Earlier this summer, five regional title insurance underwriters reported their decision to join forces and form the American Title Reinsurance Alliance (ATRA). The Agents include National Title Insurance, Alliant National Title Insurance, Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance, and Security Title Guarantee—and more may be joining the fold.
What’s behind this alliance, and what are the pros—and cons? Is it a game changer?
First, the background: These companies are underwriters that issue title insurance policies. Title insurance agents provide title insurance policies to clients –such as purchasers of real estate and lenders financing real estate deals — through such underwriters. When real estate was booming, prior to the recession, the number of underwriters grew substantially. However, when the real estate market crashed, some underwriters went out of business. Big underwriters also took the opportunity to buy out smaller underwriters, consolidating the market further. Smaller, regional underwriters were left to compete against a handful of giants.
ATRA Alliance Positions Regional Underwriters To Better Compete
Consolidation in a market resulted in less competition. Additionally, big underwriters increased exclusions demonstrated a reluctance to insure certain kinds of transactions. With fewer underwriters and more exclusions, these five regional underwriters formed an alliance to form a powerful group, better able to compete with the largest underwriters.
Is it a game changer? That remains to be seen. Certainly, title agencies benefit from having a variety of willing title insurance underwriters to ensure they are able to insure even the largest and most complex transactions. Greater choice and a competitive landscape is also typically good for clients.
Possible cons? Questions include how well the corporate cultures of ATRA’s members will blend. How will the five firms, which have been functioning in regional markets, operate cooperatively in states with varying regulations and statutes? These and other questions abound. This alliance will provide a very interesting scenario to watch as it unfolds.


Quality is Key
LIDAR captures a wealth of valuable information about the world. In order to maximise value from this data, it needs to be processed using a range of geospatial tools and techniques. Due to the large size of LIDAR datasets, it is often necessary to use cloud computing and parallel processing systems for validation, testing, and reporting of LIDAR point clouds. Some of the aspects to consider when working with LIDAR data include point density, the device scan angle, horizontal and vertical accuracy, and flight line overlap.


University of Oxford | African Studies Centre | HT 2017
The Horn of Africa Seminar brings together students and scholars interested in examining the region from a multidisciplinary and comparative perspective. This term, the seminar will look at a variety of issues, including the history of South Sudan, opposition in Ethiopia, dynamics of state formation and decay across the Horn of Africa, and practices of representativeness amongst Muslims in Kenya. By hosting lectures by experienced researchers alongside post-graduates, and by mixing academic and policy research, we hope to come to a shared, factually informed and politically relevant understanding of trends in the region.
Except where otherwise noted, the seminar takes place on Tuesdays at 5.00 pm in the Seminar Room, at the African Studies Centre (13 Bevington Road, OX2 6LH).
|January 24 – Martin Plaut (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)|
|Ethiopia and Eritrea: an enduring animosity?
–Discussion and book launch for Understanding Eritrea: Inside Africa’s most repressive state
|February 2* – Douglas Johnson (Independent)|
|Writing a new history for South Sudan: whose history and for whom?
–Discussion and book launch for South Sudan: A New History for a New Nation
*Pavilion Room, St Antony’s College, with the African Studies Seminar
|February 7 – Hassan Mwakimako (Pwani University College)|
|What Is Supreme about the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM): Challenging the practices of representativeness amongst Muslims in Kenya|
|February 20* – Laura Mann (LSE)|
|Ideology and Strategy: Understanding the Relationship Between Politics and Economy in Sudan
*Seminar Room 2, Queen Elizabeth House, with the African History & Politics Seminar
|February 28 – Christopher Clapham (Cambridge)|
|Discussion and book launch for The Horn of Africa: State Formation and Decay|
|March 7 – Terje Ostebo (University of Florida)|
|Religion and ethnicity as venues of opposition in Ethiopia|
No prior registration is required to attend the seminar, but masters and doctoral students are encouraged to sign up to the online list of graduates working on the Horn of Africa: http://goo.gl/qtv30E
If you would like to present your own research at a future seminar, please write to the convener:
Jason Mosley (email@example.com)


The Australian OSPAs 2018
Date: Thursday 18th October 2018
Location: Doltone House, Hyde Park, Sydney.
Time: 18:30 – 22:30
Key dates to remember
- 1 July 2018 – Nominations open
- 31 August 2018 – Nominations close
- 18 October 2018 – award winners announced
OSPAs events are also being developed in many other countries and regions across the world. When these schemes are open, links to their events will be accessible from this page.


