#i want tankersly back

[devotedlymagnumthing]

This year I finish listening to mainline Honor Harrington books or so I can see how much weeb stuff Webr put in it

#honor harrington #bookblr #reading #david webr #i want tankersly back

[litcityblues]

'Honor Among Enemies' --A Review

I’m back on the Honor Harrington train for 2024 with Honor Among Enemies and this time, Honor is being recalled back to active duty with the Royal Manticoran Navy– only this time, there’s a little bit of a hitch. 

When last we left her, Harrington had been forced into exile on Grayson. Her longtime nemesis, Lord Pavel Young had killed the man she loved Paul Tankersly and in turn, Harrington had killed him. In exile on Grayson, she had set to work building out her Steading and confronting extremists on Grayson that want to overturn what they consider to be a dangerously modern new order which gives women things like ‘the ability to have an education’ and ‘the right to speak in public.’ Having see that challenge off, she’s still on Grayson when Manticore comes calling again.

Things are not going that great in their ongoing war against the People’s Republic of Haven. After a coup throws the Peeps into chaos for awhile, they’ve now recovered their footing a bit and the war is getting rougher for both sides. While the Peeps and Manticore are going at it, however, a new problem is bedeviling Manticore: pirate attacks on their commercial shipping have increased, especially in the lawless Silesian Confederacy and if something isn’t done about it soon, the commercial houses will be forced to stop shipping and the economic consequences of that could be disastrous for Manticore.

They can’t pull any of their big ships off the front line of the war, so who do they turn too? Why the one Captain they can rely on to do more with less because she has a proven track record of doing just that: Honor Harrington.

Harrington and company (her armsmen are with her, her faithful steward Mac, Cardones, Gibson, Harkness– familiar faces that have served with her before in the previous books all show up) get to work souping up the Q-Ships (fast picket ships, not heavy hitters typically) with enough armament to stand up to potential pirates and then they head out on convoy duty and the adventure begins.

I’m kind of torn on this book: it feels like a step backward from the previous two books, which saw Harrington go through some trauma (losing Paul) and then retreat in exile to Grayson where she confronts more challenges (because that’s what these books are about) but more importantly, heals herself a little bit. I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again: the sheer numbers of losses that Harrington goes through in terms of people under her command that she loses would have an affect on anyone and I really liked that Weber took the time to have her actually sit with that and come to terms with it a little bit.

This feels like a reset back to the formula of the early early books. Yes, in the arc of the series, you probably need this to be a bridge novel to get Honor back into the Manticoran fold (and I think that’s exactly what this is about) but it feels like a retread in many ways. She’s facing overwhelming odds and doesn’t have the biggest, fastest,  heaviest armed ships– but she’s got ingenuity and good old fashioned know how to confront the problems and get the job done, but pays a cost for it. It’s more or less Basilisk Station stuck in a blender and throw in some pirates for good measure and it’s kind of disappointing.

Her antagonist from Basilisk Station shows up: Klaus Hauptmann, shipping magnate is the one who pushes Manticore to do something about it and even suggests sending Harrington, because he figures it’s a win-win: either Harrington gets the job done and protects his shipping or she dies trying and a woman he dislikes is taken off the board. Standard issue villain stuff for the series, but for some reason he decides to actually go out there himself! With his daughter!

I don't want to make it seem like it's all bad with this book, to the contrary there are a few interesting developments worth touching on:

First, this we get to meet the Andermanis for the first time and they are a wild blend of German/Chinese culture and I like them. They're a player in galactic affairs, but they're not as big of heavy hitters as Manticore or Haven, but they've got some game and they're very interested in the Silesian Confederacy and have a vested interested in making sure it's not a complete mess, so are friendly to Honor and company as they pass through on convoy duty. (i feel like we're going to see more of them in future books.)

Second, we've got the Wanderman Plot. War being what it is, Honor's crew has it's fair share of ne'er do wells and trouble makers along with really new, green recruits and one of them, Wanderman, runs afoul of the biggest and baddest asshole of the crew, Stielman and after he gets his shit kicked in, everyone knows who did it, but Wanderman won't admit it. He gets taken under the wing of the Marine Contingent, learns to defend himself and eventually, gets his own back against Stielman. It's a nice B-Plot and I hope we see more of Wanderman in the future-- I'm betting we will, since Weber seems to bring folks back now and again in this series- usually when you're least expecting them to show up.

