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13/09/2012 Watching
Posted by couchmagpie
This remake over 20 years after the original Arnie film has a hard act to follow, and it is no surprise that the filmmakers decided to change things. As a result this film can be viewed as a mixture of a remake of the original and a new interpretation of Philip K Dick's short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale".
The opening sequence was a strobe heavy flashback dream sequence featuring strong lines of light possibly intended to mirror the line graphics of the original film's title sequence. There are numerous 'nods' such as this to the original film, most of them less subtle – the appearance of the three-boobed prostitute, the 'two weeks' fat lady disguise while the new holographic collar disguise hangs back in the queue, a tear rather than a drip of sweat betraying the realness of his supposed post-Rekall delusion and body parts being severed by elevators to name but a few. Chunks of the original script / short story dialogue also seem to have made it through. 'If I'm not me then who the hell am I?', 'Don't ask me I just work here…' etc. But sadly no 'get your ass to Mars,' and this is the source of my first disappointment – Douglas Quaid does not travel to Mars.
I have to admit that I have not read the short story – a shameful fact given what a massive Philip K Dick fan I am. I have read the book based on the screenplay written by Piers Anthony, which is excellent and I would highly recommend as it fleshes out Quaid's story even more and gives more insight into the alien technology featured in the grand finale. I have learnt that in the short story although Quaid wants an implanted memory of having been to Mars, he also does not travel to Mars. So we can forgive the remake for not using the red planet, but in my opinion this made the original film.
My second disappointment is that the plot's main premise that the future equivalent of Boris Johnson wants to kill all inhabitants of Australia (refered to as the Colony) to make way for synthetics (i.e. robots) is quite simply rubbish.
However, you have to weigh the bad stuff against the good stuff, and thankfully there was a little good stuff.
This film has gloriously well designed sets with excellent attention to detail, great special effects, and interesting future predicting technology such as phones embedded in your palm and reactive glass which can provide instant interfacing with communications devices. Its look and feel is reminiscent of other Dick inspired offerings such as Minority Report (the film script of which was purportedly a reworking of a canned Total Recall 2 script in which the pre-cogs were Martians and Quaid is Tom Cruise's character) and of course the classic Bladerunner. Where the original film had an 18 certificate and some great animatronics (who can forget the belly-bound mutant Kuato telling Quaid to 'open your mind'?), this film has really nice CG effects and far less blood and guts with a measly 12A rating.
Kate Beckinsale is basically playing a bad version of her heroine from Underworld (coincidentally? also directed by Len Wiseman who also did Stargate, Independence Day, Men in Black, and more recently the lame Die Hard 4.0). Beckinsale looks suitably foxy and has a bigger role than Sharon Stone in the original (she gets killed by Arnie with the classic line 'consider it a divorce' about halfway through), but for all that the character is still pretty two-dimensional. Colin Farrell has a few moments of terribly ham-fisted acting but generally plays the action-man role well. The love interest character (Jessica Biel) is also not at all fleshed out and in fact there is only the character of Quaid that actually feels three-dimensional. Another Wiseman pal from Underworld, Bill Nighy, plays the leader of the resistance and again in comparison to the equivalent character in the original (Kuato and his co-joined brother) is sadly lacking any depth.
The stunts are great, although I am getting a little tired of the Bourne-style 'running across rooftops' sequences, and Farrell's stunt-double looked nothing like him and Wiseman should have checked his dailies more closely given that the audience was going to see it on a huge screen where it's obvious it is not Farrell doing his own stunts. Digital face replacement anyone? Also there is a plop cartoon-like digital double that reminded me of the first Spider-man film for the equivalent of the 'big jump through window' from Bourne. However pretty much everything else in terms of digital effects was tip-top.
There is a nice bit of zero-g stuff (when the giant gravity elevator 'The Fall' joining the two land masses that survived global chemical warfare gets halfway along its journey through the earth) but this just reminded me of Inception and the 'getting the case from the bank safe deposit box' scene was way to similar to the Bourne Identity and was somewhat clichéd.
In fact I spent quite some time thinking that nothing I was seeing was original. Even some of the technology stuff was stuff I had read about or thought of myself while writing 'Muta' – animated tattoos and the touch screen interface on the fridge for instance. I can't think of anything in the film that hadn't already been done and this wasn't just because it was a remake. However, just because it has all been done before doesn't mean that they did it again badly and I would suggest that in terms of portraying a coherent future cityscape and street-level sets it is just as good as Bladerunner.
