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SCA is awesome. Im just getting started but think a ton of the warriors are super BA. I actually learned about SCA from http://arthursarmory.com/sca/ and want to meet more people
The king stands before the two dozen or so fighters kneeling on the grass in his presence. Their heads are bent as if in group prayer, their tunics sullied with the sweat and blood of combat. The king's straight posture signals authority; his beard bespeaks wisdom. His white garments are embroidered with the blue triangular symbols of the kingdom, and sunlight ignites the four points of the metal crown topping his person. Kurn O'Farrell of Ulster, the current holder of the throne of the Kingdom of Trimaris, nods.
"After today's combat on the field," he shouts in his stage-ready tenor, "we are here to elect this man" — he points to a fighter at his feet — "to the Order... of the Mangina."
The knights crack up into whoops and whistles. The fighter, the most pathetic of the day, whose performance out on the field has left his manhood up for grabs, turns red, enjoying the joke at his expense — the kind of frat-bro razzing that could rattle out of any locker room.
"Actually, it's pronounced mangeeeena," another fighter whispers to me, his voice mock-professorial. "It's an old Latin term."
"Vivat!" bellows a knight.
"Trimaris!" the men shout back.
Although I've been hanging with about 500 Trimarians for the past 24 hours, I'm still basically a castaway drifting between one what-the-fuck moment and the next. Around me, grown men in ornate medieval tunics are drinking mead out of wooden mugs they carry strapped to their belts. Women swap compliments on their hand-stitched dresses. Some men walk around with their faces hidden in Arabian robes; others are dressed as goths, with masks made from skulls. Thick beards seem to be a fashion necessity, and many a heaving bosom looks like it's about to jailbreak out of a flimsy corset. I feel as though I just studied for an AP European history exam in a sweat lodge, took a hit of bad acid, and then screened a Game of Thrones marathon.
Welcome to the Society for Creative Anachronism. For the past 40 years, the SCA has offered an escape hatch from the 9-to-5 slog. Cut loose from real life (or "the Mundane World" in SCA lingo), participants slip into character, flying whatever medieval freak flag they choose, so long as it is time-stamped before 1600 A.D.
This shit is serious. Members spend thousands of dollars on costumes. They meet weekly, often for years, devoting almost as much time to this hobby as to their full-time jobs. They take up ancient trades — like bookbinding, calligraphy, candlemaking, and blacksmithing — and pour hundreds of hours of PhD-level research into making sure they are historically accurate.
Outsiders might call this site a 4-H camp in Ocala National Forest, but to the folks walking the grounds now, this is Trimaris, the kingdom of the three seas. (The kingdom covers all of Florida except the Panhandle.) Citizens have gathered for the Crown Lyst, the twice-yearly event when knights will battle with ancient weapons and the victor will be named the new king. In every SCA kingdom, the royalty is chosen this way. Whoever conquers the field through a series of double-elimination, one-on-one battles wins the title; his consort, the lady (or dude — the SCA doesn't discriminate) for whom he fights, becomes his ruling partner.
"My Lord," says a young maid with an alabaster face. "Water or sekanjabin?"
"Is that the Turkish sugar water?" I ask.
"Yes," she replies, handing me a mixture of mint, water, and sugar. "Medieval Gatorade."
"Thanks," I say, and spray a rope of the minty stuff down my throat. The girl hangs around awkwardly for a beat or two, as if waiting for something I'd forgotten. "...My Lady," I mumble, complying with ground rules that require everyone to formally address each other.
I'm here — on a 90-degree Memorial Day weekend, in a tunic and an itchy pair of borrowed pants, getting rotisseried by the sun and struggling to remember a bunch of social niceties that went out with the plague — for one reason: the face-bashing.
Specieswise, we're stitched up with the same genetic code as our ancestors who put fresh wildebeest on the table every night and settled neighborhood beefs by flinging spears. But now, we've turned soft — indoor-dwelling and tech-obsessed. Instagramming shots of brunch and workshopping theories on Breaking Bad via Facebook is about as exciting as it gets these days. (I'm told people do something terrible called "hot yoga.") Boxing has been polished up into a fitness club activity; MMA is for preening 'roiders; people rock-climb on fake rocks — and pay for the privilege.
Me, I sit at a computer all day. I eat from vending machines. I own many pairs of khakis. The last time I hit someone with something, it was made by Nerf, and Clinton was in office. And it was an accident. Did I mention the khakis? If we've all got an inner Viking still camped out in some remote psychic nook, he doesn't get out much.
That's where SCA comes in. It was time to let mine out for a romp. Inner Viking, welcome home.
Heavy-weapons fighting is a historically accurate martial art based on the chivalric combat of the Middle Ages. Competitors strap on metal armor, pick up swords crafted out of rattan wood, and bash the hell out of one another. Here — the nerdiest slice of America — is the last place where you can actually get medieval on someone's ass.
A week before the tournament, Duke Mittion and three other fighters strapped on their armor at a weekly gathering of the Shire of Sea March (Palm Beach County, to those of us with our feet stuck in the Mundane World).
Trimaris, like all kingdoms, is chopped up into shires and baronies. The Shire of Sea March covers Palm Beach; Broward is Sangre del Sol; Miami-Dade is the Shire of Southkeep. Though all shires plan their own activities, heavy-weapons fighting is usually a staple across the country — AKA the Known World.
Mittion, currently a knight, has been king of Trimaris multiple times in his 30 years with the SCA. Though local membership numbers have recently taken a dip ("World of Warcraft," Mittion grumbles) and the popularity of Game of Thrones hasn't brought in tons of new members, like a dutiful den leader/drill sergeant, he continues to train dozens of fighters (or squires) in his backyard, lit by floodlights.
The Society for Creative Anachronism originally popped up out of the counterculture stew bubbling over in 1960s Berkeley, California. In May 1966, a group of medieval-studies students there threw a chivalry-themed backyard party to protest the 20th Century. The festivities included a combat tournament for fighters outfitted with wooden swords and motorcycle helmets.
The party took off. Today, the SCA is an official nonprofit organization, with 19 kingdoms stretching all over the globe. By the group's own estimate, there are more than 30,000 members. In Florida, the Trimaris currently has an official membership of more than 3,000, with about 2,000 actively participating.
Ask SCA members to define what the group is and they will usually first school you on what it's not. Sure, technically, it's historical reenactment, but they don't act out real historical battles, like, say, Civil War reenactors. And yes, the action is grounded in medieval times, but the SCA isn't like a Renaissance Faire either, where the fighting is staged. And it's definitely not LARPing — live action role playing — which is like a live game of Dungeons and Dragons, with people tossing bean bags as magic spells and swinging foam swords. Such depths of geekery are even scorned by the SCA's standards.
No, the SCA is hard-core. A lot of its legitimacy comes from the heavy-weapons fighting. Combat has been part of the SCA since the very beginning, and one could argue that it's the most important element. Historical knowledge is all well and good, acting skills will make a participant popular, but brute force determines who will be king.
The objective is pretty simple: to kill the opponent. Well, metaphorically speaking.
Each fighter has to be outfitted with a set of historically accurate armor, including neck, torso, knee, and elbow protection made out of metal or heavy leather. Each helmet must be made of steel. Though some raggedy fighters have been known to start with "armor" fashioned out of a stop sign sandwiched between two pieces of carpet, a new fighter can probably pick up a "cheap" plastic or aluminum outfit for around $250, and a used helmet can go for $150. Some people, though, spend up to $5,000 on suits made by master blacksmiths.
"Armoring yourself is a progression," explains Kurn, the king. "You buy and adjust and do some more stuff and work to fix it. So it's never a finished thing until you've been doing it for years."
There are group battles, small-team melees, and, most common, one-on-one tournament-style face-offs — like the Crown Lyst. Most combatants arm themselves with a shield and a sword fashioned from Rutan, a bamboo-like wood. There are no set dimensions on the fighting field, and women can fight right along with the men. It's open season on the torso, upper thighs, arms, and the head outside of the facemask. For a blow to count, it's got to be hard. It also has to be clean; shots that nick the shield or sword — or "catch traffic on the way in" — don't count. A knock to an arm or leg means the fighter can go on, but without using the maimed member. Hard body and head shots kill; a kill shot ends the match. Skirmishes can be over in less than 30 seconds; epic battles stretch ten minutes or more.
The sport looks like part fencing, part gladiatorial smash-bash.
"If we were using steel weapons with the techniques and motions that we use in our fighting, we would incapacitate one another," Kurn says.
But here's the important part: Even though two marshals orbit the combat for safety purposes, it's on each individual fighter to call whether they've been hit with a kill shot or not — a self-policing honor system.
Now, can you tell me anyplace else in this office-jaundiced, hot-yoga-loving world of ours where you can actually smash somebody up in armor like that? I didn't think so — which is why it was so important for me to test it out at the practice.
Soon I was peering out from inside a metal helmet still dripping with someone else's sweat. I winged two noodle-limp shots across my opponent's dome. Then I wound up a third time, tapping my inner Barry Bonds, and unloaded on the side of his head. I had giddy flashbacks of bashing my younger brother with blunt objects.
"See?" my opponent said, smiling through the bars of his mask. "It doesn't hurt."
