Linda's Blog

AR Authentication Words - What Do They Mean?

Linda de Bree (Linda de Bree, Notary Public) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:37:35 -0600

Have you ever wondered about those weird words that appear at the bottom of the blog comment page? You know, the ones that you have to type in to the little box to prove that you are a real human responding to the post? At first I wondered if they were even real words because some were so weird.

I began keeping a list of the words I came across and looked up the definitions when I had time. All of the words on my list turned out to be obscure types of tropical fruits or seeds, or some sort of plant or tree. I was able to find definitions and pictures of most of them on the internet, but a few yielded no results. However, my guess is that they are yet more exotic varieties of fruits, seeds, plants, or trees.

Some of these fruits and seeds were stunningly beautiful or sounded delicious tasting. Here are some of the more interesting ones I came across:

Kiwano - A member of the cucumber family; Looks like an oval melon with horns and is very decorative. Picked green, the kiwano horned melon tastes like a mix of lemon and banana. It is a tropical fruit so it cannot be stored in the refrigerator.

Katmon - Katmon trees are good and reliable sources of materials for jams and sauces since unlike other fruit trees that produce seasonal fruits, katmon produces fruits almost throughout the year. Its trees can be an excellent ornamental plant since it has beautiful and big white flowers. They can be planted in home gardens, making their fruits more accessible to housewives. The katmon trees are also sturdy which makes it an excellent windbreak during typhoons.

Quinine - A bitter crystalline alkaloid C20H24N2O2 from cinchona bark used in medicine.

Salsify - A European biennial composite herb with a long fusiform edible root.

Bilimbi - Closely allied to the carambola but quite different in appearance, manner of fruiting, flavor and uses. The bilimbi is a tropical species it is sensitive to the cold, especially young plants.

Sapodilla - A uniquely flavored fruit, the soft brown flesh of the sapodilla tastes a bit like a sweet mix of brown sugar and root beer. The sapodilla tree is also the source of chicle, a chewing gum component.

Grumichama - A minor fruiting member of the Myrtaceae, in Brazil; also called Brazil cherry.

Lovi-Lovi - A fruit related to ramontchi and rukam. It is now cultivated in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka for both its fruit and decorative foliage. The fruits are round, cherry-sized, and dark red when ripe. Some are sweet, but most are sour and astringent, and normally used for making jams and syrups. I couldn't find a photo of the lovi-lovi, but I lovi-lovied the name!

So the next time you comment on a blog, take a moment to find out about that unique fruit or seed name you are typing in!

Backdating - Why Notaries Must Just Say NO!

Linda de Bree (Linda de Bree, Notary Public) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 07:04:27 -0600

Any notary that does loan signings will eventually be asked to backdate. There are several possible reasons for the request, such as the loan docs were not ready on time the previous day, resulting in the borrower possibly losing his rate lock, or even the simple matter that the lender wants to count the loan as closed for the end of month business. Whatever the reason, it is fraud and a notary is bound by his oath of office not to participate in such a practice.

The function of a notary is to serve as an impartial witness to a transaction. The notary requires personal appearance of the signer and positively identifies that person according to laws of his state. The notarial certificate provides a legal record of the date and type of notarization, and certifies that all required procedures were observed. If a notary backdates, he is committing a fraudulent act and is at risk for losing his notary commission, being criminally prosecuted, and sued. A reputable notary will never engage in this practice for any price.

What is the function of a Virginia Notary Public?

Linda de Bree (Linda de Bree, Notary Public) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 12:28:24 -0600

A Virginia notary is a public officer of the state, acting as an unbiased witness who ascertains the identity of the document signer. The notary certifies that he or she has followed correct notarial procedures as outlined in the Handbook for Virginia Notaries Public, as published by the Commonwealth of Virginia. A Virginia notary may take acknowledgments, administer oaths or affirmations, and certify affidavits, depositions, and "true copies" of documents*.

* Notaries may not certify copies of birth, death, or marriage certificates.