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PROS / The Magnavox DVD VCR Player contains every feature we looked for in DVD/VCR combos.
CONS / The owner's manual should be a little clearer and easier to understand.
VERDICT / This unit is the best choice for playing, recording and archiving your VHS cassettes and DVDs.
Editor's Note: This product has been removed from viewing as part of this site because it is no longer available. You can still read our original review below, but TopTenREVIEWS is no longer updating this product's information.
These days, we have access to high-quality media on almost every device we own. You can watch your favorite shows and videos on HD televisions, computers, laptops, smartphones and more. What about all those tapes and DVDs collecting dust in your closet, though? Not all your high-tech devices can play the content contained on these aging media. DVD/VCR combo players are a safe haven for playing this content in world that has almost forgotten VHS.
At TopTenREVIEWS, we rated and ranked the best devices capable of playing, recording and archiving both DVDs and VHS tapes. At the end of our review process, the Magnavox DVD VCR Player ZV457MG9 came out on top, earning our TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award for DVD/VCR combos. It achieved this honor by including every single feature we looked for on our side-by-side comparison chart.
With features such as 1080p upconversion and progressive scan technology, the unit transforms standard-definition images and sound into a clear, crisp signal worthy of any HDTV on the market today. To complement its excellent picture quality, the Magnavox DVD VCR Player is compatible with Dolby Digital sound. Furthermore, the assortment of connectivity options on the back panel enables you to connect it to almost any device you own.
DVD Features
The first concern most people have when shopping for a DVD/VCR combo is whether it will do their HDTV justice. The images on DVDs and VHS tapes simply cannot utilize the billions of pixels on today's modern television screens and monitors. The Magnavox DVD VCR player contains two important features that solve this problem exceptionally.
The first of these two key features is 1080p upconversion. Upconversion takes standard-definition images on DVDs and VHS tapes and converts them to an HD signal that your HDTV can display in the rich quality it's capable of producing. The scaling technology employed by the Magnavox DVD VCR Player is a critical component for keeping VHS tapes and DVDs relevant in today's rapidly evolving technology field. Without it, this unit wouldn't hold a candle to newer generation devices.
Scaling a standard-definition picture to an HD signal has its drawbacks. A stretched SD image on an HD screen is naturally a bit fuzzy and contains visual artifacts. That's where the next key feature of the Magnavox DVD VCR Player comes into play. Progressive scanning utilizes a couple of technologies that de-interlace and enhance a standard-definition image so it will appear clearly on your HD screen. Neither of these features actually converts a SD image to HD. However, when combined, they do a great deal to transform a fuzzy SD image into a crisp, clear picture that's suitable for viewing on an HDTV.
TV shows and movies are the stars of the show in any DVD/VCR combo, but the best units also play your music CDS. The Magnavox DVD VCR Player is such a device. Not only is it compatible with any music CD you can buy at the store, but it also plays nearly any recordable disc media. Playable formats include CD-RW, DVD±R, DVD±RW, DVD±R DL and almost anything else.
The Magnavox DVD VCR Player features a Dolby Digital sound rig. This is great for the unit because full, rich sound is just as important as a crisp, clear picture. Furthermore, nearly all soundtracks for Hollywood films and television shows are captured using Dolby Digital technology. While the sound would still play without Dolby rig, it wouldn't capture the full experience the filmmakers intended you to hear. Furthermore, the unit is compatible with most home-theater surround-sound systems. Therefore, if your VHS tape or DVD is capable of surround sound, the Magnavox DVD VCR Player can take advantage of that.
VHS Features
Throughout most of the 20th century, the phrase "high fidelity" meant that a VCR or stereo system possessed the best quality components possible. While we don't hear the term as often these days, it still says a lot about a device when a manufacturer prints this term on the front plate of its products. You'll find these words displayed proudly on the VCR component of the Magnavox DVD VCR Player. Even though the technology is dated, Magnavox takes great care that you have the best experience possible watching a VHS cassette.
Sadly, the once-dominant VHS standard is quickly vanishing from our collective conciseness. Some would argue that it has been dead and buried for a long time now. For the last few years, something of a cottage industry has been developing with the goal of digitizing as much content stored on VHS tapes as possible. Many people pay good money for others to transfer their VHS tapes to a digital format. Luckily for the owners of the Magnavox DVD VCR Player, this unit performs this function without the need to take your stack of tapes into a shop.
The VCR's two-way dubbing feature is the main technology that allows you to archive VHS content onto DVD. The process is simple: insert the VHS cassette you want to copy into the VCR and a black rewriteable DVD into the disc tray. There are menus you'll need to master, but once you've done that, it's as simple as pressing Play on the unit's VCR and Record on its DVD player.
The ability to record VHS content onto DVDs is invaluable these days. Look in anyone's media collection and you'll almost invariably find a stack of beloved old films, home movies and other content left behind by the latest technological innovations. Moving this content to a DVD ensures that it will still be available for years to come.
The connectivity array on the Magnavox DVD VCR Player contains not only the familiar and functional options such as coaxial and component connections, but also the most modern connection available – HDMI. If HDMI had been omitted, it would have rendered several other features on this device useless. The HDMI connection carries an HDMI signal to your HDTV or any other device with an HDMI connection. Therefore, you can use this player to watch VHS tapes on any device with an HDMI port.
The Magnavox DVD VCR Player also contains digital tuner. This feature enables you to capture over-the-air digital broadcast signals. In a culture where most our content comes through a coaxial cable attached to the wall, many people have all but forgotten that broadcast signals still reach almost every home. This DVD/VCR combo can capture and even record these signals. If you choose to go this route, it can save you a good deal of money a DVR unit and cable-television bills.
One feature the Magnavox DVD VCR has that is absent on every other DVD/VCR combo on our side-by-side comparison chart comes in the form of the V-chip. When enabled, the V-chip blocks offensive content based on its rating category. It's a great parental control feature, but like all technology in this class, it requires specific input from the user to work properly.
Help & Support
Magnavox offers the same quality support for the Magnavox DVD VCR Player as it does for its top-of-the-line devices. This includes phone, email and online support options, all of which you can easily find on its website.
To regard the Magnavox DVD VCR Player ZV457MG9 as the last generation of a dying technology would be disrespectful. The juxtaposition of older technology such as VCR with the new transfer protocols such as 1080p upconversion and HDMI connectivity sees that this unit stands on its own merits. It may be a bridge technology, but it's a well-constructed bridge that connects the past and the present and will allow you to carry your old media with you well into the future.


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Kalin Lucas knew how to get the job done in March, and his seven points during the final 49 seconds of Michigan State's 67-62 thrilling triumph over the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2009 Sweet 16 was proof positive of that.
Lucas, the 2009 Big Ten Player of the Year, led the Spartans to a Final Four appearance and seemingly channeled a different level of consciousness in the postseason. Simply put, big games were Lucas' playground, and he indeed made things look "too easy."
Korie Lucious' game-winning three-pointer in the Spartans' 85-83 2010 second-round victory over the Maryland Terrapins made him a legend and helped stamp another Final Four ticket for Tom Izzo. Now with Iowa State, Lucious' bombing of Maryland is still one of the most talked about shots in Michigan State basketball history.
And who could forget Mateen Cleaves' gutsy display in the 2000 national title game versus the Florida Gators. The Flint native is arguably one of the greatest college basketball players the game's ever seen, and he immortalized himself in Spartans lore with one good ankle prior to cutting down the nets in Indianapolis.
March is when heroes step forward and unsung talents make a name for themselves. Now that it's that time of year, it's only right to look at who could potentially send Spartans followers into a frenzy with a game to remember during the NCAA tournament.
Will it be a late leaner in the lane to push them forward, or will the Spartans vault past their opponent thanks to a clutch free throw or raucous, last-second dunk?
We'll examine the playmakers at Michigan State's disposal and rank their probability of making a little magic in the Month of Izzo.

subset: commoncrawl


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Behavior Analysts in the United States pull down an average of $54K annually. Residence is the biggest factor affecting pay for this group, followed by career duration. Job satisfaction for Behavior Analysts is high. While about one in four report receiving no health benefits, a strong majority do receive medical coverage, and a majority have dental, as well. Most Behavior Analysts survey respondents are women (79 percent). The information for this rundown comes from respondents who completed PayScale's salary questionnaire.
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Behavior analysts teach support professionals, teachers, and parents how to implement behavior support plans, skills, and procedures. They instruct others on how to collect data and create a therapeutic environment. They write reports and curricula, as well as implement plans to better teach support programs. Additionally, the behavior analyst must stay aware of new training and teaching techniques, as well as how clients can implement those techniques. The behavior analyst generally works during regular business hours. However, there may be times when the analyst needs to work overtime or be on call in case of emergencies.Read More...
The behavior analyst must be well organized and have excellent communication skills. It is important that they work well with a team, as they will be working closely with psychologists as well as other specialists and analysts. The behavior analyst needs to have very good interpersonal skills, as they will be working very closely with children and their families and other loved ones. Excellent problem-solving skills are a must; working with clients to resolve learning problems and develop new plans are essential to the behavior analyst's and client's success.
To become a behavior analyst a master's degree in psychology, special education, or a related field is required. Other certifications are needed depending on the state in which the analyst works. Many companies require experience working with clients with disabilities and autistic clients.
Behavior Analysts report using a wide range of professional skills. Most notably, facility with Assessment, Clinical Supervision, and Functional Analysis are correlated to pay that is significantly above average, leading to increases of 59 percent, 10 percent, and 6 percent, respectively. Skills that pay less than market rate include Data Analysis. It is often found that people who know Functional Analysis are also skilled in Autism.
Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.
Experience is an important factor influencing the compensation of Behavior Analysts. Those in the early stages of their career can expect to make around $50K; however, individuals with five to 10 years of experience bring in $59K on average — a distinctly larger sum. Behavior Analysts see a median salary of $65K after reaching one to two decades on the job. Old hands who claim more than two decades on the job enjoy average earnings of $75K.
|Extremely satisfied
Rated 5 out of 5
based on 125 votes.
79 %
21 %


