#hi summer back to derailing your posts like a pro

[actual-changeling]

She doesn't even really notice she said it, probably too distracted thinking about Dina in a swimsuit to have any coherent thoughts outside of "Dina Dina Dina Joel Dina", so she keeps going, pacing around the living room because it helps her focus. She uses her hands to talk a lot, too, so it's convenient for Joel to no longer be in the danger zone of her enthusiastic motions; one more elbow to his face and he will probably lose what's left of his hearing.

Joel definitely tears up a little bit, sitting on the couch with his arm along the backrest, and freezes before breaking out of it with the biggest smile, so caught up in his bliss he only half hears the rest of the story.

While he fully intends to simply tuck that bit of information away, his mind keeps running circles around it, and he ends up asking that evening when Ellie is already curled up and drifting off in his arms. Holding her always makes him feel all sorts of things, warm, sad, filled with longing for Sarah, grieving the years of Ellie's life during which she was all alone, but today it just makes him float with a chest so light he doesn't even feel his heart beat.

"Best friend, huh?"

Joel is on his back, looking up at the ceiling, and he feels Ellie shift until she is in her usual Koala position that seems incredibly uncomfortable from the outside but knocks her out within seconds, her face pressed into his neck. He can feel her words ghost across his skin when he responds, lips brushing against it, and this time he does take them and gently places them right in the middle of his heart, safe for years to come.

"You mattered to me first."

this is so cheesy but idgaf we die cringe <3 so, ellie talks about dina all the time- ALL the time and joel thinks it's rather adorable so ellie has just finished describing in great detail her and dina's trip to the lake that afternoon when joel asks with a smile, "is dina your best friend?" and without missing a beat ellie shrugs and says, "no, you are." joel may or may not excuse himself to cry into a tissue

[aerodaltonimperial]

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT ANY OF THIS MEANS FOR HIS CAREER, BUT I AM VERY HAPPY YOUR MAN HAS RETURNED!!!!

TO BE HONEST NONE OF US DO RIGHT NOW BUT HERE IS WHAT I DO KNOW/THINK/EXPECT/HOPE/WILL DIE OVER:

new japan pro-wrestling and aew have a really close relationship. they even have a full PPV they run every summer where the talent crosses over for matches. there are quite a number of people on AEW's payroll who show up on NJPW for things - at times, AEW wrestlers have even had the NJPW belts. so this is certainly not at all a new thing, nor is it weird for him to be on both rosters.

now, is this a work? like, almost certainly. 90% sure lol. jack was one of the originals in AEW: like from the start of the company's creation. he is very close with the EVPs of the company. he's still liking all their social media posts. and there's no way this would have run without an okay from AEW given that it's A) referencing a very public, very messy situation, and B) the return that people have been waiting for for over 3 months. PLUS NJPW posted the video of him showing up last night and tagged AEW in it, so hahaha. definitely setting up a story!!

mostly i am just SO FUCKING HAPPY that he is back. that the sentient piece of feces didn't derail his career and everything he's ever wanted to do with his life, that he didn't give up on wrestling. that he's healthy and in the ring and STILL DOING THIS. and that he's taken this entire shithole situation and turned it into A STORY?? like he's digging so deep into this??? i'm just. really proud. i can't IMAGINE how hard it had to be to get back into the ring after all the media and all the speculation and all the FUCKING TWITTER COMMENTS and even the piece of excrement himself making comments on the opposing show. I MIGHT CRY AGAIN. he means the world to me lol and i can't wait to see where he takes this as he builds this story out, and also NOW I HAVE TO WATCH MORE WRESTLING which i would not do for almost anyone else because who has this time???? BUT FOR JACK PERRY, I WILL FUCKING MAKE TIME.

[nigeiadigitalmarketingcompany]

Links 8/1/19

Digital Elixir Links 8/1/19

Paragliding husky is totally chill during his adventure New York Post (furzy)

John Steinbeck: Did Nobel Prize-Winning Novelist Spy for the CIA in Paris? Daily Beast (furzy)

Orange is the new green: How orange peels revived a Costa Rican forest Princeton (Michael SF)

Instead of practicing, this AI mastered chess by reading about it MIT Technology Review (David L)

Researchers Develop Speedy Soft Robot That’s More Robust Than a Cockroach IEEE

Sony Plans to Release a Wearable Air Conditioner Next Year Core77. Resilc: “See, my global warming problem is fixed. USA USA.”

