text:
- Products
- California Editions
- Deeds for California Real Estate
Deeds for California Real Estate
Deeds for California Real Estate
Mary Randolph, J.D.
May 2010, 8th Edition
Transfer California property to someone else with the easy-to-use legal forms and information in this guide
Whenever you transfer real estate in the Golden State -- because of marriage, divorce, death or for estate planning purposes -- you need a new deed.
Deeds for California Real Estate shows you how to choose the right kind of deed, create it, then file it with the county recorder. This plain-English book has all the forms you'll need, with step-by-step instructions for completing them quickly and accurately.
Learn how to:
- put real estate in joint tenancy or community property
- add or remove someone's name from the title of real estate you own
- transfer real estate into, or out of, a revocable living trust
- transfer property into a family corporation or partnership
- borrow or lend money with real estate as security
- use real estate as security for a loan
- buy out a co-owner of jointly held real estate
Deeds for California Real Estate explains potential complications involving gift taxes, spouses' property rights, disclosure statements required by state or federal law, and tax and estate planning aspects of property transfers. The 8th edition is completely updated with the latest federal gift and estate tax information.
Critical Update: Effective January 1, 2015, California notary certificates have changed. Please click "Legal Updates for Real Estate," below, to download updated forms for this book.
Nolo has dozens of products created just for California residents. Check out Nolo's list of California products.
"Contains just about anything a non-lawyer would want to know about transferring real property in California…"- Los Angeles Times
"The best all-around workbook for do-it-yourself home sellers."- San Jose Mercury News
Forms on the CD-ROM
- Grant Deed
- Quitclaim Deed
- Deed of Trust
- Promissory Note Secured by Deed of Trust
- Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement
- Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement
- Form for Acknowledgment: Military Personnel
- Declaration of Exemption From Documentary Transfer Tax: Gift of Real Property
- Declaration of Exemption From Documentary Transfer Tax: Division of Marital Real Property
- Local Option Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement
Mary Randolph
Mary Randolph earned her law degree from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of The Executor's Guide: Settling Your Loved One's Estate or Trust, 8 Ways to Avoid Probate, Every Dog's Legal Guide: A Must-Have Book for Your Owner, and Deeds for California Real Estate. She is also a coauthor of the legal manual for Quicken WillMaker Plus. She has been a guest on The Today Show and has been interviewed by many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and more. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. Connect with Mary on Google+
1. An Overview of Real Estate Transfers
- Understanding Basic Terminology
- Encumbrances
- Property Tax Reassessment
- Gifts of Real Estate: Federal Gift Tax
- Disclosure Requirements
- Documentary Transfer Tax
- Transfers Before Bankruptcy
- Do You Need a Title Search and Title Insurance?
2. Who Must Sign the Deed?
- Transfers From Married Persons or Domestic Partners
- Transfers from Unmarried Co-Owners
- Transfers of Partnership Property
- Transfers of Corporate Property
- Transfers of Limited Liability Company Property
- Transfers From Trustees
- Owners Who Can't Sign a Deed
- Persons Who Have Executed a Power of Attorney
3. How Should the New Owners Take Title?
- Transfers to One Unmarried Recipient
- More Than One Unmarried Recipient
- Transfers to Married Recipients
- Transfers to Partnerships
- Transfers to Corporations
- Transfers to Limited Liability Companies
- Transfers to Minors
- Transfers to Living Trusts
4. Deeds of Trust
- How Trust Deeds Work
- How to Fill Out a Trust Deed and Promissory Note
- Reconveyance
5. Preparing Your Deed
- What Kind of Deed to Use
- Preparing a Grant or Quitclaim Deed
- Revoking a Deed
6. Recording Your Deed
- Step 1: Prepare Change of Ownership Forms
- Step 2: Take the Deed and Tax Statements to the Recorder
7. When You Need an Expert
- Where to Go for Help
- Accountants
- Lawyers
- Doing Legal Research Yourself
Appendix: How to Use the CD-ROM
- Installing the Files Onto Your Computer
- Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents
- Using Print-Only Files
- Files on the CD-ROM
Forms on the CD-ROM
- Grant Deed
- Quitclaim Deed
- Deed of Trust
- Promissory Note Secured by Deed of Trust
- Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement
- Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement
- Form for Acknowledgment: Military Personnel
- Declaration of Exemption From Documentary Transfer Tax: Gift of Real Property
- Declaration of Exemption From Documentary Transfer Tax: Division of Marital Real Property
- Local Option Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement
Chapter 1
An Overview of Real Estate Transfers
Property transfers can have important legal and tax consequences. Before you start the paperwork, it pays to patiently go over the key issues, including property ownership, lender policies, title rules, tax implications of transfers, and California's real estate disclosure laws. You may even learn something that prompts you to change the way you make the transfer.
For example, here are some of the questions you should keep in mind:
• Will the transfer make loans on the property come due all at once?
• Will the property transfer you have in mind trigger a local property tax reassessment, causing an increase in the property tax?
• Will the transfer necessitate filing a gift tax return with the IRS?
• Are the current owners legally obligated to make written disclosures to the new owner about defects in the property?
• If you transfer property and then declare bankruptcy soon after, could creditors have the transfer invalidated?
The good news is that few of these issues are likely to apply to your situation. This chapter explains each issue; reading the first paragraph or two of each section should let you determine whether or not the material is relevant.
Understanding Basic Terminology
Before we go on, let's stop a minute and define a few important real estate terms. A much more complete glossary is in the back of the book.
Don't despair if it seems like a short course in Greek; we'll redefine the important terms when you run across them again.
Real Property
Real property (real estate) is land and things permanently attached to land—everything from houses and trees down to built-in appliances. Thus, a mobile home that is installed on a foundation is usually considered real property. Anything that's not real property is "personal property." Personal property that has been permanently attached to a structure on the property (for example, chandeliers or built-in bookshelves) is considered a "fixture" and part of the real property. It automatically passes to the new owner under a deed, unless the parties to the transfer agree otherwise.
"Ownership" of real property, as a legal concept, is more complicated than it may appear. Most people think of ownership as an absolute thing—you either own property or you don't. The law, however, sees property ownership as a package of distinct "ownership interests." This package can be split in certain ways, and pieces of property ownership given to different people.
There are two common ways for ownership of property to be split. One is when ownership is shared at the same time. For instance, if you and your spouse, or you and your three sisters, own a house together, you each own part of the whole interest in the property. (Depending on how title to the property is held—as a joint tenancy, tenancy in common, community property, etc.—the co-owners have different legal rights and responsibilities. See Chapter 3.)
Other "interests" in property can also be shared at the same time. For example, a neighbor may own an easement—a legal right to use part of your land subject to certain conditions (for example, the right to run a water pipe or path over a certain part of the land). As an easement owner, the neighbor is in essence a "co-owner" (although he would never be referred to as such in normal conversation) and you must take his rights into consideration before you transfer the property. Put differently, you can only transfer what you own—and if a neighbor acquired part of your ownership rights in the form of a right-of-way across theland, there's nothing you can do about it now. When you transfer the land, the easement goes with it, and the new owner takes the property subject to the easement.
Someone with a lease on the property also has some of the rights of the owner—the right to possess the property during the term of the lease, of course, is the important one. He can transfer those rights (if the lease permits it). Similarly, the owner can transfer her ownership rights, but can't end or interfere with the rights of the person with the lease. In other words, the property is transferred subject to the lease.
Ownership can also be shared over time. For instance, a deed may specify that one person owns property only for a certain period of time (most frequently, his lifetime). If someone has such a "life estate," somebody else, by necessity, has an ownership interest in the property that will take effect after the first person dies. This second person's ownership rights do not include the right to use the property while the first owner is alive. But the second owner may, for instance, require the first owner to maintain the property's value by keeping it in good shape and making property tax and mortgage payments.These arrangements are quite rare these days. They are leftovers from the English feudal system of land ownership, when real property was almost the only measure of wealth and power and it was common for ownership interests to be divided intricately among many heirs.
When California Was a Bargain
How does $1.25 (or nothing) an acre for California land sound? Unfortunately, you're a century and a half too late.
When the United States acquired California at the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, it promised to respect the rights of landowners who had obtained title from the Mexican government. Everything else went to the United States government. A few years later, after California was admitted to the Union in 1850, federal law allowed settlers to squat on public land and then buy it for $1.25 an acre. The 1862 Homestead Act went even further, giving up to 160 acres to a settler who lived on it and cultivated it for five years.
The owner of a piece of property is said to have "title" to it. Title is proof of ownership. In that sense, title is just a shorthand way of referring to ownership. However, the two terms are not synonymous. It is possible to change the title—the way in which property is owned—without changing who owns it. For instance, if before you married, you and your current spouse took title to property as tenants in common, you might now want to change it so that title is held as community property. You would continue to own the property together, but the change in the way you hold title would produce a different set of consequences when you or your spouse died. We discuss these kinds of transfers in more detail in Chapter 3.
Title Search
To find out who owns property and how they hold the title to it, the first step is to look at the deed, which shows the current owners. Deeds, however, do not reveal certain kinds of problems with title to property. To confirm ownership requires a title search—a search of all public records of the property. Usually done by a title insurance company, the search includes examining copies of all the deeds that have ever transferred it, easements granted over it, liens placed against it, and tax and court records.
Checking the public records is usually reliable because all ownership interests in land are supposed to be recorded with the county to be fully effective (the recording system is discussed in Chapter 6). All deeds passing the property from owner to owner should be on record.
Evidence of other interests in the land will most likely be in the form of a document granting an easement, giving the property as security for a loan, or announcing that someone has placed a lien on the property to insure payment of a debt or taxes.
Title searches are routine whenever property is transferred and a bank or savings and loan is involved. Before making a loan that is secured by the property, a lender wants to make sure that the buyer is getting good title to it. Title searches are not necessary in some intrafamily transfers or when owners just want to change the way they hold title.
Title Insurance
Title companies guarantee the results of their searches by issuing title insurance policies, usually in the amount of the value of the property. Title insurance protects an owner (or whoever loaned money to finance the purchase of the property) against losses that result from a defect in the title that exists when the policy is issued and is discovered later. For example, a typical title insurance policy would cover an owner's losses if any of the transfer documents are fraudulent or forged, or if there is a lien or easement on the property that the title company didn't find when it searched the records. If an owner puts in a claim under the policy, the insurance company can, like any other insurance company, defend the owner in a lawsuit or negotiate a settlement.
In many private, intrafamily transfers, where no institutional lender is financing the purchase and all the parties are confident that the title is clear, they decide not to buy title insurance. In many situations, however, title insurance is a wise investment. Title insurance, and how to get it if you decide you want it, are discussed below.
Deeds are the documents that transfer ownership of real property. In California, the most common kinds are grant, quitclaim, and trust deeds. Their functions are quite different. Here is a very brief overview of each:
Grant deed: The most commonly used type of deed. It contains guarantees that title being passed hasn't already been transferred to someone else or been encumbered (see the next section), except as specified in the deed. The grantor is the person transferring the property; the grantee is the person receiving it.
Quitclaim deed: A deed that is used to give up one's claims to land. Unlike a grant deed, the quitclaim deed makes no promises about the title being transferred. The maker of a quitclaim deed simply transfers whatever interest in the land he may have at the time. Quitclaims are often used when someone has a theoretical claim to real property; the potential claimant gives up the claim, and the property's owner doesn't have to worry about the claim being made later. They can also be used instead of a grant deed; they are just as effective to transfer ownership of property.
Trust deed (deed of trust): A trust deed isn't used to transfer ownership of property. It comes into play when someone uses real property as security for a loan—which is almost anytime someone buys real estate. It is used in conjunction with a promissory note (a written promise to pay back a loan). The buyer signs the note and a trust deed, which permits its holder (the trustee) to sell the property and pay off the loan if the buyer defaults.
An encumbrance is any legal claim on property that affects an owner's ability to transfer title to the property. Common encumbrances are deeds of trust, mortgages, and past-due property tax liens (claims filed against the property when property taxes are delinquent). If your property is encumbered—say, for example, there is a trust deed on the property because you borrowed money to buy it—before you can transfer title you will either have to remove the encumbrance (by paying off the loan secured by the trust deed) or get the buyer to agree to take the property subject to the encumbrance. (In the case of a trust deed, you would most likely also have to get the approval of the lender for the new owner to take over the loan.)
If, like most homeowners, you borrowed money to buy your house and signed a deed of trust securing the loan, title to the property is encumbered. Past-due property taxes are another fairly common encumbrance. But you can skip this discussion if:
• the property being transferred has no existing deeds of trust, mortgages, past-due property taxes, or homeowners' association assessments, liens, or other encumbrances on its title (for example, the property is owned outright, free of ownership or lien claims by others, and property tax payments are up-to-date), or
• the owner(s) want only to change the form in which title is held (for example, from tenancy in common to joint tenancy, or from a single owner to a revocable trust with the owner as trustee), and the identity of the owners doesn't change.
If money is changing hands for the property, or a new owner is involved, or if you really don't know for sure whether or not there are encumbrances, it is wise to investigate just how clear the transferor's title to the property really is. That's when you need a title search (discussed later in this chapter).
Deeds and Encumbrances
When you use a grant deed (the kind of deed used most often in California) to transfer property, you automatically promise that you have disclosed to the new owner all encumbrances you have incurred. (Civil Code § 1113.) If you do not disclose the existence of such an encumbrance, you can be liable for the new owner's damages. For example, if you neglect to tell the buyer that there is a huge tax lien on the property, the buyer can sue you for what it costs to pay off the lien.
Under the law, the encumbrances about which a grantor must tell the grantee, when transferring property with a grant deed, include taxes, assessments, and liens on the property. (Civil Code § 1114.)
For example, if a carpenter who worked on a house has recorded a mechanic's lien on the property to insure that he is paid, the grantor must disclose it. Otherwise a recipient would take title to the property subject to the lien.
You are not promising that you have good title to the property. You are not responsible for other claims on the property that aren't based on your acts and are out of your control. The most common examples of such claims (none of them is very common) are claims by someone whose claim arose under a former owner, and eminent domain (condemnation) proceedings by government entities. For example, if you receive a grant deed to property and then find out there are condemnation proceedings underway, you're out of luck as far as suing under the promise that the statute says is implied in the grant deed.
Because buyers (and lenders) do not usually want to rely on the seller's disclosure and implied promise, they routinely order title searches and purchase title insurance. If a problem with the title (including an encumbrance that they didn't know about when they bought) is discovered later, the insurance will pay, and they don't have to sue (and try to collect from) the grantor.
Taking Care of Encumbrances
Most encumbrances can simply be paid off, leaving title to the property clear and free to be transferred. The most obvious example is the deed of trust. When you want to transfer property that is subject to a trust deed, you must do one of three things: pay it off, get the buyer to assume the loan, or get the buyer to take the property "subject to" the deed of trust. Assumption of a loan, which means that the new owner takes responsibility for paying it off, is handled through the bank. Your loan agreement with the financial institution, however, may have a "due on sale" clause, which limits who can assume a loan secured by the property (see below). If the new owner takes the property "subject to" the loan, he acknowledges the loan (by including a statement in the deed) but doesn't formally assume it. If the note were foreclosed on, however, he would lose the property.
