It’s a rare snow day here at the ranch. After above average temperatures just a week ago, we’re now cold and dreary with big snowflakes falling.
We do need the moisture, as it has been months without any serious rain. The last couple of days have seen scattered showers, and todays’ cooler temps are leading to a gorgeous winter wonderland.
and the Javelina got into the act…
Update :
But wait, there’s more!
REALTORS® who engage in hate speech or discriminatory conduct even outside of their real estate practice could face disciplinary action under the Code of Ethics. The National Association of REALTORS®’ Board of Directors on Friday approved a proposal intended to hold members to a higher standard of ethics in everything they do. The board meeting was held during the virtual 2020 REALTORS® Conference & Expo.
NAR President Vince Malta called the passage of the proposal “a monumental moment for NAR” in reaffirming its commitment to fair housing. The changes go into effect immediately but do not retroactively apply to members’ past activities or actions. REALTORS® who make discriminatory remarks, on their business or personal social media accounts, can be subject to disciplinary action.
NAR’s Professional Standards Committee first developed the new rules this past summer after nationwide social unrest following the death of George Floyd.
Local, state, and national REALTOR® associations reported receiving an “unprecedented” number of complaints about members posting hate speech on social media. “I applaud NAR’s Board of Directors and our Professional Standards Committee for their efforts to raise the bar on the professionalism and private speech of America’s 1.4 million REALTORS®,” Malta said Friday. “Combating and overcoming bigotry and injustice starts with each of us.
REALTORS® today took tangible steps to ensure we are held to the highest possible standard while providing a mechanism of enforcement for those who violate our new policies.” The new rules extend Article 10 of the Code, which already prohibits discrimination in professional services and employment practices, to include discriminatory speech and conduct.
Article 10 prohibits REALTORS® from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The new Standard of Practice, 10-5, will now state: “REALTORS® must not use harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs” against members of those protected classes. The board also approved a revision to NAR’s bylaws to expand the definition of “public trust” to include all discrimination against the protected classes under Article 10, as well as all fraud. Going forward, associations will be required to inform their state real estate licensing authority of final ethics decisions that hold REALTORS® in violation of the Code in instances involving real estate–related activities and transactions where there is reason to believe the public trust may have been violated. Prior to approval, the hate speech proposal was reviewed and thoughtfully debated by members.
Some suggested the Code shouldn’t change, and instead, the proposal should become a conduct suggestion. Others expressed concern that the new standard could be viewed as violating the First Amendment right to free speech. NAR, however, is a private association that is supported by member dues and, therefore, has the ability to impose ethical duties on its membership, according to FAQs from the Professional Standards Committee.
Other board members welcomed the no-tolerance policy against hate speech, saying that discrimination on the part of any real estate professional reflects poorly on the entire membership. Board member Maurice Hampton, speaking in favor of the proposal, said the nation’s 1.4 million REALTORS® are “not looked at as individuals. We are looked at as a whole. We have a fiduciary duty to protect the REALTOR® brand.”
Board member Boyd Campbell, echoing support for the proposal, said the policy should not be looked at as solely a race issue. It applies to protecting all classes outlined in Article 10 of the Code. “We have a choice to be a REALTOR®. And if you choose to be a REALTOR®, you have certain qualifications, characteristics, and duties that you have to fulfill,” Campbell said.
Any complaint alleging a violation of Article 10’s prohibition on hate speech can now be brought to a hearing panel at a local REALTOR® association. Members accused of violating the standard of practice will be given an opportunity to present their case and defend themselves before the hearing panel, which would weigh the specifics of the alleged violation, whether the comments were made inadvertently or unintentionally, and whether the member has any previous ethics complaints. NAR’s professional standards policies include a defined process of checks and balances to protect members and evaluate potential Code violations.
NAR’s Professional Standards Committee will continue to develop case interpretations to assist members and professional standards enforcement volunteers understand the Code. NAR has produced training and resource materials to assist leaders with understanding and implementing the changes and will roll those out in the coming weeks.
Source: In ‘Monumental Moment,’ NAR Cracks Down on Hate Speech | Realtor Magazine
My comment (which they wouldn’t post.)
I have to seriously consider remaining with an organization that is so averse to free speech. You know, the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. Stupid is as stupid does. Get woke, go broke.
These are the same morons that thought we needed even bigger FHA loans in 2007, just before it all blew up harming millions of homeowners.
I will continue to express myself as I please and I don’t need big NAR brother to police my private life. F**k you! If you guys worried more about the membership & the public, and less about all of your expensive parties in DC & your foolish moralizing, we’d all be better off. Why should I pay $1,000/year for this BS? NAR – National Association of Reprobates.
I urge all of you fellow Realtors to vote with you wallet. Losing millions might end this idiocy. Meanwhile, I promise to physically harm anyone who even tries to take away my livelihood. God, you pompous a******s.