Greenland Is Melting Away Before Our Eyes Rolling Stone (Chuck L)

The Dying Art of Instruction in the Digital Classroom New York Review of Books. Resilc:

The combination of computer use, Internet, and smart phone, I would argue, has changed the cognitive skills required of individuals. Learning is more and more a matter of mastering various arbitrary software procedures that then allow information to be accessed and complex operations to be performed without our needing to understand what is entailed in those operations.

China?

Hong Kong protests: China military breaks silence to warn unrest should not be tolerated Guardian

US accuses Chinese billionaire of evading aluminium tariffs Financial Times

Russian army ordered to tackle massive wildfires BBC (David L)

Olga Misik: How teenage girl reading constitution in front of Putin’s riot police became a symbol of Russian resistance Independent (Kevin W)

Syraqistan

Oil Tankers Perform Vanishing Act in Hormuz as Tensions Escalate Bloomberg (furzy)

Iran mocks Pompeo’s offers to visit Politico (Kevin W)

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

DNC vs Wikileaks Court Case Ruling WSWS Glenn F: “Hadn’t heard about the case. The ruling may not bode well for the DNC and the extradition of Assange. From the post:

The judge labeled WikiLeaks an “international news organization” and said Assange is a “publisher,” exposing the liars in the corporate press who declare that Assange is not subject to free speech protections.

Facebook is funding brain experiments to create a device that reads your mind MIT Technology Review. Resilc: “What could go wrong?”

Cambridge, Massachusetts Moves To Ban Facial Recognition Gizmodo

Capital One Breach Said To Also Affect Other Major Companies TechCrunch

Everything Cops Say About Amazon’s Ring Is Scripted Or Approved By Ring Gizmodo

Imperial Collapse Watch

Pillars of nuclear arms control are teetering Financial Times (David L)

Stealth wars: China’s J-20 vs. USAF’s F-35 Asia Times . Resilc: “All it has to do is fly and it beats the F35.”

Trump Transition

“Have We No Decency?”: National Cathedral questions Americans’ silence over Trump’s racism Vox (David L)

Bulk of Trump’s U.S. farm aid goes to biggest and wealthiest… Reuters (resilc)

Trump Administration Plans To Allow Imports Of Some Prescription Drugs From Canada NPR. Um, I don’t read this as different than existing rules. The bar is against reimportation. This reads as if the supposed rule change allows importation of drugs similar to US drugs but not made in the US.

Sen. Rand Paul offers to buy “ungrateful” Rep. Ilhan Omar a ticket to Somalia. Slate UserFriendly: It might be my imagination but i5t feels like every time someone has a big ask for Trump he has them go defend his latest dumpster fire to the press and only gives it to them if they do it well.”

2020

Democratic debate: Biden dodges question on deportations under Obama BBC. #2 story on US edition.

This Is the Soul of the Democratic Party New Republic (resilc)

Via e-mail: DFA down on DEM DEBATE: “The real winner of tonight’s debate was Tuesday night’s debate.”

Joe Biden isn’t the only one being attacked tonight. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard didn’t hold back when she took on Sen. Kamala Harris’ criminal justice record. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/7eZE6v6ZHW

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 1, 2019

Twitter is censoring @TulsiGabbard from appearing in United States trends. I got her to appear on worldwide trends but with over 113k tweets she should have been on one of my US trends lists. Tulsi Gabbard needs to address this like she did with Google.#Tulsi2020 #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/YySD1rMtHR

— Currie Dobson (@Ventuckyspaz) August 1, 2019

CNN Tried to Derail Sanders and Warren Last Night. It Failed. Truthout (furzy)

Senate Democrats see Warren, Sanders proposals as unfeasible The Hill. So those Dems need to go.

>Why Millennial Socialists Aren’t Into Elizabeth Warren Atlantic (resilc)

Kamala Harris’s Phony Medicare for All Plan Jacobin (furzy)

Taibbi in Iowa: Dems Are Repeating GOP’s 2016 Primary-Season Errors Rolling Stone. Resilc: “It is un-Amerikin to learn from history.”

Pro-impeachment ad with Mueller to run during Democratic debates Reuters. EM:

LOL – As soon as I saw the headline I thought to myself, ‘this sounds like a Tom Steyer stunt’. Even after the debacle-for-the-pro-impeachers that was the recent Mueller testimony, the deluded True Believers just can’t help themselves. Perfectly happy to see Steyer waste more of his money on this nonsense, however!

L’affaire Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein, Trump’s Mentor and the Dark Secrets of the Reagan Era MintPress

Jeffrey Epstein Trial Will Have a Million Pages of Evidence, Lawyers Tell Court Daily Beast (furzy)

Police State Watch

Following Another Water Incident, Assemblymen Propose Law Making Disrespecting Police A Felony CBS New York. Resilc: “I love my local stormtrooper.”