Then he warned me: "I'm going to give you a light hit, a medium hit, and then a hard hit."
The first two thunks rattled my head inside the cage. Just as the knight was pulling his sword back for that final smack, I began thinking about how I was always the kid who managed to hurt himself in gym class even when —
The blow walloped the inside of the helmet like an M-80 stuffed in a mailbox. By the time I was driving home, my cheek was swelling, and I had to stop at Publix for ice.
The next day, I was on the phone with King Kurn (alternately known as a high school science teacher from Lakeland named Farrell Rodgers), begging for more.
Usually, rookies have to train for a couple of months before passing a certification test. The king, however, granted me a waiver and said I could suit up at the Crown Lyst.
"We'll probably be able to get you into some loaner armor and get you knocked around," he said. "You're a little smaller than the usual fighters. Our guys average about five-foot-11, 200 pounds. But we should be able to work something out.
"Bring a cup and jock."
Early Saturday morning in Ocala — er, Trimaris — the sky is a perfect Crayola blue, and dew jewels the stretch of grass lying before a semicircle of pavilions topped with colored flags. Although there are a few modern-day touches — kids running around with videogames, maidens filming footage with iPads, and more tongue rings than I saw when I went to a Kid Rock concert (accidentally) — for the most part, Trimarians in period dress are excitedly tossing arms around old friends. The cheer belies the affairs of state, which are actually in crisis.
"You'll notice, by the way, we don't have a queen," says a woman dressed in a long flowing dress, before dropping a dramatic wink. She nods toward King Kurn, who is standing near an empty throne. Three weeks ago, his wife, Queen Eridani, was kidnapped by vandals. Alaric the Goth, who had vied with Kurn for Eridani's hand in marriage, was behind the snatch. "We don't know what her fate is."
Kurn calls the populace to attention. His voice muzzles the hundreds of people filling the lawn. A messenger has brought a letter from the queen! Kurn reads: "'Alaric's armies are vast. His cities are prosperous, despite what many are saying. We should join Alaric and live in peace." The letter was signed, "Eridani.'"
"Are there any here that believe these are the words of our queen?" he asks incredulously. "These are the words of Alaric!" Kurn says, his basso rumble mounting into a bellicose growl. "The Kingdom of Trimaris does not give in to terrorism, despite the consequences!"
The populace nods. "Although it breaks our hearts that our queen is not here, they may break our hearts, but they will never break the spirit of the Kingdom of Trimaris. Not when champions still breathe!"
Kurn can Spielberg the shit out of a plot. That's his job. The royal seat isn't just a plush gig — it requires real effort. The king and queen are always on the road, spending nearly every weekend of their reign traveling across the state to shire events. But most important, they're at the steering wheel of the story line.
Just as each SCA member can pick a historical persona, the king and queen decide which time period and geographical backdrop will serve as the setting during their reign. "We've jumped from the Crusades to high-German gothic to Japanese to Vietnamese," Kurn explains later.
Kurn and Eridani dropped anchor in the time of the historical King Arthur, Britannia circa 450 A.D. They've kept the drama Oscar-worthy throughout their rule. On a website set up specifically for the monarchs, Kurn and Eridani have posted letters detailing their plot.
In dispatches just prior to the tournament, the bummed-out king had opined on whether the queen wasn't more than willing to be kidnapped by her old flame. "I wonder if she did have feelings for him," he wrote in a letter, dated X Maivs CDVII. "I should have listened. I can list my responsibilities as Crown as my excuse, yet it does not ease the guilt I feel for not giving her the attention she deserved."
Kurn sent out the elite "Triskele Team Six" (yup, that's a Seal Team Six reference) to snatch Eridani back. "But for now I am angry and heartbroken," the king wrote. "I am never going to dance again. Guilty feet have got no rhythm."
The missing-monarch subplot is the big finish for the royals. By weekend's end, Trimaris will be in the hands of a new king.
"I have come so stinking close, I can taste it," Lord Takamatsu Sadamitsu no kami Tadayoshi says as he prepares for battle. In the past four Crown Lysts, he's finished in third place, second, third, and second, respectively — but he's never had the big chair for himself.
"Maybe this time, if I keep my feces coagulated into a single locale, I should be able to pull it off."
Lord Taka is one of 14 fighters filling up the tournament bracket. Short, stocky, and definitely not Japanese, he's stuffed into a beautifully intricate kit of blue metal pieces arranged like fish scales and cinched around the middle with a white belt — the sign of a knight. Younger warriors spin around him like a pit crew working on a racer.
Despite the Japanese name, Taka is actually a 53-year-old lab technician from Lakeland with the redneck-hellraiser vibe of a lovable but loose-cannon uncle.
"I know, I sound so Japanese," he drawls. "The running joke is that I'm from Kyushu, the southernmost island in Japan. The battle cry is 'Bonzai, y'all!'"
A lifelong adrenaline jones brought Lord Taka to the SCA more than 30 years ago, when he was a college student. Back then, his "armor" consisted of old pieces of shag carpet sandwiched between canvas. His interests have always strayed east — at one point, he spoke fluent Japanese and had a purple belt in karate — so he took on a Japanese persona.
Now, instead of the standard sword and shield, he battles with a long stick known as a naganata. At only about five-foot-seven, he's light on his feet in combat, usually racing around the ring until his opponent's energy taps out, opening up the possibility for mistakes.
Lord Gavin de Chateau Gaillard is on the other end of the spectrum, an untested no-name looking to piece together a reputation. (In the Mundane World, he's a pool cleaner and engineering student from Cocoa Beach.) The 30-year-old squire is the youngest competitor going for the crown. Despite a bed head of curly hair and a goofy smile that seems permanently stamped onto his face, Gavin wins praise from older fighters for his game as if they're scouts marveling at a pitching prospect's fastball. He's doing something rare — fighting for the crown even though he isn't even a knight yet.
"One of the things my mentor told me early on is you can't buy into your own hype," he warns.
Lord Gavin readies for combat, his armor under a dark-green tunic emblazoned with a wolf, his entourage consisting of some friends and his wife, Lady Miranda. Gavin found the SCA around 2007, and it drew him away from kenpo karate, the American strip-mall version of the Japanese staple. "You do your time, you fill out your card, you take the test, you get your belt," he says of that martial art. "It was lacking of a whole culture."
The first time he strapped in, he felt the difference between karate and the SCA: In martial arts, you never really get to bust up an opponent's face.
By Saturday noon, the sun's a bare hot bulb, and the heat feels like a fat kid squatting on my back. The first blows of the Crown Lyst start flying. The applause coming off the crowd sounds like the same excited but polite pitter-patter you hear when a PGA stud parks a fairway bomb near the pin.
But suddenly, not long into the action, King Kurn stops the fight. From a corner of the crowd, three hooded figures walk to the royal tent. Triskele Team Six had completed its mission. The queen, a short woman with dark curly hair trailing down from a silver crown, had returned!
"It is time for us to celebrate!" Kurn announces to the crowd. "And drink beer!"
The squire, a huge he-man with stringy blond hair, stiff-legs it over to the tent. His wide face is the clammy color of baloney. He stands rock still with his eyes shuttered for a moment.
"Are you OK?"a knight asks.
"Cup shot," he manages to eke out. "And I think it broke the cup."
The pain seems to spook the strength from his body all at once. He drops. Friends quickly close in to catch him. All men present die a little inside.
I realize I forgot to bring a cup.
But I could not let this slow my own hot pursuit of warriorhood. By now, I am amped up, eight-balling off all that secondhand adrenaline like a kid 30 ounces into a Big Gulp. As fight after fight had unfolded, the field slimmed. I should probably have taken it as a sign that guys were getting unceremoniously steamrolled.
Gavin leaves body parts all across the field. In his first fight, a faceoff with a left-handed lord, the young fighter gets off a few slaps before his opponent nails him on his sword hand. After ditching his shield, Gavin switches his weapon to his weak side. The opponent cuts him down on the next exchange.
The bracket then shuffles Gavin out into a matchup with another knight. After the pair trade some hits, Gavin takes a blow that will cost him the use of his legs. From his knees, he fends off the next barrage, but the match ends with a body blow to his back.
Lord Taka's Lyst run is even shorter. Against his first opponent, the Japanese warrior is armed with a sword and shield — not his usual weaponry. The two bow to the king, do the same to their consorts, and exchange a hug. At "go," the opponent lands two playful jabs against Taka's shield before pulling in close and smacking home a kill shot.
Round two pits Taka against another formidable foe. After poking some tentative shots with his naganata, Taka begins backpedaling quickly. The opponent closes in, ducking under the swings while snapping his sword against Taka's trunk. Taka rolls over backward as a gasp shoots out from the crowd. Just two appearances and the longtime finalist is out.
"I'm calling myself all kinds of horrible names right now," Taka says after his loss. "Things like fornicating scum-sucking pig dog, illegitimate son of a misbegotten wombat, pile of panda poo. I had to leave the site and go chew on the tree."
When it's my turn to give the whole ancient blood lust a go, I slip into some loaner armor from a similarly sized knight. By now, his kit is soaked with sweat after a day of fighting. As for the smell — imagine hockey pads fresh off the ice. That someone pissed on. Twice.