Even if the property is not encumbered, a lien can appear out of thin air if the new owner has an outstanding court judgment against him. When the transfer is made, the judgment lien attaches to the property. Transferring the property back won't get rid of the lien.
Other simple money encumbrances include:
• past-due property taxes (due twice each year, in November and February)
• mechanic's or materialman's liens, filed by people who work on your house. (A lien is a notice, recorded with the county recorder, that alerts everyone to the fact that there is a claim against the property.)
• unpaid special assessment district bond liens (for example, imposed by special hospital or drainage districts), and
• judgment liens (liens placed against your property to guarantee payment of a judgment against you in a lawsuit).
A more complicated encumbrance is a lawsuit that may affect title to your property. It shows up in the public records when a notice of the suit (a "lis pendens") is recorded in the county recorder's office. You can't get rid of this kind of encumbrance by simply paying it off. You must, however, deal with it somehow, either by passing it on to the new owner, negotiating a settlement with the party who has the claim against your property, or—if you absolutely can't avoid it—going to court to slug it out. A common method of settlement is to pay the other party something in exchange for a quitclaim deed in which she gives up any interest that she might own in the property.
EXAMPLE: Andy and his brother Bill inherited some land from their uncle, but the uncle's will is being disputed in court by their cousin, Marsha. Depending on the outcome of the suit, Marsha may be determined to have some interest in the land. Andy wants to sell his half-interest to Bill, but title to the property is encumbered by a notice of the lawsuit (a "lis pendens"), which has been recorded with the county recorder. For payment of a few thousand dollars, Marsha agrees to drop the lawsuit and sign a quitclaim deed giving up all rights to the property. With the encumbrance removed, Bill can take clear title to the property.
Due on Sale Clauses
Many loan agreements contain a "due on sale" or "due on transfer" clause that makes the whole loan amount due immediately if the property is sold. And even if the existing loan can be assumed by the new owners, the terms of the loan probably require the new owners to get approval from the lender.
If a lender's approval is necessary, whether or not you will get it will probably have a lot to do with market interest rates. If interest rates have come down since the trust deed was signed, the lender will be happy to have a buyer (who has good credit) take over the loan at the relatively high interest rate. On the other hand, if rates have gone up, it will probably insist on a new loan at a higher rate of interest. If the original loan is a variable-rate loan, the lender has little incentive to be finicky unless market rates have exceeded even the maximum allowed by terms of the variable-rate loan. For this reason, variable-rate loans are often assumable.
Many people who own real property subject to a trust deed simply go ahead and transfer it, figuring the lender (who, after all, may be a large corporation at the other end of the country that bought the trust deed from a local bank), won't find out. They are often right.
Lenders do, however, have several ways to discover that the property was transferred, even if you don't tell them. A change in the name of the person making loan payments or named as beneficiary on the insurance policy often alerts a bank. Sometimes they simply call and ask for the original borrower; if the new owner says she doesn't live there, the game is up. The lender can also check (or pay someone to check) county records to see if title to the property has changed hands.
How diligent the bank is largely depends, again, on interest rates. Unless rates have gone up significantly (2% is a good general rule) since a fixed-rate loan was made, it isn't worth it to check title records all over the country to see if property has been sold. When interest rates shoot up quickly, however, and an investor holds a lot of fixed-rate loans, you can bet it is looking for transfers that will allow it to call those loans. The financial institution's policy also plays a part; some regularly use a title company to keep an eye on transfers.
Some people, to avoid notifying a bank of a transfer, don't record the deed in the county recorder's office. This is a bad idea, for all the reasons explained in Chapter 6. Experienced real estate lawyers can sometimes manage ways to get around due on sale clauses and still effectively transfer property. If a due on sale clause is a serious problem for you, talk to a lawyer.
Transfers to a living trust: If you take title to real estate in the name of a revocable living trust, your lender is forbidden by federal law from invoking a due on sale clause. (Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982, 96 Stat. 1505.)
Property Tax Reassessment
Many real estate transfers trigger a reassessment of the property for local property tax purposes. Reassessment usually means a higher assessed value and a higher property tax bill. (If it's not transferred, property is usually reassessed once a year according to a standard formula that allows an increase of up to 2% in the assessed value of the property.)
State law exempts some kinds of transfers from the reassessment requirement. If, under state law, a transfer is not considered a "change of ownership," the property is not subject to reassessment. (Rev. & Tax. Code §§ 62, 63.) Many intrafamily transfers of the type discussed in this book do not trigger reassessment, including:
• A transfer between spouses or registered domestic partners, or one that takes effect at the death of one spouse or partner or at dissolution of the marriage.
EXAMPLE: When Allen marries Maureen, he wants to add her name to the title of his house, so he signs a deed from himself to both of them. The house will not be reassessed.
• Correction of a deed.
EXAMPLE: When Denise makes out a deed to Paula, she mistakenly types "Paul" instead. To correct this mistake, which could cause confusion later on, she makes a new deed with the correct name.
• A transfer to a revocable living trust, or by the trustee back to the person who set up the trust.
EXAMPLE: Don wants to put some property in a living trust for his children so they will inherit it outside probate when he dies. He signs a grant deed to formally transfer the property to himself as trustee of the trust.
• Any transfer between co-owners that changes only the method of holding title, without changing the proportional interests of the co-owners.
EXAMPLE: Ray and his cousin Lee inherited property together and take title to it in joint tenancy, which carries with it an automatic right of survivorship. They want to change the way title is held to a tenancy in common so that each can leave his share to his spouse. To do this, they execute a deed from themselves as joint tenants to themselves as tenants in common. No reassessment will be made.
• Creation of a joint tenancy if one of the original owners is one of the new joint tenants.
EXAMPLE: Martha wants to put title to her house in joint tenancy with her daughter. She executes a deed from herself to her daughter and herself as joint tenants.
• Execution of a deed of trust.
EXAMPLE: Frank wants to borrow money from his parents, using his house as security for the loan. Frank signs a deed of trust, giving a trustee the power to sell the house and pay off the loan to his parents if he defaults.
• Transfer between former spouses or registered domestic partners in connection with a property settlement agreement or decree of dissolution of marriage or partnership.
EXAMPLE: Luke and Lisa are divorced. The property settlement agreement states that Lisa will transfer her interest in the couple's house to Luke.
• Transfer of the transferor's principal residence (and up to $1 million of other real property), in a transfer between parents and their children.
EXAMPLE: Sarah and Ben want to transfer title to some land they own to their children. As long as their equity in the land is less than $1 million, they can transfer it without triggering a reassessment.
If you fall into one of these exempt categories, you may have to sign a form provided by the assessor. If your property will be reassessed, the county assessor will send you (after you record your deed) a Change of Ownership Statement. Instructions for filling it out are in Chapter 6.
Gifts of Real Property: Federal Gift Tax
If a gift of real property is large enough, the giver may have to file a federal gift tax return. But even if you are required to file a return, you probably won't ever have to pay tax, because a large amount of property is exempt from tax. (See Section 3, below.)
You don't have to worry about gift tax if the property:
• is being sold for its approximate fair market value (the amount your house could fetch if sold on the open market) or
• is being given away, but the value of the equity (the total value of the property minus the amount owed on it) being given is less than $12,000 per recipient ($24,000 if a married couple is giving it), or
• is being given by one spouse to the other and the recipient spouse is a U.S. citizen.
What If You're Not Sure Your Transfer Is Exempt?
You may want to file a gift tax return even if you think your transaction is exempt from tax. Filing a return can give you some peace of mind if you worry that the IRS might someday challenge your claim to exemption.
For example, say you think the property you're giving your son has a fair market value of $10,000 and is thus exempt from gift tax. How do you know that the IRS, years later, won't decide that the fair market value was $17,000 and that you should have filed a gift tax return? After all, fair market value is sometimes an inexact concept.
If you file a gift tax return announcing that the transaction is exempt, the IRS has three years to challenge it. If you don't file a return, it could still contest the tax status of the transfer years later, when you die and your final gift/estate tax is calculated.
This is a book on transfers, not taxes, and doesn't cover the subject of gift tax in detail. What we can do is alert you to potential problems and outline strategies you may want to pursue. With that warning, here are the basics of federal gift tax law.
Overview of the Federal Gift and Estate Tax
The federal gift/estate tax strikes when a property owner gives away property or leaves it at death. Most people never owe any gift/estate tax, because you can give away or leave a large amount of property tax-free. California does not levy inheritance or gift tax.
True to its name, the tax is levied on gifts and estates alike. By taxing property that's given before death, the gift tax thwarts people who try to avoid the estate tax by giving their property away before they die.
Many gifts, however, are always exempt from gift taxation, as discussed below.
What Is a Gift?
Sometimes you may not be positive whether or not the transfer you are making is in fact a gift. A gift, in the eyes of the law, is any voluntary transfer of property made without receiving anything (or receiving less than its value) in exchange. For example, if you transfer property that you know is worth $50,000 to your son and take $10,000 in exchange, you have made a gift of $40,000.
Generally, a transfer is not a gift unless you intend it to be. But the IRS doesn't know, when you transfer something for less than its market value, whether you intend to make a gift or you're just a poor businessperson. So it does the only thing it can do—it looks at the objective evidence and demands gift taxes only if a transaction doesn't appear reasonable from an economic point of view. Don't expect the IRS to accept your simple statement that, despite every indication to the contrary, your transfer of a house to your son for $1 is just a bargain, not a gift. You will be held to have intended a gift when you know at the time that you are taking less than the fair market value for the property.
How the Gift and Estate Tax Works
The gift and estate tax is a concern for only the wealthiest citizens. The amount you can leave without paying tax is scheduled to increase until the estate tax goes away entirely in 2010, though Congress may revisit the law before then.
After that, the gift tax will survive, but everyone will get a $1 million exemption. So unless you plan to make at least $1 million in taxable gifts (and most ordinary gifts are not taxable), gift tax will not be worth a second thought.
The Future of the Gift and Estate Tax
$2 million
$1 million
$3.5 million
$1 million
Estate tax repealed
$1 million
(gift tax only)
$1 million (Estate tax returns unless Congress extends the repeal)
$1 million
If you make nonexempt gifts, you have to file a gift tax return with your regular income tax return. But your liability for estate and gift tax cannot be figured until you have either died or given away more than the total exempt amount in nonexempt gifts. (Exemptions are explained below.) Every time you make a nonexempt gift, you use up some of your gift tax exemption.
EXAMPLE: During his lifetime, Frank makes nonexempt gifts that total $28,000. That uses up $28,000 of his gift tax exemption; the rest of the exemption is available for property he leaves at his death.
What Gifts Are Taxable
Any gift worth more than $12,000 given to one person in one year is subject to the federal gift tax. (The giver, not the recipient, is taxed.) Each member of a married couple gets the $12,000 exclusion, so together they can give up to $24,000 per recipient tax-free. (The amount is indexed for inflation and may rise in the future.)
Example 1: Joe gives real estate in which he has equity of $10,000 to each of his three children. He need not file a gift tax return.
Example 2: Robin gives her son Ralph $6,000 in cash and $10,000 in real estate in one calendar year. Because the total is over the $12,000 limit, she must file a gift tax return. She will not have to pay tax now but will use part of her tax credit. Had Robin waited until January 1 of the next year to give the real estate, both gifts would have been entirely exempt.
Example 3: In one year, Anne and her husband Peter give real estate worth $120,000 and subject to a deed of trust for $80,000 to their daughter Sophie and her husband Jeff. The total value of the gift is thus $40,000. Anne and Peter do not need to file a gift tax return. Anne and Peter each can give $12,000 per recipient, and there are two recipients, so up to $48,000 is exempt.
Some types of gifts are always exempt: gifts made to one's spouse (if the spouse is a U.S. citizen) or to tax-exempt organizations are always tax-free, no matter what the amount. So are gifts made directly for medical bills or school tuition. Gifts to a noncitizen spouse are tax-exempt up to $120,000 per year.
EXAMPLE: Francine owns a large undeveloped tract of land that is home to a diverse group of animals and plants, some of them rare. To preserve its wild state, she gives the land to the Nature Conservancy, a tax-exempt organization that acquires land to help preserve native animal and plant life. Her equity in the property is $800,000. The gift is exempt from gift tax, so it doesn't affect the amount she can leave at death tax-free.
Not surprisingly, people have figured out some clever ways to reduce or avoid their gift and estate tax liability. If you want to delve into the subject of gift-giving as an estate planning device, see Plan Your Estate, by Denis Clifford and Cora Jordan (Nolo).
Disclosure Requirements
State or local law may require you to make several kinds of written disclosures about the property to the new owners before the transfer goes through.
Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement
If you're selling residential (not commercial) real property, you will probably have to disclose to the buyer certain information about the property's condition. (Civ. Code § 1102.) The disclosure covers all major structures and systems on the property. For example, you must tell the buyer of significant defects in the driveway, electrical system, plumbing, roof, and foundation. A buyer then has three days to back out of the sale.
You must fill out the disclosure form shown below unless:
• the transfer is a gift
• the transfer is to a co-owner, spouse, former spouse, or direct descendant or ancestor (uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, and cousins are not exempt, since they are not direct descendants), or
• the transfer is from a trustee, guardian, or conservator.
A tear-out copy is included in the appendix. The form is changed by the legislature fairly regularly; be sure you use the most recent version. If it has changed since this book was published, you can get a copy from a real estate broker or title company, or from the law library—look up California Civil Code Section 1102.6. To find this statute online, go to Nolo's website at www.nolo.com and follow the links to the California statutes.
The completed form must be personally delivered or mailed to the buyer before title is transferred. The buyer has three days after the form is delivered (five days after the date of mailing, if the form is mailed) to give the seller a written withdrawal of the offer to purchase the property. (Civ. Code § 1102.2.)
The seller doesn't have to hire professionals to answer the questions on the disclosure form. The seller must, however, fill out the form in good faith and honestly and must take "ordinary care" in obtaining the information. This means that the seller is responsible for including information about the property that he or she knows or, as a reasonable homeowner, should know.
If you don't know and can't find out (by making a reasonable effort) some of the information requested on the form, you may make a "reasonable approximation" as long as you make it clear (on the form) that the information is an approximation that is based on the best information available to you.
If an error or omission is carelessly or intentionally made in the statement, the sale is still valid, but the seller is liable for any actual damages the buyer suffers. For example, if you sell your house and forget to disclose the fact that the roof leaks (and you know or should know it does), the sale is still good, but if the buyer sues you, you'll have to pay for the damage that the leak causes and the cost of repairs.
You should take seriously your responsibility to disclose problems and err on the side of more, rather than less, disclosure. Many homeowners, although it is not required by the law, are choosing to protect themselves by hiring (or encouraging the buyer to hire) a general contractor to inspect the house and write a report on its condition. Home-inspection firms are popping up in response to the demand. An inspection and written report for an average-sized house costs from about $250 to $550. If you do get a report, make sure the new owner gets a copy and acknowledges its receipt in writing.
Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement
The Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement includes information on many hazards affecting the house, some of which require additional disclosures. State law requires sellers to provide buyers with a Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement indicating if the property is in one of six hazard zones (Civ. Code § 1102.6c):
• a flood hazard zone designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (42 U.S.C. §§ 4001 and following)
• an area of potential flooding due to failure of a dam as identified by the Office of Emergency Services on an "inundation map" (Gov't. Code § 8589.5.)
• a very high fire hazard severity zone designated by a local agency (Gov't. Code §§ 51178, 51179, 51182, 51183.5)
• a state-designated wildland fire area zone (Pub. Res. Code §§ 4125, 4136)
