:26] Alice Lema: Well, and also they don't correct me if I'm wrong. They don't lend on manufactured, construction on land, which is kind of popular.
[00:21:36] Guy Giles: Yeah. They have made some, they have made some changes where they are allowing some manufactured housing.
[00:21:42] I think one of the problems that you run into with the USDA, though, If you have an outbuilding, which you tend to have when you have rural property, they will take the value of that outbuilding right out of the appraisal. And I actually lost a deal on one of those a couple of years back where it had a decent barn on it and the house appraised just fine with the barn.
[00:22:05] And then the appraiser had to back out the, what that barn was worth. And at that point, the house did not appraise. So there's just some little nuances with the thing, you know, having to do it, how many people are in your house? You know, as far as the income limits go, do you know, do any of them have any income?
[00:22:23] And so it's just this weird formula, but, but that was one of those workable ones with the outbuildings that you have to be really careful of . The idea, I think for the USDA, even though that the name always sounded to me, You know, you're going to go live next door to a bunch of cows or something. I think it was really designed for small towns.
[00:22:49] There's actually one other thing that that can really help. I mean, a lot of what we've been talking about is low inventory, you know, and just a lot going on in the market. One thing that we're doing just to kind of get away from that other subject is full credit pre-approvals. I'm finding that my conversion rate is a lot higher right now.
[00:23:09] And I think a lot of that has to do with the minute I meet somebody where we're acting like they are in contract. So while they're looking for a house my turn times are a day, two days at the most where we're fully credit underwriting, everybody that comes in. So instead of just the preapproval letter, we have a signed off from an underwriter. The same underwriter that will underwrite when they get their house. So being able to send out letters and call agents and tell people that, that these guys truly are ready to go. I think that might be kind of a nice thing to, to set people apart. Cause it's, you know, I thought it would be good when we started it and it's actually, it's actually really helped get, you know, get offers accepted in this crazy market.
[00:23:52] Alice Lema: Well, and real estate agents, I think need that. We talk a lot about how the consumer needs to be able to count on the lender, but real estate agents need to as well, because you don't want to be having things go wrong in the middle of your escrow because the lender wasn't thorough. That's a really bad situation, especially in a market like this.
[00:24:10] Guy Giles: No. And, and, you know, in the old days, you know, a lot of times there was just so much of everything. You just go take your backup offer. And, but, but there's, there's a lot going on, you know, you're just trying to sell your house or rent it out or do whatever you're going to do with it.
[00:24:25] And everybody has plans and it's not as simple as, oh, let's just extend this escrow a little bit because the borrower didn't want their credit pulled before. You know, before we started this process and, and we're just adament with everybody that we're gonna, we're going to get everything done. And I'm putting, you know, my name and reputation and my company's name and reputation on this pre-qualification letter.
[00:24:48] And now I'm putting it on a preapproval letter. So barring something going crazy in the middle of the transaction it'/s good. You know, everybody's already looked at this thing, so really all you're waiting on is your appraisal. And as long as your inspection period and your appraisal go, okay, you're ready to close. And I closed the jumbo loan in three weeks last week because we were ready to go.
[00:25:09] And we had had everybody underwritten. I did call on a little bit of a favor on an appraiser to get the appraisal back really quick. Cause that's, you know, that could potentially be a holdup sometimes. But it's a good feeling all the way around for everybody to know that they are approved. Not just, you know, you put in some numbers in Quicken loans and, and they said you are.
[00:25:29] Pete Belcastro: I think that's one of the best things that mutual of Omaha you've got done Guy, is to have that program. It's perfect for so many buyers. And I really do think buyers need to look at that because it gives you a little bit of an advantage over the competition. Who's, you're up against, and many of these in many of these sales that we see.
[00:25:46] So that's a brilliant way to do it. And I think you're going to be really successful with that. Obviously the other one that you've also done, which I think is still in play is if I could buy purchase, my new home without a contingent offer on my current home. And you have some of those loans as well.
[00:26:04] And with those are really two huge things for consumers, for buyers to really get an advantage over the competition.
[00:26:13] Guy Giles: Yeah. Every, every, you know, just kind of every little thing that you can do to set yourself apart is a good thing, because I think the days of even writing a letter are kinda over.
[00:26:25] So, I mean, I would break my heart if, if somebody literally did not accept the offer for, you know, for bad reasons. But it was kind of nice to just be able to say, you know, especially when somebody would come in excited after seeing the house and you know, I'd say, write a letter and tell him how much you loved that front room.
[00:26:43] But yeah, that's, that's not going to happen anymore.
[00:26:47] Alice Lema: It's actually illegal. Now in the state of Oregon, this is a brand new law. What he's talking about, everybody listening do not write a letter to seller. And you know what else? You're not as an agent really supposed to say much. Even verbally now you, you have to be super careful.
[00:27:01] About explaining who the people are and why they want your house. They just want to know what the offer is.
[00:27:11] Guy Giles: Yeah. And, and, you know, it probably should just come down to numbers, you know, cause it is a business transaction, so it's, it's probably not a bad thing.
[00:27:20] And again, you know, I mean, any little thing we can do to just make the play and feel fair and.
[00:27:28] Alice Lema: Yeah, and it's all about discrimination and possible perceived discrimination. So that's what that law is all about. No love letters.
[00:27:38] Pete Belcastro: We had the oregon association of realtor lobbyists on with us a few weeks ago, and we learned a lot about what went on in the legislature in some of these decisions and things. And thank goodness that they're there up in Salem because they kind of more or less can keep the train on the tracks in terms of lending and all these kinds of things. And the buying and selling and real estate stuff, because they can go off the tracks at a, you know, in a minute and things are really messed up.
[00:28:04] Guy Giles: It is easy when you're trying to legislate everything. And then all of a sudden something that sounds really good on the surface, on the real estate side, but hey, let's just go make that a law. But you're right. To have some, you know, people up there, you know, lobbyists is a bad word and has been for a long time, but people that do really understand they can get the ear of the people there.
[00:28:25] And say, look, you know, this might sound really good on the surface. But in the long run, you know, there are other ramifications or you're actually gonna hurt this. And it is good to have people like you're talking about Greg, probably.
[00:28:36] Alice Lema: But we have a breakcoming up, with guy Giles mutual Omaha mortgage. We'll be right back.
[00:28:42] Well, here we are again, a real estate show brought to you by John L. Scott here in Southern Oregon Mutual of Omaha mortgage, Guy Giles who's with us today and Rogue Valley Association of Realtors, Pete bell. Casto Alice SEMA. We're both brokers here at John L. Scott .
[00:28:57] And Pete and Guy, and I were just talking about how to get offers accepted and some things you can do to be a stronger buyer on paper and some statistics. Pete, what else do we have to talk about for the last few weeks in our valley.
[00:29:15] Pete Belcastro: I want to ask Guy one question here before we do that. What about, are you seeing in your, any of your loans regarding fire insurance that is changing. Because I mean the whole west is burning so many homes again have burned. Look at south lake Tahoe, close to there.
[00:29:29] We've lost them here in these fires at Oregon. Are you seeing any changes in that Guy, in terms of fire, insurances, premiums going up or what what's happening in that? And for people who are getting loans right now.
[00:29:41] Guy Giles: It was kind of strange. It felt like it was going to start to be a big deal a little while back. You know, fires and everything happened.
[00:29:50] And I'm not, I'm not seeing crazy, crazy premiums at all. And to be honest, it kinda fell off my radar a little bit because we were definitely starting to see it. And I would hear that this insurance company doesn't want to insure in a certain area. And it really hasn't come up for me a lot lately.
[00:30:12] Pete Belcastro: I'm glad to hear that because I I'm like you a year a month ago, I mean, it seem like it's going to go crazy and maybe that's, that's a good thing. As far as the market goes, and this is what so interesting in Jackson county, Alice. You talk about that. The cycles of the selling season, you know, usually labor day, which is a holiday, of course, that we're in this weekend.
[00:30:32] It's usually the time when we start to see listings go down and we start heading into winter, which is the low point of the real estate market of the year. And it looked like it's following our way. The two weeks, just as an example, two weeks ago in Jackson county, we had 468 stick-built homes on the market.
[00:30:50] 468. This last week, it had dropped to 406. And it wasn't that we had all sorts of new pendings and closed sales happen. I think it was went off the market, whatever, but Jackson county, the reason the market has changed two weeks ago, we had 104 homes go pending.
[00:31:09] Closed sales two weeks ago, we had 86. This last week right this last week, there were a 61. So we're seeing a slow down. Days where the market has increased from 45, 2 weeks ago to 58 last week. So things are beginning to change a little bit as we go into the fall.
[00:31:33] Alice Lema: Well, and it feels like we're going backwards. You know, what did you say the other week? Pete was almost like we were starting in March, 2020 again, and that's how this, this second slowdown feels. And I'm still on the fence of if it's oriented to the season or if it's having to do with people just putting the brakes on about moving because of the increase in the Covid.
[00:31:58] Pete Belcastro: I don't know, but the COVID has certainly made a big deal out of what we're doing with schools and people are not, if they are stopping to move anyway. We'll keep watching it, you know, week after week as we go along here to see how this goes, but we've definitely seen a change. And so that change also means that the prices have not gone down.
[00:32:15] I think that's the other thing. Now, the median price last week was $526,000 for those 61 homes that sold. Yeah. Thousand for three of the last four weeks of August Jackson county. So affordability and all those things are still out there and playing. And that's why that the opportunity that Guy is telling us about with rates, the way they are, with opportunities to be fully you know, vetted for closing and things like that.
[00:32:43] That's really an opportunity that buyers need to work on. And I guess I don't know how much time we have left Alice, but hey Guy, how long have you been with us. How long have you had Mutual of Omaha? You started with different companies, but how long have we been doing this show together? It's been what, five years.
[00:33:02] Guy Giles: At least, it's been a long time. I'm glad I finally landed at a company that didn't close down. Because it seems like every now and then, thankfully, you know, this company's been around for a long, long time and everything's still going.
[00:33:18] Pete Belcastro: Yeah, well, mortgage companies were like airlines and banks, you know, they were coming and going as they work, but you certainly landed with the best one at least since I've known you in doing this show with you with Mutual of Omaha mortgage. And so that's really good. It's also, you know, I'm at that age where I'm at the retirement age and this may be our last show together, as far as I know. Because I'm you know, retiring from the work from from this. But it's been wonderful with you.
[00:33:42] I've learned so much about lending from you. I know our listeners and viewers have too, and your great insights into how to do it right. And how to get the best opportunity for you as as the lender for your client. And I have learned that a lot from you, and I think you really do a great job. You've helped me personally.
[00:34:01] You know, it's worked out great and I really appreciate all the help that you've given and all the effort to have to be on our show for so long.
[00:34:08] Guy Giles: Well, I appreciate everything about you. My first show was your last live show where people would actually call in and ask questions. I, I fought a bunch of Marines one night and I was less scared at that moment then going on the air with you.
[00:34:25] And I lost that fight by the way. But literally man, it's, it's been a real blessing to be with you.
[00:34:33] Pete Belcastro: Well, thank you. I appreciate that. And your carry on and we'll keep selling houses. And, you know, we have to build more houses. We need more for people who, especially in rural communities, for housing, is so short. This issue wasn't going to go away.
[00:34:45] And you guys, you and Alice and people like you, who keep working in the business, have got to keep bringing these issues up to the people who make these decisions. Because our housing situation is really, really critical and rentals and everything. And it's, it's not gotten better in the 12 years of doing this show it's gotten worse, to be honest.
[00:35:03] Guy Giles: You know, it looks like you can do a little bit of an ADU on some rural land now up to 900 square feet or something. you know, maybe that'll get a little bit of relief. I don't think you can really rent those things out. Maybe you can stick your kids out in that instead of inside your house.
[00:35:18] Alice Lema: Wow. It would be nice for the elders too, to have them close by. And so, you know, have their own space if they're capable of living like that.
[00:35:26] Pete Belcastro: I want to come back in another life. I'd come back as a builder and I would build mostly in rural communities. Because you tell them, I mean, if the migration that we're seeing from the cities to Oregon, to Idaho, et cetera, in small towns, well there's just no housing.
[00:35:42] New housing and small towns, so that's where the critical need, because people want that rural life and we just don't have it available right now, right.
[00:35:52] Alice Lema: Unless everybody puts their house on the market, or at least a third of you put your house on the market, then we'll, then we'll be able to make it happen.
[00:36:03] Guy Giles: And then if Pete's retiring and at least give Alice a call, find out what your house is worth. I mean, it's pretty, it's pretty enlightening. And you know, if nothing else you're going to go to sleep feeling pretty good.
[00:36:13] Alice Lema: Yeah, it's been an interesting market. And just so that the listeners don't worry, Pete is, we're in conversations with him to keep him coming back as a consultant, giving us his opinion from time to time.
[00:36:25] Pete Belcastro: But you'll find the market isn't going to change, and I think opportunities still exist for that. I've learned that I'm still out there trying to find stuff and in work and can do different things, but yeah. It's quite a market. I can't wait to see what September is going to do now with school starting football's back and all the things we talked about at the beginning of the show, how's it going to affect real estate?
[00:36:46] We're going to find out the next few weeks. Really what the fall might look like.
[00:36:52] Alice Lema: Well, Pete Belcastro thank you so much for all your years. And we are going to hit you up for consultation on a regular basis. Guy, Giles Mutual of Omaha, one of our sponsors. Thank you for all the great information today.
[00:37:05] Also the Rogue Valley Association of Realtors and John L. Scott, Southern Oregon, both the sponsors for us. We're very grateful and this program will air again tomorrow at six. O'clock have a beautiful Southern Oregon weekend and we'll see you next week. Bye now.