The biggest problem was the script/plot which was at the opposite end of the spectrum from Bladerunner, and not even close to the plot of the original Total Recall with its mind-reading mutants, Mars colonists and ancient alien technology. This I feel was a glorious opportunity to create a film to live on in the memories of a new generation of filmgoers and while it gives people a good dollop of Dick's vision of the future it will sadly fall by the wayside in people's memories to be eclipsed by comic book films like the Avengers and suchlike.
A seriously disappointed (6/10) – a score buoyed up by the excellent eye-candy.
On a final note – a detail which made me smile was that Quaid while riding 'The Fall' is reading the penguin edition of Ian Fleming's 'The Spy Who Loved Me' a book I read very recently myself.
Photo by Wang Xi on Unsplash
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Hilary Duff's 'Younger' co-star Nico Tortorella drinks her breast milk and thinks it's 'delicious'
By Christine Estera| 2 years ago
Got milk? Because Nico Tortorella may want to sample it.
The Younger actor boldly asked to try his co-star Hilary Duff's breast milk while they rehearsed for the new season of the hit Stan series on Friday.
Duff -- who gave birth to her second child in October, a little girl she named Banks Violet -- brought a breast pump along to the table read so she could express some milk, and a curious Tortorella wanted a taste.
Hilary Duff is shocked at Tortorella's request. (Instagram)
"I'm for real doing this right now," the 30-year-old said in an Instagram Story as he drank some breast milk from a cup. "Oh, my God! Can I have some more?"
The pleasantly surprised actor also captioned the video, "Full proof that @HilaryDuff's milk is delicious."
Tortorella is pleasantly surprised after taking a sip. (Instagram)
Duff, 31, then held up the freezer bag full of freshly pumped contents for the camera as she said, "You're a sicko, dude." But while she laughed off her co-star's antics, one person who probably won't be laughing is her 4-month-old daughter.
Tortorella calls Duff's breast milk 'delicious'. (Instagram)
"Banks gonna be pissed," Duff said in her own Instagram Story.
Duff is amused at Tortorella antics. (Instagram)
But it appears Duff is just as adventurous as Tortorella because following Banks' birth in October, she had her placenta made into a smoothie and drank it.
"It was the most delightful smoothie I've ever had," Duff said during a chat with the Informed Pregnancy podcast in November. "I haven't had a smoothie that delightful since I was 10. It was calorie-filled with juice and fruit and everything delicious."
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It's £200 cheaper than the CBF125 and made in China instead of India. But is it an improvement?
WE'RE still getting over the shock in 2008 of Honda replacing its CG125 with the CBF125 after more than 30 years of production. And already the firm broadsides us again by launching a new model with a confusingly similar name: the new CB125F.
The CBF125 (that's the outgoing one) has been the UK's best-selling motorcycle for every full year it's been made, so it's not like we were getting tired of it.
But the motive for the move isn't to boost flagging demand. It's to move production from India to China. By no coincidence, the new Chinese-built model is £200 cheaper than the old one, at £2,499 on the road. Where the CBF was £100 more expensive than Yamaha's YBR125, the CB...F is £100 cheaper.
It's not just the price that's changed. With the new name comes some quite extensive revisions.
The styling has been comprehensively updated, with the CBF's small upper fairing, screen and belly pan gone. Honda says this means less to damage for the many riding schools that provide fleets of the 125s to learners. Since the fairing has been replaced with smaller plastic cowls, they're not completely out of the woods.
The makeover extends from nose to tail and Honda is keen to highlight that it gives the new CBF125 a family resemblance to the bigger CB650F and CB1000R, which it does. What wind protection is provided by old model's titchy screen will probably not be missed much on a machine barely capable of 70mph.
The equipment has been updated. The centre-stand and grab rail have been retained and new clocks added, with a gear indicator, a nice if inessential touch on a budget 125.
The clocks are smart and acceptable, if a bit of step back in time, with two big side-by-side speedometer and rev-counter dials. You won't find anything digital here, unless you count the old fashioned mechanical trip meter, with a twiddly knob for turning all the wheels back to zero. There are now two large indicator lights where the CBF had one small one, a feature which Honda hopes will make learners less forgetful about cancelling them (and consequently more likely to pass their test). There's a fuel gauge but you don't get a clock.
The handlebar switch-gear is new, and like that of bigger Honda's, with a big horn button above the indicator switch on the left bar. There's no engine kill switch, nor any switch for flashing your high beam, unless you count switching it on and off.