• a delineated earthquake fault zone as identified by the California State Geologist (Pub. Res. Code §§ 2621.9, 2622), or
• a seismic hazards zone (area where landslides and liquefaction are most likely to occur) as defined under Pub. Res. Code §§ 2694, 2696.
These designations are often puzzling, at least to a layperson. For example, San Francisco is not within an earthquake fault zone. That's because the fault line isn't in San Francisco—although San Francisco has certainly experienced the ravages of earthquakes. Also, sometimes the available maps and information are not of sufficient accuracy or scale for a seller to determine whether or not his property falls inside or outside of a designated hazard zone, such as a high fire hazard severity zone. In this case, the law requires the seller to mark "Yes" on the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement—unless the seller has evidence, such as a report from a licensed engineer, that the property is not in the fire hazard zone. (Civ. Code § 1102.4.)
A blank Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement (NHDS) is included in the appendix.
Earthquake and Seismic Disclosures
In addition to the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement, state law requires sellers to provide information on the safety of the house itself and its ability to resist earthquakes.
Residential Earthquake Hazards Report
The seller must disclose any known seismic deficiencies on the property, such as whether or not the house is bolted or anchored to the foundation and whether cripple walls, if any, are braced. (Gov't. Code § 8897.) The seller is not required to hire anyone to evaluate the house or to strengthen any weaknesses that exist. If the house was built in 1960 or later, oral disclosure is enough.
If the house was built before 1960, the seller must disclose in writing and sign the disclosure form, Residential Earthquake Hazards Report, included in a booklet called the Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety. The seller must give the buyer a copy of this booklet and disclosure "as soon as practicable before the transfer." The Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety is available from the Seismic Safety Commission (SSC), 1755 Creekside Oaks Drive, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95833. You can phone the SSC at 916-263-5506 or check its website at www.seismic.ca.gov.
Water Heater Bracing
All water heaters must be braced, anchored, or strapped to resist falling or displacement during an earthquake. (Health and Safety Code § 19211.) Anyone selling property with such a water heater must certify in writing (on the Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement) that the heater complies with the law.
Environmental Hazards
Item C.1 on the Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement asks the seller to identify environmental hazards on the property, such as radon gas and contaminated soil. In addition, sellers should provide prospective homebuyers a copy of Environmental Hazards: A Guide for Homeowners and Buyers, which provides information on different environmental hazards which may be on or near the property, such as asbestos, formaldehyde, lead, and hazardous wastes, and lists federal and state agencies and publications for more information. This booklet is published by the California Department of Real Estate, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Health Services, and is available from the California Association of Realtors (CAR). For price and order information, call CAR at its Los Angeles office at 213-739-8200 or check out its website at www.car.org.
HUD rules require that applicants for FHA mortgages be given a lead-based paint notice disclosure form before signing the final sales contract. Lead paint in homes financed by the FHA must be removed or repainted.
California law requires that a seller disclose lead-based paint hazards to prospective buyers on the Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement. (Civ. Code § 1102.6.) Furthermore, sellers of houses built before 1978 must comply with the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. § 2852d), also known as Title X. Sellers must:
• attach a federally required disclosure form, "Disclosure of Information on Lead-Based Paint and/or Lead-Based Paint Hazards," to every sales contract for residences built prior to 1978, and disclose any known lead hazards in the house or outbuildings
• give buyers a pamphlet prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home
• keep signed acknowledgments for three years as proof of compliance, and
• give buyers a ten-day opportunity to test the housing for lead.
If a seller fails to comply with Title X requirements, a buyer can sue the seller for triple the amount of damages.
Resources on Lead
The National Lead Information Clearinghouse has extensive information on lead hazards, prevention, and disclosures. For more information, call the Clearinghouse at 800-424-LEAD or check its website at www.epa.gov/lead. You can find an online version of the required disclosure pamphlet Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home by choosing the form and the "Brochures and Training" link on the EPA site.
Disclosure of Deaths
State law implies that the seller should disclose any deaths known to have occurred on the property within the past three years. If a death occurred more than three years ago, the seller need disclose it only if asked. (Reed v. King, 145 Cal.App.3d 261 (1983).)
Military Ordnance
Sellers who know of any former federal or state ordnance locations (once used for military training purposes which may contain potentially explosive munitions) within one mile of the property must provide written disclosure to the buyer as soon as practicable before transfer of title. (Civ. Code § 1102.15.)
Registered Sex Offenders (Megan's Law)
Contracts for the sale of a house or other residential property must include a notice, in not less than eight-point type, regarding the availability of a database maintained by law enforcement authorities on the location of registered sex offenders. (Civ. Code § 2079.10a.) This database is available through a "900" telephone service. Callers must have specific information about individuals they are checking, and information regarding neighborhoods is not available.
The seller or broker is not required to provide additional information about the proximity of registered sex offenders. The law clearly states, however, that it does not change the existing responsibilities of sellers and real estate brokers to make disclosures of "material facts" that would affect the "value and desirability" of a property. This means that a seller or broker who knew for a fact that a registered sex offender lived next door or a few houses down would be responsible for disclosing this "material" fact to the buyer.
For more information on this disclosure requirement, check out http://caag.state.ca.us.megan. A contract containing the necessary language is in For Sale by Owner in California, by George Devine (Nolo).
Local Disclosure Requirements
Many cities and counties have local disclosure requirements and you may be required to use an additional form. For example, in Los Angeles, sellers must disclose applicable zoning laws. Check with the city or county planning or building department to find out about any local requirements. You may need a special form, the Local Option Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement. (Civ. Code § 1102.6a.) A blank form is included in the appendix.
Documentary Transfer Tax
You don't have to worry about this tax if the transfer is a gift.
This tax, which is based on the sale price of the property, is collected by the county recorder when a deed is recorded. No documentary transfer tax is due unless the property is sold. For example, a gift (including a transfer to a revocable living trust) or a transfer pursuant to a court order is exempt from the tax.
The basic tax rate is 55¢ per $500 of the sales price. Some cities add surtaxes so that the total rate is considerably higher. You can find out the rate in your city by calling the county recorder's office.
Transfers Before Bankruptcy
If you think you may have to declare bankruptcy, special rules may restrict your right to transfer or mortgage valuable property. If you give property away (put it in someone else's name) to frustrate the bankruptcy laws, the transfer may be considered fraudulent. (Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, Civ. Code §§ 3439 and following.) In some circumstances, the transfer can be voided by a court and the property used to pay your creditors. In general, transfers immediately before bankruptcy are suspect, and transfers made up to a year before bankruptcy can be trouble.
More information about property and bankruptcy. See How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, by Stephen Elias, Albin Renauer, and Robin Leonard and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy: Repay Your Debts, by Robin Leonard, both published by Nolo.
Do You Need a Title Search and Title Insurance?
As discussed briefly above, title insurance is a way for a buyer (or lender financing a purchase) to be sure that if there's a problem with the title to the property he's just bought, the title insurance company will make it good. Insurance protects the buyer against problems that have already occurred. For example, suppose somebody once put the wrong property description on a deed, forged an owner's signature, forgot to get her spouse to sign the deed, or otherwise messed up. If for some reason a title search doesn't disclose the error, insurance will protect the buyer and lender. Title insurance doesn't protect against acts of the government such as condemnation proceedings or zoning restrictions.
Family Forgery
Title insurance also protects buyers from the consequences of forged deeds. You may not think you need to check the title records of your property for forged documents, but forgeries by family members are on the rise, according to title insurance companies. A common scenario is forgery by a son or daughter who forges parents' names on a deed of trust making the property security for a loan. The child figures the parents may never find out about it if the loan is paid off and the child inherits the property anyway.
Title Searches
A title search turns up encumbrances on the title to property. If you don't know what encumbrances may exist on the property you want to transfer, and having this information is important (for example, the property is going to new owners, or a significant sum is being paid for the transfer), you will definitely want to have a title search. If, on the other hand, you know no encumbrances exist or your transfer involves a change of title (for example, from tenancy in common to joint tenancy) but no new owners, you probably won't need a title search (though it never hurts).
A title search gives you an accurate picture of who owns the property and turns up most kinds of claims others may have against it. Specifically, a title search tells you if:
• the property has been pledged as security for a loan
• an easement has been granted
• certain liens (claims that prevent title to the property from being transferred until the lienholder (creditor) is paid the lien amount) have been placed on the property
• the property taxes haven't been paid
• a lawsuit has been filed contesting ownership of the property, or
• a prior deed (say, the one transferring the property to whomever you got it from) was invalid.
A title search should check the validity of all prior transfers of the property. This string of transfers, which in California often stretches back in time to grants from the Mexican or United States governments in the 19th century, is called the chain of title. If a deed to the land was ever improperly executed, or the property description in the deed was wrong, and the error went uncorrected, the current owner may not hold valid title to the land. Theoretically, all transfers are recorded in the public records. If evidence of a transfer—a link in the chain of title—is missing, that's a problem in itself, and it may necessitate a trip to court to resolve any uncertainty.
These days, title insurance companies may not actually check all the old transfers. They rely on previous checks and just make sure there are no new problems with the title. Computerized records have largely replaced microfiche records, and the computer data often do not include the older transfers.
Virtually no layperson does a title search; it's a tedious, time-consuming job. And without some experience, it's easy to mess up. But if you want to be sure title to the property is clear, what should you do? Let's stop a minute and look at your options.
1. Go without a title search. If you are merely changing the way title is held and not bringing in any new owners, or putting property in a revocable living trust, you may not need a title search.
Also, if the property was transferred to the current owner fairly recently, the title was checked then (as it always is in standard transfers; a bank wouldn't think of lending money to finance the purchase of property without it), and you know that no liens or other encumbrances have been filed since, you're pretty safe not bothering with another search.
2. Get a property profile that checks the current title only. Title companies, which keep copies of the public records in their offices, furnish free "property profiles" that show the current state of the title to property (that is, without checking all the prior transfers, as a full title search would).
A property profile contains photocopies of everything in the public records that affects the property now. It typically includes:
• Cover page: This lists the property address, owner, assessed value, and property tax due.
• Grant deed: A copy of the deed that transferred title to the current owner will always be included.
• Deeds of trust: All deeds of trust recorded against the property should be included. Make sure all pages of the deeds, including attachments, are there. Many property profiles only have the first page of the trust deed, which may not contain critical "due on sale" or "acceleration" clauses. The deed will not expressly tell you whether it is the first, second, or third deed of trust recorded against the property; that is determined by the order in which they were recorded.
• Assessor's map: This shows the subdivision map filed with the county. The map shows the lots and boundaries of the property and also the assessor's parcel number (APN), which the assessor uses on the tax bills. It's critical that you check the legal description and APN given on your grant deed against what's on this map.
3. Pay a pro to do the title search. For $100 to $250 or so, you can hire a title company to conduct a title search of your property. The fee is one of those "closing costs" that every buyer of real estate has come to know and love. The company will search the public records and issue a report showing:
• the legal owner's name
• all liens, restrictions, easements, and other encumbrances
• the legal description of the property, and
• local property taxes that have been assessed.
Some title companies do not sell title reports separately; you must also buy title insurance. The price of insurance depends on the value of the property; $1,000 to $1,500 for property worth $100,000 is a good estimate. You may need to make a few phone calls to find a company in your area that will do a title search separately.
4. Do the search yourself. If you're a diehard do-it-yourselfer, and have plenty of spare time, you can try to do the search yourself, but it's not a cost-effective way to spend your time. (And a title company won't insure a title that it hasn't checked itself.)
To search the title to property you must start with the "Grantor-Grantee Index" (usually kept on microfiche) at the county recorder's office. In it you can look up the current owner's name and start going backwards in time from the current deed. Remember that you have a long, long way to go (more than 100 years, almost certainly), and that you'll need to check every name and legal description in every deed to the property. You will also need to look up the property in the county assessor's property tax records and the general county records that show bankruptcies, divorces, name changes, and judgments. Finally, you will need to go through the bankruptcy records of the federal district court.
Obviously, doing a title search yourself is a complex task that takes practice to get good (or even competent) at, and given the risks involved, it's well worth it to pay a professional. Moreover, when you go to sell (or borrow money on) the land later, no one will want to rely on an amateur's title search, so you'll probably end up paying for a title search sometime. For your peace of mind, if you want a title search, get it done right.
What a title search can't show. Obviously, a title search can't uncover unrecorded transfers. And no title search will reveal the extent to which California's community property laws affect ownership of the property. Those laws may mean, for example, that even if the house is in one spouse's (or domestic partner's) name alone it belongs to both and that both must sign the deed. We discuss this point, and how to handle it, in Chapter 2.
Similarly, an unmarried live-in lover may have property rights based on an implied contract. See Chapter 2.
Title Insurance
Usually, the point of having a title search is to enable you to buy title insurance. It works like this: The title insurance company searches the public records and issues a preliminary title report (the "prelim"), which shows all encumbrances of record. Then the company issues a title insurance policy, guaranteeing that the title is clear of encumbrances except those specified on the preliminary report.
The buyer's policy is in the amount of the purchase price of the property. Usually it is a CLTA (California Land Title Association) policy. If someone (including the seller) is lending money to the buyer, and the loan is secured by a deed of trust on the property, the lender usually buys a separate insurance policy that covers him for the amount of the loan. The lender's policy is often an ALTA (American Land Title Association) policy, which offers broader coverage than the standard CLTA policy.
What If the Title Search Turns Up Problems?
If there is a problem in the chain of title—meaning that somewhere along the line the property was imperfectly transferred—the current owners will have to correct the defect. Correction will entail either a new deed (often in the form of a quitclaim deed, discussed in Chapter 5) or going to court to have a judge resolve any uncertainty in who owns what.
For example, say that your father, the previous owner of the property you want to transfer, mistakenly left out a 50-foot strip of the property when he deeded the land to you. If this mistake is not corrected, the new owners will be getting less than they think they are.
What can be done to rectify the mistake? Your father can execute a new deed transferring his interest in the omitted property to you. If he were no longer living, you would have to go to court in the county where the property is located and get a judgment saying the property belongs to you. That process almost certainly requires a lawyer and is beyond the scope of this book.
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
Legal Products
- Accidents & Injuries
- Bankruptcy
- Bills of Sale
- Business Formation
- Business Operations
- Consumer Protection
- Debt & Credit Repair
- Criminal Law
- Divorce & Child Custody
- Elder Care
- Employment/HR
- Family & Parenting
- Foreclosure
- Free Forms Library
- Immigration
- Intellectual Property
- Landlord-Tenant
- Leases & Rental Agreements
- Legal Research
- Marriage & Domestic Partnership
- Name Change
- Nonprofits
- Online Legal Forms
- Personal Finance
- Power of Attorney
- Promissory Notes
- Real Estate
- Small Claims & Lawsuits
- Social Security & Retirement
- Taxes
- Traffic Tickets
- Wills & Trusts