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A grizzly bear, orca, black bear, etc fly-in wilderness rainforest adventure. all inclusive trip starting in Campbell River on Vancouver Island and spent in Knight Inlet, British Columbia's most spectacular fjord. A small and friendly lodge.
The trans-SAHARAN Camel Caravan Trade Routes of the 9th century carried salt, gold, slaves and spices from sub-Sahara Africa to the Mediterranean ports and the Middle East. Its Capital or mustering point was "Sijiilmassa" - now Rissani near Merzouga.
Rent more than just a car! - With Nomad America you can rent fully off-road and camping equipped 4x4's in Costa Rica. Nomad America is your best option for an all inclusive Costa Rica Roadtrip! Explore the Real Costa Rica on your own path. Roadtrip!
Depart any day to Serengeti (2 Nights), Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire on an exclusive Private Lodge Safari. We choose the best Lodges or Tented Camps for you but you can have something else in mind, Let Us know! Price VAT Inclusive!
The sand ridges of Erg Chebbi is a conspicuous weird natural structure. On the summit of the plainest region you may envisage, abruptly a lengthy mountain of sand mounts. This mountain is encircled by plane and barren nature in all parts. 1. Sleep
What better way to spend your Honeymoon or a Family gate-away adventure than in modern yet authentic luxury lodges located in peaceful environments within Africa's wilderness. We choose the best lodges with reasonable prices and exclusive services.
Snorkel with Florida Manatees in their natural environment. Crystal River Florida is 70 miles from Orlando. Waterfront vacation rental houses also available through Bird's Underwater Dive Center. Kayaks available for rent. Winter has best conditions.
Experience the best of Wildebeests Migration in the Serengeti (Ndutu) areas where thousands of Wildebeests accompanied by Zebras congregate during early December to late March every year doting these vast plains which seemed inhabitable in dry season
Watch grizzly bears in majestic Knight Inlet. Naturalist interpretive programs to better understand grizzly bears and black bears in their natural habitat. Departs daily 7am from Telegraph Cove early by covered boat (has washroom). May 15 to Sept 30
Lying between New Delhi and Jaipur, the Sariska Tiger Reserve is one of most beautiful and pictureous places in the state of Rajasthan. The National Park supports scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, rocks and grasses.
Get back in touch with your wild side on our nature and wildlife vacations. Our ecotourism will bring you to some of the most beautiful and pristine places in the world. Enjoy safaris, horseback riding, whale watching, birdwatching, eco tours and more on our nature vacations. Our eco travel will take you to natural areas and teach you about the importance of preserving these fragile areas. Help conserve the environment and benefit the economic development of the local community on our eco vacations. Our nature travel will give you a new appreciation for mother nature. Browse our nature and wildlife and plan your nature retreat today!


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Senior DevOps Engineer
- Employer
- Machine Zone, Inc.
- Location
- Palo Alto
- Posted
- Jun 03, 2013
- Closes
- Jul 03, 2013
- Contact
- Ms. Renee Scott
- Category
- Technology
- Duration
- Full Time
The Senior DevOps Engineer is an integral part of the Operations team and will report directly to our CTO/Co-Founder. You should have experience running large-scale systems in LAMP environment with knowledge of MySQL servers. You will also be responsible for keeping our games up and running, as well as building out our server infrastructure to support future games. Your work will directly impact the player experience of tens of millions of global players in the future. This is your chance to leave your legacy and be part of gaming history!Responsibilities:Manage our global, always-on, multi-game infrastructureOversee and execute planned network maintenance work, minimizing impact on our live gamesRequirements:7+ years experience in a medium-large scale system (Ubuntu, nginx, Apache, Redis, Erlang)Participate in on-call rotations and perform off-hour maintenance activitiesStrong working knowledge of Linux/UNIX internals and core system services (DNS, SMTP, Syslog, IPTables, etc.)Experience with Nagios, Cacti, Git, and Puppet are must-havesKnowledgeable in configuring MySQL servers and running replicationExcellent verbal and written communication skillsEnthusiasm for start-up workDesirable:Experience with network security, firewalls/ACLs, VPN servicesExperience with PHP, Perl, BashExperience with CloudStack or other virtualization technologiesBA/BS in Computer Science (or equivalent)Refer a Friend:


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Area voters should have no excuse
Today is an election day. Go vote.
No matter what excuse might surface, ignore it.
The weather shouldn't be a factor because the forecast sounds fairly good.
Lack of time? The polls will be open until 8 o'clock tonight. Nobody's running? That's not the case.
Three candidates – Dave Andrews, Wade Kagarise and Fred Miller Jr. – are seeking a county judgeship in Blair County. Each offers a solid resume, so don't back away from making a choice.
Other local candidates are interested in municipal leadership and school board seats where they'll be in a position to make decisions affecting you, your family, your neighbors and your community.
Those who win their party's nominations today will run again in the fall.
Altoona voters should make an extra effort to vote today.
They'll be saying yes or no to the idea of forming a government study commission to look into the home rule style of government. And no matter whether the answer is yes or no, voters can also choose seven of the 11 candidates to serve on the study commission if the majority support the proposal.
On the state level, one Superior Court seat is up for grabs.
Democrats have a choice between Allegheny County Judge Jack McVay Jr. and Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Joseph Walters. Republicans will see the name of Harrisburg attorney Vic Stabile on their ballot. All have received favorable recommendations from a state bar panel that reviews judicial candidates.
If you don't know where to vote, turn to www.votes.pa.com for assistance or call the county voter registration office. In Blair County, the number is 695-3150.
One more reason to vote: You set a good example for others, especially your children and grandchildren who can only look forward to their ballot-casting days.
When it comes to being a responsible citizen, the act of voting tops the list. Go do it.


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Daily you and I seem to be bombarded with bad news. One would think it's terrible to be alive! Seldom do we hear about the many good things in our lives.
I maintain we have many more blessings than problems.
Daily, God showers us with his goodness. I am reminded of the ten lepers in Luke 17. Jesus healed them all, but only one returned to say "thank you." Wouldn't you think the other nine would be overjoyed with thankfulness?
Find the blessings each morning. Thank God for your bed and a roof over your head. Many do not have that. Every night count the blessings you received that day. You will fall asleep before you have gone through your list. Be thankful you can breathe a deep, clear breath.
Appreciate God's beauty in nature. I think New Mexico has sunrises and sunsets that cannot be equaled. I love them both. Birds greet the dawn with melodious praises to their Maker. The quietness out in the country at twilight is spectacular to me. God is putting nature to bed with a "holy hush."
Friends and family are glistening diamonds in our lives. They are precious jewels straight from the heart of God. Let them know how special they are. From son to grandson, granddaughters and daughters-in-law…my husband ends his calls with "I love you!" Expressing love to those you love leaves memories of joy with no room for regrets.
So let's celebrate the New Year with a deeper appreciation of our gift of life.
Again I say, "Life is Delicious." Some of the concepts presented here help us to realize our many blessings, gifts that come from a loving God.
1. Live one day at a time. You can't relive yesterday. It is gone. Neither can you live tomorrow. It is not here yet. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present."
2. Count your many blessings. The world is full enough of trials. Why count them? Besides, they detract and blind us of the many good things.
3. Be a "giver," not a "getter." The givers are the real winners in this world. The "getters" are the real losers. Givers are happy people. Getters are never satisfied.
4. Look for the good. There is good in every situation. Find it. It will set your course on a straight path of appreciation while realizing many others are worse off than you.
5. Do a good deed every day. It is more fun if you do it anonymously. While driving down the highway one day, we came upon a man removing a large bag of trash that had landed in the middle of the road. It had scattered, yet he was picking up every piece. What a wonderful deed. "Thank you, whoever and wherever you are!"
6. Let nothing bother you. "Don't worry about anything …" (Philippians 4:6-7 TLB). That's it in a nutshell. Just present your needs to God and then trust him in peace and quiet rest.
7. Practice being happy. Every day we have a choice of our attitudes, and that makes a big difference in the way we see our world.
8. Learn to laugh. Having a sense of humor is a great blessing. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" (Proverbs 17:22).
9. Change criticism to praise. Build on the strengths, not weaknesses.
10. Let go and let God. He is caring, faithful and trustworthy, and has left a love letter for you, the Bible.
So let's discover the blessings around us and be happy today. It's a wonderful life!
I wouldn't have missed it for anything!