text:
COVID-19: New virus variant hits US as Biden vows all-out effort
The Rocky Mountain state of Colorado is believed to be recorded the first case in US
Published: December 30, 2020 06:49 AFP
Shoppers at Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree, Colorado. Image Credit: AP
Photos: First Americans roll up sleeves for COVID-19 vaccines
Dogs ease COVID-19 isolation for a New York nursing home residents
Despite COVID-19, Brooklyn neighbourhood still a flashy Christmas village
In Pictures: COVID-19 vaccines roll out around the world
Washington: The new variant of coronavirus was detected for the first time Tuesday in the United States and Latin America as President-elect Joe Biden vowed to significantly ramp up the vaccination drive.
The new strain, which first emerged in the UK, pushed Britain to a new daily record of infections and led South Africa to impose a raft of new measures, amid fears around the world that holiday revelers are aggravating the spike in infections.
The EU health agency warned the strain carried a high risk for more hospitalizations and deaths - not because the infections are more severe but because it spreads more easily.
The Rocky Mountain state of Colorado recorded what is believed to be the first case in the United States - which has suffered the highest death toll of the year-old pandemic that has claimed more than 1.78 million lives globally. Nearly 338,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the US.
Governor Jared Polis said a man in his 20s near Denver was infected with the variant known as B.1.1.7 and is isolating.
Biden, after a briefing from experts, warned that the dire Covid situation may not ease up until "well into March."
"The next few weeks and months are going to be very tough - a very tough period for our nation, maybe the toughest during this entire pandemic," he said.
Hospitalizations are back at an all-time high in the US at more than 121,000 as of Monday.
In Los Angeles, ambulances waited all day to unload Covid patients, with more than 95 percent of hospitals forced to divert new cases away, and one reportedly treating patients in its gift shop and chapel. Southern California extended a three-week old lockdown indefinitely Tuesday.
'Greatest operational challenge'
Biden called mass vaccination the "greatest operational challenge we've ever faced as a nation" - and promised the US would do better after he replaces defeated President Donald Trump on January 20.
"The Trump administration's plan to distribute vaccines is falling far behind," Biden said, promising: "I'm going to move Heaven and Earth to get us going in the right direction."
The Trump administration had predicted that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by the end of December.
With days left, some 2.1 million have received the first shot of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Biden renewed his promise to administer 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office and confirmed he would invoke a Korean War-era law to force private industry to step up production.
"We're planning a whole-of-government effort and we're going to work to set up vaccination sites and send mobile units to hard-to-reach communities," Biden said.
With health workers desperately waiting, politicians have been among first to be vaccinated in a stated goal of setting an example, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris taking her first dose Tuesday before cameras in Washington.
As conspiracy theories spread on the internet, a new poll by Ipsos Global Advisor showed that just four in 10 people in France want to get vaccinated, a figure that is only slightly higher in Russia and South Africa.
Record cases in Britain
Britain's government came under pressure to tighten restrictions as it announced a record 24-hour high of 53,135 new infections.
Critical care doctor Samantha Batt-Rawden said medical staff were at "breaking point."
"We are incredibly thin on the ground. NHS (National Health Service) staff have not been prioritized for the vaccine and are going off sick in droves with the new strain," she tweeted.
In South Africa, which has recorded more than 300 cases of the new variant and is the first African nation to hit one million cases, the government banned the sale of alcohol and made masks compulsory in public.
"We have let down our guard, and unfortunately we are now paying the price," said President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Chile on Tuesday became the first Latin American country to detect the new strain, in a woman who returned from Madrid after also visiting Britain and Dubai.
In response, health authorities announced a 10-day quarantine from December 31 for all arrivals.
The new strain was also detected in the United Arab Emirates and India, which has the second-biggest caseload in the world.
Worrisome trends have been increasing worldwide, with South Korea - hailed for its early success - logging its highest daily death toll yet.
And Moscow reported a 27 percent increase in fatalities in the capital from October to November - a day after Russia admitted its number of COVID-19 deaths were more than three times higher than previously reported.
US COVID-19 deaths surpass Second World War fatalities
UAE leaders congratulate Biden on inauguration
Biden Bible puts him in line with inaugural tradition
Canada's PM Trudeau congratulates Biden
Bomb threat at US top court ahead of Biden inaugural