text:
Summer Camp 2015
December 9th, 2014
Registration for Summer Camp 2015 is up and running. Sign up today to reserve your spot!
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Summer Camp!
October 31st, 2013
Summer Camp 2014 is ready for your camper! Sessions run June 15 – Aug 22, 2014[aio_button align="none" animation="none" color="orange" size="medium" icon="plus-sign" text="Register Now!" url="https://thriva.activenetwork.com/Reg4/Form.aspx?IDTD=6507601&RF=11309389&mode=0″] Register early and SAVE $$
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Meet The Team
September 23rd, 2013
Rawhide Ranch is proud to have a dedicated team of staff members who help to make each ranch experience a memorable one. Our Maintenance team is here year-round to see that the grounds and facilities are ready and welcoming for your arrival. Our Food Service team goes out of their way to "wow" our campers […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Spring's-A-Comin' Newsletter
March 6th, 2013
Read all about it! In this issue you'll find information on: • Summer Camp 2013 • Equestrian Experience Workshop • The Friends of Rawhide Ranch • Weekend Youth Group Program • Legacy Week • Build-a-Hand Project Sponsorship Opportunity
Tags: animal science program, california horse camp, Girl Scout Camp, ranch education program, rawhide ranch
Posted in Events, Outdoor Education, Rawhide Ranch, Summer Camp, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Weekend Opportunity
January 29th, 2013
The Rawhide Ranch SPOTLIGHT WEEKEND has become a special tradition here at the ranch. For those summer campers who have worked toward achieving a rank in the Stock Farm, Riding or Vaulting it's a great time to brush up on those new skills or work toward that next level. Two whole days to focus entirely […]
Tags: animal science program, horse camp, rawhide ranch, vaulting
Posted in Events, Rawhide Ranch, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Why Sheep Need Haircuts
January 10th, 2013
Did you see on Facebook, our sheep got haircuts? In many ways, shearing a sheep is a lot like getting a haircut. Just like your hair grows and grows until it hangs in your eyes, sheep wool is always growing. Wool has to be shorn at least once a year to keep sheep comfortable, especially […]
Tags: animal science program, california horse camp, camp counselor, EZ Stock Farm, rawhide ranch, Rawhide Ranch Blog, Rawhide Ranch Bonsall, Rawhide Ranch California, San Diego, Sheep Shearing, Southern California, summer camp, western riding camp
Posted in EZ Stock Farm | No Comments »
Family Camp
January 7th, 2013
August 30-September 1 – All ages welcome! Are you jealous of your child being able to go to camp? Well now you can too! Horseback riding, vaulting, animals, hanging at the pool, climbing wall, outdoor cooking, archery, and much much more!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Winter Camp
January 7th, 2013
Winter Camp is an incredible opportunity to spend a week with us during the holidays! December 29 – January 4. Register now while spaces are available! YeeHaw!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
CA State Content Standards
May 21st, 2012
The outdoor education curriculum at Rawhide Ranch creates an experiential learning opportunity that applies multiple grade level standards in each attended class. This unique approach to curriculum development gives students the chance to refresh, consider, and increase their knowledge within our programs correlation to the California State Education Content Standards for grades 2-8. Our outdoor […]
Posted in Outdoor Education, Rawhide Ranch | No Comments »
What Does Your Pet's Name Say About You?
May 30th, 2011
If you're reading Rawhide Ranch's blogs about horses, animal care, outdoor education, and our amazing ranch camp, we bet you're an animal lover! Maybe you have a horse of your own, a cat or a dog, a rabbit or a hamster, or even a lizard. We put a lot of time and care into naming […]
Tags: Americans, best california camp, california horse camp, camp counselor, Pet names, rawhide ranch, Rawhide Ranch Blog, Rawhide Ranch Bonsall, Rawhide Ranch California, San Diego, Southern California, summer camp, western riding camp
Posted in Rawhide Ranch | No Comments »

