Does your roof look old and tired and full of stains and ugly spots? Years of abuse from the elements as well as runaway mold, mildew, moss, and algae can give your roof a look that screams for attention. So why not contact Roofing Contractor Pro's, Lowell, MA's premier roof cleaning services specialists? Our team of highly skilled and experienced roof cleaning experts can perform their magic on your roof and when they're done, have it looking like a brand new shiny roof without the massive price tag. Our top quality and guaranteed services are performed by licensed, certified and insured roof cleaning professionals in Fitzwilliam.
Don't try such a massive job yourself like cleaning your roof. Turn to Roofing Contractor Pro's roof cleaning services. We are the Lowell, MA area's premier roof cleaning services company. Our experienced and reliable roof cleaning specialists will clean your roof and make it look like new. Call one of our friendly roof cleaning associates today at (978) 577-5300 for a free estimate in Fitzwilliam NH.
It helps make roofs last longer by removing all the foreign particles on it. Mold and other foreign particles doesn't just add to an unsightly appearance, they assist with the wear and tear of the structure.
Roofing system cleaning specialists can assist you with the services that they supply. Removal of mold, discolorations and more isn't really an alternative. It is essential for your Roof to last longer and your home to look desirable.
With your Roof cleaning needs, it's best to have a professional company to do the job in Fitzwilliam. That way, the cleaning can be certainly done properly.
The advantages of a quality Roof cleaning company of course consist of having a brand new looking Roofing system again. They say one's home reflects his or her character. Nobody prefers to reside in a dirty looking house.
Having a clean Roofing system offers you self-confidence and a terrific sense of being responsible. It likewise extends the life of your Roof. Having a cleaner that doesn't understand what he or she is doing may cause much more damage.
Here is one more tip, go for the very best Roofing system cleaning business. Sure, there are a great deal of self-proclaimed exceptional specialists in Fitzwilliam NH. However, you should watch out for frauds and expensive promotions.
Read the reviews and see how their past customers thought of them. You can see how they actually work with the reviews. Have the company that truly knows their service.
Make certain that the one you pick is extremely experienced in the industry. They should have the tools, skills and understanding to do a fantastic job. Whether it is shingle, asphalt, metal, flat or any other types of roofing, they need to be able to manage it well.
If the Roofing system of your home currently has streaks, stains, molds and others, do not wait till Roofing system cleaning will be too late. If left neglected, the foreign particles can cause your Roofing system to deteriorate. The life expectancy of the Roofing system will decrease by as much as 10 years.
Likewise, all the stain and foreign debris simply doesn't look stunning. They in fact mess up the overall look of your house and not just the Roof. After all, the Roof is a large part of the house. If you persist on disregarding exactly what needs to be cleaned up, it can be too late even for repairs.
You would then need to spend for Roof replacement. Have the cleaners in Fitzwilliam NH do the needed treatments to remove all the gunk. From the rain gutter to every part of the Roof outside, chemicals will be used to assist eradicate all the unwanted stuff.
It's best not to try and do a do it yourself Roofing system cleaning even with a guide to follow. It is better to be safe than to be sorry. You might mistakenly use a power item and harm your Roofing system.


text:
A central institution (CI) was a type of higher education institute in 20th and 21st century Scotland responsible for providing degree-level education but emphasising teaching rather than research. Some had a range of courses similar to polytechnics elsewhere in the United Kingdom while others were more specialised such as the art colleges and the conservatoire. Some subjects were not taught at central institutions, for example teacher training was only carried out by colleges of education, which later merged with universities.

Amongst the most common names for individual central institutions were college of agriculture, college of art, and institute of technology. Of the five colleges of technology, Napier and  Glasgow eventually changed their names to include the word polytechnic, Paisley took the name Paisley College, while Dundee and Robert Gordon became institutes of technology. Another central institution, Leith Nautical College, Edinburgh, closed in 1987 by merger into the further education sector.

Academic degrees in central institutions were validated by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) until 1992.

Like the designation polytechnic, the term central institution is currently rarely used since most of these institutions entered the university sector in 1992 when the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 came into effect. Those universities are now referred to as post-1992 universities. The last central institution (the Scottish Agricultural College) entered the university sector formally in August 2008.

List of central institutions

The number of central institutions varied, but in 1988 the list included the following, several of which now have university status.

 Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee (now part of the University of Dundee)
 Dundee Institute of Technology, Dundee (now Abertay University)
 East of Scotland College of Agriculture, Edinburgh (now part of the Scottish Agricultural College)
 Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh (now part of the University of Edinburgh)
 Glasgow College of Technology, Glasgow (later Glasgow Polytechnic, now part of Glasgow Caledonian University)
 The Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow
 Napier Polytechnic, of Edinburgh (now Edinburgh Napier University).
 North of Scotland College of Agriculture, Aberdeen (now part of the Scottish Agricultural College)
 Paisley College of Technology, Paisley (now University of the West of Scotland)
 Queen Margaret University College, formally Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh (now Queen Margaret University)
 The Queen's College, Glasgow (now part of Glasgow Caledonian University)
 Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology, Aberdeen (now The Robert Gordon University)
 The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow
 Scottish College of Textiles, Galashiels (now part of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh)
 The West of Scotland College, Auchincruive (now part of the Scottish Agricultural College)

Sources
The Central Institutions (Recognition) (Scotland) Regulations 1988
Records from the Queen's College, Glasgow
Leith Nautical College 1846 - 1987

See also
 Education in Scotland
 List of universities in Scotland

Colleges in Scotland
Science and technology in Scotland

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sometimes there are weeks that are just great. Well, this week was not one of them. It started off very exciting with the hatching of our first homegrown, naturally-incubated chicks, and pretty much went downhill from there. Here is my attempt to show that, despite all the happy posts I share about the wonders and joys of farm life, not all weeks are sunshine and roses. In fact, things are pretty imperfect around here this week. We are, after everything is said and done, human just like the rest of you.
The week started with the hatching of a few of the eggs that our Golden-laced Wyandotte hen was incubating. I was over the moon that it had been successful and we had our first LOSA-born chickens! Unfortunately, this week I had a very heavy workload off the farm, and was not able to be out to monitor them as frequently as I would have liked. Two chicks hatched, and a third was in the process of hatching. Yesterday I found one of the hatched chicks had died, the chick in the process of hatching had died before it fully hatched, and the remaining chick was not doing well. The mama hen was not interested in the remaining live chick very much. I did what I could for it before having to go off to work. I thought I could follow the hen's lead and let her incubate eggs when she felt up to it, but in the future I think it will be best to force her to wait until spring/summer. The hen was keeping them warm, I had a heat lamp on them, and had surrounded their area with hay bales to keep it warm. I don't know what the problem was, but at least waiting until spring would eliminate the weather issue.
My promising doe Azazel California Poppy has been having issues with growth, and I did not know her G6S status, so my mom and I drew blood to determine if she was G6S affected and that was causing her slow growth. Thankfully, she is not affected, but she is a carrier. Being a carrier does not affect her at all (having 'normal' goats is best though) but it means that, if I want to be a responsible breeder, I will have to test all of her kids and only offer for sale the 'normal' kids. My buck is G6S Normal by parentage and any future animals I buy will only be Normal so I don't have to continue doing G6S testing, as the test is NOT cheap. But, that means an additional expense each year for her offspring.
Then, there is the snow. AND the cold. We continue to see below zero cold spells that last up to a week. The animals are doing fine in it and I am able to keep my barn closed on extreme days. But, the animals are getting sick of it, and although I love winter, this year I am getting sick of it too. Why? Well, because of the extreme cold snaps, we have heard that the frost line is not 7' below ground (normal is 36"). That is all fine and dandy until your water hydrant freezes in your barn and you now have to cart 20 gallons, give or take, back and forth from the house to the barn 1-2 times/day. For the rest of the winter.


There are three varieties of pomegranates, sweet, semi-sweet and sour pomegranates. Regardless, however, the taste you prefer you should choose heavy pomegranates with a shiny and firm skin. Of course even when their skin shrinks , the interior can be easily consumed.
Cleaning the pomegranates requires a little time, but it is easy. Cut in circle and remove the skin of the stem, scratching up the bottom, without pressing the knife as much as you do with an orange . Then open the pomegranate in half and remove the seeds.
Pomegranates can be kept for several days without refrigeration. It is recommendable to keep them in a dark place. If you want to keep them for several months, you can put them in the freezer. You can also clean them and store them in the freezer, sealed in a special container or food bag, so whenever you need the seeds you can use the amount you want.
There are two ways to get the juice from the fruit: either by using the wringer , as you do with oranges, or press the fruit in a colander .With the colander the membranes are not separated from the seeds so you might get a slightly sour taste in the juice.