Noah’s Place Farm is nestled at the foot of the north mountain in the beautiful Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. Since 2001 our fibre farm has been taking shape. We began with three angora goats. Now our barn houses 40 sheep and lambs as well as 20+ goats, 2 donkeys, 4 ducks, 12 chickens, 2 pigs.
Twice a year the sheep and angora goats are shorn and their fibre is processed for sale and for use at home. Raw fleece, washed and carded batts, pencil rovings and spun blends in natural and dyed colours is available. The sheep are a mix of purebred shetland, pure cotswold, pure canadian finn and crosses of these breeds.
Currently the fibre is sold at our home shop, the Annapolis Royal Market and the Maritime Spinners retreat.


city of positano
Positano is a village and comune on the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana), in Campania, Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast.
Positano was a port of the Amalfi Republic in medieval times, and prospered during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to America. Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the twentieth century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isnâ€™t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."
The church of Santa Maria Assunta features a dome made of majolica tiles as well as a thirteenth-century Byzantine icon of a black Madonna. According to local legend, the icon had been stolen from Byzantium and was being transported by pirates across the Mediterranean. A terrible storm had blown up in the waters opposite Positano and the frightened sailors heard a voice on board saying "Posa, posa!" ("Put down! Put down!"). The precious icon was unloaded and carried to the fishing village and the storm abated. Positano has been featured in several films, including Only You (1994), and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), as well as more recently in Kath & Kimderella (2012) and being mentioned in the 2009 musical film Nine in the song "Cinema Italiano". It also hosts the annual Cartoons on the Bay Festival, at which Pulcinella awards for excellence in animation are presented. From July 1967 and through most of the 1970s, Positano was home to singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips and where most of his best-known work was composed. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation.


We have recently ventured away from Cambridge and took some time out in Thailand. We are local roofers through and through, but everyone needs a break! The place is brilliant, we loved it. It inspired us to write an article on their roofs and how they differ to the UK roofs!
Anyone who has ever visited Thailand will remember the distinctive traditional roofs. From a distance, these steep peaks with their pointed gables are eye-catching and beautiful. We see them everywhere, from local traditional Thai houses to the ornate Grand Palace of Bangkok. The roof is a hallmark of Thai architecture, a marvel at the very heart of the nation. But what makes them so unique?
Form Follows Function
In the harsh, cold reaches of Scandinavia, roofs are built steep, so that the snow slides off; while in arid Africa, roofs are built flat. Put simply; form follows function. A building must conform to the needs of the environment, or it will not survive.
As such, Thai roofs are steep, with some angles exceeding 45 degrees. A steep roof ensures that during the heavy rains – which can exceed 30 centimetres – the roof does not collect water, and the building remains undamaged. Additionally, most traditional their houses lack a ceiling, so warm air can rise and escape. Thus, keeping the building cool, despite the warm climate.
Types of Traditional Thai Roofs
Typically, Thai roofs are made from terracotta tiles, teak shingles, palm leaf thatch, wood chip, metal roofing sheets (corrugated), or dried grasses. Though the roof is a distinctive part of Thai architecture, they can differ from region to region. In the more arid north, Thai roofs are a gentler slope, while in the south, roofing is steep and large, to deal with the barrage of heavy rain and wind.
However, there are four main types of roof:
- Gabled roofs: The traditional roof of Thailand, has a steep concave shape and is mostly found in the central region. It is designed for the short bouts of heavy rain.
- Hipped roofs: Also known as Panya roofs, these are usually used in palaces or governmental buildings. There is a strong Western influence. The ‘panlom’ or bargeboard rises to a point and denotes importance. See Sanphret Prasat Palace.
- Hipped-gable roof: Also known as gambrel or Manila roofs, they are commonly used by Thai Muslims in the south. They have a hipped form, with gables halfway up the slope on a couple of sides, to improve ventilation.
- Double-gable roof: Here two different gables are placed on top of the house to help provide better protection of the structure. See Wat Pho, where there are many examples of double-gabled roofs.
Making a Thai Roof with Modern Materials
In modern Thai architecture, the traditional Thai house still has a place. Where previously, Thai structures often fitted together without metal nails, using pre-cut holes and grooves, modern structures often use an underlying metal framework. Nails are generally used for ease.
A layer of traditional Thai wood is used next, to provide bracing. Before a final layer of wooden shingle is used, to give the house a traditional Thai look. Decoration can then be added, according to the taste of the homeowner. Be it modern and slick, or classic Thai architecture.
The trip was great. We’ve taken home some ideas we can use for our flat roofs. Although Asian countries deal with different climates to us, it’s still interesting to see how their engineering works. Seeing how other people deal with roofing problems is a great exercise. Although proficient, we believe we are all always learning!