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North precinct
Crane Drive: A home in the 3800 block was burglarized between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday. Clothing, a digital camera and a necklace were stolen.
Hillview Drive: a vehicle parked at a home was broken into between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday. A radio, CD and MP3 player combo was stolen.
Larkwood Circle: A 2005 Dodge Stratus was stolen from a home between midnight Tuesday and 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Moores Mill Road: A 1998 Mitsubishi GT 3000 was stolen from a parking lot between 1 a.m. and 5:20 a.m. Wednesday.
Turf Avenue: A 2005 Chrysler Pacificia was stolen from a home in the 1600 block between 4:15 p.m. and 4:55 p.m. Tuesday.
South precinct
Balmoral Drive: A business was broken into between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. A computer valued at $2,500 was stolen.
Memorial Parkway: A ring and pair of earrings were stolen from a business between 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Meridian Street: An undisclosed amount of cash was stolen from a restaurant between 7:48 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Vanderbilt Drive: A 30-year-old man reported the theft of a $100 bill while he was in a parking lot in the 3000 block about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday.
West precinct
Foster Avenue: A 72-year-old man was robbed in a parking lot about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
University Drive: A man was assaulted in a parking lot in the 5900 block about 7:40 p.m. Feb. 8. The incident was not reported to police until Tuesday.


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She had a soft spot on one of her molars. Thankfully, she didn't need a filling because it was caught early. Instead, the dentist applied a fluoride varnish on the spot, which helps it immediately remineralize as well as provide ongoing, "time-released" fluoride protection. We could probably also start using fluoride toothpaste for her, since she's good about spitting it out.
The fact that she had some decay wasn't really surprising considering how deep her molars are -and how many M&M's she's had in the past six months for potty training. Oh, well. It was worth it.]]>


