text:
Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh
by Mary Balogh
England was not renowned for long runs of perfect summer days. This year so far even brief runs had been in lamentably short supply. It seemed something of a miracle, then, when the morning had dawned with the promise of being yet another lovely day. The second in a row.
By the middle of the afternoon, the sky was a deep indigo blue and cloudless. The air was hot without being oppressive— the merest hint of a breeze saw to that. It also caused the leaves to flutter on the trees and the water to ripple on the river. The grass on both sides of the river was green and lush after all the rain, and liberally strewn with daisies, buttercups, and clover. Birds trilled from among the thick foliage of the trees, though it was not always easy to see them. Unseen insects whirred and chirped in the grass.
So much life. So much beauty.
Lady Estelle Lamarr had been walking along the riverbank, but she stopped in order to fill all her senses with the perfection of the moment, wild nature at its most profuse and benign. Even the old single-arched stone bridge farther along seemed to be an integral part of the scene rather than a man-made intrusion upon it, just as a bird's nest or an anthill or a beaver dam would be. There surely could not possibly be anything to surpass the loveliness of the English countryside on a summer day. How very privileged she was to live here.
Yesterday she had fretted a little at being kept at home on a similar day by the impending departure of her uncle and aunt and cousin, who had all been staying at Elm Court for the past three weeks. Although Aunt Jane had talked of leaving early, by eight o'clock at the latest, it was actually after three in the afternoon by the time their carriage rolled out of sight down the drive and the chance to enjoy the outdoors had been virtually at an end.
First Uncle Charles had lingered over breakfast as though he had all day, deep in conversation with Bertrand, Estelle's twin brother. Then Ellen, their cousin, had decided she really ought to send a quick note to her betrothed to explain that their return home would be delayed because her mama had decided they must call upon friends who lived not far off their intended route, and those friends were bound to invite them to stay for a few days. The conversation finally at an end and Ellen's letter written, Aunt Jane had been hopeful of a midmorning start. But that hope was dashed when the vicar arrived from the village and was positively delighted to find that he had come in time to send the travelers on their way with a blessing.
The Reverend John Mott, a deeply pious man, was a longtime acquaintance of Aunt Jane's and a great favorite of hers. At her urging, the blessing had developed into extended prayers and scripture readings in the sitting room and had been succeeded by a lengthy discussion, initiated by Aunt Jane, about the deteriorating moral fiber of the nation, especially its heedless youth. And since by then noon was fast approaching, Estelle had invited the vicar to join them all for a light luncheon that she had guessed— correctly— their cook was already preparing with feverish haste for six people instead of the two she had been planning for.
After the dishes had been cleared from the table and their second cup of coffee had been poured, the conversation had turned to a discussion of the uncertain future of the monarchy, since King George IV was in perennial ill health and the only heir closely related to him was a young girl, Victoria, daughter of the Duke of Kent. The other royal dukes had been prolific in the production of children, it was true, but not, unfortunately, of the legitimate variety. It was all quite scandalous, in Aunt Jane's opinion.
The carriage had been outside the door at three o'clock, had been fully loaded with its three passengers by quarter past, and had finally rolled on its way at half past, all the last-minute thanks and well-wishes and reminders to do this and be sure to avoid doing that having been called out the window. By Aunt Jane, of course.
"So much for a perfect summer day," Estelle had said, turning to her brother— but with a twinkle in her eye. For of course she was exceedingly fond of her relatives and had actually enjoyed the day as it unfolded.
"All in a good cause," Bertrand had said. "We will miss them. There will be other lovely days to spend outdoors."
And sure enough, along had come the unexpected gift of today.
When she had left the house earlier, Estelle had intended to walk all the way to Prospect Hall to call upon Maria Wiley. The heat was giving her second thoughts by now, however. The hall was a mile or so beyond the bridge, on the other side of the river, and she had already walked more than a mile. She looked down at the wildflowers at her feet and stooped to rub a hand over the grass. It was dry. And blessedly cool to the touch. She changed her mind about going farther and sat down close to the river's edge. She arranged her skirts neatly about her legs and clasped her arms around her raised knees.
Aunt Jane would have been horrified at such unladylike behavior, especially in a public place where anyone might come along at any moment and see her. Estelle smiled fondly at the thought. Aunt Jane and Uncle Charles had raised Bertrand and her. Their mother had died in a horrible accident before they were even a year old, and their father, overcome with grief and guilt over his conviction that he had caused their mother's death, had effectively disappeared from their lives except for brief, unsatisfactory visits twice a year or so. He had acquired an unsavory reputation as a rake, though they had not known that, of course, until much later.
He was back in their lives now and had been for the past eight years. Estelle loved him dearly, but that did not change the fact that their formative years, from one to seventeen, had been spent in the care of Aunt Jane, their mother's elder sister, and Uncle Charles. And in the company of Oliver and Ellen, their cousins, both older than they.
It had been a strict upbringing, with much emphasis upon duty and moral rectitude and self-discipline and piety. Estelle and Bertrand had also been loved, though. But there had always been a gaping hole in their lives, partly because their mother was dead, though mainly because their father was not. They had longed and yearned for him, watched for him from the attic room of Elm Court, where they had lived through most of those years and lived again now. Yet whenever he had come, they had held themselves aloof from him, waiting and waiting for him to … to open his arms and his heart to them. Or give some other sign. Make the first move. Stay.
After he left, usually sooner than he had intended, they hated him and wept for him— yes, Bertrand had wept too— and resolved to forget all about him, to cut him from their lives. Until, that was, they found themselves in the attic again, watching for his return. Yearning for him.
Ah. Estelle shook her head. She had not intended to sink into those memories today of all days. Today was for simple enjoyment. Tomorrow there might be clouds and blustery winds and chill temperatures and rain again. Three days in a row was too much to hope for with any confidence this year. Today she was free to do whatever she wished. Much as she had loved having her aunt and uncle and Ellen to stay, she had, as always, felt constrained by their presence. As though she needed to be on her very best behavior every single moment. And to listen meekly to almost daily harangues— though no, that was unfair. Harangues was a negative word. Aunt Jane loved her and wanted the best for her—and of her. She gave suggestions now, and they were often sound advice.
Her aunt did not approve of Estelle's living at Elm Court virtually alone, though Bertrand lived there too and they had always been extraordinarily close despite the fact that they were not, of course, identical twins. Estelle, in Aunt Jane's opinion, really ought to have a female companion living with her— just as Lady Maria Wiley of Prospect Hall did, and very proper too, though one could wish that her companion was a decade or so older than she was. It was bordering upon scandalous that Estelle did not have one at all. Aunt Jane could not understand why the marchioness did not insist upon it. The marchioness was Estelle's stepmother of eight years, her father's second wife. He was the Marquess of Dorchester.
Estelle did not want a companion. Not a female one, anyway. She had Bertrand, and he was enough for her. For a few years, just before their father's marriage to Viola Kingsley and then afterward, they had lived at Redcliffe Court in Northamptonshire, where they had been taken after their father inherited the title and property. Two years ago, however, they had come back to Elm Court, just the two of them, having found themselves overwhelmed by the life of the ton into which they had been thrust— with great success, incidentally, and even some enjoyment, until suddenly it had been enjoyable no longer.
They had already been in their twenties when it happened, an age at which Estelle at least ought to have been married, according to conventional wisdom. She had never really been tempted, however, though she liked a number of the eligible men she had met. Instead, she had wanted to … to find herself, for want of a clearer way to describe how she had felt. And of course it was how Bertrand had felt too. They so often thought alike about the important things.
So they had come back to Elm Court to live. Oh, not to become hermits. Far from it. Just this year, for example, they had gone to London for a few weeks of the Season and had proceeded from there to Hinsford Manor in Hampshire to celebrate the thirtieth birthday of Harry Westcott, their stepmother's son and therefore their stepbrother. It was a large family party that had turned unexpectedly into a celebration of Harry's wedding to Lydia Tavernor.
All of it had been thoroughly enjoyable— for both Estelle and her twin. But they had come back here well before the end of the Season. Sometimes Estelle wondered if they would grow old together here, to be known as those weird and eccentric twins. But life was ever changing. It was impossible to predict the future. She did not even want to try.
She sat in the sunshine. The heat felt very good. But … Well, it was really quite hot, and temptation beckoned in the form of the river. Poor Aunt Jane would have had heart palpitations. But Aunt Jane was not here, was she? And there was no one else in sight to be scandalized. It was why Estelle always loved walking beside the river north of their property, in fact. No one else ever came here. The bridge, sturdy and picturesque though it was, was rarely used these days, now that the main road nearby had been widened and resurfaced and was far more convenient to travelers than the narrow, rutted track that crossed the bridge. Most people would naturally choose convenience and comfort over a scenic route.
Temptation was not to be resisted, Estelle decided at last, perhaps because she did not put up any great fight against it. She pulled off her shoes and set them neatly beside her, peeled off her stockings and pressed them into the shoes so they would not go wafting away in the breeze, folded the lower half of her skirt neatly over her knees so that some remnant of modesty would be preserved, and lowered her feet gingerly into the river. She gasped at the coldness of the water, but she lowered her legs farther, wiggling her toes as she did so, and found that they quickly adapted. And oh goodness, it felt delicious.
She swished her feet and laughed when a few splashes spread into dark circles on her dress and doubtless penetrated each fold of it. One droplet landed on the side of her nose. She brushed it away and dried her hand on her skirt. She felt herself relax as she brought the whole of her attention back to the scene around her— and in her. For of course she was part of the scene, right to the very core of her being. It was not a case of her and it. She actually was it, just as the birds were and the insects and the grass and the daisies, and that butterfly fluttering over a cluster of clover. This, she thought, was contentment. Even happiness. Just this. She wished Bertrand had come with her.
Her bonnet was protecting her head from the full force of the sun. The brim was shading her eyes and preventing her from acquiring a red and shiny nose, which her maid would cluck over with disapproval and Bertrand would laugh at. But just for a couple of minutes she wanted to feel it all— the brightness and the warmth. She pulled loose the ribbons beneath her chin and took off her bonnet. One of her hairpins caught in the bottom edge of it, and while she wrestled to free it a whole hank of hair came tumbling down over her shoulder. Bother! But it served her right. She set the bonnet on the grass, pulled out the rest of her hairpins, and dropped them carefully into the hat. She shook her head and combed her fingers through her hair in the hope of achieving something like smoothness. It was impossible, of course, since she did not have a brush with her, but so what? She had already decided that she would not go visiting.
A sense of delicious freedom welled up in her and spilled over in exuberance. She kicked her feet, careful not to splash herself again. She propped herself up with her hands spread on the grass behind her, tipped back her head so she could feel the sun on her face and cool air on the back of her neck, and closed her eyes.
This was pure bliss.