In the spring of 1609 the famous explorer, Henry Hudson set out to find the elusive North-West Passage, the trade route to India. What he did find first was the Hudson River of modern-day New York. On his second attempt, Hudson sailed North East, up the coast of Canada through the Strait of Belle Isle and South West below Baffin Island. They were just able to enter Hudson Bay when the winter of 1610 set in. When the pack ice broke in late spring they continued to explore Hudson Bay. Toward the beginning of winter, Hudson finished mapping James Bay, which he named after his son. Winter was coming and the crew wanted to return home but Henry Hudson refused. Shortly after, the crew mutinied and took over the ship. Henry Hudson, his son and seven other loyal crew members were abandoned in James Bay in the jolly boat. They were never heard from again. The crew returned to England where one of them told the terrible tale. The crew lived just long enough to be hanged for mutiny.


Creative Artist Law’s home at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast is set to get even busier with the recent announcement at the studios by the Hon. Scott Morrison, Prime Minster of Australia that Legendary Entertainment’s feature Godzilla vs Kong and Disney ABC International Television series Reef Break will be filmed in Australia.
Godzilla vs Kong, scheduled for release in 2020, will be the latest entry in Legendary Entertainment’s successful ‘MonsterVerse’ series of films and will see the two iconic movie monsters going head to head. Godzilla vs Kong, starring Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall and Kyle Chandler and Ken Watanabe will follow on from the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters (trailer below) and recently released Kong: Skull Island, the latter of which was also shot at Village Roadshow Studios.
Similarly, Disney ABC International Television will be filming their big budget 13 episode Reef Break television series, starring Poppy Montgomery on the Gold Coast as well as in Hawaii.
Both productions have been attracted to Australia thanks to the Location Incentive Programme.
The continued success comes hot off the heels of a number of major productions filming on the Gold Coast such a Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Thor: Ragnorak and includes the soon to be released Aquaman and currently in production Dora the Explorer films.
The strong production slate is likely to be further incentivised with the Queensland Government recently announcing a new post, digital and visual effects (PDV) incentive designed to attract high-end post production work to the state. The 10 percent rebate (able to be combined with a 30 percent Federal PDV offset) is expected to attract significant national and international post-production projects. Similar PDV incentives in other states have proved highly successful.


The stratospheric glider is an affordable means of transporting instruments that study the stratosphere back to the ground. This platform is unmanned, it is transported to the stratosphere by means of a balloon together with a payload, which is then transported in a controlled manner to the planned destination.
It also works well in environments where the temperature is around -60 ° C, so it is very suitable for the stratosphere. After reaching the final height of the balloon, the glider is disconnected and returns to either the starting position or another planned destination by a sliding controlled descent. Of course, it can also be changed during the flight. All using GPS.
The devices are integrated into the glider so that they can collect data even at low temperatures and in the event of radiation that could otherwise damage them,
The inspiration for the project came during the launch of a stratospheric balloon, the payload of which had to be difficult to find. Thus, the overall process of launching a balloon is time and money consuming.
The goal is to efficiently transport payloads from the stratosphere back to earth. The secondary goal is to develop such a transport device that would be functional even in conditions of thin air not only on Earth, but also on Mars, for example.
In 2019, a glider with manual control was produced. Landing and stabilization were tested. The test on the balloon was during April – May 2020. We are currently working on avionics and an auxiliary drive to approach the target.


Contact Lakeside Implant & Oral Surgery
Huntersville, North Carolina
There are many ways to communicate with our office. Please choose the method most convenient for you.
Lakeside Implant & Oral Surgery
9615 Kincey Avenue Suite 110
Huntersville, NC 28078
Phone: Lakeside Implant & Oral Surgery ("Dr. Pete") Phone Number 704-659-6765
Monday – Thursday 8am – 5pm
Friday 8am – 2pm
Online Map & Driving Directions
If this is the first time you have visited our Huntersville office, the mapping service below will assist you in finding our location. Simply fill out the form below and you will be presented with directions that include a map, the travel time, and distance. If you need any additional information, please contact us at Lakeside Implant & Oral Surgery ("Dr. Pete") Phone Number 704-659-6765.


