First I visited the open atrium forums where others have been bitten by this problem.

First suggestion was to increase the the max_execution_time by entering in the php.ini

max_execution_time <some high number>

worked for some but not for me because I did not have access to the server.

Second suggestion was to adjust the max_execution_time in the .htaaccess in the root folder by entering

php_value max_execution_time <some high number>  under :# PHP 5, Apache 1 and 2.

Failed miserably

Third time was the charm.  I stumbled upon John Beckett blog at http://jonbeckett.typepad.com/blog/2011/03/defeating-the-drupal-installation-timeout.html.  In it he found that the installation is verifying alot of modules which was causing the timeout.  So the solution was to just comment out the line that makes this call.  In summary you need to


* Open “install.php” from the root directory of your installation
* Find the line calling “install_check_requirements” and comment it out
* Save changes
* Run install again


Hope this helps someone

All you have to do is find the PID of the service.

You can do so by typing at the command line prompt

sc queryex <servicename>

This will return alot of information including the PID number of the service. After you have the PID you can then stop the service by the command

taskkill /F /PID <PID Number>
Hope this helps someone

Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund Will Provide $2 Billion of Additional Assistance
in 17 states and the District of Columbia; HUD to Launch a New $1 Billion Program
to Help Unemployed Borrowers in Other Areas

WASHINGTON – The Obama Administration today announced additional support to help homeowners struggling with unemployment through two targeted foreclosure-prevention programs. Through the existing Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Innovation Fund for the Hardest Hit Housing Markets (the Hardest Hit Fund), the U.S. Department of the Treasury will make $2 billion of additional assistance available for HFA programs for homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments due to unemployment. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will soon launch a complementary $1 billion Emergency Homeowners Loan Program to provide assistance – for up to 24 months – to homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure and have experienced a substantial reduction in income due to involuntary unemployment, underemployment, or a medical condition.

“We remain committed to helping struggling homeowners, and this program will provide additional assistance to states hit hardest by unemployment,” said Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability Herb Allison.  “This is part of the Administration’s comprehensive housing policy that has helped to stabilize a fragile housing market and allows responsible homeowners the chance to reduce their monthly mortgage payments to affordable levels.”

“HUD’s new Emergency Homeowner Loan Program will build on Treasury’s Hardest Hit initiative by targeting assistance to struggling unemployed homeowners in other hard hit areas to help them avoid preventable foreclosures,” said Bill Apgar, HUD Senior Advisor for Mortgage Finance.  “Together, these initiatives represent a combined $3 billion investment that will ultimately impact a broad group of struggling borrowers across the country and in doing so further contribute to the Administration’s efforts to stabilize housing markets and communities across the country.”

Hardest Hit Fund
President Obama first announced the Hardest Hit Fund in February 2010 to allow states hit hard by the economic downturn flexibility in determining how to design and implement programs to meet the local challenges homeowners in their state are facing.

Under the additional assistance announced today, states eligible to receive support have all experienced an unemployment rate at or above the national average over the past 12 months. Each state will use the funds for targeted unemployment programs that provide temporary assistance to eligible homeowners to help them pay their mortgage while they seek re-employment, additional employment or undertake job training.

States that have already benefited from previously announced assistance under the Hardest Hit Fund may use these additional resources to support the unemployment programs previously approved by Treasury or they may opt to implement a new unemployment program.  States that do not currently have Hardest Hit Fund unemployment programs must submit proposals to Treasury by September 1, 2010 that, within established guidelines, meet the distinct needs of their state.

The states eligible to receive funds through this additional assistance, along with allocations based on their population sizes, are as follows:

HUD Emergency Homeowners Loan Program
This new program will complement Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund by providing assistance to homeowners in hard hit local areas that may not be included in the hardest hit target states.  Those areas are still being determined.

The program will work through a variety of state and non-profit entities and will offer a declining balance, deferred payment “bridge loan” (zero percent  interest, non-recourse, subordinate loan) for up to $50,000 to assist eligible borrowers with payments on their mortgage principal, interest, mortgage insurance, taxes and hazard insurance for up to 24 months.

Under the program, eligible borrowers must:

1. Be at least three months delinquent in their payments and have a reasonable likelihood of being able to resume repayment of their mortgage payments and related housing expenses within two years;
2. Have a mortgage property that is the principal residence of the borrower, and eligible borrowers may not own a second home;
3. Demonstrate a good payment record prior to the event that produced the reduction of income.

Im pretty sure a black belt in karate is about as cool as a black belt in cheerleading. Just saying

This was a quote by a good friend of mine a few weeks ago on his facebook page. While I felt like I wanted to knock him upside the head I cannot and will not fault him for making such a statement. Why I say this? Why do I agree with something that is just a blatant denigration of the sport I hold dear? Well, because I have seen it myself.

Growing up when someone told me they were a black belt in some form of martials arts, I always believed that in some way form or fashion, they can probably kick my ass. You regarded that person with respect and never ever really wanted to pick a fight with them. Unless of course your the type that likes to prove your baddest in your own little world.

But these days a person with a black belt is as common as a McDonalds at the corner. They are everywhere now. Now this is not a knock on the Arts because within the core they are still deadly but too many have become mainstreamed and family oriented for money making purposes.