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Lost village of Imber - iconic double deckers to enter war zone once again with trips across Salisbury Plain
Posted: August 19, 2014|
The annual heritage Imberbus service takes place once again this August bank holiday Monday 25th August running from Warminster across to the lost village of Imber and other isolated locations on Salisbury Plain.
Sir Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London and member of the Imberbus organising team explains, "Imber village was evacuated in 1943 by the Army to allow the area to be used as a training area, and other than for a few days each year has been out of bounds ever since.
"The church however remains and has many interesting features. The bus service across the Plain not only allows people to see these fascinating areas but also see the expanse of the Plain from the top of a double deck bus.
"The bus service, which is operated by iconic red London double deck Routemaster buses, was initially introduced as a one off experiment in 2009, but was so popular that it has become an annual fundraising event, last year raising over £2,000 which was split between the Imber Church fund and the Royal British Legion."
Related content
Buses will leave from Warminster Station every half hour from 9.50 onwards and will travel across Salisbury Plain over roads that are normally closed to the general public to the deserted village of Imber, where the church will be open and refreshments available.
The buses will then continue on across the Plain to the villages of Market/West Lavington or to Tilshead and Shrewton, before heading to other isolated locations rarely visited by the public, such as Stokes Hill, the former Bustard Inn at Rollestone Camp and the wonderfully named Brazen Bottom (high on the Plain above Market Lavington).
Tickets for the journey from Warminster to Imber cost just £2 each way, whilst an £8 day ticket will allow passengers to spend the entire day exploring this unique area from the top deck of a bus.