Until, that was, she became aware of someone panting— someone who was not her. And then she heard low, menacing growls. And then angry barking. Her eyes flew open and she whipped her head about to see a huge monster of a dog dashing toward her across the grass, all bared teeth and ferocity and flying spittle and giant paws. If Estelle had not been half paralyzed with terror, she might well have jumped screaming right into the river. Instead she sat up sharply, spread her hands before her face, palms out, fingers spread, and cried out. Something idiotic like, "Good doggie," she thought afterward. By then she hoped fervently she had not actually said doggie.
"Heel, Captain!" The voice that snapped out the command came from somewhere behind Estelle. It was a harsh masculine voice— and instantly effective. The dog stopped in its tracks, a mere six feet from Estelle and towering over her. It growled menacingly once, tipped its head to one side, one brown ear flopping against its head, the other swinging free, black jowls quivering, black nose twitching, black eyes glaring death and destruction— and turned to trot to where the voice had come from.
Estelle sucked in a deep breath of air, perhaps the first since she had heard the panting. She turned more fully, drawing her feet from the water at the same time, curling her legs under her, and pulling her skirt down over them. All a bit too late for modesty.
People never came this way. Well. Almost never.
He was astride a massive horse, an equally massive man, or so he appeared to Estelle from her vantage point close to the ground. Oh dear God, her hair was all about her in a half-tangled, untidy mass. Her dress was soggy and clinging to her bare legs. He, on the other hand, was immaculately clad for riding, a man with wide shoulders and a broad chest and powerful-looking thighs. He was dark and dour of countenance, though the fact that his tall hat was pulled low over his brow and cast his face in shadow might account for at least part of that impression. His black-faced brown bloodhound panted up at him as though awaiting the order to attack and kill.
He was some distance away from Estelle, holding his horse quite still while he regarded her in silence. He made no apology. He asked for no assurance that she was unharmed. He uttered no greeting of any sort. Except that even as she noted this he touched his whip to the brim of his hat and inclined his head perhaps an inch and a half in her direction. Then he rode down the track, across the bridge, in among the trees that lay beyond the bank on the other side, and disappeared.
After that one slight acknowledgment of her existence he had not once looked her way.
Estelle gaped after him. She was trembling, she realized. Her heart was still beating at what felt like double time. It pounded in her chest and sounded like a drumbeat in her ears. Her hands were tingling with pins and needles. Her teeth were chattering, though certainly not with cold despite the fact that her skirt was definitely wet and uncomfortable about her legs. Her hair felt like a jungle and probably looked like one. She felt foolish and humiliated despite the fact that he was a stranger and it was unlikely she would ever see him again. She also felt indignant and ruffled. Downright angry, in fact. How dared he have a vicious dog like that on the loose where it might attack any unwary person walking alone— or sitting with her feet dangling in the water— and tear her to shreds?
Her heart speeded up further if it was possible and made her feel quite faint for a moment. And how dared he not dismount from that monster of a horse and hurry to her assistance, all gentlemanly concern for her well-being? For all he knew, she might have swooned as soon as his back was turned and toppled into the water and drowned and floated away like Ophelia and eventually sunk, never to be seen or heard of again. At the very least he ought to have been abject in his apologies for frightening her. Instead, his silent stare had somehow put her at fault, as though she had upset his poor dog— had she really called him a doggie? Captain! Whoever had heard of calling a dog Captain?
So much for a perfect summer day.
It was ruined.
She wondered if she would tell Bertrand. She could narrate the encounter amusingly. He would laugh—after ascertaining that she had taken no real harm. But she would have nightmares for a week. Perhaps longer. Perhaps for the rest of her life. She was still breathless. She was almost whimpering. A butterfly fluttering past her face made her jump.
She pulled on her stockings, tried unsuccessfully again to comb her fingers all the way through her hair, gave up the struggle, and got to her feet. She pushed them into her shoes and made her way home, her bonnet dangling from the fingers of one hand, her hairpins tinkling around inside it.
Aunt Jane would have needed to be revived if she could have seen her now. Not, now that Estelle came to think of it, that she had ever seen her aunt swoon.
Justin Wiley, Earl of Brandon, was not in a good mood, and that was putting it mildly. He had no wish to go where he was going, was not looking forward to getting there, and was wondering even now if he should simply turn around and go back even though he had come a long way and was almost at his destination. He did not, then, appreciate a distraction on top of everything else, especially when it came in the form of a woman whom he had mistaken at first for a farm wench playing truant from her chores before realizing that she was far too finely clad to be anything other than a lady. But a lady out alone in the middle of nowhere? With her hair in a dark, unruly cloud down her back and skirts up over her knees while her bare legs and feet dangled in the river?
The very sight of her had irritated him because of course he had reacted as any vigorous male would have in the circumstances— with a surge of sheer startled lust. After he had called off Captain, that was, and watched the woman try to contain her terror and at the same time make herself look respectable. Her efforts had done the opposite by drawing attention to a heaving bosom and bare, shapely legs. And that wanton hair.
It had been a brief distraction, over in a matter of minutes as he rode across the stone bridge that spanned the river and in among the trees on the other side. But his already dark mood had been further darkened, and he did not appreciate it one little bit. He had frightened a helpless woman— or at least Captain had, which was really the same thing since the dog was his. And he had reacted to her in an undisciplined, quite despicable way, even if he had not acted upon his baser instincts.
Prospect Hall must be close, within a mile or so anyway. That meant that the lady who was behaving with such scandalous disregard for propriety back there probably lived somewhere close. It was a fact that accused him, and he did not need more guilt heaped upon him.
For longer than a year now he had had the sole charge of his sister. He was her guardian, but had procrastinated in fulfilling his duty to her simply because she wanted nothing to do with him. He had respected her wishes while she was in mourning for her mother and had stayed away. And so he had perhaps exposed her to the bad influence of neighbors who did not know how to behave. Yet even now, when he had come at last to take charge, he was reluctant to complete his journey and was even tempted not to do so.
Good God, they might be acquaintances, that woman and his sister. Half sister, to be precise. Perhaps they were even friends. It was true that Maria had Miss Vane as a companion for respectability and some protection. But he had never met Miss Vane and knew little about her except that she had once been Maria's governess. He really had been unpardonably derelict in his duty. Even while Maria's mother was still alive he had been his sister's official guardian after his father's death six years ago.
He had just this moment been deficient also in his duty as a gentleman, he realized with a sudden grimace. He had not apologized to that woman for frightening her or explained to her that Captain was far too well trained to attack anyone, or any creature, in fact, without his master's say-so— which had never yet been given. Or that Cap was far too good-natured a dog to want to attack anyone. Doubtless he had been galloping up on the woman in the hope that she would allow him to slobber and pant all over her in exchange for a belly rub. It was distinctly to the dog's disadvantage that he was so large and fierce-looking with his giant paws and black face and wobbling jowls. And that his bark was deep and loud enough to wake the dead.
Justin had not even stopped long enough to assure himself that the woman had recovered from her fright. His dog had not gone within eight feet of her, but she might well be a vaporish sort. She might even now be stretched senseless upon the riverbank, getting fried by the sun.
It was extremely unlikely.
But he resented the distraction and the way the incident had somehow put him in the wrong. He needed to concentrate his mind upon the coming encounter with his sister. Soon. A mile or so beyond the bridge, he had been told at the village he had passed through twenty minutes or so ago. A couple of miles all told. About three miles if he continued along the road, as he would have done if he had been traveling with his carriage. He had sent that by the road with his valet and his baggage and had taken the shorter route himself. Something he now regretted. So. Less than a mile to go.
Maria was the daughter of his father and his father's second wife, now deceased. She was fourteen years younger than Justin. He had not seen her for twelve years. She had been a child then, eight years old, thin and pale, with fine blond hair and big blue eyes, and he had adored her. And she him. But he had left home abruptly and been gone for six years before he inherited the title and properties and fortune upon the death of his father. One of his first acts as Earl of Brandon, before he went home to Everleigh Park, was to have the countess, his stepmother, and therefore her daughter too, sent here to Prospect Hall to live. It was one of his smaller properties, though the house was said to be a comfortable, attractive manor set in pretty grounds and run by a small but competent staff, most of whom had been here forever. Justin had never come in person.
His stepmother's health had broken down a year or two after the move and had deteriorated steadily over the following years. Her illness had become more and more debilitating, until by the end she could neither rise from her bed nor move her limbs nor speak. Even swallowing apparently had become well nigh impossible, according to the brief, very factual reports Miss Vane had sent him twice a month. He had sent a physician from London and a few nurses who had come highly recommended. Each of the nurses had been dismissed within a week. Maria had nursed her mother herself right up to the end. The countess had died a little more than a year ago, and Maria had been left alone with her companion. She would remain under Justin's guardianship until her twenty-fifth birthday or until she married— with his permission. Whichever came first.
His sister had been here, then, since she was fourteen, with a sick mother for three or four of those years. She had been in mourning during the year since her mother's death. One could only imagine the sort of hell she had lived through. Yet she had refused his summons, couched very carefully as an invitation, to return to Everleigh Park after the funeral and again a year later. On the latter occasion, just a couple of months ago, she had dictated her answer to Miss Vane, who had written it in her small, distinct handwriting.
Lady Maria Wiley must confess to a certain degree of puzzlement over the Earl of Brandon's invitation to return home. She is already at home. Unless, that is, his lordship should choose to assert his sole ownership of Prospect Hall and require her removal, in which case she will purchase a home of her own with the inheritance left her by her mother and thus free him of an inconvenience and herself of any future harassment.
He had read and reread the extraordinary letter with amazed incredulity. Harassment? Could she hate him so much? It was obvious she could and did.
Did she realize, though, that the money her mother had left her was in trust with him for another five years? Did she understand that he was her legal guardian?
He had thought himself hardened against everything life could possibly hurl his way. He had had long practice, after all. But Maria had found a small chink in his armor. She was all that was left of what he had once valued, of what he had once loved.
A long, long time ago.
A lifetime or two ago.
There was a cluster of cottages up ahead on one side of the track. A picturesque stone manor stood alone on the other side, set back some distance from the road within a large garden of lawns and trellises and roses and myriad other flowers. This must be Prospect Hall.
Even now he considered turning back or simply riding on by. Being hated wore upon one. He was, however, long inured to such pain. He turned onto the wide graveled pathway that led through an open gate and along beside the manor to a stable block behind and to one side of it.
He wondered if in her wildest nightmares Maria expected him to come here in person to fetch her home. But she had given him no choice.
Doctor Daddy's Broken Little By Mary Balogh Solstice By Mary Balogh The Desire Series By Mary Balogh The Devil's Weakness By Mary Balogh Unchain the Highlander's Heart By Mary Balogh Daddy's Enticing Little Princess By Mary Balogh Claiming His Family By Mary Balogh The Perfect Indiscretion By Mary Balogh The Lady's Christmas Secret By Mary Balogh Last Christmas the Earl Stole her Heart By Mary Balogh Grimor the Joyless By Mary Balogh Her Solstice Wolf By Mary Balogh