Although from the outside it looks like a knight is literally canning himself inside a bunch of metal, inside, the armor is surprisingly flexible. After locking in, I run, jump, roll, twist — take the thing for a test drive, getting a feel for this exoskeleton that will protect me from harm as I Conan-smash the hell out of my opponent.
The guy I'm facing off against is probably a good five inches shorter, and I probably have 20 pounds on him. Cake, I figure. But after we put our shields and swords up, a funny thing happens: He disappears.
Our facing shields basically create a wall between us. Leaning up, I can just get a line on where his helmet is bobbing, so I throw my sword up and over. Nobody screams for mercy. Wood plunks wood.
Craning my head, I try again to pick up my target when a blob wings out from the left side of my line of sight. Clang. It takes me a moment to realize I've been hit. Without feeling much, I begin hacking away again, getting only dull plunks for the effort. Another incoming blow cracks my head. Then another. Then another.
After a couple of minutes of two-stepping like this, all my movements begin to feel heavy, as if I am stuck on the bottom of a swimming pool. The sticky, hot air rushing down my throat bounces back in rough coughs. I swing hard and then harder. The other guy seems to be dinging me with the effort it would take him to push an elevator button.
Eventually my whole system stalls out. I pitch forward, weak spaghetti-arms propping me on my knees. Breath rockets in and out in hiccuping gasps.
This, I thought, isn't fun.
At this rate, I'm on a fast track into the Order of the Mangina.
"There are only two things I haven't done in my armor," Lord Taka says. It's late, near midnight. Cicadas are laying down a constant dial tone from the woods. Fire pits bloom around the camp. The booze has been flowing for hours, but nearly a hundred or so Trimarians are still up and clustered in small groups around the camp's cafeteria. Taka, in a light-colored tunic and with a cup in his hand, unrolls one-man standup for a small audience.
"I haven't swam in my armor, and I haven't made the beast-with-two-backs," he says, dropping Shakespearean lingo for nookie.
Despite the action on the field all day, I didn't get the full feel for the SCA until the off-hours. Everyone was in a surprisingly good mood after a day of intense competition where — if you want to be a douchey jock about it — there were certainly some mangina-like performances. Mine first and foremost.
On Sunday morning, with the sun lofting over the tree line, the crown tournament was decided by a final five-round battle. Count Yoan Moon Yang came out on top, and his reign will represent another significant gear-shift for the story line: His persona is Korean from 1392 to 1897 A.D. In the coming weeks, the new royals will set up their own website that will lay out the requirements for period dress and customs to follow during this reign.
But now, we're still about a thousand years back in Britannia. As the night goes on, it all seems to click. Might have been the mead. Or the not-quite-historically-accurate Jack Daniels. But the vibe turned friendly and familiar, like a family reunion, except without any drama-queen aunts or asshole uncles.
Here was a group of people who devoted considerable time and effort into building a make-believe alternative to the daily grind. But I realized then that the SCA wasn't so much an escape from the real world as a way to fill in its missing pieces.
"When I was growing up, my dad wasn't around at all," one fighter tells me. "It wasn't until I came to the SCA that I met father figures. They really taught me how to be a man."
"I think it's about the camaraderie, the brotherhood," another said. "It's not just a bunch of people running around in the woods; it's about honor."
"When you come here, there's honor and courtesy," another told me. "You don't get that kind of respect in the real world. If someone insults a woman in the real world, what's her recourse? What's she going to do? Out here, we play by the rule of chivalry. If a lady is insulted, she'll go find a champion, and he'll throw down the gauntlet."
Basically, if you want to fight, if you're going to play the game, you've got to stick to the honor system.
"You might be a frustrated teacher and you want to bash Johnny in the head, but you can't because you need a job to pay for your home and your wife and your kids, so you go out and hit your friends. There's no better relief," Kurn tells me. "But I think it does more than just a sport. It teaches you about what to consider virtuous and moral. In life, we don't get a lot of opportunities to be chivalrous and make the right decisions."
Or, as Gavin put it: "Basically, the first rule of SCA is: Don't be a dick."
SCA is awesome. Im just getting started but think a ton of the warriors are super BA. I actually learned about SCA from http://arthursarmory.com/sca/ and want to meet more people
Greetings of warm thanks from The Honorable Lady Eden Fuller of Redenhall hailing from the fair kingdom of Meridies do come unto m'lord Kyle-
I send with this missive my most heartfelt thanks to you for penning an article heralding our beloved SCA in the most excellent of lights. Your remarks were presented with much humor and I found that quite refreshing and pleasing. I sincerely hope you had as much as fun as your words convey and will find yourself back in the company of the fine folks of Trimaris.
Thank you for writing a fabulous article that doesn't make us sound like a bunch of nuts ;-)
Considering that the article was written by a newcomer with no prior experience to our hobby, I think the author did a fairly decent job. Yes, there were some minor inaccuracies, some omissions and a few misspellings, but all things considered, not too shabby.
We have our own slang and use words not common in modern vernacular, so he can't really be faulted.
It was actually somewhat refreshing to read the impression of a first-timer. Of course some things are going to make more of an impression than others, but I think the author picked up on the basic concept of what we do. And he did touch on the fact that we hold true to ideals not commonplace in society today, such as honor, chivalry and courtesy.
Could he have done better? Of course. Who doesn't improve after initial contact?
I hope Kyle enjoyed his visit, and comes back to join us.
Really cool article. I hope you get the chance to come out more and experience more of the SCA.
While it's nice to see an article about the SCA, there are some innacuracies in here that could have been avoided. Viva is actually Vivat (and the t is pronounceable), sekanjabin also has vinegar in it, swords are made from rattan, not rutan, and those errors were in the first 1/3 of the article. You couldn't have picked better people to track, as Takamatsu and Mittion are some amazing guys, but you missed out on those of us who are more geared to services, performing arts, practical arts and sciences and you really did make us sound like freaks before getting into the good stuff. You also seemed to miss out on the fact that there are a lot of women involved, even on the lyst field!
@aesop_2000 It -was- refreshing, and those corrections should have been made in an email (which is why I've deleted them.) It was a fun article, and nitpicking over slang and terminology was better left in a more private fashion. And I certainly do hope that he comes back. There are many facets of the SCA, and I hope he gets a chance to explore whatever may catch his interest.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Doing Real-Life Processing Instead of On Line
Posted by figleaf on Sunday, 7 July 2013Just a quick head's up. Sometimes digging into one's past turns up nice juicy earthworms -- the kinds Robins love and kids love to see in gummy-candy form. Other time it turns up rats nests. I've been processing rats-nesty stuff. The good news is when/if I come back a lot of stuff will be a lot less abstract and ivory-tower-y for me. The bad news is it might take a little while and it's not fun. Wish I'd had sense enough to deal with it decades ago. On the other hand I'm benefitting from an explosion of research, understanding, and experience that has accrued to modern counsellors, workshop leaders and attendees. Same with a lot of plain old-fashioned family and friends. All of whom I'm enjoying immensely.
My one piece of advice: once you start noticing stuff it's better to get it out than to let it fester. Once you start talking it's amazing how many others have something to something to contribute or something to share.
One more reason to remember the whole Sir Galahad myth is bullshit. Sometimes dangerous bullshit, other times just really, really, really unhelpful bullshit. :-)
More later.


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Projects worth $1.9 trillion (Dh6.97 trillion) are currently under construction in the UAE, according to data released by The Big 5, the region's largest construction trade fair. Although the sector is seeing an incipient revival, the announcement of a new city in Dubai is being hailed as a sign that the economy is back on track.
GN Focus | UAE National Day
Build it and they'll come
The UAE's construction sector is back on track with iconic developments announced to change the face of the country
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archives/WAM
- An artist's rendition of the Mohammad Bin Rashid City being developed in Dubai. The project will feature the largest shopping mall in the world and a park 30 per cent bigger than London's Hyde Park
In the first quarter of the year, the Abu Dhabi and Dubai governments unveiled their revised construction programme, putting a number of formerly stalled projects at the top of their investment agenda.
The industry witnessed construction contract awards to the tune of $28.84 million in 2011, which is expected to increase to $32.84 million in 2012 and $37.98 in 2013, according to Ventures Middle East.
GN Focus takes a look at some of the biggest real estate projects across the country.
Mohammad Bin Rashid City
The biggest new announcement is a tourism and retail development on the outskirts of Dubai's Downtown area. To be located between Emirates Road and Shaikh Zayed Road, Mohammad Bin Rashid City will include the Mall of the World, the largest shopping mall in the world; a park 30 per cent bigger than Hyde Park in London as part of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Gardens Project; a family entertainment centre to be developed with Universal Studios; a district of art galleries; an area for entrepreneurs; and more than 100 hotels. It is to be built by Dubai Holding and Emaar Properties .
Announcing the project, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, did not reveal the cost or when it is expected to be completed, but his description indicated investment would total many billions of dollars, Reuters reported.
He said: "The current facilities available in Dubai need to be scaled up in line with the future ambitions for the city. Therefore we have to start work immediately on the third phase of development that is aligned to our vision until 2030 and boost the UAE economy to enable it to enter a new era in which it will become the capital of entrepreneurship, arts, culture, and family tourism for more than two billion people."