Marital infidelity and professional misconduct linked, study shows ScienceDaily and People who cheat on their partners more than twice as likely to engage in workplace misconduct, study claims Independent (Dr. Kevin)

Businesses struggle for survival in US coal country Financial Times

FTC Says ‘You Will Be Disappointed’ if You Choose $125 For Equifax Payout The Verge

Opinion: Central bankers now must cut interest rates to compensate for politicians’ mistakes MarketWatch. By Raghuram G. Rajan, former Governor of the Central Bank of India who gave the famed presentation at the 2005 Jackson Hole conference that concluded that financial “innovation” increased risk. He stood up to being hooted down by everyone in the room, including Larry Summers, who called him a Luddite. So this will get some attention. But as resilc pointed out, “Incentivized mistakes. USA USA.”

The Opioid Crisis Is About More Than Corporate Greed New Republic (resilc)

Lyft is halting its e-bike program in San Francisco after two bikes mysteriously erupted in flames BusinesInsider (David L)

Powell fails to bend yield curve to his will Financial Times

Guillotine Watch

Drugmakers to pay $70 million over deals to keep cheap generics off the market ars technica (Dr. Kevin)

Drugmakers’ Alleged Price-Fixing Pushed a Needed Pill Out of Reach Bloomberg (resilc)

In 1980, life expectancy was the same in the US, UK, Germany, and France.

Now it’s 3-4 years lower in the US, and it is falling.

That’s in a country that spends almost twice as much on health care than every other nation. pic.twitter.com/nOUatLPy17

— Gabriel Zucman (@gabriel_zucman) July 31, 2019

Class Warfare

IBM Fired Up to 100,000 Older Employees to Make Room for Millennials, Lawsuit Alleges Fortune (David L)

IBM Fired as Many as 100,000 in Recent Years, Lawsuit Shows Bloomberg

Antidote du jour (furzy):

And a bonus:

I’ve discovered camel barbering and my life will never be the same. pic.twitter.com/M0sAuAGsIb

— Claude T. Hector (@TlntdMrHector) July 28, 2019

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

Links 8/1/19

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[northeastern-deirdredunham]

I’m okay, are U K?

I’ve always said if I wasn’t so into engineering, I would love to create the names of items on Modcloth. They are always such awful puns and if you’ve followed my blog over the past year and a half, you know I’m into it too.

Actually, I’m better than okay. I recently made a very impulse decision to go on a dialogue this summer to the UK! The program is studying bio inspired design for 5 weeks in Oxford, UK. The program is a mix of two classes- Engineering in Nature taught by my former biomechanics professor, Sandra Shefelbine, and Innovation taught by her husband.

What’s a dialogue?

No, it’s not a casual conversation or discourse. Here at Northeastern, we have this super cool program through GEO called Dialogues of Civilization. Our president, President Aoun, is huge into getting his students to see the world and embrace other cultures. A Dialogue facilitates that initiative by sending a group of ~20 Northeastern students and a professor to a foreign country for ~5 weeks over the summer to focus studies on one particular subject. 

Why not just study abroad?

For my year of my major, study abroad isn’t really an option unless we want to just take 4 random classes. Fear not, it’s very possible for other engineers or for other years of the BioE class...just not so much for my guinea pig first year class. But besides that roadblock, there are some other pros about dialogues:

- This is a great study abroad if you have commitment/FOMO issues to a full four months of being away

- You get credit for two classes for the trip which are great for filling up electives or finding something interesting you’ve always wanted to study but never had time for

- You’re with Northeastern students and professors so you don’t need to say goodbye to the community you formed while you were abroad

In the summer?

Yup! Northeastern has two summer sessions that run- Summer I and Summer II. When you start going on co-op, your co-op will run into one of these summer sessions, and depending on credits you come in with, or your major, you may need to take classes for the summer. Why not go take them in England? Like, am I right?

And you decided to do this...impulsively?

Let me say, I make my best decisions last minute and after midnight. Essentially, some things changed in my curriculum and in a panic I emailed two people - my academic adviser and a professor who’s opinion i valued highly, Professor Shefelbine. While my adviser pulled strings in the background to help keep my mental plan on track, Prof. Shefelbine totally derailed it and mentioned to me that she would be leading this dialogue that fit my interests perfectly and there were still a few spots left if I wanted to go.