Le Traileur De MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Dans Le Web | Birth.Movies.Death.
A French trailer for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL leaks online.
The French trailer for Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol is now online, in a leaked form. It pretty well replicates the experience of seeing a movie in the front row of a Parisian theater, which I think has cultural value.
The trailer looks good enough, although it's so hard with these trailers that are made up of half second long glimpses of footage. Fading in for a blink on ANYTHING will look pretty dramatic and cool. Still, I've heard from people 'in the know' that Brad Bird has knocked this one out the park.
The good news is that Tom Cruise has a chance to yet again run really fast in a straight line in this movie. It's important he always get to do that.


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text:
Softwood Deal: Follow the Money
Pact lets dollars pour into mergers, not jobs and communities.
By Kim Pollock 3 May 2006 | TheTyee.ca
Suddenly, we have a softwood lumber deal.
A few days ago, Canada was on track; still steaming steadily onward toward an inevitable legal win before North American Free Trade tribunals and at the World Trade Organization. The US was already reduced to appeals of decisions in "extraordinary appeal" processes, an avenue which pointed glaringly toward defeat. Another 18 months and we would win a clear, resounding victory over the obnoxious US coalition.
The Byrd amendment, which gave US producers a reward for launching trade disputes, was shot out of the sky.
The US case for injury was already wrecked, most recently by a WTO ruling of April 13. The case for subsidy, similarly, was done in by a March 17 NAFTA ruling. Soon, the level of alleged subsidy would likely be set at a de minimus level, that is, so low as to be pegged at zero. A de minimus ruling would mean the countervailing duty, already down to a manageable 8.7 percent, could no longer be imposed.
Then, the only fight left was over the roughly $5 billion US held by the US administration in countervailing duties and anti-dumping tariffs. The Canadian industry was salivating for it, of course, panting to use it for more mergers, foreign acquisitions and payouts to shareholders.
In recent years, indeed, Canadian firms have already used a disturbing proportion of their profits to buy one another out, buy assets in the US or abroad and invest outside the forest sector. That's why the Steelworkers urged the federal and provincial governments to make their support at NAFTA and the WTO contingent on investments in job creation, industrial diversification, upgrading, training and communities here in Canada.
Now that's all gone.
US back in driver's seat
The deal hatched by Canadian and US and negotiators this week might do much to ease the concerns of Canadian and US governments and corporations, although many observers agree that they might just as likely hate it once they fall under it. But it does nearly nothing for workers or their communities.
Politically, the deal indicates how eager Stephen Harper's likely short-lived federal government is to please US President George Bush. Instead of being reduced to such desperate measures as almost-hopeless appeals of its failed "extraordinary challenges" of past NAFTA panel rulings, the US and its lumber coalition are back in the driver's seat.
The nearly-defeated US companies get a $500 million reward, half the 22 percent of the duties and tariffs the Americans now get to keep a lovely, Byrd-quality nest egg with which the coalition can kick start a new round of challenges in seven years when this deal dies.
Canadian firms, meanwhile, are saddled with another sodden half a loaf. Prime Minister Stephan Harper crowed al a Brian Mulroney that we got "stable and predictable access to the US market" with "unrestricted access under current market conditions." In fact, it is merely another quota deal, similar in some respects to the horrible Canada-US Softwood Lumber Agreement of 1996 to 2002.
Canada's total exports will be capped at 34 percent of the total US lumber market. Firms will pay a 5 percent border tax, collected by the Canadian government, every time the price of lumber falls under $355 US per thousand board feet. This seems like a high threshold now, given that lumber prices fell below that for only six weeks in 2004 and four weeks last year. But remember, they stayed under that rate all but six weeks of 2003. If lumber prices fall, the border tax is here to stay.
In addition, firms face a "surge mechanism" penalizing them every time shipments from their region rise above 110 percent of their share of the 34 percent for two quarters in a row. Mills in Atlantic Canada are exempt because most of their timber comes from private lands -- they conform comfortably to the US lumber lobby's prejudices.
Why retreat now?
All this might represent an acceptable, though hardly attractive deal, had the federal government insisted on measures to ensure that a share of the $4 billion US coming back to Canada goes toward much-needed investment in job creation, training and communities. But there was absolutely none of that stuff.
Instead, we get the usual, lame assurances that what's good for corporations must be good for workers, communities or Canadians in general. We know it's not. Companies have used their profits in recent years to merge - think Canfor-Slocan; West Fraser-Riverside-Lignum; Cascadia-Western - buy foreign assets, such as the mills Canfor bought in South Carolina; the particle-board plants Ainsworth bought in Minnesota; the US assets purchased by Domtar or Interfor's Pacific Northwest sawmills. Without direction from government, the companies will simply use their cash-back from the US Commerce Department to buy even more foreign firms.
Harper's weasel words aside, the industry has also gone into full spin mode. Executives who only a few days ago raged against all the elements of the current compromise now say it is the only possible deal, way better than two more - BC Premier Gordon Campbell topped that at five more - years of uncertain litigation. The BC Lumber Trade Council's John Allan, hitherto Canada's litigation hawk and our chief legal optimist, now warns that you never know what will happen in court.
In fact, the litigation is almost done and Canada would certainly have won. Why retreat now? The truth is this deal represents a sordid sell out. For Harper, at least, it paid, though, when Bush praised his "leadership in resolving this issue." You know: "Yer doin' a helluva job, Stevie." One BC forest company rep was more honest. He said the Harper government would probably have been uninterested in pursuing the legal fight any longer in the face of pressure from the White House.
For companies, it's clearly about the money. Instead of fighting or negotiating, they get $4 billion right now, no strings attached. No job creation targets, no share for workers or communities. It's pathetic.
In the end though, we should remember the words of former BC chief bureaucrat Doug McArthur. After about a year, he said, especially if the price of lumber falls, Canadian firms will be screaming to get out of it. Then what?
Kim Pollock is a Canadian Research Representative for the United Steelworkers, based in Burnaby, BC. For 12 years he was a senior staff rep for the Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada.
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Evolution of The Human Race
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The piece above seems to be treating the story as though it actually happened. I have been watching videos recently… Written by	Robert Howes
Why Was Jesus Crucified? (The Gospel Mysteries)
Brilliant thinking, and so clearly spoken. Now how do we get those of "faith" to listen to it? Written by	Robert Howes
Podcast 20 - The Tyranny of God Audiobook, Chapter 15 - The Tyranny of God, Part 2 of 2 (Podcasts)
I already purchased both of these CDs and play this wonderful music, voices and lyrics over and over. An Atheist… Written by	Maureen Nolan
Podcast 15 - Interview with Shelley Segal (Podcasts)
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Baghdad Fashion Frees Up
This is great to hear: "The young women of Baghdad acknowledge there are more serious concerns in Iraq these days than hair, clothes and makeup. But they also say there might be nothing quite as exhilarating as stepping out of the house in a pretty dress, hair flowing freely behind them, behaving as if their country had not been shattered by war and dominated by religious conservatism for much of their lives". (Source)
Published in The Negative Effects of Religion
Our Ancestors
-Australopythicus.
- Homo Rudolfensis
- Homo Heidelbergensis
Signs of better tools with aesthetics.
Signs of groups, communities and family units.
Published in Scientific Advances
Kansas abortion doctor shot to death at church
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A Kansas doctor reviled by anti-abortion groups for his work providing "late-term" abortions was shot and killed in his Wichita, Kansas, church on Sunday, and police said they captured the man responsible. (Full)
Sight restored with stem cell contact lenses
"PETER CAVE: Medical researchers at the University of New South Wales are claiming success in curing partial blindness by coating contact lenses with stem cells. The patients with diseased corneas wore the lenses coated with their own stem cells and after about a month their corneas had regrown. The scientists say that in the future the technique may be used to help people blinded by other causes."
- Sight restored with stem cell contact lenses ABC Online
Church of Scientology members banned from editing Wikipedia
"Church of Scientology members have been banned from editing Wikipedia articles about their church, after a long-running dispute about biased articles." *
PERSONAL COMMENT: Wikipedia's robustness depends on keeping out misinformation being contributed by individuals and organisations willing to fudge truth for their own benefit.
Scientists Unveil Missing Link In Human Evolution
This video report talks about the apparent 'missing link' that links our species to that of the apes.
Click here if you can't click above.
PERSONAL COMMENT:
The reporting seems to indicate that this finding is the missing link that we needed to confirm that we indeed descended from the apes, the evidence that we need to put Creationism as a failed theory. This, I think confirms for me that most people, even journalists working for major media companies, are not informed that this is merely a 'missing link' in the fossil records, not the missing link to prove that we have a common ancestor with apes.We already have enough evidence, through our studies of the DNA, to say that Creationism, as outlined in The Book Of Genesis, is a theory that contradicts the evidence we have.
CONTINUING ON...
Here's more about this fascinating discovery:
Click here if you cannot see the video above.
Woman let daughter die in 'test of faith
A mother accused of praying instead of getting medical help for her dying 11-year-old daughter has been found guilty of reckless homicide. (Source)
COMMENT: If the mother wanted to know whether praying works, here's proof that it does not.
Alleged NY bomb plotters 'eager to kill Jews'
THREE American Jihadists accused of plotting to blow up synagogues in New York and attack a US military plane were described in court on Thursday as fanatics "eager to bring death." (Source)
Sexual abuse was 'endemic' in Irish boys' homes
Sexual abuse of children was "endemic" in Catholic boys' institutions in Ireland and church leaders turned a blind eye to it, says a report on mistreatment in church-run bodies dating back to the 1930s. "Children lived with the daily terror of not knowing where the next beating was coming from," the report said. "A climate of fear ... permeated most of the institutions and all those run for boys." (Source)
Birds Are The Descendants Of Dinosaurs
"The fossil record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 150 to 200 million years ago, and the earliest known bird is the Late Jurassic Archaeopteryx, c 155-150 Ma. Most paleontologists regard birds as the only clade of dinosaurs that survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event approximately 65.5 million years ago." (Wikipedia: Bird)
"...T-rex collagen makeup is almost identical to that of a modern chicken - this corroborates a huge body of evidence from the fossil record that demonstrates birds are descended from meat-eating dinosaurs," said Angela Milner, the associate keeper of palaeontology at the Natural History Museum in London. (Source)
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WESTMARC – the Western Maricopa Coalition – is a public/private partnership of the 15 communities, the business community and the educational sector in the West Valley. To ensure that our members receive the greatest benefit possible, we host five annual events that draw regional leaders across numerous industries and WESTMARC supports six issue committees that focus on specific economic development and workforce needs for the region.
The work that WESTMARC and our members do daily impacts almost every industry in this county, which in turn benefits both your business and the community at large. We hope you join our team and invest in our organization because you are not just investing in another non-profit, you are strengthening the economy, creating jobs and shaping our region's future.
"With I-10 and I-17 designated as Key Commerce Corridors for Arizona, Loop 303 and other freeway improvements in the West Valley allow for this uniquely positioned community to prosper economically. The proposed I-11 and State Route 30 corridors will continue to foster mobility and economic development for a growing region."
"I love the West Valley because of its vibrant diversity. I have friends from all different cultural and economic backgrounds, and we enjoy a wide range of entertainment, sports, dining, outdoor activities and volunteer opportunities. You name it, we enjoy it in the West Valley. We enjoy living in the sun and going someplace else when we want to visit the snow. "
"Arizona State University's charter acknowledges our role in advancing the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities we serve. We are proud to partner with WESTMARC to explore economic development opportunities, grow a skilled workforce, and enhance the quality of life for West Valley communities and all of Arizona."
"Our top priority to grow our regional economy is to create the talent and workforce needed to attract high-wage jobs for people in the region. The West Valley has one of the most business friendly environments in the country. Through our partnership with WESTMARC, Phoenix has tremendous access to business, elected and education leaders to strengthen this region as one cohesive community."
"Over my 23-year career, I've had the opportunity to work in five states. This is by far the most impressive coordination of community leaders' (private and elected) efforts toward the greater good I've had the privilege to witness. When we became the first Level 1 Trauma center in West Valley, it was celebrated and supported by multiple communities and their leaders. Through effective WESTMARC Committee activities, I have had the opportunity to work closely with one of my competitors as we unite towards a common purpose in advancing the West Valley."
See where WESTMARC is going!
Of course it is, come learn more!
Come spend the day networking and golfing!