text:
Find out about events and opportunities while you are in Israel.Read More
Meorot is one of the most unique and exciting Seminaries to hit the market. Meorot is a full time Seminary designed for students looking for the following:
To accomplish these goals, Meorot trains and empowers you for a leadership role on your university campus and in your community. We'll even help fund your future endeavors! Meorot's curriculum will not simply build your Torah knowledge, but will prepare you to use that knowledge to its fullest. Our unique "Career-Track" program will introduce you to the skills and information you need to succeed, both as a professional and as a Jew. To that end, for two afternoons a week, you will have the opportunity to study Torah sources and topics relevant to your field/s of interest, better preparing you to integrate Jewish values and principles into every aspect of your life. Students can select up to two different career tracks, or even mix and match:
This program is conducted in French.


text:
There are a variety of ways to look at wellness and a number of them were on display during the annual Wellness Fair Thursday at Herkimer County Community College.
Students and the community were invited to attend the event that featured more than 30 displays, according to Debra Lynch, R.N., health services coordinator at HCCC, who organized the fair.
There are a variety of ways to look at wellness and a number of them were on display during the annual Wellness Fair Thursday at Herkimer County Community College.
Students and the community were invited to attend the event that featured more than 30 displays, according to Debra Lynch, R.N., health services coordinator at HCCC, who organized the fair.
Community and student organizations along with businesses set up displays in the McLaughlin College Center lobby.
Visitors could pick up information offered by the Herkimer County Prevention Council, a program of Catholic Charities of Herkimer County, which offers substance abuse prevention services. The program offers school-based services for students ranging from the elementary grades to the college level along with information and referral services on alcohol and other drugs and community services such as the Prom Campaign to prevent underage drinking.
Members of HCCC's Physical Therapy Assistants Club set up a display with a Wheel of Wellness game with prizes and hot paraffin wax, which can be used for arthritis, to control pain and as a moisturizer, according to club member Sandra Martin. There were also snacks, both fruit and candy. Visitors could also have a hand massage or learn their body mass index.
Jeremy Cingranelli, technical assistant, community education at HCCC, was on hand to talk about noncredit health and wellness classes the college will offer this summer. In addition to yoga classes, there will be classes in Pilates, Burn and Firm and Total Body Sculpt. More information is available on the college website.
The Herkimer County Drinking Driver program also had a table set up. Gordon Wells, program director, said motorists who have been ticketed for drunken driving go through the program in order to obtain a conditional license. Prime for Life is the name of the program the state has adopted.
Fire safety was another topic featured at the event. Vicky Marshall, of the Office of Fire Prevention and Control, was on hand beside a Fire Safety House complete with fire and safety hazards such as overloaded circuits, a radio next to a bathtub and a cluttered stairway. Light-up features demonstrate the proper way to put out a grease fire on the stove — smother the fire with a lid — and remind visitors to check a door to see if it is hot before opening and to stay low if they are caught in a burning building.
Herkimer Area Resource Center Outreach Coordinator Monalisa Fermin offered information on Autism Movement Therapy. She said studies show the therapy helps with the gap between the left and right brain that people with autism often experience. "They show improved behavior, understanding and communication," she said. Spring classes will begin in May and run for an hour each Saturday for six weeks. Certification classes are also offered.
Page 2 of 2 - HCCC offers an Employee Assistance Program, according to Julie Todd, assistant director of human resources. College employees are offered counseling, legal, elder care, substance abuse and other services, according to Todd.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention also had a table at the event with several flyers available.
"We're very passionate about getting awareness out there," said Karen Freedman of the foundation. She said it is important people become aware of the signs someone might be thinking of taking his or her own life. These could include psychiatric disorders such as depression, drug abuse and dependence, post traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders. Past suicide attempts are another warning sign.
"There's help out there if you're thinking of taking your life," added Lori Coffin, who was also working at the table. "People didn't used to talk about it."
The foundation also offers an outreach program for those who have recently lost a loved one to suicide. More information is available at afsp.org.
Comments are currently unavailable on this article
Location, ST | website.com