She was right, bioinspired design is exactly my field of interest, encompassing prosthetics and biomimicry. In short, the goal is to observe what nature has spent an eternity fine tuning and adapting, and apply those designs and contacts to inorganic and engineered projects. Think something like sticky gloves to help you scale a wall like a gecko...cool stuff. If anyone wants to hear more about biomimicry, shoot me a message. I’ll stop geeking out now.

ANYWAY. So while Prof. Shefelbine was right, I had my mental plan so well laid out (see precursor post about planning). My adviser got back to me and told me that I was all set to keep going on my merry little way without a change if I wanted...but now I wasn’t sure. I felt I would regret letting the opportunity slide by now that I knew it existed. So when Prof. Shefelbine emailed me at 11:45pm letting me know there was one spot left if I wanted it, I pulled the trigger and applied.

And now, here I am!

How long and when will you be gone?

Well, Boston friends, I won’t really be taking up residence in the city again until September- isn’t that weird to think about?

I’ll be gone from July 9th-August 19th, and probably then some to do some extra traveling. 

----------------------------------------------------

I’m incredibly excited to have this opportunity that I never thought I would have, and with a professor I really like and a subject matter that is fascinating to me as well!

I guess my #HAAroundTheWorld postcard is about to get a lot more use!!

Pip pip cheerio!

Have any questions about impulsively studying abroad, college, or life in general? Message me on this blog or email me at

dunham.de@husky.neu.edu

Until next time, stay pawsome!

-D

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Why it pays to hire people from nontraditional backgrounds (Business Insider) Cookson Adventures is a luxury travel company run by employees who have no experience in the travel industry. But that’s how CEO Adam Sebba planned it. Bringing in people with diverse and eclectic backgrounds helps the company stand out from competitors and attract new customers, he says. Sebba also discourages his employees from attending travel trade shows; instead, they attend science lectures, film screenings, archaeological seminars and art exhibitions. “If you want to truly do something new, there’s no cookie-cutter person you can hire ready to hit the ground running,” he writes. “Take calculated risks when you hire people. Prize transferable skills above industry experience.”

Rising costs, rising debt for middle class (LI) The rising costs associated with maintaining a middle-class lifestyle are pushing American middle-class families further in debt, says The Wall Street Journal. In the past three decades, the median household income has risen 14%--while average house prices soared 290%. With wage growth failing to keep up with the rising costs of college, cars, medical care and housing, people are increasingly turning to financing where other generations might have bought outright, notes the Journal.

Train Derails in Canada’s Alberta, Causes Evacuation (Reuters) A train derailed in Canada’s southern Alberta province on Friday, prompting an evacuation of nearby residents for fear of chemical exposure and disrupting road and highway access, the Alberta government said.

Puerto Rico Governor Resigns as Promised; Successor Sworn In (AP) Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resigned Friday as promised, clearing the way for veteran politician Pedro Pierluisi to be sworn in as his replacement, a move that threw the U.S. territory into a period of fresh political uncertainty.

Mexico Gas Pipeline Leak Causes Evacuation of 2,000 (AP) A gas leak apparently caused by an illegal pipeline tap led authorities to evacuate about 2,000 people Friday in a rural community just north of Mexico City.

Maduro Says He ‘Repudiates’ Trump Statement on Possible Venezuela Blockade (Reuters) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday said he rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement about a possible blockade of the South American country, adding that its seas would remain “free and independent.”

Europe’s hottest month ever (Bloomberg) Heat scorched Western Europe this July in what will likely be confirmed as the hottest month in recorded history, according to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization. “This is not your grandfather’s summer,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez said. The Netherlands and Belgium exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for the first time last month, and the U.K. set a new record of 38.7 Celsius (101.7 Fahrenheit). The blistering conditions have since moved north, melting parts of Greenland at rates faster than 2012, the worst year on record.

The Dutch burqa ban (FP) A ban on face coverings in public spaces in the Netherlands took effect on Thursday, but it appears that no one is observing it: Both police and transport authorities have been reluctant to enforce the rule, which requires wearers to remove the banned clothing or face a fine.

U.S. pulls out of Soviet-era nuclear missile pact with Russia (Reuters) The United States formally withdrew from a landmark nuclear missile pact with Russia on Friday after determining that Moscow was in violation of the treaty, something the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.