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Q: Can Aforge detect the tablet type? Team,
I have an issue where i have to deploy the C# web cam project done with the help of Aforge classes on two tablets Pro -3 and Pro -4.  Issue is that there are vast differences between the video resolutions of each of the them. I need to select 960 * 540 for Pro-3 and  640 * 640 for Pro-4.
if i know something as if(tablet is Pro-3)
                            then
                             set video resolution as 960 * 540
                       if tablet is Pro4
                             set video resolution as 640 * 640
is there any way i can accomplish this
Question 2)
I also have a picturebox control which seem to be bigger than the video resolution. How can i set the picturebox size and width to video resolution.

A:
Can Aforge detect the tablet type?

I don't think it can. But it can be done in different way.
As for your first question.
I don't have any of these models to check this but you should get model by executing this powershell script:
Get-WmiObject Win32_Computersystem | Format-List model

C# code for retriving Model and Manufacturer would be something like:
public static string GetDeviceManufacturerModel()
    {
        const string manufacturerKey = "Manufacturer";
        const string modelKey = "Model";

        var mos = new ManagementObjectSearcher(
            string.Format("select {0}, {1} from Win32_ComputerSystem", manufacturerKey, modelKey));

        foreach (var managementObject in mos.Get())
        {
            if (managementObject[manufacturerKey] != null && managementObject[modelKey] != null)
                return string.Format("{0} {1}", managementObject[manufacturerKey], managementObject[modelKey]);
        }
        return "";
    }

As for second question. Aforge library that you use is giving you VideoSourcePlayer, there is AutoSizeControl Property designed for achiving what you want. Maybe it's better solution for you than picturebox.
If not, check out this thread on Aforge forum : PictureBox instead of VideoSourcePlayer

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Q: Saving NSArray data to disk I have an NSMutableArray that contains NSMutableDictionary's.  Each dictionary has an AVAsset, an NSURL, an NSString, and two UIImages.  I want to save my array to disk so that each time I close and open my app, I can load the array and  convert the URLs's to NSData objects in order to play audio and use the AVAssets for some other actions.  I know I can save and load my array using initWithContentsOfFile and writeToFile:atomically and this answer is pretty informative: Saving a NSArray.  However, that answer was from 2009.  Is there a better way of saving and loading an array these days?.

A: As for the answer you linked, the answer is still valid. And according to it, you cannot store it the way it mentions. This is because array must be plist format compatible in order to be saved like that. When you parse your array down to lowest element hierarchy, you have UIImage which is just an object pointer and doesn't make sense.
One practical way would be store UIImages as separate files, and store their paths as part of your NSMutableDictionary objects. Same holds true for AVAssets. Off course you need to engineer the solution to fully accomplish this goal.
One more way to store non-plist compatible objects is to use archiving and unarchiving feature. Refer to the documentation. Here, make sure that each object in the tree follows protocol NSCoding (Probably, AVAsset in your question does not conform to it, so you need a way to work around it). For an example, see this answer and search the likes of it.