Android Permission Model is one of the Core Security Features implemented by Google for Android Platform to protect end users.
When A developer develops an Android App, he must declare the permissions if the app uses any protected features of the device.
As an example, if an app wants to monitor incoming SMS or read Phone State or access internet, would specify permissions as shown in the following code snippet.
Note:Components such as Intents, Services and Broadcast receivers also should be included when used to access sensitive resources.
When a user is installing an Application, it pops a window showing the permissions being used by the app. If the user agrees and accepts it, the app will comfortably use those permissions from then and no further checks will be done while running the app. However, if an app tries to access the permissions that are not specified in the Manifest file, it will silently end up in a failure to access that specific resource or sometimes it throws a security exception.
We can see the permissions of each app installed in the Device as shown in Figure 1.3.
Goto Settings > Applications. Pick an app and scroll down to see the permissions that the app uses.
Note: If any app is using more permissions than what it needs, we may suspect it as a malicious app and further analysis is needed.
since an app may contain Dangerous hidden services or malicious intended broadcast receivers. So it is always a good idea to have a look at the manifest file during a pentest or Malware analysis.
Here are various scenarios a pentester may come across and different techniques he needs during his pentest.
If the source code is available, we can directly jump into the AndroidManifest.xml file and analyze the app permissions and other components being used by the app.
1. Check <uses-permission> to see if any suspicious permissions are being used in the file other than what it requires.
For example, If you are analyzing a calendar application, it really doesn't require READ_SMS permission which requires further analsis with the Code.
the above code snippet broadcasts it's message when the device completes it's booting. So, it could be used to start a malicious app every time the user restarts his device.
Many techniques are there to read the permissions when an apk file is available.
Background: Android Apps contain the extension ".apk". An apk is nothing but a compressed ZIP file which consists of AndroidManifest.xml file as a part of it. We can extract it using decompression tools such as winrar, winzip or 7zip. So, when an Android APK is available, we can extract it to see the Manifest file but the text inside is not readable. So, we need to look at other ways of doing it.
This tool can be used to see the permissions of defined in an APK as shown in Figure 1.4.
Copy aapt from SDK installation location to any directory you like.
Place your apk file into the same directory as shown in Figure 1.5.
Open your command promt and navigate to the directory where you placed aapt.
Place apk-tool and your target app in the same directory as shown in Figure 1.7.
Upon executing the above command, a new folder will be created with the name "output path", in my case it is "output" in the current directory. Get into that to see the newly created AndroidManifest.xml file to read.
When an apk file is not available, though there are ways to see the permissions directly from the device, it is always a good idea to extract it to an APK and then follow the same steps as we did in scenario 2.
We can extract the app from the installed device using apps such as Apk Extractor.
Analyzing AndroidManifest.xml file is very important during a pentest to figure out the declared permissions, intents and services in an app. We have seen various techniques to read manifest file in an app. An end user must have a keen look at the permissions before installing an app and be cautious in downloading apps from third party app stores.
Please post your comments for any queries or suggestions.


This Thanksgiving I have the chance to love people for Jesus in a practical way in a place far away. I love when I have opportunities to serve Jesus in unique ways, and I often seek out various methods in which I can express with my actions the love and gratitude I feel towards Jesus. This Thanksgiving I have the chance to go to Ghana Africa to serve on a short term Medical mission trip!
I know that there are things that can be done to serve Jesus here locally, and because of that I regularly participate in my local church, and serve in our community. Serving locally is one of the main reasons I chose to work at Patrick Henry; however, on occasion God provides the amazing opportunity to serve Him overseas.
This Thanksgiving holiday, from November 21 – 28, 2008, I am excited to be working in Ghana, Africa with W.M. Lord Led Missions. Our small team will be helping to plant churches in tribal villages, providing free medical assistance to nationals (the last trip cared for over 300 children and had 1,000 left in line when they ran out of supplies!), planning the addition of a desperately-needed Christian orphanage, and serving in any other area needed.
This trip clearly is a last minute whirlwind of planning and preparation, which is why I desperately need your help both in prayer and financially!
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." – Philippians 4:6 Please pray faithfully for physical and spiritual safety, as well as stamina for the packed week of work; for health and healing of those in Ghana; and for lives to be eternally changed.
I need to raise $2,000 for myself, while the team needs a total of $8,000 by November 15th! Please consider supporting us financially with whatever you can contribute for this mission. Please address checks to WM Lord Led Missions and note that all donations are tax-deductible.
Thank you in advance for your partnership in prayer and support of this ministry. It is truly a blessing to go to experience missions such as these, to share the message that has consumed my life, and to watch as the Holy Spirit use the same truth to radically change the people of Ghana for eternity.
This entry was posted on October 13, 2008 by kpbback in Africa, Fundraising, Ghana, Thanksgiving, W.M Lord Led Missions.


Also, people's preferences differ widely. Some may want a simple install and click service while others may want to tweak the bells and whistles such as kill switches, DNS leaks etc. I hope my reviews provide the opportunity to test all and find the best for you.
The latest service to come to my attention is VyprVPN from Golden Frog which is based in Switzerland to take advantage of that country's strict privacy laws. Switzerland has also established global frameworks and safe harbors with the EU, the United States and other countries, which extend privacy protection beyond its borders. The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland ruled in 2010 that IP addresses are personal information, and under Swiss privacy laws they may not be used to track Internet usage without the knowledge of the individuals involved.
As you would expect, setting up VyprVPN is simplicity itself and you can be up and running in a matter of minutes by choosing the easy connect button. This works out the fastest server from more than 700 and default protocol. The control panel, pictured right, provides a handy graph showing connection speeds, your allocated IP address, the type of protocol and encryption and whether or not the NAT firewall is enabled.
Going into settings via the cog icon at the top right of the control panel, you can choose a range of further options such as auto-reconnect, connect on start, activate the kill switch, auto-connect when running on an untrusted and open wi fi connection, change the protocol and more.
What is unique about VyprVPN is its Chameleon protocol. Golden Frog's engineers have developed this proprietary VPN technology which scrambles OpenVPN packet metadata to ensure it's not recognisable via deep packet inspection (DPI), while still keeping it fast and lightweight. The Chameleon technology uses the unmodified OpenVPN 256-bit protocol for the underlying data encryption. The result is that VyprVPN users are able to bypass restrictive networks put in place by governments, corporations and ISPs to achieve an open internet experience without sacrificing the proven security for which OpenVPN has long been known.
If you travel widely to countries such as China, Russia, Iran, Turkey etc, then VyprVPN is for you. A fuller explanation can be seen here.
VyprVPN maintains all its software, networks and hardware itself, there are no third parties involved. The company does keep minimal logs for 30 days to use with billing issues, troubleshooting, service offering evaluation and TOS issues, but they do not log a user's traffic or the content of any communications.
VyprVPN also states it is the fastest VPN available. Sadly I have been unable to test this. My broadband connections comes through the air via a microwave signal and my provider is experiencing interference issues and has had to throttle the speeds from a normal 40mbs to 10. What I can tell you, however, is that VyprVPN seems very light to run, there is no massive whirring of the hard drive that I have experienced with some other VPN services. Also, there are no ad hoc drop outs which I have experienced with other VPNs.
The Android version is a slick and easy to use as the desktop package with a swipe right, multi-page control panel so you can see exactly what is happening with your connection. Seriously impressive.
The premier plan costs £5.83 when billed annually (£10.50 monthly) and provides access to five simultaneous connections.


It's prime time for large whales to migrate along the Eastern Seaboard, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is warning boaters in the Chesapeake Bay region to be aware.
NOAA Fisheries reports that humpback whales have been spotted off Virginia recently, and are asking boaters there to be especially cautious on the water. They ask everyone to keep a safe distance— 100 feet for humpbacks and most other whale species, but 1,500 feet for right whales. A boat that is too close can cause enough noise to interrupt whale activities, make them nervous, or drive them away from an area. And of course, boat propellors are a deadly threat to whales.
A large number of whale deaths has prompted NOAA to declare Unusual Mortality Events (UMEs) for humpbacks, minke whales, and North Atlantic right whales. It's the first time there have been three UAEs at the same time for a given area.
This months's Chesapeake Bay Magazine digs deeper into the alarming deaths, in Wendy Mitman Clarke's feature, "The Plight of Whales." Click here to read it.
"The best ways you can help keep whales safe are to go slow, stay back, keep a close watch, and report problems.
If a whale is entangled, don't risk your life by attempting to remove the gear yourself. You could actually make the entanglement worse. Your role is still the most important one--call our hotline or the Coast Guard immediately so trained responders can locate the whale and remove the gear safely (and legally).
If you see a whale in distress or one that is exhibiting dangerous behavior (like approaching boats too closely) please call NOAA's hotline at 866-755-6622 or, in Virginia, contact the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center at 757-385-7575.


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The Truth About The Hospital Meghan Markle Gave Birth In
By Melissa Willets/Updated: Feb. 21, 2022 11:38 am EST
Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William and Prince Harry at St. Mary's Hospital in London, as did Kate Middleton when she welcomed her three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis (via Marie Claire). When Meghan Markle gave birth to her first child, it was also in London, at Portland Hospital (via Town & Country). This was a slight departure from tradition, as was her decision not to be photographed directly after Archie's birth (via Reader's Digest).
Of course, when Harry and Meghan essentially left the royal family to move to Montecito, California, they bucked tradition even more. And now, the couple has welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor far from Buckingham Palace (via People). In a statement, it was confirmed that "Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40 a.m. in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA."
So what do we know about Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital? For starters, it is just ten minutes by car from the mansion where Harry and Meghan live according to the Daily Mail.
What else we know about Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
Daily Mail reports the hospital where Lili was born is a not-for-profit center set up by 50 women that host 2,400 births annually. It may have appealed to Meghan as a place to welcome her little girl, given that the Duchess of Sussex has spoken often about her passion for empowering women (via Us Weekly).
Consider that on International Day of the Girl in 2019, Meghan said, "Every girl has potential. She has promise. She has the right to learn, the right to be heard, the right to play, and to discover. The right to be exactly who she is."
Interestingly, as Hello! notes, Meghan could have chosen Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to give birth, which boasts one of the most luxe maternity wards in the world. But given that this hospital is almost 90 miles away from where the family lives, clearly Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital was a better choice.
It's worth noting that according to U.S. News, this is a high performing medical center.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Brio Dental`s implants are made of grade 5 titanium. Price is for IMPLANT ONLY, and does not include the final crown, bridge, or denture it will eventually support.
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Implants are an option for people in good general oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, or some other reason. The best candidates for implants have healthy gums and no periodontal disease.
So you are considering dental implants in Mexico? Our patients come from all over the US and Canada and they have a few things in common. They want to improve their smile and their ability to eat! Yes, dental implants are not just for cosmetic reasons! Dental implants have been around for thousands of years and have an extremely good track record. Whether you are wanting to replace a missing tooth or use them to support a bridge or dentures, we can help!
Here's what our patients are saying about Implants at Brio Dental.
"I was very pleased with the service and the prices quoted. There would be no reason to not consider Brio Dental Clinic as a serious solution. I received three implants and one crown. Very satisfied customer."
"I made a good decision to go! I live in Boston and was trying to take care of my teeth, but after bad genes and a lifetime of good and bad dentists, (mostly bad), I was facing a 31,000 dollar bill for implants and crowns. I went to Brio Dental with high hopes and I was not disappointed at all! It has been a few weeks since I had several teeth pulled, an implant, and 5 crowns. It took 2 days and I was really impressed with the pace of the work. I never felt rushed and everything went really well. I also got crowns that were better than I would have gotten at home, the next day. I am looking forward to having the next crown and implant done when I heal in 6 months. I know I am going to be treated well and I do not have to take a loan out! P.S. Thank you to all the staff."
"I phoned Brio and quickly received a email which outlined what I needed to provide in order to receive a quote for the work that I want done. An appointment was made and everything went just as they said it would. The clinic is clean, the Doctor and her staff all very professional and friendly. I have just returned from my visit and have three implants underway. I left the clinic with no pain whatsoever, however I do have some pain and soreness which is managed by Tylenol, but nothing that would prevent me from having this procedure again. My next appt. is in 6 months (late april, 2012) and will repost then as to the final outcome."
First visit: 4 implants and 1 acrylic denture for only $2,599.
abutments, attachments, and denture for only $1,090 Can be done next day!
An outstanding treatment option for patients missing all of their teeth is fixed implant bridges. The dentist places 6-8 implants per jaw and the implants will anchor a dental bridge. Unlike a denture, which is made of tooth and gum colored acrylic and plastic, bridges are made from porcelain, and modeled to look like natural teeth. The look and feel of the porcelain bridges is very realistic and most patients (and nearly everyone else) can't tell the difference between their new smile and their original.