Abu Dhabi Capital District
Along with Khalifa City and the Corniche Beach Development, Abu Dhabi Capital District is a key initiative of Plan Abu Dhabi 2030. The new city will become the symbolic and administrative centre for government, education and information-based institutions in the UAE. It is set to be the seat of government and will accommodate federal ministries and foreign embassies.
The new capital will feature transport options such as trains and trams and shaded walkways to encourage pedestrians, thus reducing the impact of cars. It is to serve as a second downtown for Abu Dhabi, with the capacity to house 370,000 residents.
The Heart of Sharjah
Work has begun on the Heart of Sharjah, a five-phase, 15-year historical preservation and restoration project that aims to revitalise the heritage area at the centre of the emirate. Managed by Shurooq, the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, the project is on track to meet its 2015 deadline for completion of its first phase. It aims to reflect what Sharjah was like more than half a century ago.
Once complete in 2025, it will feature diverse commercial, cultural and residential projects, including a boutique hotel, restaurants, retail shops, art galleries, traditional and contemporary markets, archaeological sites, museums, play areas and offices.
Saadiyat Island
Construction on the region's biggest cultural development is expected to begin in January, when work on the first international branch of the Louvre Museum begins. The name of the contracting firm is to be announced this month and completion is expected at the end of 2015.
Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi will house the world's largest single concentration of premier cultural institutions, including the Zayed National Museum, to be completed by 2016, and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum, expected by 2017.
Several hotels have already opened on the natural island and new residential units are being delivered continuously.
Business Bay Canal
About one and a half billion dirhams are being spent on extending the Business Bay Canal from the Dubai Creek across the arterial Shaikh Zayed Road and through a major park to the Arabian Gulf. Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority is expected to begin work in the first quarter of 2013 and the project should be completed two years later.
About 12.8 kilometres long, the canal will be between 80 and 100 metres wide to promote marine and tourist mass transit. Bridges up to 8.5 metres high will be constructed over the canal on the key roads intersecting it. Some 10 kilometres of the canal extension work have already been completed.
The canal will feature facilities for tourists and sports enthusiasts alike. It will have tracks for jogging and cycling, as well as public relaxation areas. It is expected that a host of new hotels, restaurants and canal-view residences will be constructed on either side.
Real Madrid Resort Island
The Spanish football club earlier this year announced it is planning a $1-billion island resort off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah. The 430,000-square-metre facility will contain luxury hotels, villas and an amusement park and will feature a 10,000-seat football stadium open on one side to a view of the sea.
It is expected to be completed by January 2015.
Etihad Rail
A 1,200-kilometre railway being built to link the principal centres of population and industry of the UAE, as well as linking to the rest of the GCC, Etihad Rail's network will enable the rapid transport of passengers and freight. Once complete, it will redefine logistics and transport in the region, providing a safe, efficient and sustainable network that links all the corners of the UAE, and eventually the UAE to the wider GCC.
Estimated at Dh40 billion, the railway will connect the UAE to Saudi Arabia via Ghweifat in the west and Oman via Al Ain in the east once complete in 2018.
In October, Etihad Rail awarded the Dh3.3 billion civil and track works contract for the first stage of the railway network that will link the Western Region cities of Habshan and Ruwais by 2013 and then Shah and Habshan by 2014, according to WAM.
Phase 2 involves the construction of the remainder of the Abu Dhabi Emirate Network and a connection to Dubai, covering areas such as Mussaffah and the Khalifa and Jebel Ali ports. The final phase will cover the rest of the network in Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.
Taj Arabia
One of the most eye-catching and controversial project announcements in recent times is the $1-billion Taj Arabia complex, a replica of India's Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. The project is part of the 3.7-million-square-metre Falconcity of Wonders, and is expected to be completed by late 2014. A five-star hotel property with 300 rooms flanked by seven mixed-use buildings, including 200 serviced apartments, it is being positioned as a wedding destination. However, the project has already drawn the ire of Indian heritage and tourism leaders.
Falconcity of Wonders will feature several recreated icons of architecture from around the world such as the Egyptian pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, Great Wall of China and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Construction of the second part of phase one is now in full swing.


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Brock Street Bridge
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Honouring those who have lost their lives serving our country and the families that have served by their side.
Working in partnership with the True Patriot Love Foundation and the Province of Ontario; local resident John Dolstra spearheaded the initiative to erect memorial plaques on the Brock Street Bridge in Whitby.
These plaques are to commemorate the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers and their families.
The money raised through plaque sponsorship will support military families through programs that help send children to summer camp, provide psychological counseling, retrofit homes and cars for soldiers returning with injuries or amputations, and rehabilitate wounded soldiers through sport.
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Medal of Honor Warfighter puts players in the boots of today's most highly trained and skilled warriors to experience missions that have a dotted line to real world terrorist threats. This is Tier 1 on a global scale, featuring real world hotspots in the single-player campaign and introducing international Tier 1 Operators in multiplayer. This move puts gamers in the boots of Tier 1 Operators from 10 different nations around the world. Gamers can represent their nation's Special Operations Forces on the multiplayer battlefield where the world's best-of-the-best warriors go head-to-head in online competition.
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COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU....Now this sounds like Academy Award bait, doesn't it?
The Iranian military says it will soon release a film documenting the arrest, interrogation and statements by UK sailors held in Iran for two weeks. ....The military will release a CD and book about the arrest of the sailors or, as it calls them, "British aggressors". The statement came from the culture and propaganda office of the joint chief of staff of Iran's armed forces.
The Iranian military says it will soon release a film documenting the arrest, interrogation and statements by UK sailors held in Iran for two weeks.
....The military will release a CD and book about the arrest of the sailors or, as it calls them, "British aggressors". The statement came from the culture and propaganda office of the joint chief of staff of Iran's armed forces.
A CD and a book! I can't wait. If they were smart, though, they'd auction off the rights to a British tabloid. That oil won't last forever, after all.
Maybe they can get that British actor who played Tony Blair in "The Queen" to do a repeat. He was spot on.
I'm wondering when items from the "goodies bags" are going to start showing up on eBay.
[Comments by a previously banned commenter will be deleted. Do not respond to posts by Redplague.]
I wonder what the MPAA rating will be. and who is doing the PR for the release? and where is the premiere party?
Whoa. Any way to delete the repeated posts? Not my intention...
Using footage for propaganda in this manner is a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions--
The Geneve Conventions are "quaint."
That's why we in the Bush administration violate them so frequently.
Geneva Conventions? Surely you jest! That quaint document?
Will they begoing on a book tour and talk to all those morning snooze shows?
Redplague- We're too busy being outraged over the violations of said conventions by OUR government, you know, the one we're responsible for.
Smirk crapped all over the Geneva Conventions, so Iranian is just following his lead. Who knew that Smirk could be such a uniter?
Forgive my ignorance, but why exactly is it against the Geneva convention to film or photograph prisoners of war?
If it was explicited used in threatening their lives I can understand, but the prohibition seems to be against any and all such photography.
Or am I misunderstanding the issue?
The British seamen weren't prisoners of war, nor are they currently being held. There is no conceivable violation of the Geneva conventions by airing a film of their time spent as detainees in Iran.
I would think all the wingers would be clamoring to see a film like this so they could point to it as a example of "evil" by Iran. Unfortunately since they weren't mistreated a film is going to give the lie to this hope.
After 9/11 the Bush administration secretly rounded up thousands of non-citizens and held them without charge or trial, often for months or a year. Where was the winger outrage over this abuse of governmental authority?
I hope you don't mind an off-topic comment, but I think this is important:
Re: the Iraq war in general
(also see this post)
Ever since the months prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, there have been a few reports in the newspapers that the Central Intelligence Agency was casting aspersions on the intelligence the White House was relying on to justify the war. The CIA has never given a position on whether the war is needed or justified or said that Bush is wrong to go to war. But doesn't it seem much more likely that the CIA is an extremely right wing organization than a left wing one? After all, even if the people working for them and at least a lot of the leadership really wanted a war for their own reasons, there are a lot of reasons for them to not want to tie their credibility to what they know is faulty information. They and their personnel, present and former, could use other means of promoting the Iraq war, and still be motivated to make the statements in the media. If the CIA got behind faulty information, they would have to make a choice between whether they would be involved in scamming the American people and the world once the military had invaded Iraq and no weapons were found- so: 1) Imagine the incredible difficulties involved in pulling off a hoax that weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq. Imagine all the people you would have to be able to show the weapons to- the inspectors from the UN / the international community, the American press, statesmen, etc. Then imagine the difficulties of substantiating that story to people who would examine it- the lack of witnesses to a production plant that made the weapons or to transportation operations or storage of the weapons during Hussein's regime of them. 2) If the story fell apart upon inspection or the CIA tried not to hoax it at all, imagine the loss of credibility they would suffer. The CIA, it is safe to bet, does not want to be known to the American people as a group that lies to them to send them to war. Even within the CIA there could be disagreement among people about how involved they should be in promoting the war or the neo-con agenda more broadly, so the CIA would have to worry about lying to and managing its own people after trying so hard to get them to trust their superiors in the agency, and perhaps there simply might be too many people in the agency who knew enough about what was going on in Iraq to know if someone was deceiving people to promote this war.