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Kashmiri Muslims under attack as violence grips India
News Desk |
On 17th February, separatist Kashmiri leaders and trade bodies called for a complete shutdown, which was observed throughout Kashmir in protest to the property evictions, suspensions, arrests and brutality that Kashmiris all over India are suffering in the aftermath of the Pulwama suicide bombing.
Kashmiris have come under attack as India is gripped with a wave of communal violence, and mobs demanding revenge are attacking Kashmiri students and staging forceful evictions, particularly in the states of Uttarakhand, Haryana, Bihar, and Maharashtra amongst other Indian states.
Mirwaiz stressed that the decision to withdraw security does not "affect us" and our stance to seek self-determination for Kashmir will remain unchanged.
Social media is abuzz with a series of extremely disturbing videos that show innocent Kashmiri students and businessmen being rounded up and beaten up by extremist goons across various states of India. Mob attacks have also been observed against Kashmiris throughout the valley, particularly in Jammu, and Kashmiri media reports that properties worth lakhs have been dismantled.
Media reports reveal that the members of extremist Hindu groups, including Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, have been actively targeting Kashmiri students and businessmen in Dehradun, Bihar and other Indian states. Kashmiri students and families are extremely fearful of their safety, and students have reportedly locked themselves inside their rentals and hostel rooms out of fear.
Read more: Pulwama Attack: Modi's master plan before the upcoming election?
On Sunday, a horrifying video emerged of an innocent Kashmiri being incessantly beaten in Jantar Mantar, and the mob can be heard chanting slogans of "kill him", while the police present on the scene provided him security with great difficulty.
The Kashmir Monitor reported that four paramedical students, including Talveen Manzoor, Uzma Nazir, and Iqra Zohra Nazir studying at the National Institute of Medical Science, were suspended from their institution and later booked under sedition charges for allegedly sharing "anti-national" messages via WhatsApp. The girls have been accused of posting a picture that is allegedly "celebrating the Pulwama attack".
Kashmiri students and families are extremely fearful of their safety, and students have reportedly locked themselves inside their rentals and hostel rooms out of fear.
The Indian forces have also been accused of conducting "nocturnal raids" in the valley and arresting innocent Kashmiris. In the Shopian district of South Kashmir, three innocent persons were arrested yesterday, including Rafiq Ahmed, a public school teacher, Fayaz Ahmed Malik, and Umar Nagari, a student. While speaking to the Kashmir Monitor, the locals revealed that the Indian forces raided three houses, and they condemned these arrests, saying that the arrested persons are "innocent and should be released immediately".
Read more: Pakistan's PM blasts Indian killing spree in occupied Kashmir
Kashmiri Leaders Condemn Violence
In a series of tweets, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has condemned the violence against Kashmiris with strongly worded comments. He tweeted, "Deeply distressed by reports of continued attacks on Kashmiri's in Jammu and other places by communal goons let loose. Those in charge are obliged to ensure the safety and security of Kashmiri's is not compromised with at a time when anti-Kashmir rhetoric has been ratcheted up."
Deeply distressed by reports of continued attacks on Kashmiri's in Jammu and other places by communal goons let loose.Those in charge are obliged to ensure the safety and security of Kashmiri's is not compromised with at a time when anti Kashmir rhetoric has been ratcheted up.
— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) February 16, 2019
Earlier today, Asaduddin Owaisi, President of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) also tweeted against the anti-Kashmiri violence and emphasized that Kashmiri citizens have a right to "live free from fear" in any part of India. Owaisi also stressed that such "xenophobic attacks" must be condemned and it is important to prevent the "rule of law be replaced by a rule of mobs".
Every Kashmiri has a right to live free from fear, to reside in any part of India. These xenophobic attacks against Kashmiris are deplorable & must be condemned.
We cannot let our rule of law be replaced by a rule of mobs
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) February 16, 2019
The Majlis Ittehad-e-Millat Jammu and Kashmir, which consists of key religious parties within J&K, also condemned the acts of violence staged against Kashmiris across India and in Jammu city. As per the report presented by KL News Network, a spokesperson for the organization has condemned the attacks, and stated that these terrorizing scenes of violence and property damage are reminiscent of the horrifying "massacre of thousands of innocent Muslims back in 1947".
Read more: Pakistan & AJK should do much more on political & diplomatic…
The spokesperson for Majlis Ittehad-e-Millat J&K also revealed that the local administration and police were "supporting the mobs that were assaulting Kashmiri Muslims". He went on to say, "The authorities were providing shelter to the stone pelters who were destructing the properties of Kashmiri Muslims and even mosques across various regions of Jammu".
The Indian forces have also been accused of conducting "nocturnal raids" in the valley and arresting innocent Kashmiris.
Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister, and Vice President National Conference, also condemned the attacks on Kashmiri students and asserted that these attacks convey that Kashmiris have "no future in the mainland.
Abdullah tweeted, "Young Kashmiri students studying outside J&K should have been feted as examples of people who have stayed away from the politics & conflict in Kashmir, choosing instead to make a future for themselves. By attacking them, terrorizing them & forcing them to find the shelter they are being told there is no place for them outside the valley & no future in the mainland."
Young Kashmiri students studying outside J&K should have been feted as examples of people who have stayed away from the politics & conflict in Kashmir, choosing instead to make a future for themselves.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 17, 2019
He further added, "Those hotheads that make up the mobs doing this damage need to ask themselves (if they have the mental bandwidth) whose purpose is served by ostracizing Kashmiris."
Read more: Pakistan needs a consistent policy on Kashmir; Says Ambassador (r) Abdul…
New Delhi withdraws Security Assigned to Separatist Leaders
On Sunday, the J&K police authorities issued a handout that called for the withdrawal of all security personnel and vehicles amongst other facilities that were provided to the Separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Abdul Ghani Bhat, Hashim Qureshi, Bilal Lone, and Shabir Shah.
As shared by the Kashmir Monitor, the handout states, "No security forces or cover should be provided, under any pretext, to them or any other separatists. If they have any other facilities provided by the Government, they are to be withdrawn forthwith."
The authorities were providing shelter to the stone pelters who were destructing the properties of Kashmiri Muslims and even mosques across various regions of Jammu.
The decision to withdraw security facilities from separatist leaders have emerged following the visit of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who had reportedly stated that the authorities are reviewing the status of security provisions to those who "obtain monetary support from Pakistan".
While speaking to Rising Kashmir, a Hurriyat spokesperson had condemned the propagandist tactics of New Delhi and Indian media in "racking up the issue" of security facilities provided to the resistance leaders, despite fully understanding that "it has no bearing nor can it alter the reality of the long withstanding conflict of Kashmir".
Read more: Pakistan government remained successful in raising human rights violations in Kashmir…
The spokesperson stresses that such tactics cannot change our principled stand and outlook" regarding the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. In a statement given to Al-Jazeera, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, senior resistance leader, labeled these developments as tactics of "diverting the attention from the Kashmir dispute". Mirwaiz commented, "The government decided to provide me with security, I did not ask for it. Now that they are withdrawing it, let them.
They simply want to divert attention from the Kashmiri struggle towards its right to self-determination". Mirwaiz stressed that the decision to withdraw security does not "affect us" and our stance to seek self-determination for Kashmir will remain unchanged.
Mina Jahangir with additional input by News Desk.
Use These 7 Methods To Win In Any Online Casino
The famous faces who helped build the Las Vegas scene


Make beautiful wedding floral displays by adding this Natural Accents twig garland. Team this twig vine green garland with string lights and grapevine balls for added visual flair for woodland themed weddings and events. This vine garland can be easily cut to the size you want and wrapped around plant stems, pots, and vases using glue, wire, or tape.
Material: natural twig, artificial moss.