Loud. Powerful. Brute Strength. The 2017/18 Beast X Speed BBCOR bat, as seen in the 2017 College World Series, features Easton's ATAC alloy, an all-new advanced thermal alloy construction that creates the most powerful barrel in the game.


Real estate auctions are a viable method for selling properties. From a single-family residence or trophy property to a multi-parcel land sale or or selling of acreage, we are at your service. Although we have the ability to list your real estate traditionally, the auction method of liquidating real estate has several advantages over the traditional listing method. The auction method puts the seller in control of how and when their property is sold. The focus will be placed on the real estate to be auctioned, rather than one of many listed properties. In the traditional method, the property may remain on the market for months or years, while the auction method usually realizes an offer within thirty to sixty days. The buyers will be on the sellers schedule, the property sells without contingencies, and an auction is a true determination of market value. These sales benefit the seller because buyers are pre-qualified, the property will be liquidated expediently, no stressful negotiations are involved, the property usually sells for its true market value, and the seller determines the contingencies instead of the buyer. This method benefits the buyer by purchasing a property at its true market value, the buyers are more prepared due to more information being provided about the property, and the buyer will know exactly when the property will close, so their resolution will be quicker.
Whether through the auction method or a traditional listing, if you are interested in selling your real estate, contact us today. We are here to help and will leave no stone unturned in finding the perfect buyer for your property.


text:
OGR 2012: Mandi Creveling's happy accident
metro local life
Mandi Creveling stumbles upon Occupy Grand Rapids and finds a reason to be active in something bigger than herself.
/Mary Brown
The Occupy Grand Rapids movement that began in October of 2011 has many different faces and stories. One of those faces is Mandi Creveling, a 24 year old GRCC student who has been with the movement since the beginning, although she sort of happened into the meeting by accident. It was one of those happy accidents that life sometimes puts in your way.
Creveling, a vivacious redhead with a messy ponytail, jeans, sweatshirt, and hiking boots wiggling with nervous energy, grins as she speaks of stumbling into an Occupy meeting at her boyfriend's house. She admits speaking in front of groups of people is not in her immediate comfort zone; however, with her hands in the dirt making things grow so she and others can eat, she is comfortable and at home. In fact, she grew up on a farm in Comstock Park where she and her family grew vegetables and flowers that they sold at area flea markets. A graduate of Sparta High School, she is the first one in her family to matriculate to college and is currently a biology major at Grand Rapids Community College. Creveling has already traveled around the world, exploring Australia and Europe where she was involved with Willing Workers on Organic Farms, also known as "wwoofing," to help pay her way. She lives in Eastown near the farmer's market, where she is very comfortable amid the fruits of the earth, and she works part time for Martha's Vineyard Catering. This spring, she'll begin working with the Circle Pines Center.
At that Occupy first meeting in her boyfriend's home, Creveling met an older woman name Joy who really helped kindle her own desire to get involved. "Joy said she was waiting for this her whole life and made me want to be involved. I wanted to be part of something bigger." Creveling sees all social and environmental issues as part of something bigger. Connecting people for social change is what she feels the Occupy movement is all about.
She believes that capitalism is unsustainable, that the government is overinvolved, that politics is corrupt and that "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is the best way to live in this world. She has been a strong believer in the golden rule since she was a very young person. "I couldn't understand why it was on the wall. Didn't everyone know that was how to treat people?" Her eyes shine as she affirms, "be the change you want to see in the world." Her motto, adopted from Muhatma Ghandi, is her own personal reason why she decided to stick with the movement after that first haphazard introduction. In high school, Creveling had some excellent teachers and they made her read George Orwell's 1984, which started her thinking about how this world was being affected by government intrusion. It was also in her high school years that she began wondering, "Is the system looking out for me and others?" Now, she has concerns that the system is very masculine, rigid, and is not looking out for the nurturing component of humanity.
As a strong believer in sustainability, Creveling is actively involved in trying to help get more community gardens going in the Grand Rapids area. She is proud of her involvement in the Circle Pines Co-op, one of the oldest co-ops in the country. She readily admits "Trying to go local as much as possible is a lot harder than it seems." She also believes it is "very important to build real community, by having the conversation with others who are not necessarily involved in the movement."
Since being involved in Occupy, she has been working on her knowledge of history, realizing that when you don't know how things have gone in the past, you are less able to project accurate future outcomes. She has also been actively searching out learning opportunities to tune in to the greater picture of the world. To that end has been attending a free class at GVSU called "Change U," a social justice course led by Jeff Smith of GRIID, with recent guest lecturer Sherri Wolf. According to Creveling, Ms. Wolfe believes that the Occupy movement is in the zygotal stage of development: it is just getting started.
In Mandi Creveling's opinion, the Occupy movement is an outcropping from the idea that "people are sleeping through life, physically and emotionally tired. People are becoming numb to what is going on around them." She admits that currently she hasn't been to an Occupy meeting for a couple of months. She says she is very committed, however, and looks to the Occupy movement as a "lighthouse" waking us up from our sluggish state to invest in our neighborhood associations, and go from the bottom up, not from the top down.
occupy grand rapids
occupy wall st
worker co-ops
New City Neighbor makes farming an empowering youth program
Local teen writers build relationships, strengthen skills at international conference
Kiran Sood Patel
How can we celebrate the legacy and mission of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
Comprenew
A message from Comprenew regarding net neutrality


To soon include my web archive of Newton Software packages that I like and use.
All this running together off of a 162mhz StrongARM-processor Apple Newton MessagePad PDA circa 1997 and 4 fresh AA batteries. Internet provided by PCMCIA ethernet card connected to DHCP cable modem.