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July/August 1998 - Volume 77, Number 4By Sheldon E. Hochberg, Esquire
The author is a partner in firm of Steptoe & Johnson, Washington, DC, and is a recognized expert on RESPA matters. He has counseled and represented ALTA®, state associations, and individual title insurers and agencies on RESPA, and has been a speaker at numerous bar and title industry seminars. In addition, he represented the title insurance industry in connection with consideration by Congress of the original RESPA legislation.
The last three years have seen a significant increase in the number of court decisions that have addressed the kickback and fee-splitting provisions of Section 8 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, as amended, 12 U.S.C. Section 2607 (1995). These decisions, many of which have been issued in suits challenging the payment of "yield spread premiums" by lenders to mortgage brokers, provide valuable insights to all settlement service providers on how the courts are interpreting Section 8 and HUD's RESPA regulations. This article discusses these recent RESPA decisions and the lessons they may provide for the title insurance industry.
In the last three years, a number of suits, mostly in the form of class actions, have been brought claiming that the payment of a YSP violates Section 8(a) and/or 8(b) of RESPA. Plaintiffs claim that the YSP violates Section 8(a) because it is a referral fee paid by the lender to the mortgage broker for the referral of the loan business, and violates Section 8(b) because it constitutes the payment of a portion or split of the fee for the loan that is not for services actually rendered by the mortgage broker or is in excess of the reasonable value of those services.
No court has yet reached a final decision on the merits after a trial. Rather, the decisions to date (other than those addressing class action issues) have been rendered on motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment filed by the defendants. Motions to dismiss have been denied in a number of these cases./1
I. The Yield Spread Premium Decisions
The term, "yield spread premium," refers to payments mortgage lenders may give to mortgage brokers for certain "above-par" loans generated by the mortgage broker. This "price" a lender is willing to pay for a loan is expressed as a percentage of the loan amount and is influenced by factors such as the type of loan, the interest rate, and the "lock-in" period. For a loan of par value, the lender pays nothing to the mortgage broker. For a "below par" loan, the broker must pay discount points (which are charged to the borrower at closing). For "above par" loans, the lender pays the broker a "yield spread premium" (YSP).
In the last three years, a number of suits, mostly in the form of class actions, have been brought claiming that the payment of a YSP violates Section 8(a) and/or 8(b) of RESPA. Plaintiffs claim that the YSP violates Section 8(a) because it is a referral fee paid by the lender to the mortgage broker for the referral of the loan business, and violates Section 8(b) because it constitutes the payment of a portion or split of the fee for the loan that is not for services actually rendered by the mortgage broker or is in excess of the reasonable value of those services.
No court has yet reached a final decision on the merits after a trial. Rather, the decisions to date (other than those addressing class action issues) have been rendered on motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment filed by the defendants. Motions to dismiss have been denied in a number of these cases. Similarly, while defendants were able to obtain summary judgment in two district court cases, not all defendants have been so fortunate./2
The two decisions granting summary judgment for the defendants merit brief discussion. In Culpepper I, the district court concluded that the YSP was not a referral fee, but a market-driven payment for the purchase of an asset - the loan. This decision, however, was reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Culpepper v. Inland Mortgage Corp. 132 F.3d 692 (11th Cir. 1998) ("Culpepper II"). The Eleventh Circuit concluded that the mortgage broker could not be viewed as the "seller" of the loan because the transaction was table funded from the outset by the ultimate lender.
The court then concluded that the YSP was not a payment for services rendered for two reasons. First, the borrowers had paid a separate 1% origination fee to the mortgage broker for the services rendered to them. Second, in its response to interrogatories, the lender had admitted that the YSP was keyed to the interest rate on the loan, which, in the court's view, contradicted the theory that the YSP compensated the broker for services to the borrowers.
In Barbosa, the court considered a summary judgment motion filed by the ultimate lender in the transaction. After describing plaintiffs' "troubling tale" about how they had been told by the mortgage broker that he would obtain a loan for them at the lowest interest rate on the market, how they had paid over $1,100 in origination, discount and processing fees to the mortgage broker, and how they discovered at closing that the broker had also received a $2,500 yield spread payment from the lender after obtaining an above-par loan, the court nevertheless granted summary judgment for the defendant, observing that:
[h]owever compelling this story, if true, the Court does not hold a general license to ferret out alleged frauds and breaches of trust, and to punish the offenders. The instant motion presents a set of narrow questions arising under a discrete federal statute./3
Part II will now discuss the significant observations made in these and other recent decisions on RESPA issues of interest to ALTA® members.
A. Decisions Interpreting Section 8(a).
1. Can the payment of market-determined fees violate Section 8(a)?
An issue that arises in Section 8(a) analysis is whether a payment can constitute a prohibited referral fee if the amount of the payment is determined by market forces and is consistent with comparable payments made by others.
Two district court decisions have concluded that, if all lenders are paying market-determined prices for above-par loans, "the offering of yield spread premiums will not influence a broker's choice of one lender rather than another . . . . A borrower can only claim that a yield spread premium influenced his broker's choice of lender if he or she can show that the premiums offered by that lender were substantially different from the prevailing market rate."/4
This analysis, however, was rejected by the Eleventh Circuit in Culpepper II. In responding to the argument that market forces determined the size of YSPs, the court responded in unambiguous terms that "[t]his fact does not affect our analysis because the size of kickbacks and referral fees often is shaped by the value of the referred business. A market driven referral fee is still a referral fee prohibited by RESPA."/5
The differing conclusions may be explained by the differing perceptions of the judges as to whether the YSP represented a payment (or "overpayment") for goods or services, or was simply a payment for the referral of the loan. The Eleventh Circuit panel in Culpepper II believed that the market value test was inapplicable because the YSP was payment "only for the referral of the loan." In other words, if a payment is simply for the referral of business, the fact that everybody is paying the "market rate" would not render the payment lawful under Section 8.
On the other hand, the district courts in Hastings and Barbosa believed that the YSP reflected payment for goods or services provided and, in that context, concluded that when a settlement service provider pays a market-determined price for goods or services, there can be no violation of Section 8.
2. 2. Does the payment of a higher fee for a service when the provider refers business violateSection 8(a)?
A recent Seventh Circuit decision has made clear that title companies should avoid basing the level of the payments for goods or services on whether the party providing the good or service is also referring business.
In Lawyers Title Ins. Corp. v. Dearborn Title Corp.,/6 the court considered an arrangement between a title company and a mortgage lender whereby the lender allowed the title company to use its premises to close transactions for a fee of $100 if anyone else provided the mortgage financing, or a fee of $300 if the financing in the transaction was provided by the lender. In affirming a district court decision that the $200 rental "premium" constituted a violation of Section 8(a), the Eleventh Circuit concluded that:
[t]he cost of renting office space to Dearborn for conducting mortgage closings was no greater when United was the lender than when some other financial institution was. The only plausible explanation for the $200 premium is that it was compensation to United for steering its borrowers to Dearborn to handle the closing./7
While the court recognized the possibility that the differential "conceivably' might be justified by other factors, it found that the only possible inference based on the record in the case was that the $200 was a referral fee in violation of Section 8(a).
B. The Scope and Meaning of Section 8(b).
There has been far more controversy regarding the scope and meaning of Section 8(b) of RESPA than Section 8(a). The full text of Section 8(b) is as follows:
No person shall give and no person shall accept any portion, split, or percentage of any charge made or received for the rendering of a real estate settlement service in connection with a transaction involving a federally related mortgage loan other than for services actually rendered.
Everyone agrees that Section 8(b) addresses payments other than for services actually rendered. Where there is disagreement, particularly between HUD and most of the courts that have looked at the issue, is whether Section 8(b) only applies where a settlement service provider pays a portion of its fee to another person (e.g., to another settlement service provider) who has not rendered any real services in return, or whether Section 8(b) also applies where a settlement service provider charges the consumer for services not rendered but does not split its fee with another party.
1. HUD's expansive view of the scope of Section 8(b)
While HUD has not squarely addressed this issue through a duly promulgated regulation, it has, with increasing clarity, suggested that Section 8(b) applies to settlement charges paid by consumers where little or no services are provided even when the charge has not been divided between two parties./8 For example, Section 3500.14(c) of HUD's RESPA regulations, as amended in 1992, provides:
A charge by a person for which no or nominal services are performed or for which duplicative fees are charged is an unearned fee and violates this section. The source of the payment does not determine whether or not a service is compensable. Nor may the prohibitions of this part be avoided by creating an arrangement where the purchaser of services splits the fee.
Section 3500.14(g)(3) of the regulations (also adopted in 1992) goes on to state:
Multiple services. When a person in a position to refer settlement service business . . . receives a payment for providing additional settlement services as part of a real estate transaction, such payment must be for services that are actual, necessary and distinct from the primary services provided by such person.
While it is not clear that these regulations are addressing charges to consumers (as will be discussed below, the only court to consider the issue has concluded that these provisions apply only in the context where a fee is split between two parties), there is less ambiguity in two other statements on this issue published by HUD.
In discussing the prohibition against referral fees in the information booklet required by RESPA Section 5, HUD states "[i]t is also illegal for anyone to accept a fee or part of a fee for services if that person has not actually performed settlement services for the fee."/9 The clear implication is that accepting a fee from the consumer where services are not actually performed is a violation of Section 8(b).
HUD's clearest statement of its views on Section 8(b) were presented in the explanatory comments accompanying the release of its Statement of Policy 1996-1 on Computer Loan Origination Systems (CLOs)./10 In responding to the argument that Section 8(b) did not provide a legal basis for HUD's original proposed rule regulating the conditions under which borrowers could be asked to pay for CLO services, HUD made clear that:
it disagreed with those court decisions that had concluded that Section 8(b) only applies where two parties split a settlement service fee;
the interpretation of Section 8(b) as permitting a single settlement service provider to charge "unearned or excessive fees" so long as it does not share the fees with another party is "an unnecessarily restrictive interpretation of a statute designed to reduce unnecessary costs to consumers;" and
Section 8(b) could apply in a number of contexts: (1) where one settlement service provider receives an unearned fee from another provider; (2) where a provider charges the consumer for third-party services and retains an unearned fee from the payment received; or (3) where a provider accepts a portion of a charge - "including 100% of the charge" " for other than services actually performed./11
The first context in which HUD says that Section 8(b) could apply is clearly contemplated by the language of the statute. As will be discussed next, although several recent court decisions have agreed that Section 8(b) can be applied in the second context " where one party "marks up" another provider's charges " reaching that result under the language of Section 8(b) is problematical.
Finally, HUD's position on the application of Section 8(b) in the third context " that Section 8(b) prohibits unearned or "excessive" fees charged by settlement service to consumers " has far-reaching, and potentially disturbing, consequences. If correct, it could provide a basis for a challenge to any fee or charge that HUD or a consumer believes is not justified by the services rendered or is "excessive." However, as will be discussed shortly, virtually all of the courts that have considered the issue have concluded that the language of Section 8(b) will not support HUD's interpretation.
2. Does Section 8(b) apply to the "mark-up" of a third party's charge?
Two recent district court decisions have agreed with HUD that Section 8(b) is violated when a party, without providing any real services, "marks up" the charge of another settlement service provider and retains the difference.
In Martinez v. Weyerhauser Mortgage Co., the court concluded that a lender who charged a borrower $65 for courier fees, but was only able to produce receipts from couriers that totaled $56.25, may have violated RESPA with regard to the "unaccounted for courier fee of $8.75."/`12 In McCulloch v. Great Western Bank, the court denied the bank's motion to dismiss a complaint alleging that the bank had violated Section 8(b) by charging the plaintiff borrower $50 for a credit report when the credit reporting agency had invoiced the bank only $13.50 for the report. In support of its decision, the court cited a HUD Web site of answers to frequently asked RESPA questions in which HUD stated that it would be a violation of Section 8(b) for a lender to collect an appraisal fee of $200, pay $175 to the appraiser, and collect the $25 difference where services are not performed by the lender./`13