Moscow braces for another Saturday protest (FP) Another opposition rally is planned for Saturday in Moscow, where protesters are pushing authorities to hold a free and fair city council election after 16 candidates were blocked from running in the September vote. (One of the candidates has threatened weekly protests.) Ahead of the rally, at least five activists were arrested and Russian authorities have made clear that they intend to make more arrests. Meanwhile, the opposition leader Alexei Navalny has filed an official complaint alleging that he was poisoned in custody on Sunday. (The government hospital where he was treated for an allergic reaction maintains he tested negative for poison.)

Civil servants protest in Hong Kong (FP) Today, members of Hong Kong’s civil service will join the ongoing anti-government demonstrations in the city in what is expected to be a calm but significant act of protest. The protest by government workers follows a demonstration by finance workers on Thursday and comes as Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam faces pressure from the Chinese government to end the protests, which have become increasingly violent. Authorities also arrested Andy Chan, the leader of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party on Thursday. Chan was defiant, telling his supporters, “Do not be afraid of being arrested. There is only the path forward, there is no turning back.”

Strong Earthquake Kills at Least One in Indonesia (Reuters) A powerful undersea earthquake that struck off the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java has killed at least one person and briefly displaced more than 1,000 coastal-dwellers who feared a tsunami, Indonesia’s disaster agency said on Saturday.

Beijing Says Progress on China-Australia Ties ‘Unsatisfactory’ (Reuters) The progress of repairing China-Australia ties, strained over Canberra’s concerns about Chinese influence in its domestic affairs, has been “unsatisfactory,” said China’s top diplomat after meeting his Australian counterpart.

Aoun warns Lebanese of ‘tough’ measures unless economic sacrifices made (Reuters) President Michel Aoun warned Lebanese on Thursday of the risk of harsh financial measures from international institutions unless sacrifices are made to save the country from economic crisis. Lebanon is grappling with one of the world’s heaviest public debt burdens and years of low economic growth.

Western sanctions push war-weary Syrians deeper into poverty (AP) Mohammed Haji Abed drives his yellow taxi through the busy streets of the Syrian capital for about 12 hours a day, toiling in the sweltering summer heat but earning barely enough for his family of five to get by. It was easier for him to make ends meet at the height of his country’s civil war, when rebels regularly lobbed mortars into Damascus from their strongholds on the outskirts of the city. In the past year, as the Trump administration tightened sanctions on Syria and re-imposed sanctions on its chief regional ally, Iran, living conditions have become steadily worse, compounding the daily struggles of a worn-out population that has lived through eight years of conflict. Eight out of 10 Syrians live below the poverty line, making less than $100 a month, according to the U.N.

Saudi Arabia works to repair its reputation (CJR) Less than a year after agents working for the Saudi Arabian royal family reportedly killed and dismembered Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, the country says it will hold a media forum aimed at repairing its reputation. That will be difficult; according to the Post, the number of journalists in prison in Saudi Arabia has tripled in the two years since Mohammed bin Salman took power.

At Least 5 Dead in Flash Flooding in Sierra Leone’s Capital (AP) At least five people are dead after flash flooding hit Sierra Leone’s capital on Friday amid torrential rains, mortuary sources said. More rain was expected as some residents feared possible mudslides like ones that devastated parts of Freetown two years ago.

In Zimbabwe, the Water Taps Run Dry and Worsen ‘a Nightmare’ (NYT) Most residents in the country’s capital only get running water once a week, leading to serpentine queues at municipal boreholes across the city. Zimbabwe’s acute water shortage is a result of a particularly bad drought this year. Poor water management has wasted much of the water that remains. Two of Harare’s four reservoirs are empty from lack of rain, but between 45 and 60 percent of the water that’s left is lost through leakage and theft, said Herbert Gomba, the mayor of Harare. But the water crisis is only a microcosm of Zimbabwe’s malaise. Years of mismanagement under Robert Mugabe, who governed Zimbabwe for 37 years until he was finally ousted in 2017, have left the economy in tatters. Residents are battling daily blackouts that last between 15 and 18 hours; shortages of medicine, fuel and bank notes; and inflation of more than 175 percent.

[softspotforstars]

With all I’ve had going on lately (overnight horse show + beach + catching up at work after taking time off for those two things), I need to post an update on some smaller items.

I think I’ve casually mentioned a couple of times over the summer that I’ve been working on losing weight/working out/becoming healthier. Back in June I started a fairly intense weight loss/exercise program at our local rec center. It was free if you qualified (residence and BMI requirements pretty much) and included two trainer led group workouts on Monday/Wednesday, a nutrition class on Tuesday, and we were required to do at least one hour of exercise on our own in the center.