text:
Diary of a Mundane Astrologer
Topic Index: Astrological Basics
Topic Index: Current News, Politics & Events
Topic Index: Key Collective Issues
Topic Index: People in the News (non-gov't)
Topic Index: Youth & Generational Issues
Of Whistle-blowing & Volatile Times: Saturn & the 3rd Q Sibly Progressed Lunar Cycle
In May, 2016, I wrote about a major progressed cycle event for the U.S. Sibly chart that was—at that time—still "down the road a piece," but this week, on March 2, that event is squarely upon us.
So, I thought this would be a good time to update and deepen our considerations, based on what's transpired since last May.
And a lot has transpired since May.
You may be tempted to feel, as I do, that since the election, we're "not in Kansas, anymore." Even so, as freakishly different as American life may seem on the surface today, there are reassuring, visible threads of continuity. Protests and waves of grass-roots resistance (at town halls, etc.) are proving that we're never quite as helpless as we may feel in the face of challenge, that heroes do have a way of emerging when we need them, and besides, the solar system keeps humming along, no matter how we screw things up in our little corner of it.
One reassuring bit of continuity is our nation's progressed lunar cycle—the cycle that tracks the movements of the Sibly progressed Sun and progressed Moon, and the angles they form to each other over time. If we're wondering why so many things in our collective American lives are falling apart around us right now, this cycle provides some insights. If we're wondering when our politics and public life will stabilize and begin rebuilding, this cycle is a good place to start. Let's check in to see where we are currently.
On March 2, 2017, the U.S. Sibly chart will begin the 3rd Quarter of its 8th progressed lunar cycle, which ends on March 25, 2024, when a new cycle begins. Transits, outer planetary cycle milestones and eclipses that occur during this time period will unfold within the context of this progressed 3rd Quarter, which will impact the nation's health and wellbeing accordingly.
As I said in the May post, this 3rd progressed quarter context will provide an underlying theme for the coming 7 years—finishing unfinished business; clearing out outworn realities and emotional baggage so the way is open for something new. So what will that mean in day-to-day American life?
Let's first very briefly review the 3rd Q inception chart next to the Sibly chart.
Biwheel 1: (inner wheel) natal, USA (Sibly), July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m., LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (outer wheel) USA (Sibly), day-for-year progression for March 2, 2017 at 12:00 a.m. GMT, Washington, D.C.
Interchart T-square: Progressed Moon conjoins Sibly ASC (Sagittarius) and opposes Sibly Uranus/Mars (midpoint) & DSC (Gemini); Progressed Sun (Pisces) squares this opposition from the Sibly 4th. Since the Sibly Sun represents the Executive and the nation as a sovereign entity, we can see here that the Executive and the People (the 4th in a mundane chart is the "People's" house) need to be on the same wave-length during these next 7 years. Matters of trust and deception will resonate deeply.
Importantly, can we feel "at home" (4th) with this president? Does America itself feel like "home" anymore? Calls from the fringe-Right for a more ethno-cultural perspective on America (i.e., the white nationalist viewpoint that this nation "belongs" to white people because it was white Europeans who first stepped off the boats onto our shores) may begin to sound logical and nostalgically-appealing to many more; if the spike in hate crimes we're seeing these days is any indication, this dangerous perspective has made inroads.
Those who reject this sadly-limited vision of America as a culturally "white homeland" will need to recommit to our pluralistic American soul. As one politician this week put it, this vision of a homeland was put to rest at Appomattox: do we really want to relitigate the Civil War and the bad old days of Jim Crow?
Unfortunately, this progressed Sun placement allows the Executive to heavily influence the nation's 4th house demographic mix—the crazy wonderful diversity of our body politic. Bottom line, Trump will likely continue to adjust our demographics more to his liking whenever he's given the leeway to do so. More white Christians, check. Fewer Muslims and Latinos, check. We don't really know what he thinks about Asians…yet.
Of course, with this progressed Sun in Pisces, the lines of authority related to all this may be quite blurred: despite Stephen Miller's chilling pronouncement that the "power of the president…will not be denied," it's hard to say whose agenda Trump is really acting upon at any given time. Getting a straight, truthful story out of the Oval Office will also continue being a struggle.
As far as I've been able to tell, the only consistent narrative running throughout Trump's agenda is fear and dread, which certainly speaks to this Pisces placement. In its negative moments, Pisces can engender terror (no need for actual terrorists!)—the dread of dissolution, of violation by "invasion" and overwhelm. Every immigrant can look like a flood of threatening outsiders out to get us.
It's no coincidence that our experiences with terrorism really ramped up after our progressed Sun entered Pisces in 2004, unleashing these fears and legitimizing George W. Bush's strategy of "pre-emptive strike."
Our "innocence" was violated horrifically on 9/11/2001 (progressed Sibly Sun conjunct our radix Sibly Moon in Aquarius) and ever since, the mere suspicion of a threat was enough to justify attack under Bush, even though nothing substantial provoked the attack. If national security continues to dominate Trump's agenda, we'll continue chasing Pisces bogeymen. All the more reason that executive orders proclaiming national security-oriented policies should be fact-checked and reality-based.
If we can relax this fearful focus and act on the creative, compassionate potential of Pisces—perhaps even reaching across borders in constructive ways, maybe there will be progress. Our participation in the Paris Climate Accord is one example that comes to mind, but many such opportunities will arise.
As our progressed Sun gets deeper into the "weeds" of Pisces over the next years, we will be challenged to make peace with our insecurities and resist the undertow of nationalist isolationism. The 4th house is where we can refresh our collective spirits, if we can avoid succumbing to that undertow.
With that said, this progressed Sun-Moon event does speak loudly to the nation's defenses: the progressed Moon—representing the People and our demographic make-up—falls smack on top of the Sibly ASC, opposite the sensitive 7th house of enemies and Others and the Sibly Uranus/Mars (midpoint, Gemini).
In our "Reality TV"-style politics, we run the risk of pursuing military aggression simply for the sake of the "rush" and the "ratings." A Sagittarius progressed Moon might be inclined to rally around that flag, unless someone leads us in a more constructive direction.
On the other hand, perhaps the People (progressed Moon) will—in ways large and small—steer our leaders in that more constructive direction. Sagittarius is capable of cutting through the "fog" of Pisces with rational, strategic thinking. The groundswell of activism at town halls and the like is very hopeful in this regard.
Entering the nation's 1st house of identity, this progressed Moon is like a newborn, feeling out its new sensory environment and responding to it from a purely gut level. Does this aspect of American identity make me feel safe, or vulnerable? Are my physical needs satisfied? Do I feel respected and loved? In Sagittarius, we might add, Do I find that the world is my oyster and the sky's the limit? Can I follow my insatiable curiosity wherever it takes me?
Americans have always been an adventurous (Sagittarius) people; we are poised to explore whatever frontiers beckon today. If we listen to today's scientists and technology pioneers, there are still many groundbreaking developments on the horizon. Not a moment too soon; we really need to expand into our greater potential again.
It used to be a core assumption that America was "Number One"—the most powerful, the richest, the strongest, the most heroic, and so on. That assumption has run aground since this progressed cycle began in 1994, and in this final progressed quarter we seem to be entering a period in which we have to prove once again what we're worth as a nation, how dedicated we are to our democratic institutions and each other.
Will we prove ourselves to be "exceptional" in any valuable, virtuous sense anymore, or simply the 500-lb. "elephant" in every geopolitical situation?
Nations develop "itchy trigger fingers" with intense configurations like this Mutable t-square, especially involving the nation's chart horizon. Judging from his rhetoric, Trump could be inclined to shoot first and think later at the least provocation, simply to assert his dominance and authority. It's interesting in this regard that the Russian spy ship has been hovering off our East coast—the Russians apparently have to do a lot to provoke a reaction.
Today's news reports that Trump plans to promote a $54 billion increase in defense spending, at the expense of programs "across the federal government." Surprise, surprise.
There's also justified concern about growing internal unrest (progressed Sun in 4th square Sibly Uranus), but "People Power" (progressed Moon) may be the only way to shore up our democratic institutions for now. Even so, this progressed 3rd quarter is our opportunity to confront and work on internal divisions. We really need to decide if we are one nation or two.
Progressed Mars (Rx Libra) conjoins Sibly Saturn (Libra) and trines Sibly Mars/Uranus (Gemini). Mars conjunct Saturn in Cardinal signs denotes aggressive impulses, although with Mars Rx by progression since 2006, the actions we've taken as a nation have tended to fall short of the desired results. Saturn rules Congress, so pressure will be brought to bear on them to act—the progressed Mars trine to Sibly Mars/Uranus suggests an attempt to assert dominance that may or may not unfold as planned.
Denying a hike to defense budgets is never easy, but it could be important for two reasons: 1) to rein in Trump's aggressive impulses and willingness to say anything to get his way; 2) because using a defense budget hike as a wedge that forces dramatic cuts to other necessary agencies will only stoke further internal divisions.
It should be noted here that this configuration ties very tightly into Trump's natal chart: progressed Sibly Mars-Sibly Saturn conjoins Trump's natal Chiron-Jupiter (Libra), and that Trump's natal Uranus (Gemini) conjoins the Sibly Mars/Uranus (all in Gemini), while his Sun conjoins Sibly Mars itself (see Triwheel below).
His abiding need to prove his greatness (Chiron-Jupiter) and his volatile nature (Uranus-Node-Sun) are given free rein with these aggressive Sibly dynamics. Pressure on Congress (Sibly Saturn) to fund a military campaign could also be indicated (see below for Venus's involvement).
Interchart T-square: Progressed Venus (Aries) squares both Sibly Mercury (Cancer) and Sibly Pluto (Capricorn) and sextiles Sibly Moon (Aquarius). Adding to the intensity, Mars disposes Progressed Venus in Aries, and she in turn squares Sibly Mercury, ruling the 7th house of open enemies and the 10th house—a Virgo house that speaks to the U.S. military's involvement in the world. P Venus also squares 2nd house Sibly Pluto, ruling the Sibly 12th, suggesting a more behind-the-scenes dimension to government activities in regards to negotiations, resources and finances.
It should be said here that P Venus (over the Sibly 5th) also squares Trump's natal Saturn-Venus (Cancer) and the Sibly progressed NNode (Cancer), reflecting Trump's conflicts of interest—there's no doubt that resources and political power are closely linked here. The chances that Attorney General Jeff Sessions and/or Congress will hold Trump to the standard all past presidents have been held to appears doubtful, or at least very strained here.
There's a very troubling inertia at work in this t-square (and its connections to Trump's chart, see below); with Sibly Pluto involved, the possibilities of "Dark Money" and political debts to pay are quite real.
Despite all that, the P Venus sextile to Sibly Moon (Aquarius) suggests that economic opportunities for everyday people should be available during this coming progressed quarter, even if Wall Street (Sibly Pluto) is ill at ease with some initiatives (t-square). The sextile may also reflect that the ACA (Venus rules the health-oriented Sibly 6th) lives on without too much economic damage to those covered.
Progressed Mercury (Aquarius) conjoins Sibly Moon (Aquarius), trines Sibly Mars and inconjoins Sibly Neptune (Virgo). Mercury rules the Virgo ASC of this progressed 3rd quarter chart, making Mercury's position in Aquarius more potent than we might expect. Mercury rules public media communications, and with these aspects we can expect a frustrating lack of transparency (P Mercury-Sibly Neptune) when it comes to military or health (Virgo) matters (watch out for surprise over-night developments regarding the ACA!) and to the actions being taken in our name on the world stage (Sibly 10th).
We are likely to see a major recruitment effort (Mercury trine Sibly Mars) for any such projects, including the project of protesting changes to the ACA. This could also reflect the effort to recruit thousands into Trump's plans for military-style border control and deportations—is this the "infrastructure jobs" program we expected from him?
Triwheel #1: (inner wheel) U.S. Sibly, July 4, 1776, 5:10 p.m. LMT, Philadelphia, PA; (middle wheel) U.S. Sibly, Day-for-Year-Progressions for March 2, 2017, 12:00 a.m. GMT, Washington, D.C.; (outer wheel) Donald J. Trump, June 14, 1946, 10:54 a.m. DST, Jamaica, NY. All charts feature Tropical Equal Houses and True Node.
A word about "leaks"
Since Trump has decided to declare war on the media—"the enemy of the People," according to him—perhaps this is a good time to talk about what might be triggering all the "leaks" he finds so upsetting. In fact, we should probably thank the leakers for keeping his administration at least somewhat accountable for its actions and words. Journalists have begun calling Press Secretary Sean Spicer's recent demand that his staff turn over their phones for inspection a case of "swirling paranoia"—never a good sign for an administration.
Even former President George W. Bush has today supported the importance of the independent media, saying it's needed "to hold people like me to account. Power can be very addictive and corrosive and it's up to the media to call to account people who abuse their power, here and elsewhere."
Following the leader is at times all-important; when leaders are clearly acting or planning to act against our higher principles as a nation, however, it's time for citizens to step in for the good of all. These "leakers" are called whistleblowers, and they fulfill an important role in democracies. I started this article by saying that we can take comfort in the fact that "heroes" tend to emerge when they're most needed—here's a great case in point!
There's no denying that whistle-blowing can be controversial, but astrologically, it makes sense that this secretive administration has sprung multiple leaks. Saturn is now transiting the Galactic Center (GC) at 26°-27° Sagittarius, trine Mars-Uranus in Aries. Such leaks from within the administration have helped uncover many important stories that Trump wants to squash—because they may put his campaign and future plans in an unfavorable, even illegal (Saturn) light. I give former president Bush credit for speaking up here—things are likely to get even more heated in this struggle over our free press before long.
The trine to Mars-Uranus reflects the shocking, aggressive nature of some of the leaked information, as well as Trump's response to it all. Transiting Saturn also falls quincunx Sibly Mercury (Cancer), the nation's media, so they are certainly experiencing frustrating blowback from their journalistic efforts. Last I heard, they're committed to continue reporting whatever credible information comes their way.
So, can we expect things to stabilize a bit any time soon? Some outer planetary transits, like Saturn entering Capricorn later this year and Uranus entering Taurus in May, 2018 may help calm things down going forward, but the nation's progressed Sun doesn't enter Aries until 2035, and Aries isn't exactly a "calm" sign. It will feel like a refreshing new birth, however, after a very long "swim" in the waters of mutable Pisces.
Let's not get pulled down by the undertow.
Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former university English instructor. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years. Raye can be contacted by comment here, or at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
© Raye Robertson 2016. All rights reserved.
Posted by Raye Robertson at 12:38 PM No comments:
"The Widening Gyre:" Saturn, Neptune, Chiron & the February 26th Eclipse in D.C.
Difficult-to-diagnose illnesses or "syndromes" that waste away an individual's vitality over long periods of time, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), are considered Neptunian.
I would argue that Chiron—with its wounding influence, designed to help us bridge the physical/spiritual divide in our lives—may also be lurking in the background during such illnesses, as well.
CFS is rarely seen as being a fatal disease, but the inactivity and generalized debility brought on by this syndrome can, over time, undermine the individual's already compromised immune system, making it vulnerable to a host of other ailments that are fatal.
Nebulous, difficult to diagnose (Neptune) conditions like CFS test a subject's physical/spiritual mettle and constitute a Chironic journey of healing and/or transcendence. Some astrologers believe the Soul chooses its path with Chiron.