Finally, we get some Treecat Action and Nimitz, Honor's Treecat gets a mate with the Engineer's Treecat, Samantha. That means that they're going to have go on maternity to leave until she's delivered her babies and we explore Honor's slightly souped-up bond with Nimitz that isn't quite full telepathy, but does allow her to sense the emotions of other humans and she actually shares that with the Engineer, but... because this is Honor Harrington and she can't have nice things and happy endings- at least not complete ones, the Engineer ends up dying and she feels the breaking of the bond with his Treecat, Samantha, who does survive, but it traumatized and depressed by the experience.

Overall, I'd say by itself, there are better books in this series. When you put in terms of the arc of the entire series, this feels like a bridge novel (we'll have to see if that proves correct when I get to the next one in the series) but I'm also left with the notion that it was kind of a necessary novel as well, despite feeling like something of a retread. For sure, Honor is back from exile. She's also thinking about promotion- if not to Commodore, then to Admiral and while she acknowledges she will miss just commanding a starship, she also doesn't seem to hate the idea of getting to develop the big picture strategy of the war either. Some interesting things in this book, but largely, just okay for me, so My Grade: ** out of ****

#honor among enemies #honorverse #honor harrington #david weber #book review

[bettydgunter90]

Appraisal Institute Board of Directors Tried To Sneak Sham Bylaw Changes Past Membership

Back on December 4, 2020, I wrote about the sham bylaw change being floated by the Appraisal Institute to avoid the embarrassment of the recent sham election process: The Sham 45-Day Bylaw Modification Process To Keep Jim Amorin’s Sham Petition Process Explained

To rush this through, the Appraisal Institute Board of Directors meeting is being held Wednesday, January 6th with sketchy notice.

Don Boucher, SRA and Jennifer Marshall, SRA, AI-RRS came through for membership and forwarded notice of the meeting. - send Joan an email requesting the login as presented below

_________________________________________ Dear AI Professional, We hope that 2021 will be a happy, healthy and prosperous year for you! Sorry about the late notice but we wanted to make sure that you know about and request an invitation to the Special Board Meeting on January 6th at 3 EST. At the Meeting, the Board will be discussing and voting on changing the Bylaws based on the recommendations in 45-Day Notice on VP Election Process and memberships comments. To request the link to attend the meeting please contact the Board Secretary, Joan Barngrover, at [email protected]. Thanks for continuing to be proactive and staying involved. Regards, Don Boucher, SRA and Jennifer Marshall, SRA, AI-RRS _________________________________________

Everyone who reads this post and who is a member of the Appraisal Institute should attend the virtual board meeting. As members, you have the right to log in to the meeting. Here's how:

_________________________________________

Thank you for expressing your interest in attending the Special Board Call, January 6, 2:00 pm CT. Following is the GoToMeeting connection information to observe this meeting. Please mute your phone when entering the event and please do not share your webcam. You will want to log on at least five minutes early as the meeting will begin right at 2:00 pm CT. Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/876886637 You can also dial in using your phone. United States: [phone] Access Code: 876-886-637 New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/876886637.

_________________________________________

These changes being floated are so blatantly corrupt that it is beyond unethical. The purpose of these proposed bylaw edits to the existing bylaws will enable FOJs (Friends of Jim Amorin) to keep their own exclusive club paid for by the membership with salaries at 2x the market rate, first-class travel all over the world including wives and friends, and cornering control of lucrative teaching stipends as they have for the past 10+ years.

As a further sign of the lack of transparency, notification of the board meeting to vote on these sham maneuvers wasn't adequate. Some members only received notice today (Tuesday) for a board meeting on Wednesday. The cynical me believes that this meeting was timed to occur at the moment there will be a massive global media circus in Washington, D.C. (Wednesday) to decide whether to confirm the state results in the federal election. In addition, it is three days into the New Year and they were clearly counting on rushing this under the radar before people wake up from their holiday grogginess. This is a strategic move pure and simple - to continue to wrestle control of the organization from membership and it marks the beginning of the end of the Appraisal Institute.