The steel frame is new (albeit very similar in appearance to the old one).
The riding position has changed – the pegs are further forward and the high bars are closer to the rider, for an even more upright and natural position. The steering angle is 90° from lock to lock.
The engine is 'virtually an all-new unit' according to Honda, with a revised cylinder head and an added primary balancer for better mid-range and reduced vibration.
Peak figures are less though. The CB125F makes 10.6hp and 7.5lbft, compared to the CBF125's 11.2hp and 8.2lbft.
The modest figures are enough to make riding the CBF125 a cheerful experience, although there is an imperative to use all the power all of the time.
Pulling away in first gear, you're at 5,000rpm by time you're off the clutch. Accelerating onto a motorway, you'll be constantly shifting to stay above 7,000, with the red line at 9,000. In fact to make any kind of progress you'll probably be permanently above 6,000. But the engine's willing and smooth at those speeds so it feels perfectly natural.
Claimed fuel economy is an astonishing 145mpg.
The 600-mile first service requires a valve clearance check. Honda couldn't give an exact cost but said the entire service would take less than an hour. Later intervals are 2,500 miles.
The seat (a single unit instead of the old separate ones for rider and pillion) is firm but the suspension makes up for it. The non-adjustable fork and preload adjustable twin shocks are soft enough for uncomplicated comfort, much like the CBF125's.
The launch ride was a 120-mile circuit from a hotel in Windsor to Goodwood and back. By the end I had a sore head caused by pressure from my brand-new helmet but my bum was still comfortable. I found myself dangling my legs occasionally, to stretch them and relieve pressure on my bent knees from the armour in my leathers. This could suggest it's a little cramped for an average-height rider or it could suggest I was in sub-optimal gear. I'd arrived direct from the launch of another model, with no other riding gear. All the other journalists had the good sense to wear armoured textiles.
The 240mm single front brake disc and twin-pot caliper are more than a match for the momentum of the 128kg machine, with sufficient bite and progressive pressure. The drum rear is all that's needed at that end, although it highlights the absence of ABS. Surely it's learners who need that most?
The CBF125's Continental tyres have been swapped for Chinese-made CSTs, with a skinnier 90/90-section rear instead of 100/90. I didn't have any problems with them but I wouldn't like to explore the limits. The fact the new model has been given 18-inch wheels instead of 17-inch will also limit the choice of alternative rubber, at least until tyre makers catch up.
There's no notable under-seat compartment, although you might be able to wedge a disc lock in there somewhere, and you do get a small cable-type helmet lock in the tool kit.
At the end of the test ride I hung around to take Honda up on an offer of a quick go on a CBF125 for comparison purposes. I'd ridden one before, but some time ago, so it proved useful.
It means I can say with confidence that Honda's claims on the new model and engine are accurate. The rider pegs on the new one are further forward, and the bars nearer. The engine does have better mid-range, feeling stronger at about 5,000rpm. The old one does send more vibration through the pegs and bars. A Honda man had been telling me how exceptionally smooth the new model is for a 125 and the back-to-back test supported the claim.
But it highlighted something they hadn't mentioned. The new CB125F is on the 9,000rpm red line at 65mph in the highest of its five gears. The old CBF125 will do 70mph in fifth before hitting its red line, which is at about 9,300rpm.
Sitting upright, the old model is usually flat-out at an indicated 70, so arrives at its natural top speed before the red line. The new CB125F more commonly arrives at the red line before its natural top speed.
Some journalists suggested an additional gear might be useful but Honda said this would require the modification of other components including the chassis, which wasn't designed to go faster.
Get down on the tank and the CB125F will go well beyond 9,000rpm. Put your feet on the pillion pegs and lift your bum off the seat a little and it will go right off the end of the rev-counter, at 10,000. It's still only doing about an indicated 75mph.
The launch ride inevitably descended into a top-speed challenge, with journalists slip-streaming each other and swapping positions like a peloton of 70mph cyclists. One claimed to have seen an indicated 78.
Above 70mph the chassis limitations made themselves known, with the handlebars of my bike sometimes shimmying gently.
So a difference between old and new is a useable top speed of 65 or 70mph. For me it outweighs the reduced engine vibes, the gear indicator, £200 saving and any resemblance to the CB1000R.