Cute Joey pic bc no one wants to see my sweaty post gym selfies 😉 

I ended up making myself do an hour of extra exercise almost every day that we didn’t have class (so basically Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun) instead of just an hour a week. This means that I didn’t get much riding in this summer, but honestly, it was worth it. My idea of an hour of exercise equals an hour on the treadmill at 3mph with the incline set up enough to feel the burn…while watching Reign on Netflix to distract myself from said burn. It worked. I started out being wore out after one mile, and ended the program easily completing 3.1 (or a 5K, I’ve learned haha) at various incline levels.

To date, I’ve lost 30 pounds since June and several inches (though only .5 off of my calves…never gonna be able to do off the shelf tall boots…lol). I can actually comfortably wear and REMOVE my wedding band and my engagement ring for the first time in 4 years or so. I haven’t worn them for over a year until this month, so that was an accomplishment. All of my clothes are loose…even some stretchy “skinny” jeans that I used to love. Luckily I’m a hoarder and held onto all of my clothes while I gained all of this weight, so I have an entire wardrobe of outfits ready for the way back down the sizes.

These weird pants fit again.

Ate a ton of these this summer, dreading my plants dying.

On the health side of the weight loss, my a1c dropped from the beginning of pre-diabetic, 5.7, to a more healthy 5.2. The program included free bloodwork at the beginning and end to accurately track your progress, which was super neat. All of my other numbers dropped slightly as well, but that one is the most dramatic. I feel a lot better and I don’t get out of breath from walking up steps anymore, which is also a great thing. My BMI dropped from 38 to 33. The program was also a competition, and I won second place for most weight lost. My next door neighbor beat me by 3 or 4 pounds for first place.

As an aside, my handsome husband has lost 90 lbs since last year. He was much earlier to the get healthy game than I was and his support (and pro level cooking) is why I was so successful this summer.

As far as goal weights go, I’m kind of meh. I’d really like to not be classified as obese, so that would mean getting down to around the 180 range, which is my first of 2018 goal. It does seem that the weight isn’t shedding as easily now that the program is over and I’m working out solo, so that might not be as attainable as I’d like it to be. I don’t want to weigh what I weighed when Jason and I started dating-I feel like I looked too thin at 140. I think my ideal weight (in my head at this point) would be a more fit 160ish. I’m honestly not upset with how I look now at 206, but the psychological side of being over 200 lbs is frustrating.

We also had 5 year anniversary pictures taken on the farm. 🙂 

That being said, I’m not super great at setting goals. I feel like, especially with horse goals, you’re almost asking for something to go wrong to derail your progress, hence why I didn’t establish any this year. I think in hindsight they would’ve been something like:

Horse goals:

successfully treat Copper’s lyme disease- complete

halter break/train Joey to do all the basic things- complete

tie

bathe

clip

trailer (still need to work on the stepping up on his own part)

haul Joey to a show (I was thinking much smaller than what we actually accomplished here)- complete

RR October Fun Show (can’t go, hosting a bridal shower)

Trail ride Paige- once so far, more pending 

Ride Copper in lessons to prepare for dressage shows- hah, has not happened

Lessons- pending

Personal goals:

lose weight- down 30 lbs

read more- I read one book at the beach? haha

chip away at #30before30 – I did a couple things?!

  My last random fun thing to mention is that MC came back down this past weekend (I know, she can’t get enough of me lately haha) to run the Hokie Half Marathon at our alma mater. This was already planned prior to our beach trip. She brought her boyfriend, who Jason and I REALLY like, and her two dogs to stay overnight at our house. Dexter and Turbo played super well together since they are both small and young. Toby really wanted to play with Ariel, but she’s so socially awkward in the face of new people that she mostly pretended to be a pillow on the couch for the duration of the visit, as expected.

While we were at the beach I mentioned to MC that I’d like to have anniversary pictures taken of Jason and I since it was our 5 year anniversary this year and she volunteered her boyfriend to do the honors since they were coming in the next weekend. I love the pictures he got and am struggling to pic a favorite, so here are a few of them:

  Tuesday Randoms With all I've had going on lately (overnight horse show + beach + catching up at work after taking time off for those two things), I need to post an update on some smaller items.

[creditrestart-blog1]

New Credit Report Criteria Questions and Considerations; Telephone Usage in Underwriting?

New Credit Report Criteria Questions and Considerations; Telephone Usage in Underwriting?

The Fed reported US household net worth (total asset value minus total liability value) jumped to a record $92.8 trillion in Q4 driven by stock market strength and higher home prices. Some will argue that neither directly help most Millennials. Lenders are very attuned to net worth and income, so this caught my eye: tongues are wagging about how USA Hockey pays women who compete in the Olympics only $1,000 per month during the six months every four years that the women play. What the heck?