On the other hand, the Seventh Circuit appears to have reached a contrary conclusion in Durr v. Intercounty Title Co. of Illinois,/144 where the court affirmed the dismissal of a complaint alleging that a title company had violated Section 8(b) by adding approximately $8 to fees charged by the Cook County Recorder of Deeds for the recording of the deed and mortgage. Although the court's decision to deny the claim may have been influenced by its perception of the somewhat frivolous behavior of the plaintiff, /15 it nevertheless concluded that, while "'RESPA is a broad statute, directed against many things that increase the cost of real estate transactions' . . . under RESPA's express terms, this broad protection extends only over transactions where the defendant gave or received "any portion, split, or percentage of any charge' to a third party."/16 In the court's view, the $8 overcharge was not shared with anyone and, at most, was simply a windfall that the title company kept for itself.
While the Seventh Circuit's view that the amount of the mark-up itself has to be shared with a third party is questionable,/17 the court's conclusion that the "express terms" of Section 8(b) do not apply where the defendant has given a portion of the fee to another person who has rendered services has merit. This can be seen in the following two examples.
Example 1: Consumer pays $100 to X for a settlement service and X pays $25 of this fee to Y other than for services rendered.
Example 2: Consumer pays $100 to X for a settlement service, X pays $75 of this fee to Y for services actually rendered by Y, and retains the $25 difference even though it provides no extra services for that amount.
Example 1 presents the case contemplated by the language of Section 8(b): a person has given, and another person has accepted, a portion, split or percentage of a settlement charge other than for services actually rendered.
In the "mark-up" case presented in Example 2, however, the person receiving the portion, split or percentage (Y) has rendered services. It is X, the person who is paying the portion, split or percentage, who did not render any services. How, then, can a decision holding X liable be squared with the language of Section 8(b)? There are two alternative "theories," neither of which provides a compelling or comfortable approach.
First, one could take the view that it is Y that received the $100 fee and that Y was actually splitting its $100 fee with X where X was not rendering any services. The difficulty with this approach is that Y may never have even known that X had marked up its charge, much less "paid" X anything out of its charge. Moreover, it seems awkward to conclude that only one party to an illegal fee-splitting arrangement (X and not the innocent Y) should be held liable.
The second approach would be to take the view that the person who is giving the illegal "portion, split or percentage" is the consumer. However, this would require a reading of Section 8(b) that would suggest that the consumer could be in violation of Section 8(b).
In short, while the practice of marking-up another provider's charge may be the kind of practice that Section 8(b) should condemn, it is not clear how one squares such an interpretation with the actual language of Section 8(b). In any event, the fact that HUD and several courts have concluded that the mark up of another party's fees can violate Section 8(b) suggests that such practices should be avoided. Even if the company believes the mark-up to be justified by additional services it has rendered, it may not be able to convince a court of that justification.
3. Does Section 8(b) apply when there has been no split of a settlement service charge between two parties?
As noted above, HUD has taken the position that a charge to a consumer for which no or nominal services are performed, or which is "excessive," is an "unearned fee" and violates Section 8(b) even if the charge is not split between two parties.
This view, however, has been repeatedly rejected by the courts, which have generally held that Section 8(b) only applies to situations where two parties split the fee for a settlement service and does not apply to purported "overcharges" by a provider to a consumer./18 It also appears to be in conflict with relevant legislative history /19 One recent decision, Willis v. Quality Mortgage USA, Inc., /20 is particularly noteworthy.
In Willis the court granted the defendant lender's motion to dismiss a complaint alleging that its charges to the plaintiff borrowers of a $250 review appraisal fee, a $200 document preparation fee, and an $87 tax service contract, violated Section 8(b) in light of the fact that the plaintiffs had also paid a fee to their mortgage broker that they alleged covered the costs for such services. The plaintiffs position was that these charges violated Section 8(b) " even though they were not split with some third party " because (1) they were for unnecessary services or services not actually rendered, and (2) they were for services that were not "actual, necessary and distinct" from the primary services provided by Quality Mortgage.
In support of their first contention, plaintiffs claimed that the language in ?3500.14(c) of the RESPA regulations " "[a] charge by a person for which no or nominal services are performed or for which duplicative fees are charged is an unearned fee and violates this section" " expanded the scope of Section 8(b) so as to prohibit charges to the consumer for which no services are provided even if the charge is not split between two parties. The court rejected that interpretation, finding that "[t]he statute prohibits the splitting of fees unless a service is actually performed," and, when read in context, the above-quoted sentence does not "create an entirely new zone of proscribed conduct."/21 In short, the court concluded that "payments which are not split, and which are not in exchange for business referrals, do not violate Section [8]."
In support of their second contention, plaintiffs contended that the language of Section 3500.14(g) of the regulations imposed a direct obligation on a settlement service provider not to charge the consumer for a service unless the service is "actual, necessary and distinct from the primary services provided by such person." Again, the court rejected this reading of the regulation:
As discussed above, HUD is empowered to interpret the statute, not to create new laws. It appears that the payment to which the regulation refers is a payment from a mortgage lender to a mortgage broker, or vice versa. It does not refer to a payment from the borrower to the broker./22
In short, by finding that these sentences in the regulations were intended by HUD to apply only to payments between a settlement service provider and a third person " not to payments by the consumer to the settlement service provider making the charge "the court was able to avoid a clear conflict between the regulations and the language of the statute.
Accordingly, while HUD may continue to take the position that Section 8(b) prohibits an "unearned" or "excessive" fee charged to a consumer, if current judicial precedent continues to be followed this interpretation will not be sustained by the courts.
4. How a Section 8(b) analysis of reasonable compensation should be undertaken
The combined effect of ?? 8(b) and 8(c) of RESPA is that reasonable payments for goods or services made by one settlement service provider to another provider who is in a position to refer business are not unlawful under Section 8(b). How to determine whether a payment for goods or services is "reasonable" is a key question in such an analysis.
In Barbosa, the plaintiff argued that to determine whether the YSP constituted a reasonable payment for services rendered, the court should look to national averages as a "baseline" of reasonableness. The court rejected this approach, asserting that this would be tantamount to the court's setting legal maxima for the charges for settlement services " something that Congress did not intend in RESPA. "If Congress rejected a ratemaking role for itself and for HUD, it is inconceivable that it intended such a role for the federal judiciary."/23 According to the court, whether a particular payment is reasonable "should not be determined by looking for some platonic form of reasonableness inherent in national averages," but by looking to the processes that resulted in the payment of the particular fee. If arms-length bargaining in the mortgage marketplace set the payment for the broker's services, the payment is reasonable enough within the meaning of RESPA, whether or not plaintiffs can produce twenty omniscient experts who will swear that brokers in California and Maine charge thirty times less for similar services. RESPA sets processes, not prices/ /24.
While the court is correct that what constitutes a "reasonable" payment should not be determined by national averages or other forms of surrogate "rate regulation," the validity of an "arm's-length" bargaining test is dependent on the "arm's length" nature of the relationship between the parties. In situations involving the payment for goods or services by a settlement service provider to a party who also refers business, the negotiation on the price to be paid for the good or service may not always be viewed by a court as being at "arm's length." Accordingly, it may be prudent to base the price to be paid in such transactions on the market price that would prevail where the supplier of the good or service is not also a referrer of business.
C. Other Section 8 Issues.
1. Disclosure does not cure a Section 8 violation.
In several of the cases, defendants have argued that the YSP cannot be a violation of Section 8 because HUD regulations recognize the existence of such payments and require them to be disclosed to borrowers in the Good Faith Estimates and in the HUD-1 Settlement Statement. The courts have uniformly rejected this argument./25 Unless HUD has affirmatively determined that a payment is not a violation of Section 8, the fact that HUD's regulations may require the disclosure of the payment does not insulate it from Section 8 challenge.
2. Does the borrower have to have paid the fee at issue in order to have standing to bring a Section 8 suit?
In at least two YSP cases, defendants have also tried to argue that the borrower lacks standing to bring a claim under RESPA because the ultimate lender, not the borrower, was the party paying the YSP. (Section 8(d) provides a cause of action only to "persons charged for the settlement service involved in the violation.") The courts have rejected this argument on the ground that it "ignores the underlying economic reality, recognized by HUD, that all fees and charges, whether directly or indirectly, are ultimately borne by the borrower."/26
In years past, anyone seeking official guidance on the proper interpretation of Section 8 would inevitably turn to the HUD regulations and informal staff interpretative letters for guidance. In the past three years, however, and with increasing frequency, such guidance is being provided by the courts. As the cases construing Section 8(b) demonstrate, not all HUD interpretations will be deferred to by the courts. A HUD interpretation " even one intended to protect consumers " will not be sustained if it cannot be squared with the plain language of the statute.
Mr. Hochberg is a recognized expert on RESPA matters. He has counseled and represented ALTA®, state associations, and individual title insurers and agencies on RESPA matters, and has spoken at numerous bar and title industry seminars. Mr. Hochberg represented the title insurance industry in connection with Congress' consideration of the original RESPA legislation.
1/ See, e.g., Hastings v. Fidelity Mortgage Decisions Corp., 984 F. Supp. 600 (N.D. Ill. 1997); Moses v. Citicorp Mortgage, Inc., 982 F. Supp. 897 (E.D.N.Y. 1997); Mentecki v. Saxon Mortgage, Inc., 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1197 (E.D. Va. Jan. 10, 1997); and Martinez v. Weyerhauser Mortgage Co., 959 F. Supp. 1511 (S.D. Fla. 1996).
2/ Summary judgment for defendants was granted in Barbosa v. Target Mortgage Corp., 968 F. Supp. 1548 (S.D. Fla. 1997) ("Barbosa") and Culpepper v. Inland Mortgage Corp., 953 F. Supp. 367 (N.D. Ala. 1997) ("Culpepper I"), but denied in DuBose v. First Security Savings Bank, 974 F. Supp. 1426 (M.D. Ala. 1997). In addition, several decisions have denied class action status primarily on the ground that class action treatment would be inappropriate because the case-by-case analysis of the services rendered by the mortgage broker in each of the transactions involved in the class, and the appropriateness of the YSP as compensation for such services, would predominate over the common questions of law and fact. See, e.g., Conomos v. Chase Manhattan Corp., 1998 WL 118154 (S.D.N.Y. March 17, 1998); Hinton v. First American Mortgage, 1998 WL 111668 (N.D. Ill. March 4, 1998).
4/ Hastings v. Fidelity Mortgage Decisions Corp., 984 F. Supp. 600, 612 (N.D. Ill. 1997). See also Barbosa, 968 F. Supp. at 1557-58.
5/ Culpepper II, 132 F.3d at 697.
6/ 118 F. 3d 1157 (7th Cir. 1997).
8/ In a related context, "HUD's game of winking, nodding, and frowning" has been criticized as leaving the courts "with no clear administrative direction." Barbosa, 968 F. Supp. at 1555.
9/ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Housing - Federal Housing Administration, "Buying Your Home: Settlement Costs and Helpful Information" (June 1997) at 13.
10/ 61 Fed. Reg. 29248-50 (June 7, 1996).
12/ 959 F. Supp. 1511, 1522 (S.D. Fla. 1996).
13/ 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8226 (W.D. Wash. Feb. 10, 1998) at *6. The page of the Web site cited by the court is <http://www.hud.gov/fha/res/resindus.cfml>. The main page for HUD's RESPA Web site is <http://www.hud.gov/fha/res/ respa_hm.cfml>.
14/ 14 F.3d 1183 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 811 (1994).
15/ The plaintiff, after discovering the overcharge, made no effort to clear up the discrepancy with the title company, but immediately filed a class action suit seeking recovery in an amount equal to three times all fees paid to the title company for recording, closing and title insurance.
16/ 14 F.3d at 1187, quoting Mercado v. Calumet Fed. Sav. & Loan Assn, 763 F.2d 269, 271 (7th Cir. 1985).
17/ The district court in McCulloch rejected the Seventh Circuit?s reading of ? 8(b) as unjustified because it appeared to require the existence of a fourth party (i.e., a person with whom the party marking up a third party?s charge would split the overcharge). McCulloch, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8226 at *7.
18/ See, e.g., Durr v. Intercounty Title Co. of Ill., 14 F.3d 1183 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 811 (1994); Mercado v. Calumet Federal Sav. & Loan Ass?n, 763 F.2d 269, 270 (7th Cir. 1985); Barbosa v. Target Mortgage Corp., 968 F. Supp. 1548 (S.D. Fla. 1997); Duggan v. Independent Mortgage Co., 670 F. Supp. 652 (E.D. Va. 1987).
19/ See Statement of Rep. Ben B. Blackburn, 120 Cong. Rec. 29,442 (1974) ("The House Banking Committee report makes clear that this prohibition was intended to deal only with fee-splitting arrangements among participants in the settlement process"). Rep. Blackburn was one of the two main sponsors of RESPA in the House of Representatives.
The House Banking Committee report described ? 8(b) as prohibiting "a person or company that renders a settlement service from giving or rebating any portion of the charge to any person except in return for services actually performed." H. R. Rep. 93-1177 at 7 (1974).
20/ 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7581 (M.D. Ala. May 12, 1998).
23/ Barbosa, 968 F. Supp. at 1562.
24/ Id. See also Hastings v. Fidelity Mortgage Decisions Corp., 984 F. Supp. 600 (N.D. Ill. 1997) (applying Barbosa's approach).
25/ See Martinez, 959 F. Supp. at 1522; Mentecki v. Saxon Mortgage, Inc., 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1197 at **10-12 (E.D. Va. 1997); Moses v. Citicorp Mortgage, Inc., 982 F. Supp. 897, 901-02 (E.D. N.Y. 1997).
26/ Mentecki v. Saxon Mortgage, Inc., 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1374 at *5 (E.D. Va. 1997). See also Barbosa, 968 F. Supp. at 1556 ("Princeton [the lender] was charged in the short run, and plaintiffs in the long run").


