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I hope everyone will excuse a post today that doesn't have anything to do with associations and our industry in any way.  I received the following email yesterday and it struck such a chord with me that I wanted to share it with our members across the country.

Like many I was captivated by HBO's Band of Brothers miniseries.  The juxtaposition of the actors portraying these brave men with the documentary footage of their personal recollections provided unique insights into these most uncommon acts of common men.  Frankly I was so struck that I went out and read the original Stephen Ambrose book that was the basis for the series, along with about a dozen others on World War II. 

The email below was written at the height of the Michael Jackson death/memorial service frenzy.

Tom

Subject: MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR "SHIFTY"

We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.   Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped. At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped. I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero . . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach. He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this. Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer. There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center . No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. And that's not right. Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans. Rest in peace, Shifty. "A nation without heroes is nothing."Roberto Clemente   Tom here again.  According the the Urban Legends website the email above is factual and has been confirmed by Shifty's family.    So on behalf of CAI and our members across the country, let this serve as our modest tribute and memorial to Shifty Powers and to all the men and women past, present, and future who leave the safety of their homes and put themselves in harm's way on our behalf.  Please feel free to leave a comment below.  RIP Shifty.

A quick look in any bookstore tells you that one version or another of “everything you need to know about condominiums and HOAs” is readily available to the interested consumer. I’ve yet to come across one that quite has it all.  Or one that is unbiased, or professionally published.

Long time CAI member Gary Poliakoff and his son Ryan have come closer than anyone to getting it right. Dad’s decades of legal experience and son’s literary talents have combined nicely to produce the comprehensive and well written New Neighborhoods: The Consumer's Guide to Condominium, Co-op, and HOA Living. It’s debuting August 1^st in Borders, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  But, CAI has it in stock now, so you can look over the table of contents and order it for 40% off the regular non-member price in our bookstore today.  And don't forget to check out all the other titles and merchandise in the CAI bookstore.

As many of our members already know, Virginia implemented a statutory based manager certification, management company licensing program in 2008.  As part of that program, the Common Interest Community Board (CICB) was charged with drafting regulations to clarify and assist with implementation of the new law.  On June 22, 2009 the CICB published draft regulations in the Virginia Register of Regulations, pages 3962 - 3972.  These proposed regulations provide additional clarification to the licensure requirements, and will become part of the permanent regulatory requirements governing licensing, replacing the initial set of emergency regulations.

CAI, on behalf of its members, will submit comments on these regulations. Interested members are encouraged to review the proposed regulations and to submit any comments to CAI by Friday, August 7^th. Comments from CAI members may be sent to: Janice Walls, at jwalls@caionline.org. All submissions will receive an e-mail acknowledgment verifying receipt.

Submissions will be reviewed and compiled, and consensus language and suggestions will be incorporated into the final CAI document that will be filed in coordination with our Virginia Legislative Action Committee (VA-LAC).

To learn more about manager licensing in Virginia check out our legislative "Heads Up" page and our Community Association Manager Licensing page.