Summer Activities :
Our Favorite Dog Friendly Hiking Trails :
Eagle Rock – 1.5 miles roundtrip, out and back trail. Short but steep, easy/moderate skill level. Leads up and across dormant volcanic rock for beautiful panoramic views.Access/parking – 3370 West Lake Blvd, Homewood CA
Access/parking – 3370 West Lake Blvd, Homewood CA
Page Meadows – 3.3 mile loop. Easy skill level. Enjoy some of the best wildflower blooms in the basin! Peak season – late May to mid June.
Easiest access/parking to trail is at the end of Silver Tip Drive, Tahoe City, CA
Shirley Canyon – 3.6 miles from the trailhead to Shirley Lake, then continue up 2.2 miles to Squaw Valley High Camp, where you (and your dog) can ride the Aerial Tram back down for free! *Make sure to check Tram schedule. Moderate to difficult. A beautiful hike along waterfalls and granite boulders with breathtaking views!
Access/parking to trail head is on Squaw Peak Road, then walk to the end where it meets Squaw Peak Way.
River Rafting :
Enjoy a 2 hour self-guided float along the Truckee River, passing along scenic meadows, emerald pools and small rapids, ending at the River Ranch restaurant. Float for free with your own inflatable tubes or rent a commercial 2-10 person raft. It’s recommended to bring a small cooler of drinks & snacks (NO glass or styrofoam) and lots of sunblock! Good for ages 3+ and dogs too!
Truckee River Rafting – 175 River Road, Tahoe City – (530) 583-1111
Truckee River Raft Co. – 185 River Road, Tahoe City – (530) 583-0123
Kayak, Paddle-Board, Jetski & Bike Rentals :
Tahoe City Kayak & Paddleboard – 521 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City – (530) 581-4336
High Sierra Waterski School – 850 West Lake Blvd, Tahoe City – (530) 583-7417
Olympic Bike Shop – Located across the street at – 620 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City – (530) 581-2500
Winter Activities :
Skiing and Riding:
Voted North America’s best ski resort in 2016 and the host to the 1960 Winter Olympics. Beginners will find forgiving learning zones set among dramatic alpine scenery, while varied trails, bowls and chutes mean that skiers and snowboarders will never outgrow Squaw’s progressive terrain. With consistent snowfall that stays around well into the spring, Palisades Tahoe boasts one of the longest ski and snowboard seasons in the country.
– 3,600 Acres, 29 lifts, 170 trails , 4 terrain parks
Alpine Meadows :
Tucked between Squaw Valley and Tahoe City, Alpine Meadows Resort is a picturesque playground for families and off-the-radar thrill-seekers alike. From easy-riding progression parks to wide open bowls, Alpine Meadows brings an exciting challenge to any level of skier or snowboarder.
– 2,400 Acres, 13 lifts, 100 trails, 2 terrain parks
Homewood Mountain :
Homewood’s unbeatable views are provided by it’s close proximity to Lake Tahoe. With a mere distance of 280 steps, Madden Chair is the nearest chairlift to the lake in the entire basin.
– 1,260 Acres, 8 Lifts, 67 trails, 5 terrain parks
Ski/Snowboard Rentals & Demos :
Tahoe Dave’s – Ski & Board Shops are located across the street
Ski Shop – 590 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City – (530) 583-6415
Board Shop – 600 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City – (530) 583-0400
Alpenglow Sports – Located one block to the right
415 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City – (530) 583-6917
Sledding, XC, Snowshoeing & Ice Skating :
Tahoe City Winter Sports – An all-inclusive winter recreational facility with a restaurant, bar and lounge.
Located at – 251 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe City – (530) 583-1516
For an up to date list of events check in with the Tahoe City Downtown Association


Behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean.
29 Union Square WestNew York, NY 10003, USA
+1 (857) 325-4879+1 (857) 325-4879
Moday to Friday: 8am to 7pmSaturday: 10am to 5pmSunday: 10am to 2pm
A Trusted Pathology with a Pan-India presence, making Superior Quality Diagnostics Services available by creative means to the masses at affordable prices.