So there is a lot of reason to be cautious against being seen as endorsing what they knew was false intelligence even if they were very strong supporters of going to war.
It is just a shame to think Iranians are way ahead of the White House on this information model.
It is a violation to expose POW's to, as I recall, "public curiosity", among other things. Mostly, this exists to prevent, say, publicly displaying them for propaganda purposes while they are held as POWs.
It is not, as best as I can tell, a violation of the conventions to use images of POWs that are made while they are prisoners for propaganda purposes after they have been released, or in general to film prisoners while they are held.
Not that I would buy any of this crap but what would the CD contain - audio files?
The Bush military would never perpetuate false hero myths as an essential ingredient in a propaganda campaign.
Uh oh, wait a minute...
"House probes military on Tillman, Lynch ."
I'm waiting for the comic book.
Who's doing the music?
I wonder if the Iranians will look like the Persians in 300.
If so, you can bet that scads of neocon nerds will go see it, cream in their underoos, and proclaim that it truly represents good-vs-evil.
CDs are sooooo 1990s. If the Iranians were really "with it", they'd be releasing an HD-DVD with the book.
mhr, your comments are so not in line with the views expressed above by "liberals" who at least have the good sense not to accept uncritically the word of pathological liars, whichever side they might be on.
Well, who are we to believe? Some Judge ruling for Larry Birkhead, or Norman's agonized pleas for a real family life?
See... If the Geneva thingamajiggies are quaint see... Then that see... Pre-establishes my point see... that the constitution see... Is just a piece of paper... See...
CDs are sooooo 1990s. If the Iranians were really "with it", they'd be releasing an HD-DVD with the book...
Actually they'd be vid-blogging it to itunes.
We use the Medina Conventions, which allows to treat prisoners so badly as we do our women.
The Iranians should start sending the clips to You've Been Framed. That way they would earn £250 for each clip.
mhr, you really are an mr. Liberals here are mostly saying they are offended by or amused by this propaganda AND by the sailors' cash-in in the British press. And yet you pull that same "liberals love this" straw man out of your ass once again.
Let me tell you, you pathetic bootlicker, once and for all: your "arguments" smell exactly like shit.
⦠Muslims can produce a documentary about Abu Ghraib and US atrocities in Iraq⦠mhr at 3:54 PM
What conventions did Private Green use?
The Patriarchal Conventions.
Fortunately, Persia, we hold the high moral ground. Our right to self defense becomes paramount, and we must have nuclear weaponry to defend off the zionist and impreialist. We will get the weaponry, that is fact. Accept it and make peace my friends.
Make peace my friends.
Sure, um, you bet...
Iran has exposed the brinkmanship and geopolitical games of America and England, yet even liberal nationalists condemn them. I think the video is being released to demonstrate the decent treatment the prisoners received.
I applaud Iran for releasing those armed military personnel, who were sent on a mission near or in Iran, unharmed. Neither England or the US would do such a thing in such a timely manner if armed Iranians were found in their territory.
A CD and a book!
What? No Action Figure?
Brojo, is it your intention to prove how stupid you are everytime you post here? Morons like you, who voted for Ralph Nader, share responsibility for the ways things have unfolded in the Middle East over the last six years. Kindy shut the fuck up.
Brojo you are wisest of men. I clap your wisdom. The english speakers must respect each other and us too. We can live in peace, but we must respcet.
Fortunately here in 'Merka, we hold the high moral ground. Heh. [snicker] Our right to defend ourselves is pantomime. No one can be trusted with nukular weapons but us, see?
Don't git yer panties in a bench, though. We will carefully use the tools of extraordinary renditions, torture, suspension of habeas corpus and posse comitatus, warrantless spying, secret prisons, and pre-emptive wars based on fabricated evidence to defend against the terrorists and socialists who hate our freance and peance and envy our nukulosity.
We will continue to harass other nations militarily rather than show weakness with diplomacy, even if it bankrupts us and destroys our economy. You can take that to the bank, Stretch. Get it? "Bank?" "Economy?" Pretty good, eh?
That's all. Blog dress the Untitled Straights of America. Heh.
"Who's doing the music?" Posted by: Tilli (Mojave Desert) on April 10, 2007 at 3:39 PM
Maybe... Steve Reich: "The Desert Music"(!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Desert_Music
An atmospheric science professor gave me a tape cassette of that back in the late '80's. I liked it enough to tap it in to the Muzak at the liqour store I worked at while going to college-none of the customers mentioned the music during liquor purchase, but they definitely acted distraught in some way.
G. Dubya, your cowboys boots do not fear me. You have the nuclear weaponry, but you will not use it. You have the hiding secret bombers, but will you put bombs on your babies? We will walk up to you, shake your hand, and explode ourselve to take both to heaven. Allh will send you to hell. We will explode your diplomacy. You will ask one million times to stop, we will say no, and we will have bomb when we say the one million no. Then we must be friends or die together.
Rich, you hate me because I want to stop you from raping an Iraninan little girl.


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29 March 2011
29th March 2011 - Enschede, the Netherlands. Ambient Systems is pleased to announce the addition of Business Partner Inertia Technology to its partner network. Inertia Technology and Ambient Systems engaged in a licensing agreement. As a result, Inertia's products can now be seamlessly integrated in Ambient's Dynamic Wireless Sensor Networks. Inertia Technology, based in Enschede in The Netherlands is also a technology spin-out from the University of Twente. With the licensing agreement, Inertia is able to use the backbone of Ambient 3000 Series infrastructure in order to transmit data from its ProMove sensors to application software. Using both the Ambient network layer as well as the Device Driver Interface, Inertia can use all the tools offered by Ambient and as a result speed up its development considerably. Today, the sensor industry is booming. With the introduction of the latest MEMS technology, sensors have become smaller, cheaper, more energy efficient and perform better. As a result, more and more applications can now effectively and efficiently be enabled, which is shown by the commercial introduction and success of, for example, game consoles such as the Wii. According to Mihai Marin-Perianu, CEO of Inertia Technology: "Wireless motion sensing has practically an unlimited number of applications in various sectors: healthcare, sports, gaming, industrial automation, robotics, automotive, to name just a few. Through the ProMove platform, Inertia enables the rapid development of a large range of such wireless motion sensing applications. ProMove is a versatile platform and therefore it can be fully and seamlessly integrated into the Ambient low-power wireless mesh network. This makes the partnership Inertia - Ambient ideal, because both companies can offer increased functionality of their product line." Jan Vesseur, CEO of Ambient Systems, adds: "The challenge with a technology like ours, is that it can be used in so many different ways and offers benefits in ways that we, as Ambient, can't always oversee. With partners like Inertia Technology, new markets are opening up for Ambient networks and existing networks can be extended with new types of products. As our networks offer benefits that cannot be found in commonly available traditional sensor networks, we are keen to extend our applications using the expertise and knowledge of our partners." ProMove The ProMove is a versatile, flexible and easy to plug-and-play solution for rapid development of motion sensing applications. It combines the latest advances in MEMS sensor design and low-power wireless communication into a highly miniaturized inertial sensor node, which can capture, process and communicate full 3-D motion and orientation information (acceleration, turn rate and magnetic field intensity). Multiple ProMove nodes can form a wireless network and synchronize within microseconds their sensor sampling and communication. ProMove operates in the 2.4 GHz license-free band and is compatible to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard and to the ZigBee® and Ambient protocol stacks. About Inertia Technology Inertia Technology brings forward a new concept, targeted at the user interaction with its surroundings. Using wireless sensor nodes, Inertia captures and monitors the motion of people and moving objects, recognizes current situations and activities, provides constructive feedback and takes appropriate actions. The innovative technology of Inertia provides reactive intelligence, autonomic behavior, flexibility and scalability, ease of installation, low-cost and low-power operation. For more information, please visit: www.inertia-technology.com or contact Inertia via firstname.lastname@example.com. Do you also want to become a partner of Ambient Systems? Contact email@example.com.


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Here's a gift that always sounds just the right note! The complete kit is easy to assemble and includes pre-cut, unfinished walnut for the case, glass music movement cover, hardware and velvet jewelry compartment liner. Completed box measures 3-3/8" high x 9-5/8" wide x 6" deep.
Also available are Music Box movements. Choose from a variety of 18 note musical movement favorites to put the finishing touch on your composition!
Please Note: Design of box requires movement to be activated by winding key only. If lid opening activation of musical movement is desired one can omit glass piece above movement compartment.
Tech Spec
Weight (lbs) | 2.4100 |
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Southern Living OCTOBER 2004
Combine turnips and water to cover in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well; transfer to a large bowl, and mash with a potato masher.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat; add onion, and sauté 3 minutes or until tender.
Add onion, milk, 1 cup Cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter to mashed turnips, stirring to combine. Spoon into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs and remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
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Trivial as it might seem, the advent of television in the fifties provided a balm for Americans, who were trying to put World War II behind them. And all that at-home viewing called for just the right look. Television hostess coats or Tele-coats—essentially the Fifties' version of the Snuggie—first came on the scene in January 1950. Later that year, WWD also reported about other emerging lounge styles, such as cushioned underwear for TV viewing, non-bottom-numbing protection "for tots who sit on the floor watching TV."