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Posts Tagged 'Tucson Mountains'
Book Review: A Photographer's Life by Jack Dykinga
Book Review of Jack Dykinga's "A Photographer's Life: A Journey From Pulitzer Prize Winning Photojournalist to Celebrated Nature Photographer"
How Jack Dykinga Changed
Cover of "A Photographer's Life" by Jack Dykinga.
From time to time, we hear of a near death experience dramatically changing a life. The NDE may instigate profound insights, strengthen intuition or lead to stardom through development of a previously undiscovered skill. Jack Dykinga, before his hospital death and return, already had the tenacity, good fortune and talent to win a Pulitzer Prize in Photojournalism, leave the newsroom and jump into nature photography, become an admired workshop leader, and co-found two of the most acclaimed organizations for outdoor photographers: the International League of Conservation Photographers and the North American Nature Photography Association.
Dykinga had also previously covered Civil Rights in the tumultuous 1960s, climbed Mt. Rainier in lethal whiteout conditions, photographed wildlife and remote wilderness all over the world and been handed a large check to explore his home Sonoran Desert. In his new autobiography and retrospective with hundreds of his best photographs: A Photographer's Life: A Journey From Pulitzer Prize Winning Photojournalist to Celebrated Nature Photographer, Jack Dykinga described life as "a series of portals where we enter one way and emerge totally transformed." He had been changed a number of times. He had "done it all" in his field. There was not much else to be gleaned from a near death experience, or was there?
Lying in the St. Joseph's Hospital transplant surgery unit after transferring from the Mayo Clinic Emergency Room, in the aftermath of a race against time for a lung transplant while going in and out of consciousness, Dykinga reflected on his life before these complications. "I had always been competitive" and "eager to earn and accept accolades that reinforced my ego." Having lived with fierce independence, he observed that his fragile life was completely dependent on others. He had been leading a photo trip in the Grand Canyon when his lungs gave out. His wife, daughter and other family had put their own needs on hold to look after him. While in the hospital, an army of medical professionals, doctors, assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, X-ray techs, lab techs, physical therapists and cleaning staff all had a hand in making sure he stayed alive.
This sense of gratitude and appreciation extended out to the people who filled all of his days: the muses, guides and mentors who sometimes subtly, sometimes suddenly changed his point of view and made him the man he had become. He realized that his creativity incorporated many people's influences and that the changes others brought about in his life were often reflected in the images he made.
A Propitious Start in Photojournalism and the Transition to Color Landscape Photography
At 20 Dykinga became the youngest staff photographer at the Chicago Tribune. From then through today, in my opinion he has been one of the best at juxtaposing light and dark. Perhaps Carr Clifton, William Neill, Charles Cramer, Lewis Kemper and only a few other landscape photographers do light and dark as well.
The color landscapes in A Photographer's Life sing and zip with strong shapes and color. I feel some are high on the list of best landscape photographs ever made. That said, I would recommend that anyone taking the study of photography seriously not miss the book's text for any reason. It may be one of the best for learning how to learn the art.
Beginning with his high school interest in photography, Dykinga shows us his world through his mentors and advisors. The book is a string of fascinating glimpses into who helped Dykinga accomplish so much. His senior year in high school he won the National Newspaper Snapshot Award, sponsored by Look Magazine, National Geographic and the Chicago Daily News. This encouraged him to deepen his pursuit photography. After his battles with dyslexia in high school, St. Procopius College, a small Benedictine all-male school took an interest in Dykinga and inspired in him "excitement in learning." Their attentive approach to teaching was "exactly what I needed," Dykinga wrote. He soon made the Dean's List and started his newspaper career.
"Contract Buyers League, Chicago, Illinois," 1970 by Jack Dykinga.
His long background in photojournalism contributed to making Dykinga a good storyteller. He moves fluidly and with brevity through each story of his fascinating life carrying a camera on the streets of Chicago during the upheavals of the 1960s. Reading his text you get a visceral sense of his gut-wrenching failures and his uplifting successes. The pressure, chaos and competition that Dykinga learned to excel in during in the 1960s, led him to take on landscape photography with a stronger will and diligence than most ever apply to the genre.
From covering the race riots in Chicago to earning a Pulitzer Prize by exposing the conditions in mental hospitals, to climbing 14,411 Mt. Rainier in Washington in a whiteout with extra low temperatures and high winds, Dykinga weaves his tale and shares his accompanying master works.
He began at the Chicago Tribune as the youngest staff photographer ever. At the Tribune he quickly learned the pluses and minuses of large and medium format because the paper had a rule that required either 4×5 or 2 ¼ cameras. He spent nights chasing crime and civil rights demonstrations. When the Tribune editors came down on him and heated arguments ensued for using a 35mm camera at night, he moved over to the Chicago Sun times whose editors supported his use of the smaller cameras. Switching papers was a potentially risky move when he was supporting a young wife and looking to start a family. However, it soon proved to be a successful new direction, as his work continued to improve and shine. His 35mm cameras were "unobtrusive, versatile and portable. With their fast lenses and high ISO, I could photograph in available light, which was essential to record the news without the extraneous distraction of a flash."
Dykinga's mentor at the Chicago Sun Times, Ralph "Frosty" Frost brought in many new gifted image makers that complimented an already talented staff. Dykinga learned from, collaborated with and competed against these associates and their rivals at the three other newspapers in town. They were young, tenacious and willing to do anything for a story. Sometimes they had to, as in one instance Dykinga describes of how he and a newsroom buddy photographed and then outran a rock and brick throwing mob when the two photo reporters became separated from police protection.
An Earlier Profound Brush With Death and Nature
"Boojum Silhouetted at Sunset, Baja California, Mexico" by Jack Dykinga.
Chuck Scott taught Dykinga a great deal from afar as his competition back at the Tribune, but he in time hired Dykinga to return and join him back at the paper where the young photojournalist had started. By then Dykinga worked on in-depth features including one out of town project that he pitched, to attend the Rainier Mountaineering School in Washington himself, train and climb the mountain himself. Once on the slopes of Rainer, he and his party came face to face with life-threatening weather. Dykinga explains in his text that it was hard to get anyone to understand later, but the experience on the remote cascade peak changed him forever. He had a first-hand encounter with the "profundity and power of nature."
Dykinga's interest in wilderness only deepened after his time on Mt. Rainier. He took a leave of absence from photojournalism. One excursion he made during this time took him to Tucson, Arizona, where his wife was meanwhile also looking to go to graduate school. At this point in A Photographer's Life, Dykinga placed a 12-page section of his black and white newspaper images from the riots, protests and tumult on the streets of Chicago, not to mention a number of photographs from the series exposing the conditions in mental hospitals that earned him the Pulitzer Prize. Some people might see this group of black and white city images as out of place right after the telling of the Mt. Rainier story. However, in my view, it further drives home the point in stark reality that there was something to get away from in Chicago, as well as something to escape to in the West. It makes for good contrast and counterpoint.
"I Want to Be Like Philip Hyde"
Around this time, Dykinga read a Backpacker Article about the lifestyle and approach to photography of Philip Hyde. This sealed his decision to leave Chicago and move to Tucson, although at the time he was still committed to photojournalism. He began to see the masses of images going by as much the same. Meanwhile, "…visual reporting on the environment was non-existent…" Hyde was paving the way and establishing the need at various markets.
I began to feel that the health of the planet was the most important issue of our time. With Adams and Hyde's works as my guide… I came to see the rate of destruction of wild places as a forecast of our extinction.
At first the plan was to visit Tucson for his leave of absence, but as soon as Dykinga discovered that he could work at the Arizona Daily Star, leaving Chicago permanently became a realistic possibility. He shares with us how his move seemed to fall into place. His hope and expectations were high that he could get into conservation photography and thus live and travel more closely aligned with nature the way Hyde did. Eventually he would meet and become friends and travel with Hyde. Hyde was the "closest thing I had to a mentor in nature photography."
An Angel Investor, the Sonoran Desert and the Making of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
"Sycamore Leaves in Cave Creek, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona" by Jack Dykinga.
The Arizona Daily Star turned out to be more than an interim step though as Dykinga set about rebuilding the photo department. He gathered an all-star staff, most of the members of which later went on to leadership roles at major publications. In time, however, he saw more and more the limitations and biases inherent in newspapers, which are advertising funded and driven. Around the time he became most disillusioned with journalism, Ginger Harmon, the manager of a remote Nature Conservancy preserve in the mountains east of Tucson, offered him a way out by funding him to travel and photograph the area for the creation of his dream book, The Sonoran Desert, published in 1992 by Abrams, New York.
Seeking flower and cactus images for the book, Dykinga ran across Park Ranger Caroline Wilson, daughter of Bates Wilson who was instrumental in the formation of Arches National Park and the protection of other national park lands in the Southwest US. When Caroline Wilson introduced Jack Dykinga to Philip Hyde, they hit it off right away, having first sampled Mexican food together and later traveling and photographing wilderness in Arizona, Baja and Mainland Mexico together and with other photographers of note including Tom Bell and others.
Phil had a quiet grace and understated humor. He was a great listener. Here was a man who didn't need to brag or posture. Phil was a legend. His advocacy for the land, combined with a more subtle approach to making images made him special.
Dykinga's stories capture the essence of Hyde "to a 'T'." Both with and without Hyde, Dykinga continued to travel the arid lands of the Southwest working on additional projects. Abrams committed to produce two more books: Stone Canyons of the Colorado Plateau (1996) and Desert: The Mojave and Death Valley (1999). Dykinga has a total of seven books to his credit overall to date. His traveling companion, writer and collaborator from Arizona Highways, Chuck Bowden, wrote the texts in the Edward Abbey tradition. He and Dykinga modeled their work together on these volumes after the famous Sierra Club Exhibit Format Series, initiated by Ansel Adams, Nancy Newhall and David Brower in the 1960s and 1970s, for which Eliot Porter and Philip Hyde became the primary illustrators when the books transitioned to color photography.
We were following a tried and true environmentalist's tactic, initiated by David Brower, to produce the Sierra Club's powerful large format series that documented an area while calling for its protection.
They even got Robert Redford to write an introduction to Stone Canyons of the Colorado Plateau. Stone Canyons struck a chord with Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of Interior and former Arizona governor, Harold M. Ickes, Bill Clinton's Deputy Chief of Staff, whose father, Harold L. Ickes had originally proposed Escalante National Park before World War II, and with President Clinton himself. Culminating many years of work by other conservationists beginning with the Sierra Club publication of Slickrock (1973) by Edward Abbey and Philip Hyde, President Clinton established Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on his last day in office in 1996.
Emotion, Psyche, Art, Photography and Landscape
"Saguaro Cactus, Sonoran Desert National Monument, South Maricopa Mountains Wilderness, Arizona" by Jack Dykinga.
While recounting Dykinga's life events, A Photographer's Life lays bare the real world lessons they taught him. For anyone who loves the West, or loves the natural scene anywhere for that matter, A Photographer's Life packs a lot more than technique or the how-to's into it's pages as Dykinga lays open his soul, cuts deep into his own psyche and dissects his own emotional makeup for our benefit. This is rare in a large format photography book, or any other kind of book today.
Dykinga not only organizes the book to give tribute to those who helped him develop, he mentions these influences as they came to mind while image making. Besides his chapters on each significant mentor, he sprinkles in sections on the making of various photographs. At one point in the text when he describes photographing the details of an agave plant and visually compressing the scene "to emphasize the contrasting colors," he speaks of "walking on a trail blazed by Philip Hyde." His reflections are on "…moments when passing bits of advice reemerge years later in the work we create."
When he transitioned to color landscape photography, Dykinga's work literally and figuratively blossomed. He became known for his images of cactus and other blooming drylands plants. A Photographer's Life includes Jack Dykinga classics such as "Saguaro Cactus in Bloom," "Rhododendron in Redwoods," "Boojum Silhouetted at Sunset," "Sandhill Cranes at Dawn, Bosque del Apache," but it also treats us to more subtle or unusual images that could not be made by anyone else.
Dykinga shows us something different from what we typically see with two images of Saguaro in the snow. His open and stark compositions with a lot of extra space around items of interest give us the emotional equivalents of the desert. Often, as in his Silhouettes of Saguaro and of Boojum in Baja, he distills the image down to its simplest elements, or photographs simple subjects to start out with. While Dykinga's small cactus details, Baja rock outcroppings and the silhouettes show the Hyde influence, they are graphically as good or better and more eye catching. Dykinga certainly did his own version of subtle well too.
"Monument Valley, Totem, Yei Bi Chey with Tumbleweed's Wind Pattern Foreground" by Jack Dykinga.
Perhaps one of the most unusual images of Monument Valley ever made, but simultaneously telling of the place, is Dykinga's winter landscape near-far with the tumbleweed isolated and alone in the foreground and mist-enshrouded monuments in the distance. Now and then Dykinga presents us with a documentary image of an area, no less beautiful, but certainly rooted in place. In contrast to this and the cactus, sand and desert rock, some of Dykinga's best work happens when he experiments with water—using various exposures and focal lengths to go toward expressionism and impressionism. All in all, A Photographer's Life, is a review of Dykinga's mastery and range. Budding landscape artists take heed.
Currently there is a major exhibition of Jack Dykinga's Grand Canyon prints from June 18 to September 14, 2019 at the Etherton Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. If you are near Arizona or not, it is worth making the trip to attend: Jack Dykinga – Grand Canyon National Park, 1919 – 2019.
Tags: 35 mm camera A Photographer's Life Ansel Adams Arizona Arizona Highways Baja California Bates Wilson Boojum California Caroline Wilson Carr Clifton Charles Cramer Chicago Chicago Daily News Chicago Sun Times Chicago Tribune Colorado Plateau Colorado River David Brower desert landscapes environmental Etherton Gallery fine art photography International League of Conservation Photographers Jack Dykinga large format photography Lewis Kemper Mexico Modern Environmentalism Monument Valley Mt. Rainier Nancy Newhall NANPA National Geographic Nature Conservancy Near Death Experience Philip Hyde photojournalism Pulitzer Prize Robert Redford Sierra Club Books Exhibit Format Series Sonoran Desert Stone Canyons Street Photography Tucson Tucson Mountains William Neill