We can certainly see a social corollary to CFS in today's political reality—widespread economic stress has enabled a passive dissolution (Neptune), an implosion of sorts that has resulted in toxic nationalist (Us against Them) populism. Throughout history, this type of Neptunian passivity has disordered and weakened the political organisms it targets—simply put, a system divided against itself cannot stand.
Neptunian passivity undermines structures, blurs the lines of responsibility (Saturn) and pits delusionary narratives against objective facts. As William Butler Yeats' poem, "The Second Coming," put it so vividly:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
Chinua Achebe used these lines in his seminal novel, Things Fall Apart (1959), which described the breakdown of African tribal systems and the British colonial empire, yet we can certainly see how these lines apply with today's political chaos. Chaos—a full systems breakdown—truly is the operative word.
With election 2016, the U.S. has, in a nutshell, been caught on the horns of a Neptune-Saturn dilemma: confusion, prevarication and incoherence have transformed our national discourse into meaningless babble to many. Our ability to deliver a factual, coherent narrative is seriously compromised, along with our confidence and institutional integrity.
As this past weekend's Munich Security Conference suggested, our European allies are looking for that coherent narrative from the U.S. and they're not getting it; importantly, they're not sure where we stand in regards to Russia because we're talking out of both sides of our collective "mouth" about it—members of Congress are saying one thing, the president is saying another—all while troubling and inappropriate communications between Russia and the Trump team are being investigated in seven Congressional committees.
Is it any wonder that critical peace talks regarding the Ukraine are set to commence without direct U.S. participation? Russia would reportedly like us at the talks, but diplomats from Ukraine, France and Germany don't feel our presence would be constructive.
Could it be that reports of big money collusion between Trump's first campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and two corrupt, pro-Putin, Ukrainian figures, deposed dictator Viktor Yanukovich and oligarch Dmitry Firtash, have something to do with it? Whatever the truth is, we are clearly in over our heads with a web of suspected Russia-Ukraine-Trump entanglements, and perhaps it is better that Europe takes charge of any peace talks for now.
Whatever results from those impending peace talks (apparently planned for a few weeks from now) could be impacted by the February eclipses we've been exploring here. History chimes in quite intriguingly here, too—much more on that to come.
First, let's consider the upcoming annular solar eclipse on February 26th. The path of this eclipse cuts across the southern tip of South America and on in to Africa, so those areas may be most directly affected by the event; even so, every eclipse represents a potentially powerful transit that bears watching everywhere. There's a lot more than the Ukraine peace talks at stake here.
Chart #1: Solar Eclipse, February 26, 2017, 9:58:31 a.m. ST, Washington, D.C. Tropical Equal houses, True Node.
Eclipse Point (EP) conjoins Neptune-SNode-Mercury (Pisces) in the 10th house. We can't miss the Neptunian theme to this eclipse chart, with these Pisces points elevated in the powerful 10th house, but we shouldn't forget that 6th house Jupiter co-rules Pisces with Neptune, so there are two "Lords" of this watery event. A couple interesting details emerge from that: first, at 139°+ apart, Jupiter and Neptune fall in a wide biquintile aspect (144°) linking DC's outwardly manifest power (10th) with the military 6th.
Significantly, Bil Tierney says this aspect family (the 5th harmonic) has been traditionally associated with "the use or abuse of power and authority."[1] Sounds like what we're seeing in Washington these days, and if Trump does call out 100,000 National Guards troops to round up the nation's undocumented immigrants, the military dimension of this chart—reinforced by its Virgo NNode—will manifest as well.
Second, Tierney adds that this harmonic expresses a "composite of Jupiter and Uranus principles (with Mars undertones). Uranus in this context does not appear to represent its higher humanitarian expression, but instead seems to indicate its more willful, untamed, lawless and inconsistent side."[2] As we can see, one of the strongest aspects in this chart is the strident Jupiter opposition to Mars-Uranus (Libra-Aries)!
So it appears the softer feeling Pisces character of the event masks a more volatile, cardinal potential. This opposition is, in fact, the high point of the Jupiter-Uranus cycle that launched with a bang at 0°+Aries in June, 2010. Concerning the growth and awakening of social consciousness, this cycle can promote both positive and negative revolutionary efforts, as well as extremist campaigns.
This dynamic pushes against any and all limitations, so judging from the Trump administration's behavior to date, challenges to the Constitution and the rule of law continue to be predictable. Add Mars into the mix and the potential for volatility and destruction—possibly the military variety—increases.
Factor in the slow erosion of our nation's "immune system" by this heavily Neptunian chart, and we need to wonder here what the constant "drip, drip, drip" of Trump's fear-mongering messages (about the "fake Media"…about criminal immigrants...about Sweden, of all places?) is about. Is he trying to erode our common sense ability to discern what's true and what isn't? Which voices we can trust and which we cannot?
Is it about shrouding us in the "fog" of war, perhaps? Or, imposing a state of domestic martial law to clamp down on protests while immigrants—Trump's favorite scapegoats for all our national ills—are rounded up? The latter seems more likely right now.
Venus-Mars-Uranus (Aries) square Pluto (Capricorn). I haven't overlooked the cardinal T-square lurking in this chart (more on that ahead), but this set of square aspects is interesting on its own because Venus rules this chart's Taurus ASC. We've been seeing a lot of active, aggressively outspoken women in protest movements these days, and these aspects point to the power wielded by those women. It may also pertain to women in high places like Germany's Angela Merkel, whose voices are being heard.
It's also interesting that the Venus-ruled ASC exactly inconjoins Libra Jupiter, which is itself disposed by Venus: whatever agenda Washington tries to promote in the coming eclipse period will be heavily influenced by this strident, even militant energy.
It bears noting that a Taurus ASC also speaks to the fixed, conservative times ahead. This may be a welcome development—many may feel we need some fixed, earthy energy to stabilize the crazy mutable stuff. This could also speak to the dead rush the fossil fuel industry is in to open up public lands to drilling, to complete the controversial Dakota Pipeline, and so on.
Based on Venus's position in Aries and the other strident cardinal energies in this chart, it seems likely we will see armed conflict and/or martial law used to squash protests on the pipeline sites. Native Americans are the earthiest group imaginable; it's a safe bet that this Taurus energy will impact them one way or another. In fact, this ASC is the focal point of a Yod configuration with Jupiter-sextile-Saturn (more on that below); the fossil fuel takeover is not likely to be smooth and easy.
On a historical note, the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation by the Oglala Lakota Sioux began under a Yod formed by the Saturn-Chiron sextile (Gemini-Aries) to asteroid Pallas (Scorpio). Deep injustices (Pallas) against the Natives were the focus of this peaceful (sextile) action that devolved into violence over the roughly 2 months it lasted. Amazingly, this configuration echoed another Yod involving Pallas found in the chart for the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre. Pallas has a clear connection to Venus/Athena through the principle of wisdom and "just warfare."
Cardinal T-Square: Mars-Uranus (Aries) opposite Jupiter (Libra); this axis squares Pluto (Capricorn). Judging from Pluto's 8th house placement here, it seems there are powerful financial interests at stake in taking aggressive, possibly military action. World disorder (spawned by Neptune, etc.) presents ripe opportunities for conquest and exploitation (remember, "America First!"). Unfortunately, this disorder echoes a much earlier period, according to foreign policy expert, Richard Haass.
"Disarray" is the precise term used by Haass to describe today's world disorder[3], and he begins his new study by recounting how we arrived at our present state. We need to learn from the period leading into World War I, Haass argues, and it appears that the astrology concurs. As we'll see ahead, there are interesting parallels between that period and today's brand of disarray.
Saturn (Sagittarius) trines Mars-Uranus (Aries), sextiles Jupiter (Libra) and squares Chiron (Pisces). Saturn is a real social butterfly these days with all this, but most importantly, it's engaged in all this from the final stretch of its approximately 33-year cycle with Pluto. A complete post could be dedicated to this array of cycles, but for now let's consider some highlights.
The trine suggests that Congress may simply look the other way with the volatile changes on the horizon in Washington institutions—i.e., at the hands of Trump's Cabinet appointees who fundamentally disagree with the mission of their departments, with Trump's illegal conflicts of interest, and so on. If the seven distinct Congressional investigations now happening to examine the relationship between Trump, his team and Russia finish under this trine (not likely), we can expect he'll receive a slap on the wrist and little more. It's not a particularly tight trine, however, so pressure may build on Trump et al as the aspect separates.
The Saturn-Jupiter sextile will also be moving in and out of orb over the coming months, so the opportunity it poses for institutional change will be somewhat hit or miss. As noted above, under the Venus discussion, this sextile is part of a tense Yod configuration that is likely to manifest in several different arenas.
Again, the Native American protests against the Dakota pipeline (which are currently not being covered by mainstream news very well) will probably boil to the surface in some way. Resource development in general will be a tense focus, especially with Jupiter (ruling the 8th) in Venus-ruled Libra, opposite the Aries points discussed above. It's interesting that Saturn also falls sextile Pisces Mercury, which rules the chart's Gemini 2nd house of resources.
Strengthened by its wide conjunction to the Eclipse Point, this Mercury also rules the Virgo 5th house of power plays and the "Old Boys' Network." With Virgo this powerful gathering of forces could involve the military as well—resources and heightened Defense spending go together like Forrest Gump's "peas and carrots." It appears likely that the resource-driven agenda Trump wants will be rolled out, and that "national defense" will be a big justification used for whatever federal revenues are put towards that purpose.
It's also important here that Jupiter and Saturn are closing in on their new cycle that begins in December 2020. In fact, we are in a period of several waning outer-planetary cycles, (Jupiter-Saturn, Jupiter-Uranus, Jupiter-Neptune, Saturn-Neptune, Saturn-Uranus, Saturn-Pluto) marking serious, even somber, troubled times during which things tend to unravel in preparation for a new beginning. Such uneasy times always seem to support military buildups, as well, so we can expect that many of the domestic jobs Trump takes credit for will be in the Defense industry.
Given Trump's desire to bring us back to those post WWII times when America was "numero uno," it makes sense that we'll see the cliché that "war is good for the economy" reemerge. With WWII that was the case for a couple decades, but economic historians say this happened because a very different Keynesian model was enshrined in our economic system after the war. Under our current finance-industry dominated economic and labor relations regime, the rich would have gotten richer and the middle class never would have developed the way it did.
President Obama attempted to return to some aspects of that Keynesian model during his tenure, but Trump is already busily rolling back those efforts with executive orders and a Wall Street-packed Cabinet. Certain higher ups in select industries will get obscenely wealthy if we go into full-scale war mode; how did Iraq, Afghanistan and various other adventures work for the rest of us?
Bottom line, this chart suggests that we might want to pay close attention to all of this: the number of military heavyweights on Trump's Cabinet is probably not accidental, and the number of waning cycles noted above says we need to watch what's going on behind the scenes. This is not likely to be good for the environment—time to support the free press and resist any effort to restrict access to the Internet!!
The Saturn-Chiron square is perhaps the most evocative relationship that Saturn is flirting with these days. While the orb isn't particularly tight in this eclipse event, it will be tightening again in the coming months, as Saturn retrogrades and turns direct again. This is a long-term square, and historically, Saturn-Chiron aspects tend to happen during war times, or just prior to those periods.
This aspect often reflects a paternalistic authoritarian figure who inflicts great harm, but down-the-road, there is potential healing. The psychological wounding (Chiron) Willy Wonka experienced at the hands of his parents and particularly, his authoritarian "dentist" father (Saturn) who forbade him to eat candy, reflects this aspect. The healing of their relationship in the end was the "happy ending."
It's no accident that Trump's natal Sun-Node-Uranus Gemini stellium is tied into today's Sagittarius-Pisces square. He also had a somewhat fraught relationship with his father, an authoritarian man who demanded that he and his brothers be tough above all. Donald Trump's brother Freddy Jr. died of alcoholism-related illness; Donald himself has "issues" with authority and an apparent need to win, no matter what.
His many conflicts of interest as president and stubborn refusal to acknowledge any authority over his actions (to release his tax forms, for example) suggest that those early wounds cut deep.
If his first month in office is any indication, Trump simply needs to prove—as his lackey Stephen Miller put it—that his power "will not be questioned." Sure sounds like a father-related Saturn-Chiron crisis. There's always a void that can never be filled with this aspect: how many will be sacrificed to his need?
Returning to the connection between Saturn-Chiron and war, it seems that mutable Saturn-Chiron aspects are particularly pernicious. The run-up to WWI featured the Gemini-Pisces square (Saturn-Chiron)—the waxing counterpart of today's waning square in Sagittarius-Pisces (begun in 12/2016 and running through the end of 2017).
The decade-long run-up to the Vietnam War (officially declared Aug. 4, 1964) featured the conjunction in Pisces (at the declaration they were still 14° apart; the U.S. Civil War featured the Virgo-Pisces opposition—are we starting to see a pattern here?
At first glance, at least, it appears that such mutable aspects reflect conflicts in which the structural integrity of the societies at war is seriously challenged. Civil wars (or at least serious internal divisions, as the U.S. fell into over Vietnam) seem to be a particular focus. As noted earlier, Richard Haass speaks to how this played out in WWI (see note 3), which he offers as a model of the haphazard traps nations divided get themselves into:
"…what makes the history [of WWI] so frustrating even one hundred years later was the carelessness of it all…History is filled with examples of individuals and countries acting against their own self-interest. World War I was obviously not in anyone's interest, but it happened all the same."[4]
Clearly, this year-long Saturn-Chiron aspect could impact the rebuilding of so many Middle Eastern and African nations that have fallen into chaos in the past decade—Syria, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, etc. The so-called Arab Spring uprisings launched with Chiron tightly conjunct Neptune in late Aquarius (ruled by Saturn); several of the societies in crisis since then were caught up in this revolutionary fervor and have been sorely wounded (Chiron) since.
Fighting a paternalistic (Saturn) dictator inflicted dire catastrophic wounds (Chiron) on Syria, and with Russia's support, Bashar al Assad shows no signs of giving up power. It's hard to say at this time what the prospects for healing are in that country, the broader Middle East, and in places like South Sudan that just today has declared a state of famine.
Other notable wars or military campaigns feature cardinal Saturn-Chiron aspects: World War II (Cancer-Libra) and the 1990 Invasion of Kuwait (1st Gulf War-Cancer-Capricorn), for example. The Iraq War (2003) launched as a hybrid mutable/cardinal exception—with Gemini Saturn opposing Sagittarius Pluto instead, and Chiron in Saturn-ruled Capricorn.
There's so much more that could be said about this eclipse in regards to the Trump administration, but I will end here with a note about how this event is likely to impact the U.S. Sibly chart. In fact, this eclipse is playing "Tag, you're it" with that chart's progressed lunar cycle's 2nd quarter, the one we are finishing out this month.
That quarter began on Christmas Day 2008—the height of the financial crisis—at 4°+Pisces-Virgo, a mere 4 degrees from the eclipse point and 1 degree from the eclipse chart's nodal axis (see this May 2016 post for more on this progressed cycle).
Not surprisingly, the instability and breakdown we are seeing in Washington was probably triggered during the 2008 crisis, and may, in a painfully twisted way, be cosmically right on schedule. Given the economic damage done to so many at that time, this makes perfect sense.