text:
Gear Review
Its ok..
- Gender: Male
- Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer
I used it on 2 late season hunting trips. One was 14 days in -20 C northern canada. Other was -5 to -10 also northern canada.
It would freeze almost instantly in the line. I tried blowing the water back into the reservoir after sips and that helped.. but it still froze.. It did help if i filled the reservoir with warm water off the stove. But eventually it would still freeze in the line.
I would say this product is probably rated around 0'Celcius.. But any colder than that and you might as well just bring a water bottle. Which is what i had to do on both trips.
View More Details on CamelBak Thermal Control Kit


text:
Register now for free, or sign in with any of these services:
Want to set your local edition?
Select an edition for more focused local news coverage when you visit mlive.
Don't worry. You can change this setting at any time to another local edition.
Kildee has a great voting record. He's one of the few good people left in office. Every time I wrote to him about an environmental, health, or any other important issue, his staff always wrote back that Dale was voting the right way. I am saddened we'll lose such a great fighter for the citizens of his district and of the United States.
Thank you for the article. Pit bulls were once known as a very sweet, gentle breed until the media made them out to be monsters. My little girl, a pit bull named "Honey", used to come to work with me all the time.
FMI on BSL, go to http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/breed-specific-legislation.aspx.
This is supposed to be a democracy. The governor does not have the right to do away with local ELECTED officials. He's just taking Benton Harbor over so he can turn the city park into a golf course which will further degrade the environment there.
I uploaded a fact sheet from The Humane Society about donkey basketball at http://www.mediafire.com/?ydowewxfe444rrd.
During the heat of competition, inexperienced riders often mishandle donkeys, pushing, pulling, kicking, and punching "uncooperative" animals. Donkeys have been accidentally injured by misthrown balls or by falls on slippery surfaces.
Provided by outside companies, donkeys are often shipped nationwide, spending their lives in cramped trailers. Food and water are frequently withheld from the animals during transit or provided at irregular intervals to prevent accidents from occurring in public places. Donkeys seldom have the opportunity to exercise between performances.
Stress from frequent travel can weaken the animals' immune systems, increasing their susceptibility to a common and sometimes fatal respiratory disease known as "shipping fever pneumonia".
On top of that, injuries to contestants in the game are common.
I thank the assistant prosecutor for taking this seriously. There is no reason to torture an animal.
From all my years of involvement with animal rescue, I've never had an issue with a pit bull who was a family pet. I have one right now myself. They are a very sweet, loving breed.
The training is free. No public funds were used. I'm surprised the paper would print something that isn't true like this.
The only people I can think of who would oppose a workshop against dogfighting would be dogfighters themselves.
I'm glad HSUS is educating local police and humane officers on investigating dogfighting in our community.
There are many more ways to help animals than through just shelter work. There needs to be a national organization to advocate for animals at the national level. The Humane Society of the United States' primary focus is not sheltering. They do not pretend otherwise.
HSUS works on national and state legislation to protect animals. Their campaigns dept. works to stop the cruel Canadian seal slaughter, crack down on puppy mills, stop dogfighting, improve the lives of animals on factory farms, etc. Their humane education department works with schools to teach kids to be kind to animals. They do a lot of great work.
Going back to the comment that HSUS doesn't run any shelters. That is simply not true. A list of HSUS' shelters are listed under "animal care centers" at http://www.humanesociety.org/about/departments.
The health care bill is not perfect, but it's a great first step. Yes, it had some bad provisions in it such as the abortion ban, but the bill had to be voted in for the greater good. If our reps did not vote for every single bill that was not perfect, we'd never pass any bills.
That's pretty sickening. I'll never take a class at SVSU. If they don't have anything better to do than to torture rats, they're not the school for me.
Additional information about the case I just received:
"She was a volunteer with Pet Resource Network, the woman that runs it, is Cyndi Marion, she is also the dispatcher at our Animal Control. Every time the neighbor called to report Andrea Allen was starving her dogs, Cyndia Marion told the neighbor to stop harassing Andrea Allen, that Andrea allen loves dogs. Meanwhile the dogs kept dying..............Steve Lawrence the director of Animal Control covered all of this up and our county commissioners also covered it up. Steve Lawrence never sent anyone out to check on the dogs. The case finally broke when the neighbor contacted the Kalamazoo Gazette and got a photographer out there!"
Actually, there is no data to suggest this.
It's actually not pit bull guardians that give them a bad name. It's the media.
jturtle: I feel like I'm always correcting you. But, pit bulls do not turn out "horribly wrong" in absence of a good trainer. Pit bulls are usually born as good, loving dogs. Mine was rescued from a horrible situation and she is the sweetest, most caring dog you'll ever meet.
Ray C.: The deer will not starve and die a horrible death. As food declines, so does their population growth.
jturtle: The deer are overpopulated b/c of hunting. They run out in the road this time of year b/c it is mating season and b/c they are scared due to the hunters in their land.
cliogeek: Yes, we have freedom to make our own decisions in America. But, we also have the freedom of speech to speak out when we're destroying the planet. Our future generations have a right to this planet too, not just you.
charlie18, pushing for a better life for all isn't radical. If it is, then I hope we all will be. Or, maybe you'd be happy getting asthma from all of our air pollution.
The Humane Society of the US: Why Breed Bans are Not the Answer: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/pooch_prejudice.html
Pit bulls are a very, very gentle, sweet breed. The media turns them into villains every time a bad "owner" mistreats a pit bull and turns them mean. The Humane Society of the United States and The ASPCA are against pit bull bans. First, it is hard to tell what is a pit bull and what is not. Even seasoned animal care professionals cannot always tell. Secondly, banning pit bulls will NOT reduce animal attacks. All a pit bull ban will do is take the good dogs from loving homes. The new "bad boy" status of pit bulls that would result from a ban will just mean more bad people will have a pit bull.
If you really want to reduce dog attacks, ban the chaining of dogs for more than 20-40 minutes at a time. Dogs left outside on chains their entire lives and not socialized and often the ones responsible for biting.
My pit bull was just at a walk for equality in Kalamazoo a few weeks ago. She went right up to a toddler and kissed his face. You can look into my dog's eyes and see the love she has in her.
ASPCA: http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/ten-tips-for-adopting-a-pit-bull.html
The deceased woman who donated the land did not want hunting on the property, so there should not be hunting on it. The land trust spells out what the land is to be used for, and states if the land is used for any other purpose, it reverts from the county to the Flint Trust. It is scary that Genesee County is ignoring someone's land trust.
Rep. Simpson must be a moron. California did not pass a bill allowing chickens to drive cars, and to my knowledge, no one has proposed such a bill.


text:
Career Resource Center
We can't tell you what you should do or be... that's your personal decision. What we can do is help you take a look at yourself to help identify your possibilities. Then we can help guide you through information on those options to see which is best for you, at whatever stage of life you are.
The Career Resource Center offers:
Kuder Journey for Adults
To schedule an appointment to take the Kuder Journey for Adults, contact the Career Resource Center at (731) 424-3520 ext. 50315.
Kuder Journey for Adults is specifically for post-secondary schools and adult career changers. It is designed to guide students through the process of planning for a career, making a career change, or merely making sure a career choice is still on track. Kuder Journey for Adults is an internet-based assessment that measures students' interests, skills, and work values as well as a great resource to investigate possible career options. Results are saved to the program and students receive immediate feedback. Students can access their results and information from any computer with their password. This assessment is free to all students enrolled in Jackson State Community College.
Career Information
To base your career and college major decision on fact, not assumptions and guesswork. Once you've identified you career options, it's time to gather information about them. The following resources can help you make an educated decision about what is best for you and your future.
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is a great place to get information about what careers there are in general job families and to get specific information about hundreds of jobs, as well as employment projections.
Jobs 4 TN
Sponsored by Tennessee Department of Workforce Development, this site provides an abundance of career and job search information.
America's Job Bank
Scroll down to the bottom of the screen, click on "Career InfoNet" and then click on "Wages and Trends." This will let you check out the average pay levels and job availability for specific occupations in each state. Where the Occupational Outlook Handbook only gives you national averages, you can find out what the job usually offers in Tennessee, or Alabama, or Maryland, or Florida, et. al.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training, O*NET Online contains information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors. The database is available at no cost and is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers from each occupation. The database also provides an assessment for workers and students as well as occupational information for veterans.
Hot Careers to 2020 – Sponsored by the TN Department of Workforce Development, this site list the hot careers for: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Decatur, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, McNairy, Madison, and Weakley counties.
Hot Careers to 2020 - Sponsored by the TN Department of Workforce Development, this site list the hot careers for: Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Lauderdale, Lake, Obion, and Tipton counties.
Career Transitions Database - This database assists JSCC students with discovering career interests, identifying new opportunities based on work or military experience, and exploring career paths. It also provides information about multi-faceted job searching as well as other activities such as creating resumes and preparing for interviews. Students will need their JSCC log-in information to access this database.
Career One Stop – Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, this online resource provides valuable information on various topics as it relates to careers and employment. Career One Stop also houses an online career resource library that will provide access to other web sites that can assist you in finding additional career information.
College for TN - Sponsored by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, this online site is for people who wish to develop education plans matching their career goals. The site provides information about the steps needed to reach college and financial planning tips. There are also tools to help users create resumes, prepare for job interviews and share their achievements, goals and plans with college and career advisors.
Careers.Org – This site provides detailed information about hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States and abroad, along with in-depth profiles of thousands of related academic programs, occupations and industries.
ExploreHealthCareers.Org – This site provides extensive career information on the various careers in healthcare. This is a great resource for someone interested in pursuing an allied health program.
JobHunt.Org – This site provides practical advice and resources for someone who is searching for a job.
Careers Internet Database - Use Careers Internet Database to find full-text, in-depth information on hundreds of careers. Each report covers education requirements, various aspects of the career, interviews with people in the field, and more. When you first log in, click on "Members Click Here", then click on "Career List" to search for specific careers. Students will need their JSCC log-in information to access this database.
Vocational Biographies - With this database, you can career-shadow up to 1,001 persons from across America. Click on one of the seven search buttons at the top of the page. You will get a list of titles. Click on one title, and the career story will appear on the screen for you to read or print out. Students will need their JSCC log-in information to access this database.