In April 1950, costume designer Paul du Pont provided pointers for readers and aspiring TV personalities who wanted to look their best in black and white. "Very often a $19.95 dress gives a much better effect than a custom-made one," he told WWD. And wearing pine green clothing looked most like black, while pale blue or yellow was the closest one could get to white. As for plunging necklines, du Pont was not a fan—"because they distract."
Lucille Ball proved to be a trailblazer beyond the world of comedy. The redheaded star of "I Love Lucy" teamed up with Suzy Boutique to develop a signature collection of sweaters and blouses, which were advertised in WWD in 1952. Dinah Shore landed in the paper in December 1955 for wearing a one-piece for tennis, and Rosemary Clooney's maternity wear was featured in WWD in 1956. Even "king of the wild frontier" Davy Crockett, who, through numerous film and TV portrayals introduced thousands to the coonskin cap, scored his share of print for creating a mini-fashion wave that same year.
Around that same time—more than 50 years before "Project Runway" hit the airwaves—WWD reported about a contest for viewers to design a dress for a singer on "The Lawrence Welk Show." Such novelties were welcome distractions for a Cold War nation learning how to "duck and cover" in the event of nuclear attack.


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Cramer: On the Sad State of Small Business
Editor's Note: This article was originally published at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Real Money on June 27. To see Jim Cramer's latest commentary as it's published, sign up for a free trial of Real Money.
NEW YORK ( Real Money) -- You want depressing? You want to know the real problem with the American economy? Go listen to the conference call hosted by Paychex (PAYX), the excellent payroll-processing company, which reported earnings Thursday.
This one was a real gut-puncher -- and not because of Paychex itself, which is a first-rate company and a known best-of-breed payroll processor. It was tough to listen to because an undercurrent weaved through the call that said, basically, "We didn't deliver what you wanted because the country didn't deliver what we expected."
The company went out of its way to not blame the economy. The chief financial officer, Efrain Rivera, point-blank said, "Now, we're not using that as an excuse." He said that, in order to get to the growth people are expecting in their payroll-processing business, "You need a slightly different environment in terms of new business formation than the one we have," because right now the nation "basically shows no growth whatsoever in new business formation."
Three years out of the worst downturn since the Great Depression, and we have no new businesses formed of the type at which Paychex excels? I'm talking about the small businesses that are responsible for so much of the job creation in the country. How can that be? Now, the conservatives in this country blame the government for getting in the way of new business. As someone who has started a half-dozen businesses, I am not going to apologize for the government, as the local, state and federal minefields can be impossible to navigate. The liberals are seemingly willing to excuse the government at every turn, particularly the federal government, citing lack of demand as an issue. It is true that this government in Washington seems incapable of coming up with something as bold as the interstate-highway system build-out that President Eisenhower did, in a feat of brilliance, in order to shut down a possible recession in the 1950s. However, that's still a relatively simplistic analysis. You almost begin to think that those who espouse this line of thought have never had to navigate a local hearing, a state regulation about safety or a federal mandate about mandatory health care for workers. Of course, their view never seems to encompass the taxes at every level, including absurd ones that could keep anyone from starting a business.Select the service that is right for you!
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Curt Schilling returned from the disabled list and gave up a tiebreaking home run to Maicer Izturis in the seventh inning as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Red Sox 4-2 last night in a matchup of division leaders.
Izturis turned on a 1-1 pitch and drove it into the lower seats in the right-field corner, his third homer in 187 at-bats this season. Jeff Mathis chased Schilling with a double that snapped a 0-for-18 drought and scored on Chone Figgins' sacrifice fly against Julian Taverez.


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01-17-2008, 06:59 AM #1New real estate webmaster
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
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How much should we offer for a house?
Hi I just have a quick question we found a house that we liked listed for 210,000 in Oviedo, Florida. I was wondering how much is a good offer right now? How much would you offer? thank you!
Re: How much should we offer for a house?
I would ask a local agent who can do a CMA for you and show you what the comps are and advise you. Perhaps one of the FL agents on the forum can help you.
Last edited by Norcal Jim; 01-17-2008 at 07:15 AM.
01-17-2008, 07:28 AM #3Real Estate WebMaster
- Join Date
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Re: How much should we offer for a house?
There are so many variables to that question, it's probably best to ask your agent so that they can do the research for you. If they concentrate on that area, that agent will probably know most of the variables off the top of their head. Some items to consider would be:
1. What is the recent market data of listings and solds? (need a CMA)
2. What is the condition of the property?
3. How bad do you want the home? (is this your dream home or are you shopping for a good deal)
4. What kind of sale is this? (pre foreclosure - means a long time to closing, foreclosure, etc.)
5. What position are the sellers in? / how motivated are they? (is the home vacant and sellers are they paying a double mortgage?)
6. Are there multiple offers? / Anything currently working?
These are the main questions to ask before you can come up with a strategy for making an offer and negotiating. Good luck with your purchase.
01-17-2008, 09:33 AM #4Discover Davis Homes Guest
Re: How much should we offer for a house?
If you are not working with an agent, I would recommend finding one. As a buyer there is no cost to you to be represented. A local agent will be familiar with the your market and would best be able to answer your question.
01-26-2008, 04:05 PM #5New real estate webmaster
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Re: How much should we offer for a house?
You have received good advice, and I have nothing to add.
Re: How much should we offer for a house?
i have something to add.
if the home is perfect for you and you want to get it off the market, consider the value of being done, winning (i.e. getting the perfect home), and that interest rates are great right now.
i don't typically offer below market value if the property meets my needs. there is value in winning and being done.Austin Real Estate | Austin Texas Real Estate | Austin Texas Real Estate
If you'd like a guest blog post on either of my sites, feel free to shoot me a note. If you think your site should be on my blog roll, let me know.
Re: How much should we offer for a house?
Offer Half price anywhere in florida for a start.........I'm a Realtor and an investor......It never hurts to offfer too little cuz you just might get it ......florida is hard hit with all the stuff going on I hate when people say pay full price its like going to a car daelership and the sales man says pay sticker it's quicker........LOL.......the maket in florida is shot so half price is a great start place I would not go above 30 % off of full price
Brice Cook
Mentoring and Consulting
International Lead Generation Services
I buy Houses for Cash
I Sell Houses
I Buy Notes
Re: How much should we offer for a house?
I think Joe said something that derserves some kudos. If you not an investor and you plan to live in the home for a long time, then find the home you love and offer as close to where the comps show it's worth today. In the end, you'll get the home you want and be done with it. I'm all for getting a good deal but sometimes clients lose out on the home they really want over a few thousand dollars. I've had other clients try to wait out a bad market before they buy only to give up quality of life as they spend a year in a bad rental or an apartment. That year is lost that could have been spent making new friends in the area you really want to live, fixing up the home, and not moving twice!
Michael Reilly, Owner/Broker
Reilly Realtors, LLC
Austin Texas Real Estate Brokerage
REILLY REALTORS | Rocky Creek Homes
Re: How much should we offer for a house?
I think the first 2 replies said it all...
Derrick Monroe
Realtor - Owner - 612-282-7653
The Derrick Monroe Group
Minneapolis Real Estate
Minnesota Real Estate
Rockford MN Real Estate
[COLOR="DimGray"]"True leaders are not those who strive to be first but those who are first to strive"[/COLOR]
09-02-2008, 10:49 AM #10REW Client
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Re: How much should we offer for a house?
I would look at comps. If the house is way overpriced even if you offer half you might be overpaying. If the property is underpriced you could have multiple offers and go over and still get a good deal.
Basically list price is irrelevant. You need to look at comps to know what you should offer.Ki Gray - Austin Real Estate Agent -
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blog : www.escapesomewhere.com/austinblog/
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This is the September 28, 2012 news archive. View today's Twins rumors and news.
Doumit, Twins take down front-leading Tigers
Updated Sep 28, 2012
Ryan Doumit had four RBIs for Minnesota, including the go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning to help the Twins beat Detroit 4-2 on Friday and keep the Tigers from moving any closer to the AL Central title.
Nishioka released by Twins, turns down $3.25M
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota Twins released Tsuyoshi Nishioka on Friday, ending their experiment with the Japanese middle infielder after two rough seasons.Upvote Share Tweet
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Peter King: Seahawks defense playing bigger than reputation
Sep 28Defensive end Chris Clemons has much in common with his peers on the Seattle defense: They're good, they're unknown, and they don't care. -
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Sep 28It's a final cleansing of the Sports Guy's inbox, plus Week 4 picks.


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I like what the previous poster said about having a big range of weights. But if you cannot buy everything and you need to start making choices between what to buy and what not to buy you will probably want to start with a weight bench and a good Olympic bar.
You can do a huge range of exercises and get a pretty solid full body workout with just this simple equipment. Effective bodybuilding weight training is going to require more than this, but bodybuilding is a long process and you can get a good start with just a weight bench. You can often find a bench, bar and quality weights online used for a cheap price. Start here and see how your body responds.


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Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman is likely to adopt new regulations for the issuance of Sukuk as the country's Capital Market Authority (CMA) has finalized the draft of the new regulations ahead of their proposed publication for public consultation.
According to an expert familiar with preparations for the imminent promulgation of a legal framework for the introduction of Islamic Banking services in the Sultanate, the sukuk draft regulations are expected to be posted on the website of the CMA for public consultation.