Gone are the fundamental principles of what makes Martial Arts so unique as an Art form and fitness. It’s not about kicking and punching it’s about finding out who you are, steeling the mind through challenges and coming out a more humble, stronger person then when you went in.

When I started this post I planned to go the route of attacking the practitioners of martial arts because of the fast progression of some schools with their students. It bothers me to see so many black belts who are not over 40 that cannot perform a proper kick or hold a fist properly. But I forgot something that took me a view of Yip Man to remember. Martial arts is not the style, or the teacher or the school. It is the practitioner. With that said although it bothers me, it really should not because I need to hold myself to a higher standard and lead by example.

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
– Chinese Proverb

With all the negativity that surrounds us, it is easy to become overwhelmed. It is also tempting to fight against the negative or to declare war on it. Yet a master teacher offered a better way: “Resist not evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Imagine you are in a dark room. Wanting the darkness to leave, you curse and fight against it. But no matter how much effort you make, the darkness remains. Turn on the light switch, however, and the night vanishes in an instant.

In a similar manner, when the light of truth is shed on a situation, fear and disharmony dissolve. When you send out a positive thought to another person or take a constructive action, an enormous amount of good is accomplished. Each good act begets another until a network of love and light is created.

The purpose of life is to reflect this light into places that are dark. Let your light shine and stay focused on the power of love. When enough of us have turned on our spiritual light switches, the earth will become as bright as a shining star. Where, then, could darkness dwell?

– Unknown

Well here is a table explaining the pros and cons

Here is my creed: I believe in one God, the Creator of the universe. That he governs it by his providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable service we render to him is in doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound religion.

–Benjamin Franklin

The concept of respect and tolerance for all of God’s children has to be the forefront of any agenda for this country to remain strong. The more I try to stay away from religious talks the more I keep getting drawn back into it. Definitely the law of attraction working as since I feel so strongly about it it just comes right back to me. It is so important for the future that people stop using Religion as a weapon. Stop using it to attack others just because it has a different book/outlook/dress code/or what you smoke. Now I am not saying hey lets make a religion based on star wars….(oh wait) but there is a point where common sense has to step in. You know that little nudge at the back of head indicating whether something is wrong or right. But I guess for some it is inverted.

This whole concept of my religion is better than yours or your religion caused this or that is crazy. To me it is analogous to saying Wing Chun is the greatest Martial Art in the world. Now if you are say “Yip Man” then yeah maybe so but the idea that one style is better is farfetched as it all depends on how well you know your chosen art. Same thing with religion. What does it matter what syntax you speak, isn’t the concept the same? Now yes as humans we interpret and go overboard at times but just because some proclaimed “expert” says something doesn’t make it truth. He could be wrong.

I think that people forget that the only thing you can control is your own actions. If your are supposedly living in the divine or walking with God then what does it matter what person x y and z is doing. What are your beliefs? And how strong are they? Everything starts with you, and you only.

• Loan modification

  You will need to work with your lender to negotiate a modification of your loan terms to see if any change can be done to support your new financial position. If you would like to know if you can qualify for a loan modification send an email to Home Relief Options for other loan modification programs

• Deed In Lieu

  You basically transfer the title of your home to the servicer of your loans. Stipulations apply of course you can go here to learn more about Deed In Lieu’s HAFA Program

• Pay off the balance of the mortgage

  Self Explanatory

• Short Sale

  If all else fails this may be your last and BEST option. Basically you are selling your home for about the balance left on the loan. You can do this on your own or you can have a team do this for you at NO CHARGE to you whatsoever. If you have questions or need to speak to someone about your situation contact Home Relief Options for assistance or visit Home Relief Options

Fannie Mae Increases Penalties for Borrowers Who Walk Away

Seven-Year Lockout Policy for Strategic Defaulters

WASHINGTON, DC — Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE) announced today policy changes designed to encourage borrowers to work with their servicers and pursue alternatives to foreclosure. Defaulting borrowers who walk-away and had the capacity to pay or did not complete a workout alternative in good faith will be ineligible for a new Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for a period of seven years from the date of foreclosure. Borrowers who have extenuating circumstances may be eligible for new loan in a shorter timeframe.

“We’re taking these steps to highlight the importance of working with your servicer,” said Terence Edwards, executive vice president for credit portfolio management. “Walking away from a mortgage is bad for borrowers and bad for communities and our approach is meant to deter the disturbing trend toward strategic defaulting. On the flip side, borrowers facing hardship who make a good faith effort to resolve their situation with their servicer will preserve the option to be considered for a future Fannie Mae loan in a shorter period of time.”

Fannie Mae will also take legal action to recoup the outstanding mortgage debt from borrowers who strategically default on their loans in jurisdictions that allow for deficiency judgments. In an announcement next month, the company will be instructing its servicers to monitor delinquent loans facing foreclosure and put forth recommendations for cases that warrant the pursuit of deficiency judgments.

Source -> Fannie Mae Increases Penalties for Borrowers Who Walk Away

If you are experiencing your own “F WORD”, shoot an e-mail to homereliefoptions@gmail.com