Eighty per cent of CBF125 buyers have been new riders who won't go on the motorway until they pass their test, at which point they'll probably replace it for something bigger. As such the new CB125F is probably the most important bike on the market for attracting new riders. To those people I say the lower useable top speed doesn't matter. The new bike is less vibey and cheaper than the old one. Buy it.
To the other 20%, potentially with a full licence and looking for a cheap all-round motorcycle, I'd suggest the matter is a deal breaker. Find the extra £200 and get the one that can do the national speed limit, while it's still in the line-up.


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Reading: ΔV: Rings of Saturn Review: For The Inner Geek In Some Of Us
WhatIfGaming > Reviews > ΔV: Rings of Saturn Review: For The Inner Geek In Some Of Us
ΔV: Rings of Saturn Review: For The Inner Geek In Some Of Us
Hatem Amer Published April 14, 2021
The dream of flying through desolate space for spices and minerals is the weirdest thing we've been obsessing about for decades. My own journey began with Microsoft's ambitious Freelancer and continued on to Spore's galactic stage. Many other games, of course, tried to make open-ended space exploration fun with varying degrees of success. This is why I'm excited to take a look at yet another (early access) attempt at our dream of space spice in this ΔV: Rings of Saturn review.
What's Going On Here?
ΔV: Rings of Saturn is an odd game with a familiar premise. You control an asteroid excavator ship and try to make bank zapping space rocks for precious minerals. At the base level, it's your good old reliable space exploration game. However, minutes in you'll discover there is so much more to it.
The focus in ΔV: Rings of Saturn is not so much the space encounters and the magic of space. Ring, mine, sell at the station, repeat is what you'll be doing for the most part. The occasional accidents, pirate encounters, and emergencies keep it fresh at all times. But during all that, it's the mechanics that make the game fun.
So I heard you like subsystems…
Where do we start? The game is unbelievably nerdy. I was not prepared for a challenge moving my ship around or managing my engines and equipment. But here I was, and there was still a lot to learn. The game touts itself as a hard SciFi game, and I don't disagree. For everything that is in the game, there is depth and realism in it. I couldn't zoom around asteroid showers at lightspeed like in all my favorite space exploration games. Yes, it's a game, but you still have to respect the laws of physics.
ΔV: Rings of Saturn Review: It Makes Shooting Rocks Fun
There is a lot going right with ΔV: Rings of Saturn. But, let's start at the beginning. In mere minutes you'll be thrust into space with the challenge of controlling your ship – and believe me, it's a challenge. Whether you move your ship using the autopilot system or do it manually, the physics system makes it extremely satisfying to maneuver space. Combined with a decent not-too-hands-on tutorial, the start of the game is critical in keeping you in to learn the other even more complex mechanics.
And speaking of great mechanics, managing your subsystems, ship, and crew has got to be one of the more fun aspects of the game. Again, everything here is extremely detailed and deep. But, in an open-ended game like this running out of things to learn and do is practically a death sentence for your fun. Every time I went back to sell "loot" and upgrade my ship and crew, I couldn't help but go for just-one-more run. I had to see my new gear and crew in action after all.
Humble beginnings
All in all, if you're willing to learn the ropes, the game will give you plenty in reward. ΔV: Rings of Saturn rewards geeky inquisitiveness by giving you more mechanics to learn. Whether this is for you or not is up to you, but it surely accomplishes what it sets out to do.
But There Is Something Missing
After you've managed to learn everything, however, you're still left alone in the dead of space. The game is deep yes, but it does not have as much content as I'd hoped. After maneuvering the mechanics while narrowly evading frustration, all you're met with is a concrete wall.
In my playtime of a little over 6 hours, I learned most of what I had to learn. I had a crew, I blew up the biggest asteroid I'd ever seen, and my ship was the Ferrari of miner spaceships. Seeing that my progress at that point was all about arbitrary achievements I made to entertain myself, the just-one-more feeling started to wear.
The largest asteroid I found 3 hours into the game
Additionally, forgettable NPC encounters make the fun come to a halt a good while before it should. It's exciting the first time around since you don't see anyone else for a while. But, after you get used to it, you'll probably try to avoid any NPCs.
It is important to point out that the game is still is in early access. Lack of content is to be expected. The developers are doing their best and constantly listening to feedback. However, unless you are a huge fan of space exploration games and the vast nothingness that comes with them, you might end up as I did.
Extremely satisfying and precise control will help you get around ΔV: Rings of Saturn's tough mechanics without feeling it. As you build up your business, crew, and equipment you will feel a sense of accomplishment that keeps you trying for more.