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
import { isValidDeviceName } from 'testcafe-browser-tools';
import roleMarkerSymbol from '../../../role/marker-symbol';

import {
    createBooleanValidator,
    createIntegerValidator,
    createPositiveIntegerValidator,
    createSpeedValidator
} from './factories';

import {
    ActionOptionsTypeError,
    ActionBooleanArgumentError,
    ActionStringArgumentError,
    ActionIntegerArgumentError,
    ActionRoleArgumentError,
    ActionPositiveIntegerArgumentError,
    ActionStringOrStringArrayArgumentError,
    ActionStringArrayElementError,
    ActionUnsupportedDeviceTypeError,
    SetTestSpeedArgumentError
} from '../../../errors/test-run';

import { assertUrl } from '../../../api/test-page-url';

// Validators
export var integerArgument         = createIntegerValidator(ActionIntegerArgumentError);
export var positiveIntegerArgument = createPositiveIntegerValidator(ActionPositiveIntegerArgumentError);
export var booleanArgument         = createBooleanValidator(ActionBooleanArgumentError);
export var setSpeedArgument        = createSpeedValidator(SetTestSpeedArgumentError);

export function actionRoleArgument (name, val) {
    if (!val || !val[roleMarkerSymbol])
        throw new ActionRoleArgumentError(name, typeof val);
}

export function actionOptions (name, val) {
    var type = typeof val;

    if (type !== 'object' && val !== null && val !== void 0)
        throw new ActionOptionsTypeError(type);
}

export function nonEmptyStringArgument (argument, val, createError) {
    if (!createError)
        createError = actualValue => new ActionStringArgumentError(argument, actualValue);

    var type = typeof val;

    if (type !== 'string')
        throw createError(type);

    if (!val.length)
        throw createError('""');
}

export function urlArgument (name, val) {
    nonEmptyStringArgument(name, val);

    assertUrl(val.trim(), 'navigateTo');
}

export function stringOrStringArrayArgument (argument, val) {
    var type = typeof val;

    if (type === 'string') {
        if (!val.length)
            throw new ActionStringOrStringArrayArgumentError(argument, '""');
    }

    else if (Array.isArray(val)) {
        if (!val.length)
            throw new ActionStringOrStringArrayArgumentError(argument, '[]');

        var validateElement = elementIndex => nonEmptyStringArgument(
            argument,
            val[elementIndex],
            actualValue => new ActionStringArrayElementError(argument, actualValue, elementIndex)
        );

        for (var i = 0; i < val.length; i++)
            validateElement(i);
    }

    else
        throw new ActionStringOrStringArrayArgumentError(argument, type);
}

export function resizeWindowDeviceArgument (name, val) {
    nonEmptyStringArgument(name, val);

    if (!isValidDeviceName(val))
        throw new ActionUnsupportedDeviceTypeError(name, val);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Studio-2 bed, 1 bath • 680 sq. ft.
Welcome home to Hamilton Pointe! Chattonooga's best address has efficiency, one bedroom and two bedroom homes at an affordable price. We are just off I-75, in East Brainerd, yet nestled into our own private haven with convenient boat and RV storage. Enjoy dining and shopping close to home. Hamilton Pointe is also moments away from the nature trails of Audubon and a short drive to UTC and Chattanooga State. We've got it all.
1-3bd, 1-2ba • 749 sq. ft.


The European Data Protection Board (EDPD) provided very welcome guidance on the role of the Article 27 GDPR Representative following its Fourth Plenary Session.
The EDPD is the body established by the GDPR to guide and supervise data protection across the EU. The EDPB is made up of representatives from the supervisory authorities of all EU member states and replaces the body known as the Article 29 Working Party.
The EDPB has held a number of plenary sessions since its establishment, the fourth was held on 16th November 2018 in Brussels. You can see more details here.
Following this plenary session the EDPB published guidelines the territorial scope of the GDPR and, in this context provided very useful clarification on the nature of and requirement for the data protection representative role in the EU for GDPR purposes pursuant to Article 27.
This clarification is very welcome for non-EU based data controllers in particular in helping them to understand how the GDPR applies to them internationally and what they need to do in order to comply with the requirement for representation contained in Article 27 of the GDPR.
We will be considering these guidelines in details and providing further analysis here in due course. Meanwhile, the EDPB's guidelines on territorial scope and GDPR Article 27 representation can be accessed here and you can download a copy here.
« Previous Post What is a GDPR Representative and What Do They Do? Next Post » What Will Brexit Mean for GDPR and My Business?


Marc-André ter Stegen and Alisson Becker, two of the world's premier goalkeepers, are set to face twice in a 7-day span when FC Barcelona and AS Roma meet in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
With the first leg set for April 4 at Camp Nou and the return leg set for April 10 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, we take a quick look at how the two stack up.
Thus, the two goalkeepers come into this week's Champions League tête-à-tête at Camp Nou in fine form.


That u r fool, lazy & stupid!
"Kisay hor noo naa dasin"
What A Mystery A cockraoch is afraid of Rat, Rat is afraid of Cat, Cat is afraid of Dog, Dog is afraid of Man, Man is afraid of Woman, And Woman is afraid of . . . . . . Cockraoch!
I've always been afraid of losing people I love. Sometimes I wonder, is there anyone out there afraid to lose me?
If u wanna know how much i miss u, Try to catch rain drops, The ones u catch is how much u miss me, And the other u miss is how much i miss u.
Be careful when a gal tells u that she loves u from the bottom of her heart. For this may mean that there is still enough space for another boy on top!
Sunday Is A Lazy Day. Sleep For An Extra Hour. Forget About The Daily Chores. Take The Easy Way Today And Sit Back And Relax. Have A Very Relaxing Sunday.
I am a good enough person to forgive you, but not stupid enough to trust you again.
Make This Sunday A Very Lazy One Lie In Bed Late If You Want To And Forget About The Chores. Forget The Fast Lane And Take It Easy Today. Have A Great Sunday!
So I can catch when you Fall.
During our friendship, there will be times you wont see me beside you, don't think I left you behind, I just choose to walk behind you so I can catch when you Fall.
A GENIUS Is A Person Who Can Do For $1 What Any Fool Can Do For $100" -As Such V Complete Syllabus In 1 Day, That Lecturers Try In 1 Semester !!


Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Feeds, Supplements & Feeding and other Horse topics.
How can I control parasites in my horse?
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is composed of the fractured shells of microscopic, fossilized sea creatures. Basically, it is equivalent to tiny pieces of broken glass. Harmless to all mammals, it is lethal to insects, parasites and may even provide some control for bacteria and viruses.
Adding food grade DE to your horse's feed can provide a number of health benefits. One major benefit is in the control of internal parasites. DE is a highly effective organic wormer, and can be used alone or as part of your regular deworming routine. As it passes unabsorbed through the digestive tract, the sharp edges kill internal parasites.
You simply mix a small amount with the horse's daily feed. It can also be dusted lightly over hay or mineral blocks and supplements. The recommended amount depends on how much you are feeding, but it is generally a small percentage of the overall daily feed. By adding DE for horses that have a parasite problem, you can clear up worms and other internal parasites in about a month. However, once the parasites are gone there is no reason to stop adding DE. Not only will it help control re-infestation, the same daily amount is also recommended as a regular dietary supplement. In addition to controlling parasites, diatomaceous earth helps improve joint health by reducing arthritic inflammation, promotes overall digestive health and may help your horse have a fuller, shinier coat.
One very important note: Be sure to use food grade DE. The DE sold as pool filtering material, for example, has been heat processed and is toxic.


text:
State Theater
State Theater Please selectVenue homeLocation and directionsPre-theatre diningNearby parkingOvernight accommodationSeating maps
The O'jays
Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Disney's Frozen: The Musical
Upcoming events Please selectView all shows The Lion KingDavid SedarisThe O'jaysTrisha YearwoodJohnny MathisNick OffermanIrving Berlin's White ChristmasJim BrickmanStraight No ChaserMy Fair LadyDisney's Frozen: The Musical
Playhouse Square, 1501 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115
Aug 7 - Sep 1, 2019
Jul 15 - Aug 16, 2020
Winner of 6 Tony Awards
August 7 - September 1, 2019
Still going strong after two incredible decades, this Tony Award-winning extravaganza will delight, enthrall and bring out your inner cub. Based on the 1994 Disney movie, The Lion King incorporates several changes and additions to the storyline as compared to the film, making for a whole new experience!
More info Buy tickets
Disney's latest Broadway smash hit is heading out on tour! Following a storming success on Broadway, and earning three Tony nomination in the process, Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Kristoff head out across North America to bring the magic of Frozen to you!
State Theater is part of the Playhouse Square complex.
Concession stands
The State Theatre is the first and largest of the PlayhouseSquare theaters to be built. It was originally opened as a movie and vaudeville house, in an Italian Renaissance style. The theater was restored and reopened in 1984 with an added $7 million stagehouse. It then became the home of the Cleveland Ballet and Cleveland Opera, with a seating capacity of 3200.
About Cleveland Theater: We are an independent show guide not a venue or show. We sell primary, discount and resale tickets which may be priced above or below face value.
Please note: The term State Theater as well as all associated graphics, logos, and/or other trademarks, tradenames or copyrights are the property of the State Theater and are used herein for factual descriptive purposes only. We are in no way associated with or authorized by the State Theater and neither that entity nor any of its affiliates have licensed or endorsed us to sell tickets, goods and or services in conjunction with their events.


text:
Fringe – The Human Kind
Published on : 13/12/2012 19/01/2013 by David Dougan
After the last episode of Fringe, I worried that the way the series would end had been signposted by Peter's ongoing transformation following his use of the tech that makes the Observers the emotionless, deep thinkers that they are. Thankfully, 'The Human Kind' resolves that issue (or at least it appears to), as Olivia persuades Peter to chose a different path.
This episode gives Olivia a chance to go off on a side-mission of her own and show off her general awesomeness, Walter and Astrid were left without a great deal to do, other than finding out what exactly the tech in Peter's head was doing to him. The revelation that the tech expands the brain while subduing emotions (well, that's my interpretation of it without the actual scientific terms Walter and Astrid use) isn't really much of a revelation, as it's something that has been clear all along. The Observers have always seen things differently and not understood concepts like love or fear, so although Walter's experiments show how the tech changes people, it's not something that feels like an important reveal.
While this is happening, Peter is still plotting to kill Windmark and get revenge for the death of Etta. He narrowly avoids a confrontation with Windmark as he arrives at Etta's apartment, where Peter has been charting Windmark's moves to plan his final attack (or maybe Peter wants Windmark to come looking?), and then tries a test run to see if he can subtly alter Windmark's pattern for the day. But Windmark has seen this coming, and he's set Peter up for a confrontation between the two. Windmark thinks he has the upper hand, but the tech is having a strong effect on Peter, and he's able to match and anticipate Windmark's moves, taking out one of his men before disappearing to fight another day. It's another fight scene that is reminiscent of The Matrix, with Peter as Neo and Windmark as Agent Smith, but it's still impressive to look at.
Walter's eighth tape reveals that a large magnet (the kind that would be used in wrecking yard) is required for his plan, and with Peter trying to kill Windmark his way, and Walter and Astrid working with the tech (Anil has acquired another one from an unfortunate observer for Olivia), Olivia goes off on her own to Fitchburg, a city near Boston to find one. There she encounters Simone, an oracle-type woman who can 'see things' and has been expecting Olivia. It seems like Simone and her people might be willing to turn Olivia over to the observers for a reward, but they are genuine in their belief in Olivia, and Simone realises that Olivia finds it hard to trust people because of the loss of Etta. On her way back to the laboratory (she contacts Anil to find somewhere to store the magnet) she stops at what looks like the scene of a crash. It is, inevitably, a set up, and two men manage to capture Olivia, and discover that she's a high priority target for the observers, and hope to turn her in for a cash reward.
One of the things Fringe has always been good at is creating strong female characters, and with Olivia in particular, Fringe has a woman that doesn't need a man to protect her, because as we see in this episode, although she's initially outnumbered and captured, she's strong enough (mentally and physically) to find a way of escaping, of saving herself, without resorting to calling for back up. So while her captors are negotiating with observers to claim their reward, Olivia is able to cut herself free and set up a trap for one of the men. Using the 'bullet that saved the world' necklace to her advantage, she first of all sets up a trap that allows her to 'fire' the bullet into the head of one of them (she's obviously seen The Bourne Legacy), before putting it in his gun and shooting the other man. It's Olivia at her best, thinking quickly to find a way out and executing it calmly and precisely.
She's got more work to do when it comes to Peter too, having realised during her time with Simone that the memory of Etta is more important than avenging her death. She goes to Peter, who is waiting for Windmark to place himself back into Peter's planned time-line, and pleads with him to remove the tech from his brain. She tells him that while he's motivated by revenge now, if he doesn't remove it he'll lose his memories of Etta, and he'll lose her too. Peter knows that he is close to finishing off Windmark, but the human side of him prevails, and he removes it to keep his relationship with Olivia alive.
We're now into the second half of the final season of Fringe, and although I'm still enjoying it a lot, I do feel like the pace is maybe a little slow. There are five episodes left, and the Fringe team are still piecing together Walter's plan to stop the Observers. I liked this episode, but although Olivia has 'saved' Peter (and I can't help but think that the tech is going to play an important part in future episodes), it seems to leave them not that much closer to being ready for a final battle with the Observers.
I expect that the final two episodes (shown on the same night) will be combined to show the final showdown between the Fringe team and the Observers, which leaves three episodes for the writers to get there. I'm not concerned that they'll mess it up, just that they may have to cram things in a bit to get there. But at the moment, Fringe is just about where it should be.
tv, TV ReviewsAnna Torv, Fringe, Jasika Nicole, Jill Scott, John Noble, Joshua Jackson, Sky1
Previous Previous post: Reading & Leeds Announce Eminem as 1st Headliner
Next Next post: A Young Doctor's Notebook – Episode 2