All eyes will be on the new AI President-Elect Rodman Schley, MAI, SRA at the Board of Directors meeting - who has created a favorable reputation with the membership as someone who believes in transparency and has showed signs of pushing back against the FOJ pillaging of this once-proud organization.

This is Rodman's moment - if he allows for these sham changes without a fight and hides behind the use of "executive sessions," he will be just another annual decorative rotation in the Presidential position - Jim Amorin's posse gets to keep running AI National into the ground until it takes its last breath (in about 5 years).

Incidentally, I've been told a member has reached out to the Illinois State Attorney General for their interpretation of "executive sessions" as a tactic used by the Board of Directors to hide their actions - apparently it is not permissible because Illinois is an open session state.

At the end of the year, in the middle of the holidays, 76 Appraisal Institute members signed and sent a letter to their Board of Directors outlying what was wrong with the suggested bylaw changes in the 45-day notice letter. To wrangle 76 members in the middle of the holiday season in late December represents how upset these members were. All the signers are heroes as far as I'm concerned who care more about the future of the Appraisal Institute than its executives do.

Here it is:

Here are my thoughts on yet another sham election maneuver to ensure the continued corruption of The Appraisal Institute:

Any member of the Board of Directors who votes for these changes is corrupt and should be removed from their position immediately. They are in favor of self-dealing and not membership. The BOD should not be afraid to hide their votes.

The proposed changes are being made to enable CEO Jim Amorin to override the NNC after they thoroughly vet a candidate proposed from membership like they tried to do to Craig Steinley and failed because of the membership uproar. These bylaw edits are being made to tidy up the loopholes to make it happen next year.

The 6 year period to lockout executives after NNC membership should not be reduced to 4 years because it makes it easier for FOJ's to self-deal.

To raise the 20% board member vote requirement to 30% is a pure sham. I believe most organizations require a supermajority to override. My goodness, the absolutely embarrassing procedure to insert FOJ Tankersly instead of the NNC's Steinley thoroughly vetted nomination because Jim asked him to is unconscionable. Unconscionable that it was proposed and that Tankersly gladly accepted.

This bylaw edit more easily enables the Board of Directors and the executive team to publically smear and shame a vetted candidate who won. Guess what happens? Quality candidates won't apply anymore. Only FOJs.

This bylaw edit is clearly an act of misconduct by the board. It is a blatant abuse of power and board members who vote for these edits could very well have legal exposure in the future.

"Executive sessions" or voting in secret is unethical - if you have to hide how you voted, then something is wrong with your motivations - you see yourself as answering to Jim Amorin and not the membership - you can't have it both ways.

The proposal to ban any input on a candidate is bizarre and reflects the AI's drift towards irrelevance through self-isolation. Elected officials, competing trade groups, regulators, etc. should all be relevant to weigh in on the quality of a candidate. This proposed edit essentially dictates that a candidate has to get recommendations from FOJs for an application. Incredible.

Finally, this bylaw edit is not being done for the membership - it is being done for FOJs exclusively. Imagine Jim Amorin explaining his edits in a public meeting - membership would be booing and throwing beer cans at him for the basic audacity of it.

Over the last decade, the Appraisal Institute went from 27K members to 17K members. That's a 37% drop, trailing basic U.S. credential trends over the same period. What's AI National going to look like in another decade with only 7K members?

The membership needs to apply the heat to the Board of Directors NOW. I'm also waiting for a board member to step up and get state and federal law enforcement to look at the sham election maneuvers as evidence of corruption.

My goodness Board of Directors, are you there only to pad your resume, or are you there to uphold the responsibility of the position? If you do nothing but go along then you're just as corrupt as the FOJs.

The post Appraisal Institute Board of Directors Tried To Sneak Sham Bylaw Changes Past Membership first appeared on Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers & Consultants. from Real Estate Tips https://www.millersamuel.com/appraisal-institute-board-of-directors-tried-to-sneak-sham-bylaw-changes-past-membership/