This interesting synchrony also suggests that Mutable times are here to stay for several years: the 3rd progressed quarter launches on March 2nd at 12° Pisces-Virgo, and the new progressed cycle in 2024 pushes off from the shore at 19°+Pisces. As a nation, we will need to make our peace with creative chaos—it just may be our new normal!
The question is, will our highly-structured democratic system of checks and balances weather all this instability, or will our system simply erode into some type of authoritarian regime?
Stranger things have happened, and Neptune's remaining years in Pisces will probably tell the story. Such structural erosions do tend to attract "strong-man" types who benefit from claiming that things are worse than they really are, and that they have all the answers and know all the right "enemies" to blame.
The pattern replicates itself like a Neptunian virus, whenever the various "body politics" are compromised by corrosive inner divisions. Immunity of any kind (personal, social, political) relies on the structural integrity (Saturn) of an organism and its systems, so it's no surprise that after a year-long Saturn-Neptune square, that we would be seeing systems breakdown.
The only antidote for Neptunian invasion is to shore up Saturnian containment efforts as quickly as possible. We can be hopeful that a stronger Saturn is on the horizon as the planet moves into home-sign Capricorn this coming December. Unfortunately, a strong Saturn can also benefit a would-be dictator, so striking the right balance will be key.
It would help if we didn't make every decision on the basis of potential economic gain (Capricorn's dark side), relinquishing important values, resources and structural safeguards every time a few jobs are dangled like a carrot in front of us. We need to access the better angels of this potentially wise sign.
It will also help if the military and para-military forces that are deployed to implement Trump's mass deportation raids, etc. begin questioning what cause they are serving and whether it requires them to sacrifice their own deeply held beliefs and principles. Their help and integrity is going to be sorely needed on the road ahead.
Raye Robertson is a practicing astrologer, writer and former educator. A graduate of the Faculty of Astrological Studies (U.K.), Raye focuses on mundane, collective-oriented astrology, with a particular interest in current affairs, culture and media, the astrology of generations, and public concerns such as education and health. Several of her articles on these topics have been featured in The Mountain Astrologer and other publications over the years.
She is also available to read individual charts—contact her at: robertsonraye@gmail.com.
[1] Bil Tierney, Dynamics of Aspect Analysis: New Perceptions in Astrology, CRCS Publications, 1983, p. 46.
[2] Ibid, p. 47.
[3] Richard Haass, A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the World Order, Penguin Press, 2017, pp. 28-29.
[4] Haass, p. 28.
Posted by Raye Robertson at 2:17 PM 2 comments:
Strutting its Cosmic Stuff: Eclipse season 2017 unfolds in DC
In the last post here, we dug into Eclipse season 2017, and sure enough, the February 10th event (set for Washington, D.C.) has been strutting its cosmic stuff.
In a mere three weeks, the new White House administration has proven to be over-the-top chaotic and unstable; of course, if you've been watching this space, you know the astrology indicated these conditions from the get-go.
In fact, as we saw in the last post, the February 10th event put the eclipsed Moon conjunct Trump's powerhouse Mars-ASC in Leo, which makes sense considering his executive power and perhaps even his self-confidence have taken a couple big blows in the past week. First, his ill-considered immigration ban was (for the second time) slapped down in the courts, and second, his National Security Advisor, the embattled former General, Michael T. Flynn, resigned under a cloud of controversy and suspicion. Here's the Wikipedia quick summary:
"Michael Thomas "Mike" Flynn (born December 1958) is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General who was the 18th Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and was the 25th National Security Advisor, serving President Donald Trump for 24 days, from January 20 to February 13, 2017,[1][2] before resigning amid controversy over his covert contacts with Russian officials. His tenure as National Security Advisor is the shortest ever.[3][4]"
The bottom line with today's press coverage about Flynn's resignation seems to be, "What took Trump so long to get rid of him?" This is a more serious question than it looks because it raises the suspicion that Trump himself was aware of Flynn's Russian communications before and after Trump's election. Breaking news also indicates there were more Trump aides communicating with Russia during the campaign, as well, so this plot can only thicken.
Intelligence sources have evidence that Flynn's collusion happened both before and after the election: before, on behalf of Trump's campaign, and since November 8th, as a way to calm Russian nerves about the recent sanctions President Obama imposed on Russia (for meddling in our election) while still in office.
These were definitely "curious," potentially illegal connections that could very well implicate Trump: reportedly, a group of GOP senators have just today decided that all this needs to be thoroughly investigated, suggesting that Flynn and perhaps even Donald Trump may be called on to testify.
Suspicions surrounding Trump seem at this point to be rooted in the following, reported here by CNN:
"Flynn resigned from his position as national security adviser Monday following reports that the Justice Department warned the Trump administration last month that he misled administration officials.
Flynn had conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States before he was a government employee causing some to fear that he was potentially vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians."
Clearly, this raises an additional question about why acting Justice Department head Sally Yates was terminated less than two weeks into the new administration—she reportedly delivered the above warning to Trump eighteen days before he asked Flynn to resign. She also warned him about the illegality of his immigration ban, and was Twitter-shamed for her "betrayal" as a result.
All this suggests that we can examine a triwheel for further insight, and we will, with the following disclaimer: unfortunately, the only solid birth information we have for Mike Flynn (if anyone has it, please let me know!), is December, 1958 in Middletown, Rhode Island, so Flynn's middle wheel in Triwheel #1 below is set for mid-month (December 16) at noon, the half way point in a 31-day month.
Obviously, this makes the Moon placement and the chart angles highly uncertain, so we won't be considering those features. We'll consider other uncertainties if and when they affect the discussion. As we'll see, a lot can be gleaned from this Triwheel when we see Flynn's chart—imperfect as it is—next to the February 10th eclipse chart and Trump's natal chart.
Triwheel #1: (inner wheel) Donald J. Trump, June 14, 1946, 10:54 a.m. DST, Jamaica, NY; (middle wheel) Michael T. Flynn, December 16, 1958, 12:00 p.m., ST, Middletown, RI; (outer wheel) Lunar Eclipse, February 10, 2017, 7:32:53 p.m. ST, Washington, D.C. All charts cast with Tropical Equal Houses, True Node.
Interchart Fixed Grand-Cross: Eclipse Moon-Trump Mars-ASC (Leo) oppose Eclipse Sun-Flynn Chiron (Aquarius); this axis squares Flynn Mars (widely conjunct Trump MC in Taurus) opposite Flynn Jupiter (Scorpio). We can't know for sure if Flynn's Mars is Rx, as his chart shows here (Mars turned direct at 16°35 Taurus on 12/21/58), but it's interesting that no matter which December 1958 day Flynn was born, his Mars would be within 8° orb of conjoining Trump's MC, so we'll allow for that here. This makes perfect sense, considering Trump's security-sensitive Venus (Cancer) disposes his already security-conscious Taurus MC, and Flynn was his National Security Advisor.
Flynn was also a bullish (Taurus) Trump booster during the campaign, known to lead "Lock 'er up!" chants at rallies—a fairly unconventional role for a former military officer. The question now is, did his use of Russian connections cross legal lines in trying to get Trump elected? We might want to find out why he was so connected to the Russians from the get-go—a Scorpio Jupiter will stop at little to build its own power.
A fixed grand cross can be intensely frustrating, especially in this case, where one player's opposition squares the other person's. Flynn's ambitious Scorpio Jupiter-Taurus Mars was perhaps bound to cause Trump's Leo Mars-ASC a problem eventually, and clearly the eclipse stretching across Trump's chart horizon was a powerful trigger.
Were Flynn's actions designed to somehow give him leverage (Scorpio) over the future president, in case things went south? Or was he the dutiful servant, following directions? A fixed Mars-Jupiter opposition (especially in Taurus-Scorpio) can certainly go either way.
Flynn's Jupiter also trines Trump's Saturn-Venus (Cancer), so Trump probably felt his campaign and subsequent security interests were in good hands at first; what he may not have been counting on is that Flynn's behavior would be closely scrutinized by our Intelligence services. This is ironic given Flynn's career-long specialty in military intelligence, but Trump's bully tactics (Leo Mars) with the CIA and other agencies seem to have set Flynn up for a confrontation and failure. Trump may be concerned that Flynn will throw loyalty overboard to implicate him at a hearing about the Russian connection. Stranger things have happened.
Eclipse Saturn conjoins Flynn Sun-Saturn-Eclipse Saturn (Sagittarius)-Trump Moon-SNode (all Sagittarius) and opposes Trump Sun-NNode (Gemini). The "Buck Stops Here…unless we can find someone else to blame" seems to be the theme here, with Eclipse Saturn implicating both Trump and Flynn and their mutable natures. Flynn was only let go when the press coverage about his misadventures became a liability for Trump, but it won't be at all surprising if we eventually find out that Flynn was essentially expected to "fall on his sword" for his boss. This convergence of energies certainly makes it look like they cooperated either explicitly or implicitly in the scheme that brought Flynn down.
Flynn's Sun-Saturn (along with the remaining late-Sagittarius points) fall quincunx Trump's Saturn-Venus (Cancer) and trine Trump's Mars-ASC (Leo). This confirms that the risk-averse, Cancer power center in Trump's chart was shoved out on a limb by the risks (Sagittarius) taken by Flynn and his Russian connections. The comfortable trine between all that Sagittarius energy and Trump's Mars-ASC may have boosted Trump's ego to the point ("see how I won, with the greatest…") that he simply threw caution to the wind, believing his presidential power would shield him from any fallout. Rude awakening here.
A fiery chain of events was triggered by the Eclipse, as well—risky behavior caused revelations, and they are further enflaming doubts and calls for further investigations:
Interchart Fire Grand Trine. Eclipse Uranus-Flynn SNode (Aries) trine Flynn Uranus-Eclipse Moon-Trump Mars-ASC (Leo) trine Trump Moon-Eclipse Saturn-Flynn Sun-Saturn (Sagittarius). This configuration maps out the volatile flashpoints involved in the Trump-Flynn relationship and the way in which both men are implicated in Flynn's resignation (triggered by the eclipse) and all that led up to it. Ego (Leo), resource-driven power plays (Eclipse Aries Uranus over Trump's 8th house), and a fundamental sense of entitled license (Eclipse Saturn over Trump's 4th house Sagittarius) are potentially at play here. As we'll see ahead, these flashpoints feed the tension at play in a Cardinal Grand Cross.
Interchart Cardinal Grand Cross. Trump Saturn-Venus (Cancer) opposite Eclipse Pluto (Capricorn); this axis squares Eclipse Uranus-Flynn SNode (Aries) opposite Trump Jupiter-Chiron-Flynn NNode-Eclipse Jupiter (Libra). The chaos spawned by the above fiery grand trine breeds the "damned-if-we-do, damned-if-we-don't" dilemmas seen in this tense, frustrating configuration. It's interesting to see here how tightly linked Flynn's fate (NNode) is to Trump's fortunes (Jupiter).
As long as the situation benefitted Trump (Flynn's Node on Trump's Jupiter, square Saturn-Venus), it worked, but when push came to shove (as happens with cardinal grand crosses), Flynn became a liability. The attempted "cover-up" of his "Old Boys' Network"-style, illicit collusion is reflected in 5th house Eclipse Pluto's impact on Trump's Cancer-Libra points. Judging from these fraught entanglements, there's probably much more to learn here.
Indeed, calls for an independent, transparent investigation into all this, fueled by additional information showing that the Trump campaign's collusion with Russia went far beyond Flynn, are mounting.
Eclipse Chiron in Pisces T-Squares Mutable oppositions in Gemini-Sagittarius: We discussed the oppositions in question here earlier, but Chiron's involvement deserves separate consideration. First, because of its potential impact on Trump's mental health (square his Sun-Moon, disposed by his Cancer Mercury).
He has repeatedly displayed erratic, disturbingly narcissistic behavior that a growing chorus of mental health professionals are calling out, despite their professional reservations about doing so. Chaos seems to be Trump's modus operandi, according to others, and it appears to be wreaking havoc in the White House. Here's what Salon has to say this morning:
"Three weeks into the President Donald Trump administration, staffers in his White House are telling reporters they're scared.
One said that the atmosphere in the White House is "borderline chaos" and that "some staff is in survival mode . . . scared to death," according to a report by Axios. Factors cited as causes for this panic include revelations that President Trump had been warned by former acting attorney general Sally Yates about national security director Michael Flynn's dissembling and did not act on it, the revelation that Flynn had indeed talked with Russia about Obama's economic sanctions, and the overall cascade of leaks that have come from the White House since Trump took office.
Having a boss addicted to Twitter hasn't helped. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the president seemed irked by the intelligence community and the leaks."
Though speculative, with Gemini-Sagittarius involved, the idea that Trump has a media/Twitter "addiction" is perfectly conceivable. This possibility is reinforced by transiting Neptune (at 11°+Pisces in the Eclipse chart) trining his Mercury, which again, disposes his Gemini points. If nothing else, his rational judgment (already not his strong suit) can be seriously distorted by this transit, and Chiron is nearing quincunx with Trump's Mars, suggesting that he is already a "wounded warrior." More on this below.
Factor Trump's naturally defensive, inward focus into the concerns of this t-square, and it's no surprise that those around him are panicking. The eclipse has clearly exacerbated Trump's natural tendencies, and the more he and his administration are scrutinized, the more chaotic things are likely to get.
Eclipse Sun (Aquarius) trines/sextiles Trump Gemini-Sagittarius oppositions and conjoins Flynn Progressed Sun-Chiron (Aquarius-chart not shown). This speaks dramatically to how the February 10th event triggered Flynn's departure, and suggests that Trump acted on the cosmic opening (trine/sextile) to get rid of Flynn because Flynn threatened his power (Eclipse Sun-Flynn PSun opposed Trump Mars). Despite the nice Sun-Sun trine, that power may still be in jeopardy, especially as Chiron transits within quincunx range to Trump's Mars over the coming year. As we'll see in an upcoming post, the February 26th eclipse is focused on Trump's Mars-ASC as well, so this drama is likely to build.
Ongoing saga…last thoughts for now
Clearly this story is just getting started, and the Cosmos is just getting revved up for what remains of a volatile Eclipse season. Based on a noon chart for Trump sidekick Kellyanne Conway, her position is also in the crosshairs these days: the February 10th Chiron fell on top of her natal Chiron within minutes, so she's experiencing a Chiron return, which is often a "leaping-off point" of sorts. That tired, almost glazed-over stare in her eyes these days is probably stress, pure and simple, and as abhorrent as her disimulations and ethical gaffes have been, it appears she's being dangled out to dry by the administration, which has unleashed a new "Stormtrooper" in the startling person of Stephen Miller.
Not surprisingly, as with Flynn, Conway's chart is tightly connected to Trump's: we'll explore these connections, along with February's Eclipse #2, in the next post!
Posted by Raye Robertson at 10:20 AM No comments:
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Raye Robertson
Thank you for visiting my labor of love. FYI, I'm a life-long student/practitioner of astrology (including studies with the Faculty of Astrological Studies, UK); I have a serious love for history, current affairs and collective culture, and my work on this blog reflects that and a desire to respond constructively to the challenges of our world. Several articles I've written on mundane topics have appeared in The Mountain Astrologer and UK's Astrological Journal. but since I retired from my "day job," teaching in Detroit-area universities, my main writing focus has been this blog and related projects. Five sons and seven grandchildren light up my life and remind me why mundane astrology is so essential: no surprise, we need to leave this world a better place for all our grandchildren, and it helps to understand how planetary dynamics work in society and on the world stage. Happily, mundane astrology no longer serves rulers only--it provides important insights that we can ALL access! Your comments/feedback are always welcome: please feel free to contact me at robertsonraye@gmail.com.