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Studio MonitorsKRK Studio Monitors
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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- For the second year in a row, Alabama Ballet has received an anonymous pledge for a donation to its education programs. If $10,000 can be raised by July 31, the donor will kick in another $10,000 for a total of $20,000.
The funds go toward the ballet's dance education program, which serves more than 15,000 students through free and low-cost programs throughout the year. More than $30,000 a year is awarded in scholarships to the programs, and more than 10,000 free tickets are provided to education performances, reaching more than 100 school systems.
All donations are tax deductible and secure. They will be sent directly to Alabama Ballet by FirstGiving, who will email you a printable record of your contribution.
To donate, go to Alabama Ballet's FirstGiving page and click on the green button.


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Can someone please explain to me why I spent the first half of my children's lives arguing that the clothing they selected was too warm — for instance puppy slippers and a Red Baron cap with a bathing suit in August — and now my constant argument is that they're not dressed warm enough? When my son was in high school, we bought him a down parka for winter. Then he went to college and bought himself a black wool number with all the warm promise of a ballet tutu. My daughter isn't too far behind, wearing very fashionable coats she brags cost under $40. And so does the fabric, and so does valet parking at the Emergency Room when she gets frostbite. With arctic temperatures across most of the U.S., I researched the following stylish cold weather accessories even a teenager will agree to wear!
Shall we? 1 of 11
Cozy sweater 2 of 11
This isn't just a sweater. It's an Icebreaker Ariana Stripe Scoop Merino Black Sheep's Wool Reversible Sweater. And before my mom remarks about the chilly neckline, it features magical engineering so it can also be worn as a turtleneck. It's $160, which is pricey, but approximately six thousand dollars less than you would spend to treat pneumonia. Available here.
Technology gloves 3 of 11
There may be even cozier gloves on the market, those meant to scale the side of a Swiss mountainscape, but the problem with those gloves is that you will take them off to text. These acrylic knit work gloves have touch screen fingertips and stay right there on your hands. $60.72 Available here.
Oversized Infinity Scarf 4 of 11
In fact, this isn't just an infinity scarf, it's an eternity scarf. I'm not sure the difference, but perhaps this scarf saves the argument you would have with your child over all eternity if they don't wear something warm around their neck. I used to think infinity and eternity scarves were silly, because can't you just get a scarf and tie it? But in really cold weather, the benefit is being able to easily adapt these scarves as hoods and scarves combined. $29 Available here.
Warm coat lining 5 of 11
This parka lining is rated for -30 degree temperatures and is made to fit under any jacket shell. The thing is, these are very warm all on their own, and extremely lightweight and easy to shove into backpacks. $180 Available here.
Warm boots 6 of 11
Warm boots are not the same as boots and they're not even the same as boots with warm socks. Warm boots are warm all on their own and are really the only realistic thing when you're outside in freezing temperature. But warm is only half of it, they also have to stay dry. These Uggs are water resistant suede with a sheepskin overlay. $199.95 Available here.
Not messing around warm coat 7 of 11
I have done it too, I have lied that a coat was warm when really it was just cute. All is fine with a cute not warm coat, until you need to wait for a bus, or walk, or the car breaks down, or you are, in short, outside. Fully waterproofed with taped seams, this Under Armour coat isn't so much a garment as a spaceship, with descriptions such as a thermo-conductive inner coating to absorb and retain your own body heat. $207.99 Available here.
Neck warmth 8 of 11
Sure you could wear a scarf, but you can also wear this! It's Turtle Fur, which thankfully is a brand name and not a natural material. It features a double layer, in a color that ensures they won't miss you on the slopes after the avalanche. $16 Available here.
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I learned growing up that you lose half of your body heat through the top of your head, which may actually be an urban myth off the top of someone else's head. Regardless, we can all agree it is warmer with a hat than without. And that hat must protect the ears. I've seen people resist hats due to hat head, which is why it's such good news that hats are so fashionable, and most of the time way cuter than hair anyway. This rib-knit number goes by the genus and species slouchy beanie, and it's $16, available here.
They're ba-ack! 10 of 11
Legwarmers. Except this time we're doing them right, we are obscuring acres of them under our tall, cute, and warm boots. These are handmade to order and feature wool yarn and a very subtle stripe. $32 This darling photo and these legwarmers are available here.
Long underwear 11 of 11
These are not John Walton's waffled long johns. This long underwear is made of pure filament silk, and fits easily underneath all clothes, or can be warn as winter tights with skirts or dresses. Available in other colors. $34.99 Available here.


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Star light, Star bright!
Help us create a giant star map and make a mini version to take home. Follow our Catch a Falling Star Trail around the Museum.
Come and Play!
Every Friday morning we host an event for children aged between 2 and 5 years and their parents and carers. It's a great place to meet, have fun and learn together. With a different theme each week, activities include stories, rhymes, songs, crafts, trails and colouring.
No need to book, just drop in.
Suitable for children aged between 2 and 5 years.


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MIDLAND, MI — Midland-based Dow Chemical Co. isn't disputing a report that says the chemical giant gave $2 million in 2012 to a group called the Michigan Alliance for Business Growth. The alliance worked to defeat a union-backed ballot measure that would have enshrined collective bargaining rights in the state constitution, according to the report by a group called the Center for Public Integrity.Dow's website lists the $2 million donation to the organization, along with a $611,700 donation to the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, among its trade association and lobbying expenditures for the year.
The two organizations were the top underwriters of the ballot measure's opposition, according to the Center for Public Integrity. Read the center's report online at www.publicintegrity.org.
Dow spokesperson Louise Adhikari issued a statement via email on Thursday, Jan. 16, addressing the donations."Dow Chemical Company participates with numerous trade and civic organizations, and as a part of our overall commitment to transparency and the highest standard of ethical conduct, we publish a yearly list of the advocacy amount for these organizations on our website," Adhikari wrote. "We don't comment on individual donations."
Here is the complete list of trade association lobbying expenditures for both Dow and Dow AgroSciences in 2012 found on the company's website:
- American Chemistry Council $1.3 million
- American Seed Trade Association $13,710
- Biotechnology Industry Organization $144,000
- Business Forward $5,000
- Business Roundtable $84,802
- Chlorine Institute $3,779
- Coalition Against the Deceptive Food Labeling Scheme $2 million
- CropLife America $342,442
- Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce $5,025
- Greater New Orleans Inc. $7,000
- Halogenated Solvents Industry Association $25,899
- Louisiana Chemical Alliance $32,678
- Michigan Alliance for Business Growth $2 million
- Michigan Chamber of Commerce $611,700
- National Association for Manufacturers $38,400
- North American Insulation Manufacturers Association $150,000
- North American Metal Packaging Alliance $31,500
- Responsible Industry for Sound Environment $48,325
- Ripon Society $25,000
- Solar Energy Industry Association $28,000
- Texas Chemical Council $43,509
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce $2.9 million
- United States Council on International Business $5,005
- Western Plant Health Association $12,213
The website states that Dow participates in many trade and business associations whose purpose is to promote common business interests and assist in managing priorities relevant to Dow and the chemical industry.
Read more Right-to-Work coverage from MLive.com here.
— Heather Jordan covers business for MLive/The Saginaw News/The Bay City Times. She can be reached at 989-450-2652 or firstname.lastname@example.com. For more business news, follow her on Twitter and Facebook.


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Was Our Moon's Formation Likely or Lucky?
4.5 billion years ago, a Mars-sized body was believed to have impacted a young Earth, and this planetesimal's obliterated remains coalesced into what is now our Moon. However, certain striking similarities between the Earth and Moon question the likelihood of this event. Two recent papers investigated the giant impact scenario, only to come to opposite conclusions. Read on to hear more about this lunar enigma.


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TULSA, Oklahoma - It was certainly a trying season for Jerod Haase in his first year with the program, but it also reaffirmed his love for the game and the personal benefits it can provide.
UAB finished 16-17 after Thursday's 81-66 Conference USA Tournament quarterfinal loss to Southern Miss. It's a far cry from what Haase is used to, as he played and coached at national power Kansas and also coached at another national power at North Carolina.
"I learned I do love the game," Haase said Thursday. "I really love being around the guys. Being a head coach, I do love the X and O part, I love the coaching, I love the recruiting, but time with the guys and relationships with the guys, that's the reason I want to stay in this game for a long time."
UAB loses one senior that played 20-plus minutes a game in guard Terence Jones. The Blazers return the core of this year's team, including leading scorer and rebounder Rod Rucker, a second-team all-conference pick.
But he'll need some help in the frontcourt. UAB signed frontcourt help in junior college transfer C.J. Washington and 6-foot-10 high school senior Tosin Mehinti, who led Greenforest Christian Academy in Georgia to a Class A state championship.
Mehinti, though he may be raw coming into the college ranks, at the very least will give UAB a shot-blocking presence down low while the offense develops. Washington should provide a scoring and rebounding ability much like Rucker has, though he's also a good two or three inches taller.
UAB brings in three guards, including point guard Dayshawn Watkins, who led North Little Rock (Ark.) to a Class 7A state championship. Scoring guard Denzell Watts put up more than 1,000 points in his career in Flint, Michigan, and Shelby County 6-foot-4 wing player Tyler Madison averaged more than 25 points per game his last two years.
"Are we going to have a few different pieces next year, yes, are we going to do some things that fit my coaching beliefs a little bit closer, yes," Haase said. "All that'll come into place."
The recruiting class was ranked No. 38 nationally by HoopScoopOnline.com
All five starters from UAB's last game return - Rucker, wing players Jordan Swing and Robert Williams, point guard Quincy Taylor and center Fahro Alihodzic, as well as part-time starter and wing player Preston Purifoy. That's six returning seniors.
Two wild cards are sophomore K.C. Whitaker, who took a medical redshirt after an ankle injury required three surgeries, and Isiah Jones, who saw his playing time tail off late in the year but did score UAB's final points of the year on a 3-pointer. Jones has a chance to fill in the minutes left behind by the graduating Terence Jones, since he'll have two years of college basketball experience over Watts and Madison.
Watkins gives UAB a quick point guard who can spell and/or challenge Taylor.
"Coach got a good plan for us this summer," Rucker said. "Coach Lou (Deneen), with the weight room stuff, they're going to make us go hard and we've got some good recruits coming in. We're going to have a deeper bench. I just think it's going to be a good year for us."
With more depth, Alihodzic said he wants UAB to have the physical reputation that Memphis and Southern Miss earned and eventually would up at the top of the conference.
"We're going to be that team next year, I really feel that," Alihodzic said. "We're going to be the team that everybody looks at and calls the physical team."
Haase said that getting adjusted throughout the season was tough when the Blazers weren't winning, but the personalities of this team made it easier.
"I've been used to winning my entire life," Haase said. "As a whole, I thought we did some really good things. At the same time, we didn't win more than we lost. I understand the expectations at UAB are going to be very, very high and my expectations are going to be higher than that. It has been a trying year, but it's also been a year that I've had a group of guys that I've loved being around.
"We're going to be UAB and the best UAB we can be. That's a really smart team, a really tough team, a team that plays at a high rate. Offensively, (a team that's) pushing the basketball and getting really high-quality shots and defensively, being able to pressure people."