When evaluating your business' performance many factors and metrics come into play. It is critical to chart every aspect of your business, from sales volume to ROI, to employee satisfaction; however, simply gathering data is not enough. It's important to leverage analytics to optimize future marketing campaigns. According to a recent article in AdWeek, only 10% of marketers believe they are effectively analyzing customer and sales data. The challenge, then, is taking data and translating it into action and success. To help you take your business to the next level, Search Optics' digital experts weight in on gathering the right information for developing an effective marketing plan.
Mobile, or m-commerce, is the present and future of marketing and sales. To optimize a marketing plan, it's important to recognize the importance of how your customers use their smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Critical metrics to take into account include mobile monthly unique visitors, mobile average ticket, average total downloaded bytes, and of course mobile as a percentage of total web sales.
Personalized to Your Needs — your business demands customization on all levels, so UPTRACS offers proprietary technology that allows for personalized KPI implementation and tracking.


text:
package com.comcast.viper.hlsparserj.tags.master;

import com.comcast.viper.hlsparserj.tags.Tag;

/**
 * <pre>
 * Represents a variant stream tag.
 *
 * The EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag specifies a variant stream, which is a set
 * of renditions which can be combined to play the presentation.  The
 *  attributes of the tag provide information about the variant stream.
 *
 * The EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag identifies the next URI line in the Playlist
 * as a rendition of the variant stream.
 *
 * The EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag MUST NOT appear in a Media Playlist.
 *
 * Its format is:
 *
 *   #EXT-X-STREAM-INF:<attribute-list>
 *   <URI>
 *
 * The following attributes are defined:
 *
 * BANDWIDTH
 *
 * The value is a decimal-integer of bits per second.  It MUST be an
 * upper bound of the overall bitrate of each media segment (calculated
 * to include container overhead) that appears or will appear in the
 * Playlist.
 *
 * Every EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag MUST include the BANDWIDTH attribute.
 *
 * CODECS
 *
 * The value is a quoted-string containing a comma-separated list of
 * formats, where each format specifies a media sample type that is
 * present in a media segment in the Media Playlist file.  Valid format
 * identifiers are those in the ISO Base Media File Format Name Space
 * defined by RFC 6381 [RFC6381].
 *
 * Every EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag SHOULD include a CODECS attribute.
 *
 * RESOLUTION
 *
 * The value is a decimal-resolution describing the approximate encoded
 * horizontal and vertical resolution of video within the presentation.
 *
 * The RESOLUTION attribute is OPTIONAL but is recommended if the
 * variant stream includes video.
 *
 * AUDIO
 *
 * The value is a quoted-string.  It MUST match the value of the
 * GROUP-ID attribute of an EXT-X-MEDIA tag elsewhere in the Master
 * Playlist whose TYPE attribute is AUDIO.  It indicates the set of
 * audio renditions that MAY be used when playing the presentation.  See
 * Section 3.4.10.1.
 *
 * The AUDIO attribute is OPTIONAL.
 *
 * VIDEO
 *
 * The value is a quoted-string.  It MUST match the value of the
 * GROUP-ID attribute of an EXT-X-MEDIA tag elsewhere in the Master
 * Playlist whose TYPE attribute is VIDEO.  It indicates the set of
 * video renditions that MAY be used when playing the presentation.  See
 * Section 3.4.10.1.
 *
 * The VIDEO attribute is OPTIONAL.
 *
 * SUBTITLES
 *
 * The value is a quoted-string.  It MUST match the value of the
 * GROUP-ID attribute of an EXT-X-MEDIA tag elsewhere in the Master
 * Playlist whose TYPE attribute is SUBTITLES.  It indicates the set of
 * subtitle renditions that MAY be used when playing the presentation.
 * See Section 3.4.10.1.
 *
 * The SUBTITLES attribute is OPTIONAL.
 *
 * CLOSED-CAPTIONS
 *
 * The value can be either a quoted-string or an enumerated-string with
 * the value NONE.  If the value is a quoted-string, it MUST match the
 * value of the GROUP-ID attribute of an EXT-X-MEDIA tag elsewhere in
 * the Playlist whose TYPE attribute is CLOSED-CAPTIONS, and indicates
 * the set of closed-caption renditions that may be used when playlist
 * the presentation.  See Section 3.4.10.1.
 *
 * If the value is the enumerated-string value NONE, all EXT-X-STREAM-
 * INF tags MUST have this attribute with a value of NONE.  This
 * indicates that there are no closed captions in any variant stream in
 * the Master Playlist.
 *
 * The CLOSED-CAPTIONS attribute is OPTIONAL.
 * </pre>
 */
public class StreamInf extends Tag {

    private static final String PROGRAMID = "PROGRAM-ID";
    private static final String BANDWIDTH = "BANDWIDTH";
    private static final String CODECS = "CODECS";
    private static final String RESOLUTION = "RESOLUTION";
    private static final String AUDIO = "AUDIO";
    private static final String VIDEO = "VIDEO";
    private static final String SUBTITLE = "SUBTITLES";
    private static final String CLOSEDCAPTIONS = "CLOSEDCAPTIONS";

    /**
     * Returns the program ID.
     * @return program ID
     */
    public int getProgramId() {
        return Integer.valueOf(tag.getAttributes().get(PROGRAMID));
    }

    /**
     * Returns the bandwidth attribute.
     * @return bandwidth attribute
     */
    public int getBandwidth() {
        return Integer.valueOf(tag.getAttributes().get(BANDWIDTH));
    }

    /**
     * Returns the codec attribute.
     * @return codec attribute
     */
    public String getCodecs() {
        return tag.getAttributes().get(CODECS);
    }

    /**
     * Returns the resolution attribute.
     * @return resolution attribute
     */
    public String getResolution() {
        return tag.getAttributes().get(RESOLUTION);
    }

    /**
     * Returns the audio attribute.
     * @return audio attribute
     */
    public String getAudio() {
        return tag.getAttributes().get(AUDIO);
    }

    /**
     * Returns the video attribute.
     * @return video attribute
     */
    public String getVideo() {
        return tag.getAttributes().get(VIDEO);
    }

    /**
     * Returns the subtitle attribute.
     * @return subtitle attribute
     */
    public String getSubtitle() {
        return tag.getAttributes().get(SUBTITLE);
    }

    /**
     * Returns the closed captions attribute.
     * @return closed captions attribute
     */
    public String getClosedCaptions() {
        return tag.getAttributes().get(CLOSEDCAPTIONS);
    }

    /**
     * Returns the URI for this variant stream.
     * @return URI
     */
    public String getURI() {
        return tag.getURI();
    }
}


text:
Trump Bans Mention of Nixon as Aides Suggest Resigning: CNN
NIXING RICHARD
Trump said he can't count on Mike Pence to pardon him like Gerald Ford, anyway.
Pigeon's Execution Canceled After U.S. Tag Exposed as Fake
The incriminating tag made Australian authorities believe the pigeon has breached quarantine rules by crossing the Pacific Ocean from Oregon.
Rappers Brief SCOTUS on Free Speech
MIKEY GOES TO D.C.
Updated Apr. 13, 2017 6:11PM ET / Published Dec. 21, 2015 1:49PM ET
via Insatgram
Hip-hop stars Killer Mike, T.I., and Big Boi filed an amicus brief Monday requesting the Supreme Court hear the case of a student who was suspended from his Mississippi high school for recording a song that alleged two coaches had engaged in sexual misconduct with female students. The teenage rapper Taylor Bell, who goes by stage name T-Bizzle, was suspended from school in 2011 for the song. Killer Mike and the other rappers, with assistance from free-speech lawyers and professors, will attempt to give the Supreme Court some context on hip-hop in advance of hearing the case. "I see a kid who saw wrong happening and was outraged about it," Killer Mike said of controversial tune. "Following a long line of rappers before him, Bell saw an opportunity to confront injustice."
Read it at Rolling Stone