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Home Government NYC Green New Deal calls for end to glass facade buildings, retrofits...
NYC Green New Deal calls for end to glass facade buildings, retrofits at existing structures
New York City's Green New Deal will have significant impact on the construction and development industry as it sets out new building standards and what Mayor de Blasio says will generate "tens of thousands of good-paying jobs retrofitting buildings and expanding renewable energy."
City council passed a package of six bills implementing the initiative on April 18.
The statement from the mayor's office says the "bold and audacious plan to attack global warming on all fronts" is comprised of $14 billion in new and committed investments, legislation and concrete action at the city level that will ensure a nearly 30 percent additional reduction in emissions by 2030.
You can read the full report here.
"Every day we wait is a day our planet gets closer to the point of no-return. New York City's Green New Deal meets that reality head on," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "We are confronting the same interests that created the climate crisis and deepened inequality. There's no time to waste. We're taking action now, before it's too late."
The city is going after the largest source of emissions in New York by mandating that all large existing buildings cut their emissions – a global first. In addition, the administration will implement a plan to ban inefficient all-glass buildings that waste energy and reduce vehicle emissions.
The rule changes anticipate reducing greenhouse gas emissions from a 2005 baseline by 10 per cent by "mandating that all large, existing buildings implement retrofits to be more efficient and lower emissions – a global first."
Coupled with other actions, the city proposes measures which it says will account for an overall 23 percent emissions reductions.
"With the passage of the building mandates law, New York City is the first city in the world to require all large existing buildings of 25,000 square feet or more, of which there are 50,000 citywide, to make efficiency upgrades that lower their energy usage and emissions – or face steep penalties," the city statement said.
"The city will no longer allow all-glass facades in new construction unless they meet strict performance guidelines, making inefficient glass-heavy building designs a thing of the past."
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Acianthera heteropetala é uma espécie de orquídea (Orchidaceae) que existe no Equador, antigamente subordinada ao gênero Pleurothallis.