Yes, we’re talking to you: Charlie Oppler, Leslie Rouda-Smith, Kenny Parcel, Nancy Lane, Vince Malta, Leigh Brown, Tommy Choi, And Bob Goldberg. We know who you are, and we know where you live and work. Next time, let us vote on stuff like this, instead of just assuming you know best. You need us, we really don’t need you.
KINGMAN – The Kingman area is under a winter weather advisory for Sunday, Nov. 8, with precipitation almost guaranteed by a forecast from the National Weather Service office in Las Vegas.
The forecast calls for a 90% chance of precipitation on Sunday with a high of 50 degrees, with declining temperatures bringing a chance of snow showers after 2 a.m. Little or no accumulation of snow is expected, according to NWS.Sprinkles are possible before 11 a.m., with showers likely after 11 a.m. on Sunday. It will be windy, with south winds of 16-25 mph and gusts as high as 36 mph.
The wind will abate to 7-15 mph Sunday night, but the temperature will fall to about 34 degrees, making snow squalls possible.
While the skies will clear during the week, temperatures will remain below average, with daytime highs in the mid- and high-50s, and night-time lows near freezing.There was a trace of rain recorded at Kingman Airport on Friday, Nov. 6.
(Photo : Hualapai Mountain Road above Kingman after a snowstorm a couple of years back. Thankfully, it shouldn’t be like that today – Ben)
Spotted out the kitchen window…
The Hydrology division of the Arizona Department of Water Resources has published its research into water-supply conditions of a vast area of western Arizona known as the “Western Planning Areas.”
The Western Planning Area Hydrologic Monitoring Report summarizes water-level monitoring of the depth-to-groundwater within wells located throughout much of western Arizona as of December 2016. Hydrologic Monitoring Reports are used to provide the public with important information on conditions both within and outside Arizona’s Active Management Areas, or AMAs.
To the extent possible, given the available information, these reports present surface water, groundwater, water-use, precipitation, recharge, and well information that has been compiled or developed by ADWR.
AMAs are the five regions of the State where the uses of finite groundwater resources are governed by the Groundwater Management Act of 1980. The September 2020 report provides detailed analysis from five western Arizona groundwater basins: Butler Valley, Harquahala, McMullen Valley, Ranegras Plain, and Tiger Wash basins. Among the findings: Water levels are generally declining across the five basins and larger declines are seen where there is a large farming presence.
Groundwater levels in the five basins were collected extensively in November through December 2004 and December 2016. Water levels collected during these two time periods – technically, water years 2005 and 2017 — were then compared in order to observe water-level changes.
Click the article for more info. It’s been super dry since early Spring, and we’re anxiously awaiting some real rain.
The ubiquitous Gambel’s Quail, they’re everywhere. Their voices are a part of our daily life here at Stagecoach Trails.
It’s finally cooled off at night, and daytime temperatures are warm, but not bad. Finally, the good time of the year…
Editor’s Note: On July 25, 2019, the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, or GCDAMP, sponsored an eight-day Colorado River raft trip through the Grand Canyon for the organization’s stakeholders, which include members of government and science-oriented agencies whose duties include conditional analysis and research of the river.
One of those stakeholders was ADWR Water Resources Specialist Craig McGinnis, a member of the GCDAMP Technical Work Group. The work group provides technical assistance to the Adaptive Management Work Group and consults with the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center in developing criteria and standards for monitoring and research programs.
Craig put together the highly polished video linked below because of his abiding fascination with the canyon and the river and because “I had a good GoPro camera that could do the job — with eight days of charge on a power cell, of course.”
Craig reports: In our roles as public servants of the State of Arizona, we help carry the torch of ADWR’s mission – protecting and enhancing Arizona’s water supplies for current and future generations.
This mission goes hand in hand with the stewardship of our natural heritage: to best preserve the ecological wonders of our surroundings for posterity. Few would argue against the Grand Canyon as the crown jewel of these Arizona treasures – a natural wonder of the world and reflected in our nickname as the Grand Canyon State.
As documented in this clip, the 2019 trip embarked July 25 through August 2. Stated objectives for the trip included providing an opportunity for Tribal representatives and GCDAMP stakeholders to learn about current river issues, and for Tribal partners to articulate their respective concerns and perspectives in a field situation.
https://youtu.be/vev8iMdW7hA
Click to see the video. ADWR (Arizona Department of Water Resources) is responsible for all of the water in Arizona. Check out the article for more info on their programs.
On July 7, 1930, construction of the Hoover Dam begins. Over the next five years, a total of 21,000 men would work ceaselessly to produce what would be the largest dam of its time, as well as one of the largest manmade structures in the world.
Although the dam would take only five years to build, its construction was nearly 30 years in the making. Arthur Powell Davis, an engineer from the Bureau of Reclamation, originally had his vision for the Hoover Dam back in 1902, and his engineering report on the topic became the guiding document when plans were finally made to begin the dam in 1922.
Source: Construction on Hoover Dam Begins – HISTORY
h/t to theburningplatform