Recently announced debt and the credit report changes are generating lots of questions.  Rather than change underwriting criteria, starting this summer credit reports will exclude certain negative information. This, of course, will boost credit scores. The changes will improve credit scores for millions of consumers, but may pose risks for lenders and investors of course. Some liken it to lowering food or water cleanliness standards, or car insurance companies not looking at speeding tickets more than a year old.

Per the Consumer Data Industry Association, the three major credit-reporting firms (Equifax Inc., Experian PLC and TransUnion) will stop collecting and reporting many tax liens and civil judgments, thereby omitting negative information from their reports. What the public sees are stories like this one from the Chicago Tribune: New Credit Policy: Good for Consumers, Worrisome for Lenders.

What’s causing it? “The unusual move by the influential firms comes partially in response to regulatory concerns. The firms will remove that information from borrowers if those data don’t include a complete list of at least three data points: a person’s name, address and either a social security number or date of birth. Many liens and most judgments don’t include all three or four. This change will apply to new tax-lien and civil-judgment data that are added to credit reports as well as existing data on the reports. The CFPB earlier this month released a report citing problems it found while examining credit bureaus and changes it is requiring. Issues the agency cited included improving standards for public-records data by using better identity-matching criteria and updating records more frequently. Inaccurate information on credit reports, especially if it is negative information, can derail consumers from being able to gain access to credit and even lead to other setbacks like not being able to rent an apartment or get a job.”

“In 2015, the credit-reporting firms reached a settlement with New York’s attorney general over several practices, including how they handle errors. This was followed by one with another 31 states. One more state, Mississippi, followed last year. The state settlements already had prompted the credit-reporting firms to remove several negative data sets from reports. These included non-loan related items that were sent to collections firms, such as gym memberships, library fines and traffic tickets. The firms also must remove medical-debt collections that have been paid by a patient’s insurance company from credit reports by 2018.”

Good for LOs, sure, and lenders striving for volume, but it increases the risks for lenders who might not be able to accurately assess borrowers’ default risk since they will have less information. “Consumers with liens or judgments are twice as likely to default on loan payments, per LexisNexis Risk Solutions, a unit of RELX Group that supplies public-record information to the big three credit bureaus and lenders. ‘It’s going to make someone who has poor credit look better than they should,’ said John Ulzheimer, a credit specialist and former manager at Experian and credit-score creator FICO. ‘Just because the lien or judgment information has been removed and someone’s score has improved doesn’t mean they’ll magically become a better credit risk.'”

(As a reminder, civil judgments include cases in which collection firms take borrowers to court over an unpaid debt. Nearly all judgments will be removed and about half of tax liens will be removed from credit reports because of the changed approach. In addition, if public court records aren’t checked for updates on lien and judgment information at least every 90 days, they will have to be removed from credit reports. Lenders will still be able to check public records on their own to find this information.)

Sun West has updated its manual underwriting guidelines specifically for the review of a borrower’s credit. The updated guidelines include additional information on how various risk factors associated with a borrower’s credit are analyzed during a manual underwriting review.

Plaza’s Elite Jumbo Fixed and Arm program has been updated to allow DTI to 43% on ARM products along with other updates intended to provide clarification in other areas.

What about telephone usage in underwriting? A study found that those making more phone calls in the weeks leading up to applying for a loan were less likely to default. This could be a result of the potential borrower perhaps scouting business opportunities. Further, the data found that the more calls one makes likely means the person has a larger social network and quite possibly has access to more resources to repay a loan. In the end, the study concluded that the predictive nature of this approach gets close to traditional credit scoring means. Perhaps that is why this sort of data measurement is fast becoming a big business.

The industry noticed when Fair Isaac Corp signed a deal with Lenddo (a company specializing in smartphone data analysis for creditworthiness) and EFL to help process loans in Russia and India. Further, Bloomberg reports startup Juvo has teamed up recently with Liberty Global’s Cable & Wireless Communications to analyze mobile phone data for credit risk in 15 Caribbean markets. Meanwhile, Equifax is doing the same type of data analysis in Latin America. There are literally dozens of fledgling startups now competing in this space.

A deeper analysis of cell phone data analysis also finds other interesting things. The data includes more than just the number of calls and text messages. It also incorporates when calls and texts were sent and received, as well as how that data is relative to when a loan was requested. Cell phones aren’t the only new frontier here however. Companies are also analyzing web browsing and social media activity to see if credit determinations surface.