Publicação e sinônimos
Acianthera heteropetala (Luer) Pridgeon & M.W.Chase, Lindleyana 16: 244 (2001).
Sinônimos homotípicos:
Pleurothallis heteropetala Luer, Selbyana 3: 118 (1976).

Referências

 Luer, Carlyle A.: Icones Pleurothallidinarum (sistemática de Pleurothallidinae), volumes I a XXXI, Missouri Botanical Garden press (1978-2012).
 (2006) Epidendroideae (Part One). Genera Orchidacearum 4: 328 ff. Oxford University Press.
 (2012) Phylogenetic relationships in Brazilian Pleurothallis sensu lato (Pleurothallidinae, Orchidaceae): evidence from nuclear ITS rDNA sequences, Phytotaxa 46: 34–58.

Ligações externas

 Alec M. Pridgeon, Rodolfo Solano and Mark W. Chase - Phylogenetic relationships in Pleurothallidinae (Orchidaceae): combined evidence from nuclear and plastid DNA sequences; American Journal of Botany. 2001;88:2286-2308
 DNA-based reclassification of the Pleurothallidinae

heteropetala
Plantas descritas em 2001


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Growing number of Aussie workers feel unskilled
In December, a survey conducted by Swinburne University of Technology's Centre for the New Workforce and YouGov found that out of 1,060 working Australians sampled for the study, 61% of these think they don't have the current skills set suited for the next five years of work.
The survey also found that with a considerable number of working Australians not having enough time for learning or being in an 'unsupportive working environment where learning is stigmatised', 51% spend less than an hour a week at work on any form of learning.
Also, only 34% of these working Australians end up spending one to four hours a week on learning while 15% spend five hours a week or more on learning. Some 61% of these participants who spend at least one hour a week were found to be university-educated workers.
Government and universities respond
In the same month Swinburne's report came out, universities and governments also revealed their latest efforts to address the looming skills gap.
In a bid to build a skilled manufacturing sector workforce and boost university-industry ties, Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said the government will be providing $3.6m in the trial to expand a one-year Diploma in Applied Technologies for 120 participants from six universities this year.
The diploma, which was developed by Swinburne and global tech giant Siemens, will be expanded to the Universities of Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia, Technology Sydney and Queensland.
Australian workers in small to medium manufacturing businesses will be 'paid to learn' just to take part in the program.
"This research collaboration matches industry with the knowledge and research firepower of Australian universities," Minister Tehan said.
"The productive capacity of our nation into the future will rely on educated workers, able to access innovation and research, to drive growth and opportunity."
Aside from its collaboration with Swinburne, Swinburne also partnered with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to upgrade NSW's future workforce. This comes as the region gears up for new high-skills jobs across various industries ushered in by the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
"As the world changes rapidly through digitalisation, we need to ensure our future workforce is equipped with the right tools to speak the same global digital language so we can not only participate in, but lead global value chains." Jeff Connolly, Siemens Australia Chairman and CEO, said.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the NSW government and Siemens, about 25,000 university students will be given access to Siemen's cutting-edge software to help them "develop the skills they need to the knowledge-intensive jobs of the futures," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
"We expect to create 200,000 new jobs across the Western Parkland City and this partnership with Siemens will ensure we have the workforce with the right skills ready to go," Premier Berejiklian said.
Professor Attila Brungs, UTS vice-chancellor and president, said the grant will give their students and researchers "access to advanced software used by some of the most well-known organisations globally."
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