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The leading goal scorers for players whose team made it into Tuesday's quarterfinals of the Greater
Middlesex Conference Tournament were: Emily Corson of Metuchen with 20, Alexis Suarez of Old Bridge with 18, Jill Vassallo of Bishop Ahr with 17, Brielle Errico of South Brunswick with 15, Katharine Chura of Metuchen with 14, Sydney Rosa of East Brunswick with 14, Alexa Povelaitis of Bishop Ahr with 14 and Rebecca Hager of Spotswood with 12.
The players with the most assists were: Corson with 14, Lauren Coletti of Bishop Ahr with 11, Vassallo with 11, Povelaitis with 10, Rosa with 9, Kaitlin Roughan of East Brunswick with 8 and Hager with 8.
The goalies with the most saves were: Erin Shea of J.P. Stevens with 147, Erin Seppi of Monroe with 121, Alex Kalafor of East Brunswick with 97, Sydney Schneider of South Brunswick with 76, Lisa Milburn of Spotswood with 73, Emily Buchanan of Metuchen with 72, Nicole Carbone of Old Bridge with 50 and Brianna Foster of Bishop Ahr with 45.
Old Bridge goalie Alley Maurer had 40 saves before injuring her ankle.
Things didn't start out on a good note for South Plainfield when two starters were lost to season-ending injuries, including three-year starter/All-Area performer Carlee Gonzalez (torn ACL) and goal producer Sarah Cargill (fractured growth plate).
South Plainfield, led by freshmen and sophomores, started out 0-4-1 and was getting beat by almost four goals per game. But the young Tigers didn't give up and regrouped to post a winning record since. It is currently 8-9-1 overall.
After losing to Sayreville once and tying once, South Plainfield beat the Bombers, 2-1, in the First Round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament before being eliminated by top-seeded East Brunswick.
South Plainfield has been led by freshman Caity Hughes, who has posted seven goals and seven assists. Freshman Claire Nagel has chipped in with five goals and four assists, junior Brianna Boyce has registered five goals and three assists, while sophomore Taylor Henry has also scored five goals.
Sophomore goalie Sydni Surowiec has made 161 saves.
The semifinals of the GMC Tournament are scheduled for Thursday at East Brunswick High School at 5 and 7 p.m, respectively. The matchups depend on the outcome of Tuesday's quarterfinals.
The championship game, originally scheduled for Saturday morning, will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Woodbridge High School.


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What is the status of that MEMs design win they were promising earlier this year?
Didn't tessera fire the guy in charge of that project?
Yeah, they fired him. I think it was for not agreeing to the corporate vow of silence, though. It appears as if things are moving forward, but slower than had been hoped for [fantasized?].
Someone close to the tech side of cellular tells me that the most attractive way (LTE) to get high data rates (video streaming) will raise average power consumption. The volume presently occupied by a VCM camera will look REAL attractive for more battery. [and incidentally, silent air cooling may get looked at as device warming starts to become dramatic). One factor slowing MEMS adoption may be that it benefits from finer features in the image sensor, and those have not kept up with Moore's law.
It's going to be very difficult to get MEMs produced in a "high volume" anytime soon. The yeild is just on there at this time. Good technology, just not managed well by the executives at Tessera.


text: Im thinking about pulling the trigger on a new m1a socom 2. This not by any means my first gun but I have never really played with one. Is the $2k price tag really worth it? I want it for the history, to pass down to kids when im dead, and I might shoot a deer with it just to say that I did. Plus they just look cool. Im not rich by any means but I have saved my pennies and want to make sure im not going to regret it.


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This primary season evangelicals have shown that they're less likely than four years ago to vote for a Mormon candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Why? It could be that this increasingly robust Mormon Gap has to do with Mormonism itself; e.g. that evangelicals are just as loathe to put a Mormon in the White House and have become more aware that one or another candidate is Mormon. Or it could have to do with something else.
Over at NCR, Michael Sean Winters shrewdly points to something else: the Tea Party. Evangelicals, "whatever their thoughts about Mormonism, are the core of the Tea Party and Newt's anti-establishment mantras are Tea Party catnip and Romney's cool, coifed, considerate demeanor is not," writes Winters, the author of an excellent new biography of the godfather of evangelical ressentiment, Jerry Falwell (about which I'll have more to say in due course). This is plausible...but is it true?
In both Iowa and New Hampshire, evangelicals were actually 25 percent less likely to vote for Romney than Tea Partiers were (less than 10 percent of either group voted for Huntsman). Which suggests that, if anything, it's evangelicals who have influenced the Tea Party position on Mormon candidates rather than the other way around. On the other hand, in South Carolina, evangelicals were little more likely to vote for Romney than Tea Partiers, and the same goes for the latest Q-poll in Florida.
And this just in: Rasmussen's got Tea Partiers favoring Gingrich over Romney by 15 points while evangelicals are equally divided between the two. Maybe Floridian evangelicals are different from those in Iowa, NH, and SC after all.


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North Syracuse, NY – Tops Friendly Markets is supporting Cicero-North Syracuse High School's Big Brothers/Big Sisters Mentoring Program with a $5,000 grant.
The newly formed mentoring program is a partnership between the high school's school-age psychology program and Roxboro Road Elementary School, in cooperation with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Onondaga County.
"Bigs" from the high school are matched with "littles" from the elementary school. The pairs discuss school, read, play or work on homework together. Tops' donation will help pay for healthy snacks and activities.
P.E.A.C.E., Inc. Big Brothers Big Sisters operates school-based mentoring programs at several locations that involve high school/college students being matched with elementary school students.
For more information about the mentoring program at the high school, or the donation from Tops Friendly Markets, contact Sheryl Garafano at 218-4100. To learn out more about Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Onondaga County, visit www.bbbs-syr.org.


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Home > Products > DWG Export for SolidWorks > Help > Command Reference > Export
DWG Export for SolidWorks - AutoCAD DWG file export add-in for SolidWorks
|Menu Button
|DWGExport > Export
This command exports a DWG file.
To Export to a DWG file
1. Select Export from the DWGExport menu.
2. The SolidWorks Save As dialog box is displayed. Enter the name of a DWG file and click Save.
3. The DWG Export for
SolidWorks Options dialog box is displayed. Set the options
as desired and click Ok.
Please feel free to call or email us for more information about AutoCAD DWG file export add-in for SolidWorks.


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That announcement was made jointly Wednesday by Washington senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.
The three other finalists are Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas and Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. A decision is expected this spring.
Fairchild is currently home to KC-135 aerial refueling tankers and has invested over $400 million in base infrastructure over the last several decades.
The lawmakers say Fairchild already possesses much of the needed capacity to accommodate the new KC-46A aerial refueling tanker, including a 14,000 foot runway and a new wing command headquarters.
-- The Associated Press


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OK, it's not all bad. A pro sports franchise has really made the big time when second place is no longer acceptable. The New York Yankees have long been victims of their own success, reaping heaps of criticism for anything less than perfection. Now sitting in second place behind the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees have been on a losing streak, dropping four of their last five. Even worse, New York lost C.C. Sabathia to an injury and his status remains uncertain.
What all Yankees fans want, and in reality what the MLB wants, is for the New York Yankees to be clear contenders in the AL East. What's good for the Yankees is good for the MLB right? To my way of thinking have the Yankees struggle during the season isn't such a bad thing. Stories of redemption and returns to prominence only make for a better story.