Atopic dermatitis, known more commonly as eczema, is a skin disorder that results in itchy and scaly patches of skin. This chronic disorder is characterized by red patches and rashes on the surface of the skin.
According to studies, eczema is not caused by allergies or asthma, although many people who suffer from eczema have these conditions as well.
Instead, eczema occurs when the skin is missing specific proteins that keep sensitivity at bay.
This results in a visible hypersensitive skin reaction and the patchy, scaly skin that characterizes those with eczema.
Most people with eczema are diagnosed with it before the age of five. Because of this, it is not unusual for a two-month-old infant to be diagnosed with the skin condition.
Many doctors say that it can be outgrown as the child ages, and in most cases, it vanishes on its own by the time he or she reaches adulthood.
However, in other cases, this doesn't occur and the condition becomes life-long and chronic.
In order for treatment to begin, eczema must first be properly diagnosed by a medical doctor. Diagnostic tests include a skin biopsy, which can rule out other, more simple problems that can also cause itchy or very dry skin. An allergy test may also be done.
The first part of eczema treatment involves following a very specific skin care regimen. You can relieve dryness and itching by applying a gentle, alcohol and fragrance-free moisturizer like the kind used on sensitive skin. Petroleum jelly can also work. You will have to avoid scratching your skin, and some medications may be prescribed, including antihistamines and steroid creams. Following these instructions may reduce your need for additional medical treatment.
Younger children with eczema may need to wear gloves while sleeping to prevent them from scratching their skin. Their fingernails will also need to be kept short as well, since this will discourage scratching. Keeping a humidifier running in their bedrooms at night may help with the dry skin that characterizes this skin condition.
Some things that should be avoided as much as possible include irritating clothing like lanolin or wool, very strong detergents and soaps, certain solvents and household chemicals, and sudden changes in temperature. All of these things can aggravate eczema.
A doctor should always be consulted before starting a skin care regimen to alleviate eczema. If your symptoms are severe and the more common topical treatments do not work, antibiotics, topical immunomodulators, and stronger antihistamines can be prescribed.


text:
Amelia Bloomer
Amelia Jenks Bloomer (May 27, 1818 – December 30, 1894) was an American newspaper editor, women's rights and temperance advocate. Even though she did not create the women's clothing reform style known as bloomers, her name became associated with it because of her early and strong advocacy. In her work with The Lily, she became the first woman to own, operate and edit a newspaper for women.
Amelia Jenks
Homer, New York, United States
December 30, 1894(1894-12-30) (aged 76)
Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Amelia Bloomer House
Occupation(s)
Women's rights and temperance advocate
Publicizing the idea of women wearing pants which came to be known as "Bloomers"
owner/editor of The Lily
Dexter Bloomer (m. 1840)
1 Early life
3 Social activism
4 Death and burial
5 Commemorations
8.1 Bibliography
Early lifeEdit
Amelia Jenks was born in 1818 in Homer, New York, to Ananias Jenks and Lucy (Webb) Jenks. She was one of the youngest in her large family, having at least 4 sisters and 2 brothers. She came from a family of modest means and received only a few years of formal education in the local district school.[1]
CareerEdit
After a brief time as a school teacher at the age of 17, she decided to relocate, and moved in with her newly married sister Elvira, then living in Waterloo. Within a year she had moved into the home of the Oren Chamberlain family in Seneca Falls to act as the live-in governess for their three youngest children.[2]
On April 15, 1840, when she was 22, she married law student Dexter Bloomer who encouraged her to write for his New York newspaper, the Seneca Falls County Courier. Bloomer supported her activism; he even gave up drinking as part of the Temperance Movement.[1]
She spent her early years in Cortland County, New York. Bloomer and her family moved to Iowa in 1852.[3]
Social activismEdit
In 1848, Bloomer attended the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention, though she did not sign the Declaration of Sentiments and subsequent resolutions, due to her deep connection with the Episcopal Church. This meeting would serve as her inspiration to start her newspaper.
The following year, she began editing the first newspaper by and for women, The Lily. Published biweekly from 1849 until 1853, the newspaper began as a temperance journal, but came to have a broad mix of contents ranging from recipes to moralist tracts, particularly when under the influence of suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Bloomer felt that because women lecturers were considered unseemly, writing was the best way for women to work for reform. Originally, The Lily was to be for "home distribution" among members of the Seneca Falls Ladies Temperance Society, which had formed in 1848, and eventually had a circulation of over 4,000. The paper encountered several obstacles early on, and the Society's enthusiasm died out. Bloomer felt a commitment to publish and assumed full responsibility for editing and publishing the paper. Originally, the title page had the legend "Published by a committee of ladies." But after 1850 – only Bloomer's name appeared on the masthead.[4] This newspaper was a model for later periodicals focused on women's suffrage.
Bloomer described her experience as the first woman to own, operate and edit a news vehicle for women:
It was a needed instrument to spread abroad the truth of a new gospel to woman, and I could not withhold my hand to stay the work I had begun. I saw not the end from the beginning and dreamed where to my propositions to society would lead me.
Bloomer Suit
Depiction of Amelia Bloomer wearing the famous "bloomer" costume which was named after her (a tunic + "pantelettes").
In her publication, Bloomer promoted a change in dress standards for women that would be less restrictive in regular activities.
The costume of women should be suited to her wants and necessities. It should conduce at once to her health, comfort, and usefulness; and, while it should not fail also to conduce to her personal adornment, it should make that end of secondary importance.
In 1851, New England temperance activist Elizabeth Smith Miller (aka Libby Miller) adopted what she considered a more rational costume: loose trousers gathered at the ankles, like women's trousers worn in the Middle East and Central Asia, topped by a short dress or skirt and vest.[5] Miller displayed her new clothing to Stanton, her cousin, who found it sensible and becoming, and adopted it immediately. In this garb Stanton visited Bloomer, who began to wear the costume and promote it enthusiastically in her magazine.[citation needed] Articles on the clothing trend were picked up in The New York Tribune. More women wore the fashion which was promptly dubbed The Bloomer Costume or "Bloomers".[citation needed] However, the Bloomers were subjected to ceaseless ridicule in the press and harassment on the street.[citation needed] Bloomer herself dropped the fashion in 1859, saying that a new invention, the crinoline, was a sufficient reform that she could return to conventional dress.[citation needed]
Also in 1851, Bloomer introduced the suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to each other.[6][7]
In 1854, when Bloomer and her husband decided to move to Council Bluffs, Iowa, Bloomer sold The Lily to Mary Birdsall in Richmond, Indiana. Birdsall and Dr. Mary F. Thomas kept the publication going at least through 1859.[1][8]
Bloomer remained a suffrage pioneer and writer throughout her life, writing for a wide array of periodicals. Although Bloomer was far less famous than some other feminists, she made many significant contributions to the women's movement — particularly concerning dress reform. Bloomer also led suffrage campaigns in Nebraska and Iowa and served as president of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association from 1871 until 1873.[4]
Death and burialEdit
She died in 1894, at the age of 76, and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Council Bluffs, Iowa.[9][10]
CommemorationsEdit
Statue, called "When Anthony Met Stanton", immortalizing the 1851 meeting of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Amelia Bloomer in Seneca Falls, New York.
She is commemorated together with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman in the calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church on July 20.[11] In 1975 she was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.[12] In 1980 her home at Seneca Falls, New York, known as the Amelia Bloomer House, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3] In 1995 she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.[13][14] In 1999 a sculpture by Ted Aub was unveiled commemorating when on May 12, 1851, Bloomer introduced Susan B. Anthony to Elizabeth Cady Stanton.[15][6] This sculpture, called "When Anthony Met Stanton", consists of the three women depicted as life-size bronze statues, and is placed overlooking Van Cleef Lake in Seneca Falls, New York, where the introduction occurred.[6][15]
From 2002 until 2020, the American Library Association produced an annual Amelia Bloomer List of recently published books with significant feminist content for younger readers. However, in 2020 the list's name was changed to Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0–18, explained as such: "The project has been promoting quality feminist literature for young readers since 2002 as a part of the Feminist Task Force and the Social Responsibilities Round Table [both of the American Library Association]. [In 2020,] the committee was made aware that, though Amelia Bloomer had a platform as a publisher, she refused to speak against the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 (Simmons)[a]. SRRT and FTF believe librarians and libraries must work to correct social problems and inequities with particular attention to intersectionality, feminism, and deliberate anti-racism. As a result, the committee unanimously voted in favor of a name change. Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18, reflects the diversity and inclusion for which feminism as a whole — and this committee specifically—strives."[16][17]
List of suffragists and suffragettes
List of women's rights activists
Victorian dress reform
^ Referring to "Simmons, L. (2016, September 23). Petition of Amelia Bloomer regarding suffrage in the West. National Archives. Retrieved from [1].
^ a b c D. C. Bloomer (1895). Life And Writings Of Amelia Bloomer. Universal Digital Library. Arena Publishing Company.
^ Weber, Sandra S., "Special History Sturdy", Women's Rights National Historic Park, Seneca Falls, New York, US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, September 1985
^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ a b Falls, Mailing Address: 136 Fall Street Seneca; Us, NY 13148 Phone:568-0024 Contact. "Amelia Bloomer - Women's Rights National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov.
^ "Elizabeth Smith Miller". New York History Net. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
^ a b c "Aub Discusses Commemorative Sculpture - Hobart and William Smith Colleges". .hws.edu. 2013-07-17. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
^ "Susan Campbell: We Lost This Time, But Women Push Back - Hartford Courant". Courant.com. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
^ Beach, Eloise (2 Aug 1976). "Richmond Once Was Site for Paper Published by Amelia Bloomer". Palladium-Item. Richmond, IN. p. 9.
^ The Editors (1945-10-24). "Amelia Bloomer | American social reformer". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2017-11-02. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
^ City Clerk. "Cemeteries | Council Bluffs, IA - Official Website". Councilbluffs-ia.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
^ Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018. Church Publishing, Inc. 2019-12-17. ISBN 978-1-64065-235-4.
^ "1975 Iowa Women's Hall of Fame Honoree: Amelia Jenks Bloomer (1818-1894)". Retrieved 2017-10-28.
^ "Congressional Record | Congress.gov | Library of Congress". Congress.gov. 1995-09-15. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
^ "Bloomer, Amelia - National Women's Hall of Fame". Womenofthehall.org. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
^ a b "The Freethought Trail". The Freethought Trail. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
^ "Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18". January 27, 2020.
^ "2020 Rise: A Feminist Booklist for Young Readers".
Bloomer, Dexter C. Life and Writings of Amelia Bloomer. Boston: Arena Pub. Co., 1895. Reprinted 1975 by Schocken Books, New York. Includes bibliographical references.
Coon, Anne C. Hear Me Patiently: The Reform Speeches of Amelia Jenks Bloomer, Vol. 138. Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 1994.
Smith, Stephanie, Household Words: Bloomers, sucker, bombshell, scab, cyber (2006) -- material on changing usage of words.
The Lily: A Ladies' Journal, devoted to Temperance and Literature. 1849.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Bloomer, Amelia Jenks".
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amelia Bloomer.
Spartacus biography
Biography/Pottawattamie County, Iowa
"Amelia Jenks Bloomer". Women's rights activist, social reformer. Find a Grave. Jan 1, 2001. Retrieved Aug 17, 2011.
Norwood, Arlisha. "Amelia Bloomer". National Women's History Museum. 2017.
BBC video article on Amelia Jenks Bloomer, 4 July 2019
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amelia_Bloomer&oldid=1135396577"