The Panasonic PT-RZ970 single chip DLP Laser projector offers sharp image quality and a compact body with WUXGA resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. Therefore these projectors produce 10,000 lumens of brightness, with a contrast ratio of 10,000:1. Fitted with Panasonic's lamp free solid shine Laser technology for longer life of image quality. This technology is able to reproduce more vibrant colours and a wider colour space than traditional lamp projector.


text:
Os intelectuais públicos negros e o processo de democratização da política brasileira (1985-2012)
Texto da dissertação (2.178Mb)
Carta Comprovante (123.8Kb)
Weber, Patrícia Amorim
This research aims to analyze the role of black public intellectuals in the process of democratization in Brazil. In more specific terms, we will seek to respond to the following objectives: a) map and analyze the main political positions of black brazilian intellectuals in the debates on three political moments: National Constituent Assembly; law 10,639/2003 and affirmative actions for higher education; b) based on these positions, analyze what were the meanings of democracy conferred by them; c) analyze the meaning and consequences of the institutionalization of the racial relations agenda for the country's democratization process; d) analyze the public role of these intellectuals in the light of contemporary conceptions of black intellectuality. In methodological terms, we used Content Analysis to interpret the data collected through bibliographic research and semi-structured interviews. In addition, we rely on theoretical contributions from Cultural and Post-Colonial Studies. Briefly, the profile of the black public intellectual can be defined as one who argues that there is an intrinsic relationship between theory and politics. From this assumption, they engage politically in public spaces with the aim of fighting for the full insertion of black people in the democratic system, guaranteeing their basic rights as citizens. We could notice that the contribution of these intellectuals to the Brazilian democratization process took place, in general, in two aspects: 1) the first concerns political intervention in public spaces, by participating in and organizing demonstrations and/or being part of government positions; or even by occupying universities, creating research groups and strengthening public policies of racial equality within these spaces; 2) the second concerns the construction of an awareness of the role of blacks in Brazilian social formation. In this second point, by proposing another epistemological and ontological perspective, these intellectuals expanded the meaning of democracy. In this interpretation, the collective becomes an intrinsic value to democratic thinking and social movements become primary actors in the construction and maintenance of a substantially egalitarian society. Here, culture and aesthetics, in addition to socioeconomic issues, are seen as important political tools, therefore, becoming necessary when dealing with civil rights. In their methodologies, these intellectuals go beyond national borders, bringing a diasporic perspective to the analysis. Thus, they provide us with another sociological interpretation of Brazil, having as one of the central elements the criticism of the racialization process and the inequalities resulting from it. Thus, in general, they defend the proposition of a democracy that does not face difference in a hierarchical way.


Will Primary Stroke Certification continue?
Question: Will Primary Stroke Certification continue?
How will the addition of Stroke as a ORYX core measure set effect the certification process? Will it continue?
Accredited hospitals, whether they have a certified Primary Stroke Center or not, may choose to use the stroke measure set to fulfill their ORYX core measure reporting requirements for accreditation. ORYX core stroke measure data submission is not mandatory for certified Primary Stroke Centers.


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First Human West Nile Virus Case of 2019
https://www.phila.gov/2019-09-17-philadelphia-announces-first-human-case-of-west-nile-virus-in-pa/
According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the city has had its first case of a person being diagnosed with the neurologic infection.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced that they have found West Nile virus activity in the mosquito population in at least 57 of the 67 counties in the state, including all counties in southeastern Pennsylvania.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/roxborough/s/guhxc/1st-human-case-west-nile-virus-reported-philadelphia
By Max Bennett
Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley urged residents to take necessary precautions against the virus, a neurologic infection spread by infected mosquitoes.
"We all have a role in preventing the spread of West Nile virus," Farley said in a statement. "And it's easy to do: Wear mosquito repellent and dump out standing water."
https://www.phillyvoice.com/philly-resident-has-west-nile-virus-pas-first-case-year/
By John Kopp
There were 17 West Nile virus cases in the city last year.
To report mosquito problems, contact the health department at 215-685-9000.
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/09/17/philadelphia-health-officials-report-first-human-case-of-west-nile-virus-in-2019/
The first human case of West Nile virus in 2019 has been reported in Philadelphia, health officials announced Tuesday.
West Nile activity in mosquitoes has also been reported in 57 of 67 Pennsylvania counties to date including all counties in the southeastern part of the state, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health stated.
https://www.inquirer.com/health/west-nile-virus-human-philadelphia-pennsylvania-mosquito-20190917.html
By Mari Schaefer
Health officials are working to control the mosquitos throughout the city and advise residents to take precautions to combat the virus.
"We all have a role in preventing the spread of West Nile virus," Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said. "It's easy to do: wear mosquito repellent and dump out standing water."
https://www.fox29.com/news/state-health-officials-confirm-first-human-case-of-west-nile-virus-this-year
Author JimPosted on September 17, 2019 September 18, 2019 Categories Health Department stories, Press releasesTags mosquitoes
Cases of West Nile Virus in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA–Today, the Health Department announced that they have identified eleven confirmed cases of human West Nile Virus thus far in 2018. None of these cases were fatal. Previously, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced that they have seen the highest level of West Nile virus activity in the mosquito population since the disease was first introduced in 2000. Health Department employees are working in a variety of ways to control mosquitoes throughout the city, but need the public's help.
https://mailchi.mp/phila.gov/philadelphia-announces-human-cases-of-west-nile-virus?e=[UNIQID]
Author JimPosted on September 21, 2018 Categories Press releasesTags mosquitoes
Eleven West Nile Virus Cases Found in Philadelphia Thus Far in 2018
The Philadelphia Health Department is spreading the word about the West Nile virus' presence in the city and asking for the public's help combatting the further spread of the disease, they are also asking for help from residents.
https://www.metro.us/news/local-news/philadelphia/west-nile-virus-philly
By Sam Newhouse
The health department is cautioning residents that mosquito season is not over. And the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has said this year marks the highest level statewide for West Nile virus activity in the mosquito population since 2000.
As a result, the city's health department is taking steps to control mosquitoes but is asking for the public's help too.
http://www2.philly.com/philly/health/science/philly-11-west-nile-cases-20180921.html
By Frank Kummer
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley issued a statement Friday urging residents to wear mosquito repellent and dump standing water, which is essential to breeding.
Anyone who experiences unexplained headaches, weakness or fatigue should contact their primary care physician.
The Philadelphia Health Department has treated more than 57,000 storm drain inlets with larvicide to prevent mosquito breeding. The department also has conducted four aerosol sprays to kill adult mosquitoes in areas where West Nile Virus is known to occur.
https://www.phillyvoice.com/eleven-cases-west-nile-virus-reported-philly/
Philadelphia health officials are confirming nearly a dozen cases of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus so far this year. KYW Newsradio's Mark Abrams reports.
https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/media/audio-channel/philly-health-department-wetter-weather-more-mosquitoes-led-west-nile-infections
By Mark Abrams
Author JimPosted on September 21, 2018 March 6, 2019 Categories Health Department storiesTags mosquitoes
Mosquito Control 2018
Métodos de prevención contra infestación de mosquitos
Filadelfia sufre con la propagación de mosquitos en aguas estancadas de riachuelos.
https://www.telemundo62.com/videos/destacados/Propagaci_n-de-mosquitos-aterra-con-virus-a-Filadelfia_TLMD—Philadelphia-492894451.html
By Iris Delgado
Upper Roxborough Mosquito Spraying, 8/29/2018
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Vector Control staff is planning to apply treatments to control adult mosquitoes on Wednesday evening, August 29th, at or around dusk, in a section of Upper Roxborough. Weather permitting, spraying will take place at the Upper Roxborough Reservoir located between Port Royal and Summit Avenues between Lare and Eva Streets.
https://mailchi.mp/phila.gov/pdph-announces-mosquito-spraying-in-upper-roxborough-monday-july-16-299797
Author JimPosted on August 29, 2018 Categories Press releasesTags mosquitoes
A Day in the Life Story
Over in North Philly, Emily Kehoe tramples through an overgrown back alley as a fierce-sounding dog locked up nearby barks like mad. Kehoe ignores the mutt and presses on, stepping over brambles and trash to a trap set the day before.
"There are leaves, buckets, tires, everything mosquitos like," says the mosquito surveillance and control technician for the city's Health Department. "I just saw this area yesterday, thought it'd be a good place for a trap, set one up, and we'll see if we caught anything."
She did – dozens upon dozens of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which like to breed in the small puddles that form inside old tires, discarded buckets, or broken bottles.
"It is an interesting job, that's for sure – like nothing I've had," says Kehoe, who has a master's degree in public health. "I'm crawling through alleys, looking in people's yards for standing water. I do get some strange looks, but once I explain that I'm here to help them get rid of mosquitos, they are fully on board… most of the time."
Kehoe is on the lookout for Zika, West Nile, and other nasty viruses spread by the bloodsucking bugs. Every day, the city readies itself for a dreadful tomorrow. Officials monitor the outbreaks of diseases and the predicted paths of distant hurricanes. If there is an emergency on this day, the city has 15,552 water bottles on hand, just in case. It's work that goes unnoticed. And everyone, including those who do it, hope that's the way things stay.
http://planphilly.com/articles/2018/08/28/a-day-in-the-life-of-philadelphia-and-the-people-who-make-it-go
By Jim Saksa
Author JimPosted on August 28, 2018 September 24, 2018 Categories Health Department storiesTags mosquitoes
FDR Park Mosquito Spray, August 6, 2018
PHILADELPHIA–Weather permitting, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Vector Control staff is planning to apply treatments to control adult mosquitoes after 9 p.m. Monday evening, August 6th, in FDR Park in South Philadelphia.
https://mailchi.mp/phila.gov/pdph-announces-mosquito-spraying-in-fdr-park-08062018
Author JimPosted on August 6, 2018 Categories Press releasesTags mosquitoes
West Nile Virus and Mosquitoes
Everyone knows that familiar buzzing sound. Everyone knows that awful itch that only gets better for like a second before it comes back even worse.
MOSQUITOES: the bane of every summer.
While we might not like mosquitoes, they are actually a lot more than just annoying. They are actually disease spreaders. That's right, they can get you sick.
https://beta.phila.gov/2018-07-31-mosquitoes-are-more-than-just-annoying/
Author JimPosted on July 31, 2018 August 2, 2018 Categories Blog postsTags mosquitoes
Pastorius Park Mosquito Spray, July 20, 2018
The Philadelphia Department of Publci Health's Vector Control staff is planning to apply treatments to control mosquitoes in Chestnut Hill's Pastorius Park Friday night.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/chestnuthill/chestnut-hills-pastorius-park-getting-anti-mosquito-treatment
Author JimPosted on July 20, 2018 Categories Press releasesTags mosquitoes
First Mosquito Spray of 2018 in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Vector Control staff is planning to apply treatments to control adult mosquitoes on Monday evening, July 16th, in a section of Upper Roxborough.
https://mailchi.mp/phila.gov/pdph-announces-mosquito-spraying-in-upper-roxborough-monday-july-16-2018?e=[UNIQID]
Author JimPosted on July 16, 2018 July 18, 2018 Categories Press releasesTags mosquitoes