text:
Why don't superchargers and turbochargers break the laws of physics and HHO generators do?
1. There is no such thing as an HHO generator. The devices described generate hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2).
2. Claims that the gases they produce are in some way special are wrong.
3. Claims that the gases burn to produce more energy than was used to generate them are wrong.
In short, so called "HHO generators" break no laws of physics, but some people, through ignorance, carelessness or outright deception claim they do.
However, it is potentially possible that the addition of hydrogen and oxygen could improve the efficiency of a petrol-fuelled engine.
Unfortunately, devices tested with scientific rigour either break-even, or reduce the engine efficiency. It appears that anecdotal reports of dramatic efficiency improvements are due to claimants unconciously driving mire carefully after installing the devices.
The legend I have heard is hydrogen can serve as an accelerant
for to help the charge of petrol burn more completely.
However there are a couple of caveats. One is you have to start with an engine that is not burning its fuel completely. E.g. if your engine is already burning 90 percent of its fuel, leaving 10 percent unburned, then there's only that much possible room for improvement.
Another caveat is the hydrogen has to make up a significant fraction of the fuel mixture. Numbers I have read/heard are typically in the range of 5 to 10 percent hydrogen by enthalpy, by heating value.
For example, this page,
says that HCNG is "4–9 percent hydrogen by energy", and this mixture, of hydrogen and compressed natural gas, burns better than plain compressed natural gas (CNG) without hydrogen.
I think the first place I heard the legend of hydrogen boosting, was a video sold here:
From an audio excerpt (mp3) of this same video I found here,
at about 9min+15s, I hear the number, "5 - 7 percent of the BTUs", for the hydrogen fraction.
Turbo chargers and Superchargers work by making the internal combustion engine more efficient.
The size of the explosion in the cylinder is related to the amount of fuel you put in. However that fuel needs to be mixed with the correct amount of air to burn efficiently.
So just more fuel is the whole answer. To get more air into the engine you need to re-design the air intake system, at some point making it bigger isn't the answer and the turbo comes into it's own. The turbo uses exhaust gasses to spin a fan to force more air into the engine, combined with more fuel this gives you more power.
The supercharger uses the engine power (usually mechanically connected) to force a fuel air mix into the engine under pressure. Thus giving more power.
They work because the basic internal combustion engine isn't very efficient in the first place.
HHO however is a different matter. The biggest problem with using it to power and engine is the sheer volume of gas you need to feed the engine. As yet no way has been found to economically crack water into Hydrogen and Oxygen fast enough despite various claims.


text:
Skate Life
-The chat app as been updated and should be fully working! Feel free to drop in and chat with other Rollerbladers from around the World!
Started by Kotets in Tips and Tricks Jul 29.
Started by Rick Hawkins in General BS. Last reply by Jesse Woodworth Jul 1.
Started by Crowskate Berkshire in General BS. Last reply by Blythe Langley Jun 24.
Started by tommaso de march in General BS. Last reply by Blythe Langley Jun 24.
Started by Joshua shapiro in General BS. Last reply by Jesse Woodworth Jun 24.
Posted by Down Town Brown on April 2, 2015 at 3:18pm
I think it's a shame that this sport is predominantly male. I wish that there were more girls to look up to and to prove that girls can do anything guys can. We can even pee standing up if we wanted to! I don't like going to a park and feeling like all the guys are just waiting for me to screw up. They wait for the chance to call me out on a mistake so they can feel superior and that just gets me so angry.
If there are any girls out there reading this, just know that nobody can make…Continue
Posted by Caroline Reed Herman on February 19, 2015 at 9:43am
Loading feed
Shot by: Ryan Goddard - Topsoul
Skate Sessions: San Diego Sunday


text:
Gear Review
paul steffenhagen
- Gender: Male
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
Stiff, Wide, 3 Piece Design...
This is by far my favorite boot of all time. Finally a touring boot that performs as well as my old Dalbello Proton 12s. Incredibly light in the 29.5 size, easy in and out (no more end of the day boot removal with a tire iron), pretty good walk mode and can be pushed as hard as any alpine boot once the cuff is locked in. Accommodates a high volume foot with ease and comes with an intuition liner. So far this boot has exceeded my expectations. Bought it just for touring and some side country, but am now tempted to remount my other skis to work with the shorter sole length. Started with the cuff at the factory lean angle, but have since increased it to work better with the BD zealot/guardian setup I use them with and to accomodate my skiing style/position
View More Details on Scarpa Mobe Boot


text:
That was a hard time to pretend—there was so much work to be done, and I had no need of rest. How I hated to go back to my house, to hide in the dark and pretend to sleep while so many were dying.
Carlisle Cullen, New Moon, Chapter 2, p.39


text:
School visits
Awesome experiences for groups large and small:
Classroom learning
Browse resources by year-level or curriculum area:
Robot tours
Interactive mobile telepresence with a robot and a human.
Temporary program
A new on-site program for The Home Front: Australia during the First World War exhibition.
The Museum Game
- Cross-curriculum content and skills
- Ages 10+
Professional development
- Learning opportunities for K–12 and pre-service teachers
- Subscribe to our blog
Essential information
Other goodness
- Engage & Learn blog –
keep up with our news
- Multimedia & more
- DIY fun
DIY fun – activities for home
Child-friendly objects
Collection highlights
Discover some of our most significant objects.
Explore cricketing history
Witness two migration stories
Watch Little Red Riding Hood or find out more


text:
The Center
About Us
Services for You
Pay Your Bill Online
Billing Questions
Patient Portal
Patient Forms
Contact Us
We care about our patients
Convenient, Compassionate, High-Quality Care
Sometimes women need more than routine gynecological care. At the Center for Women's Health you can expect to receive the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options currently available.
The Center was designed with your comfort and health in mind.
From a coffee station and chocolates in the lobby to
elegantly decorated rooms with a private changing area complete with cotton robes and personal hygiene products.
Our services were developed to provide an unparalleled level of care that we believe women both want and deserve.
Center For Women's Health
659 South Salisbury Blvd Suite 4, Salisbury, MD 21801
Secret to our success?
• Routine Gynecology
• Cervical Disorders
• Endometriosis
• Birth Control
• Breast Health
• Menopause
• Osteoporosis
• Cancer Screening
• Sexual Dysfunction
• Infertility
Premenstrual Syndrome
Center For Women's Health, is a complete gynecology women's health medical facility providing warm, compassionate personalized women's health services serving the Salisbury, Fruitland, Delmar, Pocomoke City, Princess Anne, Hebron, Snow Hill and Ocean City, specializing in annual exams, Pap smears, birth control, Adiana, Implanon, IUD, Conditions such as breast mass, nipple discharge, vaginal bleeding treatments including Novasure, vaginal discharge, urinary tract infections UTI, menopause, osteoporosis, Gardasil, Counsyl, genetic testing, genital warts, herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea and urinary incontinence and more!
New Patients Welcome
Call 410-543-9111


text:
What's refreshing is this otherwise bustling city of ours. Kampala has been at relative peace from the marauding population that occupies it at maximum capacity for much of the year.
Before today, after this year broke, you could lay flat on your back in the middle of one of the busiest streets like Ben Kiwanuka and you are not run over by any people or vehicle traffic - including wheel carts.
Those who have braved the journey to the banks have been appalled at the absence of the notorious queues - one wonders what those were doing in the bank in these times and for the better part of the remaining 25 or so days.
Someone has quipped that the next twenty days will be so definitive that previously sane geezers will be seen walking gesticulating and speaking 'alone'. Belts will have to be tightened harder. It's January, alo!
The villages where most had retreated, not so much to have a holiday, but to splash some cash causing inflation, are yet to recover. In years gone by, the village folk believed the Kampala folk do not eat much.
'They serve themselves two spoonfuls of sauce and a slice of matooke' yet their village counterparts ate rusaniya - full of food, drank one-litre mugs of Bushera after a starter of roast maize and some mangoes. Not anymore. The eating volume roles have switched.
The Kampala folk don't leave anything edible when they hit village; they literally eat the villages to the root. From pumpkin pistils to groundnut buds, from ox-balls to chicken gizzards and pig ears, the Kampala folk leave nothing uneaten.
And all the while, much more has to be packed for their return journey to the city where, now, matooke is going for 30k a bunch; and we are talking about the little bad ones. So, as the cars snaked back into the city, in the boots are potatoes and other tubers, smoked and roast meat, ghee and flour and legumes to last the month of the deadly January!
And so today, it's back to business; call it business unusual for it's like having a new start. We start from our usual rat race of money hunting and keeping a lifestyle of superstars. The wenches will demand with even more valour their fair share of attention and dime; to sum it up, it's gonna get bloody; bloodier with school fees beckoning by end of month.
But let's get back to how the new year was ushered in. For those who were in the city, the whole new year euphoria is getting bogged up by the incredible police presence, blocking of roads and restricting fireworks to five minutes, yes FIVE MINUTES.
Not even enough time for a quickie. Explains why all those who attempted to grab one in those isolated bushes of Lubiri during the Enkuuka celebrations were napped before even pants could get down.
At this rate, new year will simply pass like a public holiday over the weekend. You cannot drink and dart all over the city to show face to the different woochies lest you spend the night in the coolers with hundreds of thousands in fine losses.
This is fast becoming a not-so-good town to party in. But heck, the alternative is worse; ask those who just returned from the villages!


text:
DG567 wrote:Yes, that's true, but at the moment Waze shows landmark labels in the distance in 3d view. "Such and such senior school" or "Whatever town country park" are long strings of text to have floating around the top of the map.
Perhaps the answer is to change the way Waze displays landmark labels, or to have them as an optional layer, then editors can add them at will without detracting from the basic function of providing clear navigation instructions.
WeeeZer14 wrote:I just always found roads and landmarks snapped to each other to be annoying for some reason.
CrackedLCD wrote:In that case, why should we even label malls and other big landmarks anything other than parking lot, if they all look the same?
DG567 wrote:pitzikun wrote:I'm personally going to delete road'ed parking lots that fit the jumbled mess criteria and replace with landmarks. Then on the main roadway, put very short road segments to denote where a parking lots entrance and exit is located.
That's ok for wazers driving TO the parking lot, but Waze will place you on the nearest road which may be outside the lot, so when you are LEAVING, your route may start from the wrong place if you are parked near the edge. You need to map parking lot roads around or through it to prevent this happening.
Return to Wiki Updates and Discussion
Users browsing this forum: No registered users