Director at Islamic Finance Advisory Services, KPMG Oman, Khalid Yousaf, after weighing feedback from the industry, as well as the general public, confirmed that the regulations will be enacted into law via a Royal Decree.
Yousaf, whose lengthy career as a banking professional includes stints with a number of leading international Islamic financial institutions, described sukuk as the "mainstay" of Islamic Capital Markets.
He said, "Sukuk provide opportunities to the asset holders to create liquidity for their investment blocked in the asset. At the same time, it offers investment opportunities to investors seeking investments in Shariah-compliant assets. Since sukuk are asset-backed or asset-based, unlike conventional bonds, they provide a secured form of investment for the investor. At the same time, the issuer has to have access to assets whose title can be transferred to the trustee looking after the interests of sukuk-holders."
Importantly, sukuk also represent an important Islamic Capital Market instrument that enables the channeling of funds between investors and issuers, he said.
"Being asset-backed or asset-based, sukuk are fully secured and provide a much better risk than clean or unsecured conventional bonds or similar instruments. Sukuk can also offer funding at cheaper rates than borrowing from banks. The issuer can also access a wider investor base, increase its market profile and have greater flexibility in the choice of currency and maturity of its obligations," he added.
According to the expert, sukuk holds particular appeal for infrastructure projects which have a medium-to-long term funding requirement. These projects being backed by strong assets, qualify for the issuance of sukuk.
Yousaf elaborated, "Government and quasi-government institutions take the lead in Sukuk financing. Out of total Sukuk outstanding of $103 billion, $65 billion has been issued by Government institutions. Some governments like Bahrain, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia and now Turkey (proposed) tap Sukuk to sap up liquidity from Islamic banking sector and for managing money supply in the country. With a commitment to $30 billion in infrastructure projects already, the government of Oman is very likely to issue sukuk to finance some if not all of their projects in future."
He said that demand for sukuk has "piggy-backed" the demand for Shariah-compliant assets in general. While Islamic Banking is awash with liquidity provided by depositors seeking Shariah-compliant products, finding a home for depositors' funds has been a challenge.
"It takes a long time and a network of branches to build Retail, SME and Corporate asset portfolios. The banks need a safe investment during this period to park their liquidity and also manage their balance sheet more effectively," Yousaf concluded.


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Valentine works with all the insurance markets to bring you the best and most cost-effective coverage for your wind farm and its turbines! We thought you would enjoy hearing an expert in the field, Traveler's Lauren Berry, talk about wind energy insurance coverage and owner/operator risks.
Risk is on the Wind
Periodic commentary about the wind energy industry, focusing on news of interest involving wind turbines, wind farms, wind energy projects as well as associated technology and social/political issues. Brought to you by Valentine, your source for superior insurance for wind turbines and wind farms worldwide.
Yet Another Way to Harness the Wind
Makani Power believes the sky's the limit. Why take-up valuable real estate and annoy the NIMBYs when you can set a wing in motion 400 meters up and over the coastline? Tether it with a power cord and let some rotors spin in the high wind and you can be producing electricity more efficiently and at maybe half the cost of a conventional wind turbine.
Think this can't possibly be a reliable addition to the grid? Corwin Hardham, CEO of Makani Power thinks differently: "It has GPS onboard as well as a host of other sensors that enable it to measure its angle, orientation, and several other streams of data and using that data it is able to predict where it should fly to make the most energy, how to make it fly most reliably, so it uses the minimal amount of effort on its servos and also take off and land. It does not need nor do we ever plan to actually interact with something on the ground.
Sounds plausible to me. I like that Hardham came-up with the idea while kite-surfing in San Francisco Bay. Seriously, how many ideas for start-ups get dreamnt-up while sitting in an office somewheres? Creativity usually needs a juxtaposition of thought and activity outside of the mundane, but I digress.
So far their prototype is only 8 meters long and produces a lightweight 20 kW of power but their next wing will be three times larger and capable of producing 600 kW. Their eventual goal is to get up to five mW output.
Here's a TED Talk by Saul Griffith, president and chief scientist at Makani Power:
Always More Innovations
The Law of Accelerating Returns is alive and well in the wind power industry. Just this week I noticed the following:
A "virtually silent" small wind turbine suitable for both urban and rural applications being released to the world this week by Australia's Renewable Energy Solutions Australia Holdings Ltd. (mercifully they also go by RESA), the Eco Whisper Turbine stands 21 meters in height with 6.5 meter blades and generates 20kW. I'd be happy to see one over my house and just slightly less happy if my neighbors followed suit. Judging by the angle of the row of poplar trees outside, today would be a great day to be wind powered.
The touted silent operation is due to their "unique cowl/ring that prevents air from spilling off the blades." I'm not sure if the same cowl is what works to minimize bird casualties, but they tout that as well as lower start-up speeds. Also, it wasn't clear if these will be marketed outside of Australia anytime soon.
The article I sourced this from also has some photos and videos if you want to see more.
Did you know that ConocoPhilips has been awarding an annual energy prize for four years now? And, no, it's not for the most creative uses of petrochemicals. The 2011 ConocoPhilips Energy Prize, a joint initiative with Penn State University, awarded $125,000 to Ben Glass and Adam Rein of Altaeros Energies for their "Aerostat Platform for Rapid Deployment Airborne Wind Turbine." The basic idea here is to clear your view of the turbine by hoisting it 2,000 feet straight-up. Besides making for cleaner sight lines the concept also leverages the stronger, more consistent wind up high. A floating turbine might also be useful in remote areas where the ground infrastructure is deficient. In any case, it's a cool idea and not the only one being floated out there. In fact, there's already a group called the Airborne Wind Energy Consortium just for those that like to spin up high.
A hat-tip to the EnergyWise blog for bringing this to my attention.
More Wind Innovation
New fallout from Fukushima, except this is a good thing. Wind lenses. Japan's reconsideration of its use of nuclear power has given a boost to a technology developed at Kyushu University. Their wind lens is a ring added to a turbine that creates a pocket of low pressure in front resulting in a pressure differential that concentrates wind flow and increases the speed and power output. Prototypes exist on campus in Fukuoka. Take a look at this video to see a real-time test and the really cool design concept for floating these turbines in the ocean.
I discovered there are other wind power enhancement systems with videos on YouTube, although some of them do harm to their cause with the quality of their video. (Thumping dance music anyone?) This one came across OK:
Vortex Wind Funnel
Obvious in Hindsight
Ever see a new design and wonder why it took so long to imagine it? That was my reaction when I read the article in Windpower Engineering & Development today about the Airgenesis turbine design. Their design has a nacelle with two equal-sized rotors at each end which they claim will capture wind at greater capacity factors than conventional designs. So far so good, but the really forehead-smacking idea of theirs is their placement of most of the heavy equipment (gearboxes and generators) in the base at ground level for easy maintenance. They also use multiple generators so they can replace one without having to shut down the turbine. Clever!
The twin rotor idea has its charms as well as this power curve chart demonstrates. I particularly like that this was basically a better design concept not some radical new technology (I like those too). It demonstrates how important creativity is in engineering. Congratulations to Airgenesis!
Wind Turbines and Hurricanes
Do They Play Well Together?
The recent path of Hurricane Irene through the northeast United States blew over or near at least six wind turbine sites. How did the turbines fare? Pretty well it turns out.
The folks at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy published a report on their website with detail from each site on how they dealt with the situation and what happened. The range of responses was interesting. The University of Delaware has one 2MW Gamesa turbine which they hooked-up to a diesel generator to power the active yaw controls that keep it facing into the winds in case the grid went down. (Grid goes down they don't send or receive power, hence the generator.)
I was surprised to read that the ACUA Jersey Atlantic wind farm with its five GE turbines was a tourist attraction! They even have a webcam trained on some turbines! ACUA reported their turbines were designed to withstand anticipated winds so they merely shut down and did not remove and store the blades.
The 660kW Vestas turbine at Portsmouth Abbey School shut down when the grid did. According to their website, "The turbine generates wind up to 55 mph, then pitches the blades to 90-degree angles and waits for the wind to subside to 45 mph before starting to turn again."
You can read the rest of the reports here. So far this year neither hurricanes nor earthquakes do more than temporarily shut down wind turbines. Good to know.
Turbines? Who Needs Turbines?
Thanks to a friend I follow on StumbleUpon I read this article on Discovery.com today. "Wind Power Without the Blades: Big Pics" by Alyssa Danigelis is an amazing read about a project that came in second in the Land Art Generator competition sponsored by the planned city, Madsar, in Abu Dhabi. (Madsar itself is a work of environmentally-conscious design art.)
The Windstalk project is the product of the New York design firm Atelier DNA and as proposed calls for 1,203 180-foot high resin-reinforced carbon-fiber "stalks" that spring from a 33-by-66 foot concrete base, starting at about a foot in width and tapering to two inches at the top. The stalks rely on a piezoelectric effect triggered by the sway from wind to generate power. Additional power is generated in the bases which contain a torque generator that converts the kinetic energy from the stalk into energy using shock absorber cylinders similar to the kind being developed by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Levant Power. Atelier DNA estimates this system would generate power equivalent to that of a wind turbine farm installed in the same land area.