text:
Label Focus : Make Mine Music
January 14, 2009 | by : Micky67
Since its inception in 2002, Make Mine Music has continually evolved and blossomed in tandem with the quality records it releases. A label like no other, Make Mine Music artists do not have to pander to owners or shareholders and are free of other weighty music industry shackles.
With a roster choc full of outstanding artists including Epic45, Yellow6, July Skies, Portal, Library Tapes and many more, the fiercely independent Make Mine Music has prospered, issuing over 50 records in its 6 year existence, when other imprints have gone to the wall. Founding members Jon Attwood (Yellow6) and Scott Sinfield (Portal) are on hand to tell [sic] Mag why they're "shouting more loudly"about the label and why their model could be the way forward for other independent artists. But just how does a label without any staff or owners actually work?
[sic] Mag: What influenced you to start your own label and how have your values differed from your original aim?
Jon Attwood: The original influences were slightly different for Scott and I. He had suffered at the hands of other labels and I, although having been treated well by labels, wanted to know more about the process of releasing a record. Once we'd established we could do it, we invited some other artists we knew to join the label. Overall the aims of the label haven't really changed – we still want to release music we think is worth hearing, with the artists getting the benefit of their hard work.
Scott Sinfield: The label has changed over the years, by necessity, as it has grown and more artists have become involved. But I think we've stayed true to our original aim of artists doing it for themselves, releasing their music in a fair and honest way that gives them complete artistic freedom and control over the music.
How does your label differ from others? Are there any distinguishing characteristics that give your label its own identity?
SS: Make Mine Music is, as far as I am aware, unique in working the way we do. The artists have total control over their work; they pay for the manufacturing and promotion of their releases, but in return, get 100% of any profits. We're starting to shout more loudly now about what we do – as other labels fold or struggle to get by in the face of downloads and the economic downturn, we truly believe we've found a viable way forward. It's a completely different model to that of traditional labels. We don't have the same overheads, there are no managers' or shareholders' pockets to line, no staff who need to be employed and so on. I think it's a model that we'll see other artists adopt too. I hope so. The traditional record label model has failed and/or been corrupted.
7f3090fbb9.jpg?v=0″ height="300″ width="300″ />
With so many formats now available, from digital through to various physical products, which one do you see thriving in the future?
JA: I think physical formats will be with us for a while, at least until the oil starts to run out and non- essential products get restricted (cheery!). I'm not a fan of digital music as a whole, feeling a bit cheated when I buy something from iTunes as I have nothing to show for it. I always loved vinyl which can't be beaten for the overall package, and it is enjoying resurgence right now, although it doesn't really suit my listening habits (in-car turntables never really caught on for some reason). I have always believed that the artwork and music go together, and some of my favourite albums are those where effort has gone into making the whole package special. This can be done with CD as well but takes a bit more effort (and cost). The main problem with vinyl from an artist/label perspective is the cost which can be prohibitive for small runs.
Illegal file-sharing is obviously the burning issue in the music industry right now. Should labels embrace or distance themselves from it?
SS:
As far as Make Mine Music and downloads go, it's up to the individual artists what they want to do. Personally, whilst all of the Portal albums are available to legally buy as mp3 files, I also gave all of them away for free on my website once the CDs had broken even. I personally don't like downloads at all, but there's clearly a demand for them. I'd just like those people who illegally download to be aware of the impact that their actions might have – the artist whose music they're downloading might not be able to afford to release music in the future because their income is being cut. For the artists on Make Mine Music, this is a direct relationship, of course. We're not some multinational for whom music is just one arm of their business.
Personally, I've never made music for the money, anyway. If nobody bought Portal records, I'd still make music because I love making music and it's a form of expression for me. I have a full-time job outside music, so I don't depend on music to put food on the table, but at the same time, if nobody bought my music, I wouldn't continue to release it. It has to be financially self-sufficient. I also like to think that anyone wanting to hear my music will buy the record or CD so they get the artwork that I spent so long working on, as well. The artwork is an intrinsic part of the package.
What advice would you give to budding label owners?
SS: Get on and do it. There's arguably never been a better time and there are plenty of people out there willing to give you advice. But be prepared to work hard and lose a few nights' sleep over it. Artists should be seizing the opportunities that the current climate is providing. Forget all about "getting signed" or whatever. The traditional record label model has failed. Get off your backside and do it yourself.
JA: There's nothing stopping you – it's no longer a mystery as to how you can make CDs/records so all that's needed is the care and attention, effort, and some good music. It's not easy, but it is rewarding. There are people happy to answer questions, loads of internet resources, and the traditional idea of getting signed to a label is fast disappearing.
Finally, in five years time, where do you see your label?
JA: Hopefully in a similar position to the one it is now – still releasing quality music for the benefit of the artists involved
SS: I'd like to think that in five years time, Make Mine Music will be going strong, releasing great music, and that it will have spawned other labels working in the same way.
Year Formed: 2002
Website: http://www.makeminemusic.co.uk/
Roster: Epic45, Yellow6, Portal, Library Tapes, Le Chat Blanc Orchestra
Currently Promoting: 'Dark Horses Ep' – Piano Magic
Words: Michael Henaghan