Customer data collection has been brought up with the new HMDA requirements, and how banks leverage it to make potential decisions, but it certainly is interesting. Keep your eyes open in the future for these sorts of things to begin to make their way into the world of US banking activities.

Capital Markets

It was oddly quiet Thursday in the bond (and stock) markets, post-Fed decision, although we gave back some of the gains from Wednesday. US investors remain intensely focused on the progression of Ryan’s health care bill – if the repeal/replace process stays stalled investors will begin moderating expectations for realization of other pieces of the pro-growth agenda (namely tax reform). Ryan plans to have a full House vote by the end of next week – if his bill fails (or the vote gets postponed indefinitely) that would mark a major setback (even if it gets out of the House passage in the Senate w/o major revisions seems very unlikely).

Perhaps investors are content with rates where they are for the time being. And there is little news of substance today (Industrial Production & Capacity Utilization, and a series of University of Michigan survey stats) and we have the 10-year yielding 2.52% and agency MBS prices better by a few ticks versus last night’s close.

Jobs and Announcements

In retail job news, “Following its record-breaking growth in 2016, which included the opening of new branches, a new operations center and the addition of over 120 employees company-wide, New America Financial Corporation continues to expand its sales force of Loan Originators in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and DC.  With in-house underwriting and processing, along with our innovative “underwrite to process” platform, Loan Originators can obtain a clear to close in just eight days, giving them a distinctive edge over their competition.  As New America Financial continues to expand its footprint along the east coast, the company is seeking energetic and experienced LOs and Branch Managers. For information about exciting career opportunities, contact Debbie Rappaport, Director of Recruitment or visit NAFCareers.

The Correspondent Lending Division of Envoy Mortgage recently announced the hiring of 3 new Regional Account Managers to handle its latest growth. The new Regional Account Managers include Nicolle Nelson (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado & Utah), Steve Williams (California & Nevada), and Joe Collins (Texas & Oklahoma). The new team of Regional Account Managers will be responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships in their respective territories. Todd Potter, SVP, National Sales Manager, said “Nicolle, Steve and Joe are each uniquely gifted in many ways. We are excited to see each of their talents at work here at Envoy Mortgage.” Envoy Mortgage was named as 2017’s Top Rated Mortgage Employer by National Mortgage Professional Magazine. For more information about Envoy CLD visit www.envoycld.com.  

National MI is excited to welcome two new additions to its sales team, “expanding as other MI companies are contracting. Grant Block joins in the newly created position of National Account Director. With 20+ years of experience in the lending industry, he has already begun to make an impact, providing support at several accounts that are both national and regional in their composition. Rob Melton joins the sales team as an Account Manager in the Southeast Region. Rob has varied mortgage insurance experience, and is committed to superior customer service and professionalism. He’ll cover the South Carolina and Western North Carolina markets for National MI.”

SecurityNational Mortgage Company (SNMC) is among the TOP 50 mortgage lenders in the country and is “looking for LIKE-MINDED people to join the team. SNMC is currently looking for producing Branch Managers that want to take the next step as an Area Manager in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. Security National is on solid ground and has been in the financial business for over 50 years and is backed by a public traded parent company, Security National Financial Corporation, (SNFCA-NASDAQ). The company is approved with FNMA, FHLMC, and offers many non-agency products, superior customer service, in-house processing and underwriting, a full-service marketing and advertising department, full employee benefits, and aggressive compensation packages. The company has won a variety awards including the Best of State, Top Places to Work, Scotsman Guide ‘Top Mortgage Lender’, CEO of the Year, Sales and Marketing Team of the Year (SAMY Award), and more. If you are interested in making a transition to a solid, growing company contact Justin Pater (801-864-2240) – the transition is EASY and POTENTIAL is truly, unlimited.”

There is less than a week remaining to register: 2017 is the year of mortgage tech integration. Is your LO team ready? Join me on Thursday, March 23rd at 1-2pm ET for my webinar “The Future of Mortgage Technology.” Loan officers are placing increasing demands on the technologies they rely on to grow their businesses. At the same time, they are experiencing “tool fatigue” as inboxes fill with pitches for products that promise end-to-end nirvana. But most LOs will tell you they don’t need new tools, they just want the great platforms they already use to talk to each other. Moderated by tech industry veteran and Floify CMO, Holly Hamann, I’ll share insights on how the fusion of mortgage tech will impact LOs, which processes will be affected first, and what new skill sets you’ll need on your teams.

New Credit Report Criteria Questions and Considerations; Telephone Usage in Underwriting? Credit ReStart