Pretty cool, eh? No noise and looking like a work of art as well. Ms. Danigelis quotes Atelier DNA founding partner Darío Núñez-Ameni as saying "Windstalk is completely silent, and the image associated with them is something we're already used to seeing in a field of wheat or reeds in a marsh. Our hope is that people living close to them will like to walk through the field -- especially at night -- under their own, private sky of swarming stars."
Not content with reinventing wind power, Atelier DNA is also working on an underwater version they call Wavestalk.
Please visit Discover.com for more detail and to see the other images of this remarkable concept.
One Way to Cut Maintenance Costs
Ever since I had a phone interview back in June with Gerald Bush, chairman of GUWARA PTY, I have been paying more attention to the maintenance costs associated with running a wind farm. I had grossly underestimated just how expensive maintenance can be with on-site personnel 24x7 at these often remote locations. So when Donald Effren of AutoCopter Corporation contacted me I was eager to hear about his offering.
Have you seen the TV ads for those toy quadcopters you can control with your iPhone? Well imagine something sized in-between one of those toys and a small piloted helicopter you might see zipping around doing traffic reports. Now imagine remotely operating this AutoCopter up close and personal to your wind turbine tower while capturing everything you see in HD (visible light or in infrared). Close-ups of every bolt and weld and rust spot recorded and archived. Once you review the footage you can send your crew to specific points of interest for testing and repair. According to Effren, you could externally inspect 45 turbines in two days using the AutoCopter whereas in the typical scenario it would take at least 22 days manually. He estimates the cost per turbine inspected at less than $15!
You would still need to perform your internal inspections as before, but I think it's clear the AutoCopter would save a lot of time and reduce your exposure to the risk of having human inspectors hanging off of your towers for days on end. If I had a turbine maintenance business I think I'd put these babies on the road and ride the inspection circuit.
Renewables Cat Fight
The granddaddy of renewable energy in the Pacific Northwest, the Bonneville Power Agency, has operated hydroelectric dams in the region for many decades. BPA also rules most of the region's high-voltage power network. That's a good thing if you live in these parts, right?
Not if you are a wind farm operator. Turns out BPA has the authority (control of the grid) to cut back power generation from wind farms to make way for increased hydroelectric generation resulting from the largest snowpack since 1997. BPA claims it must do this to protect fish and if there is one thing norwesties like more than renewable energy, it's salmon…but the wind farm operators think the motivation is really economic.
According to a complaint filed on Monday with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, BPA "is using its transmission market power to curtail competing generators in an unduly discriminatory manner in order to protect its preferred customer base from prices it considers" too low. Apparently, if all that power hit the market during low demand (overnight) times it would drive prices negative. Quite the dilemma unless you are basically a monopolist. Since May 17, BPA has cut 74,100 megawatt-hours of wind generation and nearly 9,600 Mwh of fossil generation, according to the agency's website
The FERC complaint was filed on June 13th by four of the largest names in wind power generation, Iberdrola, PacifiCorp, Horizon Wind Energy and Invenergy. Together they represent nearly 2,000 megawatts of wind capacity. When prevented from generating power they not only lose money because they cannot sell power, they also cannot then collect federal production tax credits (PTCs) and state renewable energy credits (RECs).
I think it's ironic that in the home turf of Microsoft, which was prosecuted by the federal government for being a "monopoly," we have an actual government monopoly playing favorites but that's OK. At least with Microsoft you could always buy an Apple or even Linux machine. What recourse other than a lawsuit do these wind farms have?
What would really make sense is creating storage infrastructure. This price differential between overnight and peak rates was the driving force behind a project I worked on in 2007. Customers were lining-up for long-term PPAs to use power at rates lower than what they could buy it for during peak hours and the spread was enough to make a profit for the storage company. But guess who balked at the agreement? The utility.
Global Wind Day, June 15, 2011
It's less than a week away! Will you be participating? The parachute drops from a wind turbine tower sound fun, but looking at the map I just realized I would need to travel thousands of miles to the nearest event. This is a particularly sad thing considering all of the wind turbines within just hundreds of miles of my Seattle home base.
If you want to find out where and how to participate go ask Elke Zander at the official Global Wind Day site. According to that site:
The European Wind Energy Association - EWEA - and the Global Wind Energy Council - GWEC - coordinate the Global Wind Day through a network of partners. The day started as a European one in 2007 and went Global in 2009. On 15 June, thousands of public events are organised all over the world.
It may be too late to get something going in the Pacific Northwest this year, but if you are interested in helping organize, they have a link for that:
Want to organise an event yourself? It's easy!
Click here to find out more.
I'll leave you with some quotes from the EWEA press release:
"With wind, we can achieve a genuine energy revolution, and on 15 June, people on all continents celebrate the promises that wind power holds for our planet", stated GWEC's Chairman Klaus Rave.
"Fukushima, the Arab spring and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have created enormous public interest in the future of energy" said EWEA President Arthouros Zervos. "Global Wind Day encourages citizens to find out for themselves how wind can make our energy supply more secure and environmentally friendly".


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That's 108 million pounds each day, 4.5 million pounds every hour. And in the fifteen minutes or so it will take to read and digest this expertly written piece of cutting-edge journalism, Americans will pass an additional million or so pounds of the stuff.
Poop, that is.
But for one man, at least, Miami Beach resident William Kercher III, these staggering statistics won't send spasmic shock waves through the sphincter. See, Kercher is more familiar than almost anyone with bowel-related discourse and the world's porcelain burial chambers. In fact he's been a certified expert on all things dump-related for the past decade in his role as chief crapper consultant (and CEO) for the Website Crappers Quarterly (CQ).
The shaggy-haired, blue-eyed University of Miami communications grad is quick to point out, however, that he's neither obsessed with ass nor enthralled by excrement. Rather his avocation was born of a joke. It all began in 1997, when Kercher and a few guys including a former business partner he wouldn't name were hanging out at a friend's house in Miami. "We were a bunch of guys sitting around talking shit, literally. We were goofing off about how funny it would be to make a magazine about toilets you know, safe and clean places to go."
At the time, the era of the Internet was dawning, so Kercher and company started assembling an online periodical. "I was working as a Web designer," he explains, "so I put together the site on the side. It was a hobby, something fun."
Thus began his quest to uncover the world's darkest, dirtiest, daintiest, and most delightful places to poop. "If I say I'm going to do something," he states boldly, "then I'm the kind of guy that will do it." To ensure he wouldn't be recognized or treated specially by bathroom attendants, he adopted a pseudonym: The Mystery Crapper (TMC).
Next he drew up a strict set of rules and a scoring system. Each entry would ideally be accompanied by a snapshot (preferably pre-bowel movement). Ratings were to be on a scale of one to five toilet paper rolls. Criteria would include cleanliness, privacy, user-friendliness, and facilities. A five-roller would be "a king of thrones," a one-roller "for emergency purposes only," Kercher says.
With the criteria firmly in place, TMC traveled in search of worthy water closets. Soon there were dozens of entries on the Website 32 in London alone. "At one time I had a media-relations business and I used to travel a lot," Kercher asserts. "I'd find myself with a lot of free time, so I'd visit a few places and post them online."
During the past ten years, TMC has tested his pooping prowess all over the world. A number one spot for a number two, he says, is the British Houses of Parliament, which he deemed a "good place to go and do your business of state." He subtracted points, however, because of an hour or two wait. TMC also journeyed to Trump Towers in New York City: "You would think that The Donald would offer a tremendous crapper in keeping with his reputation and lavish style," he wrote. "We are sorry to disappoint you."
In addition, CQ invited others to share their excremental experiences. One of them, a reviewer identified only as Darren, sent word of a shit-shack near the top of Mount Fuji: "At 9000 feet up, I managed to find this little wooden hut perched precariously on the side of the path. How do them Europeans/Easterners shit over a hole in the floor? In fact how did I do it? Hard work. I thought the rickety thing was gonna fall down the mountain." He scored it zero TP rolls.
Not content to accept Darren's description, Patrick from New Orleans went undercover to investigate: "It took me four and a half hours to climb, and the only place to go up there was this wooden shack with a hollowed-out floor that went down probably eight to ten feet. I heard a very loud humming ... all the flies that were down this hole under where I was crapping. But the absolute worst thing was the smell." He also granted a zero rating.
Then there's the square toilet in Kuta, Bali, described by someone named Christian. He gave it a three-roll rating but apparently didn't like it much: "I have never met anyone with a square ass," he commented. And there's the anonymous reviewer who encouraged folks who might find themselves in Tolka, Nepal, to do their business at the Excellent View Guest House, because a shitter was "white porcelain with foot placements on either side ... a classic Nepal outhouse."
The site also includes "Crapping 101: Guidelines for Courteous Crapping," which Kercher added to improve the average pooper's code of conduct. Here he lists advice on when to courtesy-cough and describes why talking is a no-no: "Skilled crappers wear undistinguishable footwear so others will not be able to make positive identifications by looking at the shoes under the stall." And then there's a glossary of turds, which includes The Armageddon, defined as "when you are dropping a deuce so big and wide that you think it's the end of the world," and The Snake: "When your turd is so long you don't know whether to flush it or whack it with a shovel."