A finish on Rebekah's Lady! I did round 5 and 6, and I'll send this when I get a chance to go to the post office. And I'll send you a facebook message about the rest of the package. 😦 I'm blaming my husband.
BoInk update – border stitching is tedious, but I'm getting it done. I did not stitch at all last Sunday, but I've been doing a little evening stitching during the week when I feel like it – check out the other participants, and you'll see that I'm WAY behind. And yes, I've given up on gridding. Now that I have my width, I'm confident that I can keep the stitches is the right place.
And a new WIP! I promised myself that once we moved I'd start on the ornament stitching for Stitching for a Cure, so here's ornament #1, Breast Cancer Awareness. I'm not using any of the called-for colors, but I'm finally dipping into the Six Strand Sweets stash I've received – this is "raspberry peach", which I'll augment with greens and another pink from my DMC stash. This is over-1 on 28-count antique white something-or-other (it's been out of the package for a long time, and I'm even guessing on the thread count). I may do my second ornie on different fabric so it won't be SO tiny.
That's it for this week! I've also added another article to my gallery blog, please visit when you have a chance. Thanks!
A new member of our family – meet Annie!
She looks great! I'm not sure exactly how I will "finish" her yet but I'm excited to see her almost done.
Great progress. It must be nice to be getting back into a routine and having time to stitch again.


text:
No. 5 Williams Uses Huge Third Quarter To Advance Past Men's Lacrosse in NCAA Second Round
No. 5 Williams
Keene State (11-6) 4 2 3 1 10
No. 5 Williams (16-3) 4 2 8 7 21
G: Kevin Stump - 5
A: Jake Haase - 6
Sv: Harry Gahagan - 6
GB: Alex Kitt - 11
G: Dave Wiedenfeld - 5
A: 2 Players (#9, #32) - 1
Sv: Chase Chamberlin - 11
GB: Matthew Lemke - 4
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Keene State College men's lacrosse team fell to No. 5 Williams in the NCAA second round 21-10 at Farley-Lamb Field. With the loss, the Owls season ends at 11-6 overall.
Keene State: 11-6
Williams: 16-3
Williams came out of the gate red hot, as the Ephs grabbed the first three goals of the contest. Brendan Hoffman started the scoring when he fired in a goal on a man up chance just one minute in, before Corey Lund added to the lead three minutes later. Williams third straight goal came on another man up opportunity, as Hoffman scored his second of the day to give the hosts a three goal edge. Keene State regrouped quickly, as Shane Molloy put the visitors on the board when he took a Connor Nolan feed and blasted in a goal from distance. Dave Wiedenfeld continued his fantastic 2019 season when he scored an unassisted goal to cut the lead to one. With 5:11 to go in the opening quarter, the Ephs extended their lead back to two goals when John Hincks found the back of the net. The story of the quarter was how the Owls kept bouncing back, Michael Fritschy became the third different Owl to score when he took off from behind the net and finished off an acrobatic solo effort past the Ephs netminder. With just 16 seconds left in the quarter, Wiedenfeld tied things up when he scored his second goal of the game.
The back and forth affair continued into the second quarter, as the Owls took their first lead of the day off a solo effort from defenseman Travis Hamilton. Wiedenfeld then made it four straight for KSC when he finished off a first half hat-trick to extend the lead to 6-4. With just over three minutes remaining in the half, Kevin Stump joined the goal scoring sheet when he finished off two straight goals for the Ephs to tie it up at 6-6 at halftime.
Keene State came out of the locker room with a plan as Wiedenfeld continued his offensive masterclass. The junior gave the Owls a 7-6 lead when he took a Gabe Cormier pass and found the net. He then completed a solo effort for his fifth goal of the game. With 6:57 to go, the hosts responded on a man down opportunity, after winning the faceoff, the Ephs gained possession and found Kevin Stump who put away his third of the game. Jordan Caito then answered right back for KSC, as he brought the lead back to two goals for the away side. The turning point in the contest was a Corey Lund goal, which set the hosts on a six goal run to end the quarter. Lund's goal was followed by goals from Strauss, Lund again, Strauss, Alex Kitt and Michael Greenberg. The red hot end to the quarter gave the hosts a 14-9 lead heading into the final frame.
With their largest lead of the day, the Ephs only needed 15 more minutes to close out KSC. The Owls struck first in the quarter however, as Anthony Marcella scored his first of the day. The Ephs quickly answered with a man down goal, by Kevin Stump, and a man up finish by Hoffman. Williams continued to tack it on, as three more goals poured in from Lund, Hincks and Kitt to extend their lead to 19-10. With just 1:56 remaining, Tim Saffold put away his first of the game, before the freshman tacked on another with just 56 seconds to go. 21-10 proved to be the final score, as No. 5 Williams used a huge third quarter run to advance past Keene State and into the next round.
Inside the Crease
Kevin Stump led Williams with five goals, Corey Lund had four goals and one assist and Brendan Hoffman finished with a hat-trick.
Dave Wiedenfeld led KSC with five goals, while five other players scored (Molloy, Caito, Hamilton, Fritschy and Marcella).
Harry Gahagan picked up the win in net making 10 saves. Chase Chamberlin had 11 saves in the loss.
Williams won 20 faceoffs to the Owls 12.
The Ephs were 4/11 on man up chances while KSC finished 0/5.
Williams outshot Keene State 48-32.
Keene State's season concludes after the loss.
No. 5 Williams will head into the NCAA third round and host No. 18 St. John Fisher College on Saturday, May 11.


India's culture is among the world's oldest and most diverse, coming to the foreground during its biggest festival of the year. Diwali is a celebration of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance however, the legends associated with the festival vary across different parts of India. Have a read of our tips for making the most of the festivities.
1) For the authentic experience, stay at an Indian home stay to take part in the traditional Diwali family rituals such as, filling little clay lamps with oil and a wick before then lighting them in rows over the house. People usually wear new clothes for Diwali, so go on treat yourself to some traditional Indian wear such as a silk kurta for the men or a beautiful sari for the women, and join in with the festivities!
2) Jaipur, known as the "Pink City", is a great stop to enjoy the spectacular view of the illuminated markets and buildings. The competition is fierce each year and I certainly wouldn't want to have the responsibility of deciding the winner with each building as spectacular as the next.
3) In Goa attention is focused on the destruction of the demon Narakasura by Lord Krishna and there is a competition held to determine who has created the scariest demon. The sheer size of these demons make for an impressive sight worth seeing.
4) Gamble and play cards! Hopefully you are a master of the poker face as playing cards is a popular pastime during Diwali. It is thought that the goddess of wealth smiles upon the players, spreading her goodwill.
5) For all the foodies make sure to try some of the treats that circulate around this time of the year including, Sohan papdi, Besan Barfi and Mawa Kachori that are all deliciously sweet and fragrant. Your best bet for trying one of these is at the numerous fairs that take place around India's cities.
6) Of course the celebrations would not be complete without a wonderful display of fireworks and what better way to see them than over the Ganges river or even as a backdrop to the breathtaking Taj Mahal in Agra.