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|Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <email@example.com>
|Re: [TenTec] Fast Repair from TT
|"Paul Gates, KD3JF" <firstname.lastname@example.com>
|Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <email@example.com>
|Wed, 1 Aug 2007 04:03:00 -0700 (PDT)
Ten Tec has always been known for that kind of service. I may have mentioned this before .... Back in the 70s I had a problem with my Triton IV and discovered which board in the radio was giving the problem. I called TT and they said no bother to send radio in... they mailed me a new board that day and when I received it I returned the old board to them. No charge except postage and it was out of warranty! --- firstname.lastname@example.com wrote: > Had a bit of trouble with the Omni VII on 6M. No output. > Called TT. UPS > sticker was delivered in 2 days. Picked up last Tue. > Arrived with an > upgrade today (Tue). 7 day turn around. Talk about > service! N0UU > > _______________________________________________ > TenTec mailing list > firstname.lastname@example.com > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec > _______________________________________________ TenTec mailing list email@example.com http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec
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Personal History:
Dr. Sztein received an M.D. degree from the School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1976. He did his post-doctoral fellowship at NIH with Dr. Joe Oppenheim before becoming a faculty member, first at George Washington University and then at the University of Maryland.
Dr. Sztein joined the Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) in 1989 as Chief of the Cellular Immunology and Flow Cytometry Section. Under Dr. Sztein's leadership, the Immunology Group at the CVD, which he leads, has expanded dramatically. The CVD's Immunology Group currently consists of over 20 individuals, including faculty, laboratory supervisors and other technical personnel, post-doctoral fellows and students.
Dr. Sztein is an accomplished investigator in the area of immunology of infectious diseases. As author and/or co-author of 172 peer-reviewed scientific articles and 36 chapters, meeting reports and monographs, Dr. Sztein is a recognized authority in the human host systemic and mucosal immune response to vaccination and the identification of immunological mechanisms of protection from infection in human and animal models, particularly in the field of infectious enteric diseases (e.g., those caused by S. Typhi S. Paratyphi A and B, Shigella, E. coli). Other areas of interest include studies of humoral, cell-mediated (CMI) and innate immunity in volunteers and animals exposed to wild-type organisms or immunized with candidate vaccines against malaria, influenza, tularemia and hepatitis.
Dr. Sztein has a consistent record of grant support from the NIH, industry and other agencies since 1983 and regularly serves as ad-hoc member or chair in Grant Review Panels of the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. He has recently completed a 4-year term as Standing Member of the Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research Committee (MIDRC), Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and AIDS Initial Review Group, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH (the study section responsible for reviewing K08, K22, K23, K24, K25, K99/R00, T32 and T35 applications). Moreover, he holds membership in numerous scientific societies, is actively involved in the organization of the National/International meetings and serves as reviewer in major peer-reviewed research journals.
Dr. Sztein has an extensive record of training successful scientists. Throughout his career he has mentored numerous students, fellows, and junior faculty. Virtually all of the post-doctoral trainees and fellows which he has mentored over the past 15 years continue to be involved in biomedical sciences in various capacities, including as faculty in US academic institutions, and CDC, FDA, the Naval Medical Research Center and industry. Most have secured career development awards and were the recipients of research grants from NIH and other funding agencies.
Research Interests:
Basic and translational models of infectious diseases, chiefly in the areas of vaccine development and host-pathogen interactions, are used in Dr. Sztein's laboratory to uncover the mechanisms underlying protective innate, cellular and antibody immune responses in volunteers and animals.
Current projects encompass studies to investigate systemic and mucosal innate and adaptive immune responses in volunteers participating in vaccine trials being conducted at the CVD and other sites, including underdeveloped countries. These trials involve the clinical testing of genetically engineered attenuated vaccine strains developed at the CVD and other institutions, such as attenuated S. Typhi and Shigella (alone or as carriers of foreign genes). Of particular importance, in collaboration with Dr. Pollard -Oxford, UK- and others, Dr. Sztein is performing in depth immunological studies using specimens from subjects orally challenged with wild-type S. Typhi, as well as subjects vaccinated with attenuated typhoid vaccine candidates followed by a challenge with wt S. Typhi.
Dr. Sztein is the principal investigator in an NIH Research Project Cooperative Agreement (U19) entitled "Mucosal Immunity, Vaccines and Microbiota Interplay in Humans and Animal Models", one the Cooperative Centers for Translational Research on Human Immunology and Biodefense (CCHI) NIAID network. The UMB CCHI research focuses on furthering our understanding of the protective immunological mechanisms that are elicited upon oral immunization in the gastrointestinal tract microenvironment. Moreover, the CCHI multidisciplinary team of investigators conducts pioneering studies on the interactions between the local intestinal microbiota and the host immunity following oral vaccination, as well as the development of novel technologies to advance and accelerate vaccine development in humans.
Immunological studies in other infectious diseases, including malaria, hepatitis B, influenza and tularemia, are also being performed by Dr. Sztein's team in immunized or naturally exposed subjects and in animal models. These investigations involve microorganisms relevant to bio-defense. The broad goal of these studies is to uncover the immune mechanisms of protection against infectious agents with the long-term goal of accelerating the development of effective vaccines.
Dr. Sztein's group has also been involved for over 2 decades in studies directed to unveil the mechanisms that might underlie the immunosuppression observed in patients with various infectious diseases and the mechanisms underlying decreased immunity to vaccination in elderly volunteers.
Finally, Dr. Sztein has participated for many years in international collaborative studies and is deeply committed to the training of investigators in underdeveloped nations. In this context, he has directed the establishment of a state-of-the-art immunology laboratory (that includes flow cytometry capabilities) at the University of Mali, Bamako and an immunology lab at the Bandiagara field site in Mali, West Africa, to study the immune responses of volunteers in malaria endemic areas.
Lab Techniques and Equipment:
State-of-the-art technologies (e.g., multichromatic flow cytometric analysis and sorting, ELISPOT, DNA microarrays, deep proteomics) are being used in Dr. Sztein's laboratories to study immune responses in animal models and humans, including cytokine production and receptor expression, biochemical pathways of lymphocyte activation, protein phosphorylation, lymphoproliferative responses, cytotoxic T cell activity, B memory responses, antibody secreting cell levels and their homing potential.
Advanced flow cytometry instrumentation includes (i) a Beckman-Coulter MoFlo Flow cytometer/cell sorter system equipped with three lasers, 10 ultra-high sensitivity PMTs plus an additional side scatter PMT and a forward scatter diode to collect light scatter parameters, a 4-Way sorting system which allows the simultaneous collection of 4 sorted populations, SortMaster and SortRescue Modules , an Ultra-high Speed Sorting Module, a Cyclone automated cell deposition unit allowing for the cloning of individual cells by depositing them into individual wells of multi-well tissue culture plates and an Aerosol Management Option (AMO). (ii) A custom Becton-Dickinson LSR-II Flow cytometer analyzer equipped with four lasers and 17 ultra-high sensitivity PMTs (e.g., capable of collecting 15/16 colors simultaneously) plus forward and side light scatter parameters, and (iii) A recently installed CyTOF Mass Cytometer. The DVS Sciences CyTOF Mass Cytometer is a revolutionary single-cell analyzer which uses mass spectrometry to allow the simultaneous detection of at least 35 metal-labeled antibodies and two DNA intercalators - one for cell identification and one for live/dead discrimination in a single panel. Unlike traditional flow cytometers, there is no overlap of the emission signals, which means there is no need for compensation and there is no background above the instrument noise. The CyTOF in our facility is equipped with an Autosampler, which can handle up to three 96-well plates.
Laboratory Personnel:
CVD Cellular Immunology Section & Flow Cytometry Core Laboratory
Job Openings:
Positions are available for postdoctoral fellows and graduate students wishing to join a multidisciplinary group that focuses on basic and translational studies in several models of infectious diseases directed to uncover the mechanisms underlying protective innate, cellular and antibody immune responses to a variety of microorganisms in volunteers and animals, chiefly in the areas of vaccine development and host-pathogen interactions.
Studies include working with specimens obtained from adults and elderly subjects immunized with genetically engineered strains of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and Shigella vaccine candidates, as well as immunized with malaria, hepatitis B, influenza and tularemia vaccines. Areas of study include antigen presentation, MHC-restriction, cloning and characterization of cytotoxic and helper T cells, identification of protective epitopes, role of dendritic and regulatory T cells, microarray profiling and manipulation of cytokine production patterns to elucidate their role in the induction of innate, systemic and mucosal immune responses to vaccination and the mechanisms of immunosenescence.
The Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) offers a unique environment to study cellular and molecular determinants of protection to infectious diseases in humans. The CVD, largely supported by NIH funding and private foundations, has earned an international reputation for genetically engineering and testing vaccines against typhoid, shigella, cholera and malaria. Based at the School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, the CVD was established in the mid-1970s as one of the first facilities to evaluate vaccines in community volunteers. It is one of only a handful of vaccine centers in the world engaged in the full range of vaccinology - from basic science through vaccine development, immunological studies, clinical evaluation and field studies. Contact Dr. Marcelo Sztein for additional information.


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FAR HILLS — Whether you're looking for a new wardrobe, to add to your home decor or just spend a nice day outside, you're likely to find that and then some at the Visiting Nurse Association's rummage sale this weekend.
The 92nd annual event is the oldest and largest of its kind in New Jersey, and is fueled solely by public donations. Held each year at the 75,000-square-foot Far Hills fairgrounds, the sale has more than 20 departments with merchandise for all ages.
Among the departments are furniture, clothing, music and movies, books, kitchen and household, toys, electronics, boutique clothing, vintage goods, and jewelry, among others. Click here for a complete tour and printable map of the sale.
In Previous years, the boutique tent drew Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo shoes for sale; the music tent had various musical instruments; and the book tent scored a few first-edition books by Mark Twain.
The sale kicks off Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Far Hills fairgrounds, Route 202 and Peapack Road, in Far Hills, and goes through Sunday, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Parking is free, but limited, so organizers stress carpooling or taking public transportation as the event typically draws more than 10,000 people over the course of the weekend.
All proceeds go directly back to support the VNA of Somerset Hills, which provides home-health and hospice care and other wellness services not covered by insurance.