Mine diverse gems and minerals with a powerful excavator and cute miners. Rarest gems are found only in the deepest part of the earth so dig as deep as possible. - No control required. Digging and mining are done automatically! - Uranium, nickel, copper, coal, iron ore and other minerals can be collected. - You must upgrade your excavator to get deep into the earth. - Capable miners can mine more minerals than others. - There are various surprise events! - You can earn Coins even while you're offline. - New content has been added, including mining research, fishing, and mini-games. - Achievement & Leaderboard supported. - This is an offline game that does not require Data or WiFi connection. - Supports English.
This is a great app, it's a good time waster but I wish you didnt have to tap every time to upgrade miners and Other things maybe bring in a tap and hold type of system Edit: I can't seem to watch any ads anymore and I'm not sure why. Could it possibly be a bug?
Might be fun if not requiring constant advertisements.
I like this game so much but I found a bug. It was where bad news was good news on the Description.
Was going to like 2 starts until recent update. The adjustments made to offline helped. I'll keep playing to see what updates add to it. One thing though is I just spent 300 diamonds on the automatic chest opening for 24 hours. While it sounds cool it's just not working well. As many chests that are spawned it opens them so slowly. I don't recommend buying it at all. I would honestly like a refund on the diamonds I spent for it but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. State of the game is pretty solid I would say at the moment.
The game had extremely slow progression, then they added a way to exchange certain materials for higher grade which allowed you to finally progress. For example, 10k uranium turned into 1k silver. Most recent update made it 700k uranium for 1k silver. Absolutely ridiculous. Every single thing about this app is engineered to make you watch ads and spend $ to make even the slightest bit of progression. Do not download.


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'The Crown': will Prince Philip have an affair in season 2?
Time Out Film
'Doesn't everyone in Britain know he had an affair?' With those words about Prince Phillip, 'The Crown' creator Peter Morgan has prepared us for an explosive season two of Netflix's £100 million costume drama about Britain's longest reigning monarch.
Morgan made the comments during a Royal Television Society event, answering a question about whether 'The Crown' would tackle rumours about Prince Philip's alleged affairs during the early years of his marriage to the Queen, denied by the royal family.
We know Prince Philip today as a 95-year-old duffer in tweed. But 'The Crown' has showed another side to the Queen's other half (brilliantly played by Matt Smith), portraying him as a bit of a playboy, with a roving eye, indulging in boozy lunches at his gentlemen's club. Morgan has put the royal marriage firmly at the centre of 'The Crown'. In season one we saw the Queen, who was just 25 when she was crowned, struggle to balance the demands of the new job with two small children and a handful of a husband. We've seen Prince Philip seething with resentment about giving up his career in the navy to become Mr Queen, humiliated by having to kneel in front of his wife at her coronation, and furious that the kids won't be given his surname.
The writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, in a book about the royals, quoted Philip as making this denial about the rumours of affairs: 'How could I? I've had a detective in my company, night and day, since 1947.' Morgan was keeping shtum about plot details for season two, but he told the audience that it would cover the eight years between 1956 and 1964.
The best new movies on Netflix and the best costume dramas on Netflix
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Real lakefront, only 2 miles to down town? It does exist. Private Kenilworth Lake shoreline, large lot and your own dock! Hard to believe you are in Asheville. Incredibly secluded, private, Mid-century contemporary with classic design features, fire place, cathedral ceilings, and a split foyer plan, just waiting for your updates. Watch abundant wildlife from cantilevered deck! Kenilworth Lake access is allowed only to the few homes on it's shoreline, so this is a *rare* opportunity! Come sit on the dock and experience the awe of natural beauty every day, without the drive. Portion of PIN.


Planned Giving – If given the chance, most of us would like to contribute to a cause that will benefit the lives of others for generations. A planned gift is a way to achieve this and to create a legacy for you that lasts beyond your lifetime.
A planned gift brings your thoughtful planning, vision, and generosity together in the form of a bequest. By designating the Army Quartermaster Foundation as a beneficiary in your will or trust, you will play a significant role in ensuring our Foundation is able to support the legacy and history of the Quartermaster Corps through our financial support of the Quartermaster Museum.
Benefits can be a specified amount or a percentage of an estate. Your estate planner or trust manager will be able to answer any questions you may have about this form of giving.


The husband is cutting the grass and the boy is out with his water pistol wreaking havoc! I thought I'd take a couple of moments to share what we've been doing recently.
There is a row of beautiful cherry blossom trees at my front door which the children are really loving at the moment, so we did some pictures of them.
We've been feeding the birds and noticing our regular visitors are Starlings and Wood Pigeons, we learned that they will be nesting now and made our own bird's nest with some twigs, complete with cotton ball chicks.
Right now we are looking at woodland spring creatures, we have some lovely crafts to share with you in the next post.


A deeply hydrating blend of Okinawa red algae and hyaluronic acid to soothe and firm skin in need of hydration. 23-karat gold lends skin a lit-from-within look, without adding shimmer to the face.
All skin types. Non-irritating. Non-sensitizing. Dermatologist tested. Formulated without parabens, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances, sulfate detergents, urea, DEA, TEA or phthalates.
Tatcha's range of skin-care solutions is built on the beauty rituals founder Victoria Tsai discovered among modern-day geishas in Kyoto, Japan. Referencing a centuries-old manuscript, the brand uses a blend of green tea, Okinawa red algae, rice bran, and other potent ingredients that provide essential antioxidants and nutrients to the skin. One of the label's top sellers, Rice Enzyme Powder, is a creamy and gentle exfoliator that softens and conditions the skin.