It ends too soon, however, and after a while there will be no point to playing. If you're looking for NPCs to extend your gameplay, you'll be disappointed.
ΔV: Rings of Saturn is a great game if you're looking to geek over space ships and reminisce about old school games. It will give you a great run over the weekend, but after that it will probably gather metaphorical dust in your Steam library. Definitely get this game if you're big into space exploration, it won't disappoint.
If this ΔV: Rings of Saturn review got you excited for your next space exploration game,make sure to check out the game on Steam or Itch.io.
This review is based on the PC version of ΔV: Rings of Saturn. The key was provided by Kodera Software
Overall Score 7 out of 10
ΔV: Rings of Saturn is a great game if you're looking to geek over space ships and reminisce about old-school games. While missing a bit in the content department, it is a great addition to the library of any space exploration fan.
TAGGED: Rings of Saturn
By Hatem Amer
Game leaks, rumors, news - I'm all for it. Always excited about keeping up and covering the latest in gaming.


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Alan Dukes
Alan Dukes, Economist, former Minister for Finance, former leader of Fine Gael
The only certainties about Brexit that I can see are that:
it will be a negative-sum game for all concerned,
the process will be complex and fraught with political, technical and legal difficulties,
the UK has relatively more to lose from the process than the EU27, and
Ireland has more to lose than any other EU27 Member State.
There are a number of possible outcomes.
One possibility is that no agreement is reached by March 2019 and there is no agreement among the EU27 to extend the negotiating period. The UK "falls off a cliff" and becomes a "third country" as far as the EU27 is concerned. Trade relations between the EU27 and the UK become subject to WTO rules, the EU's Common External Tariff applies to imports from the UK and the UK applies a new tariff grid (respecting WTO rules) to imports from the EU. The EU CET applies to imports to the Republic from NI, and exports from the Republic to NI become subject to the new UK external tariff regime: there is a hard border and customs services will have to act accordingly. UK financial service providers lose passporting rights into the EU. If the UK Reform Bill is passed (and that now seems to be in some doubt), there will be no new immediate technical obstacles to UK-EU trade in areas covered by single market provisions. Even if the Reform Bill is passed, any move by the UK to depart from measures equivalent to EU State Aid rules (for example, by giving any kind of special assistance to the motor car industry) would certainly be regarded by the EU27 as a measure excluding that sector from "single market" treatment. The UK becomes free to make its own immigration rules in relation to citizens of the EU27. UK courts gain full jurisdiction except in areas in which the UK continues to be bound by pre-Brexit undertakings, which continue to be subject to the jurisdiction of the ECJ. If by then there has been no agreement on the "divorce bill", a difficult legal and financial negotiation will ensue with, as far as I can see, no settled method of conciliation or arbitration. EU citizens resident in the UK will live with some uncertainty even in the light of Prime Minister May's recent statement on the matter. They will probably face more uncertainty than UK citizens resident in the EU.
The Irish and UK governments will be faced with the problem of finding a way to maintain the Common Travel Area that is compatible with Ireland's continuing application of freedom of movement within the EU. The Irish and UK governments will have to consider how to maintain the integrity of the Belfast Agreement and subsequent and associated agreements and arrangements. Residents of NI who are citizens of the Republic will continue to have EU citizenship rights (as will citizens of other EU27 Member States resident in NI) but EU27 does not have extra-territorial jurisdiction in these matters. The provisions of the CAP would cease to have effect in the UK. The UK's departure from the Common Fisheries Policy will inevitably trigger a re-negotiation of that policy, beside which the implications of UK withdrawal from the London Fisheries Agreement will pale in significance. The UK's withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty will necessitate a very substantial revision of nuclear safety and supervision measures and the negotiation of a replacement arrangement between the UK and EU27. The UK net contribution to the EU budget will disappear, and we can already see some of the issues to which that will give rise. As things stand today, the possibility of the UK "falling off a cliff" cannot be ruled out. In my view, it is the worst of all possible outcomes: for both the UK and EU27, "no deal" is considerably worse than a bad deal although there is no such thing as a good deal on Brexit.
Another possibility is that no agreement is reached by the target conclusion date in March 2019 and the EU27 agree to extend the negotiating period. This would prolong the agony and pose a problem as to what to do about British participation in the European Parliament election in June 2019. It can hardly be expected to make the negotiations any easier unless the prospect of a conclusive agreement is in sight. If no such prospect is in sight, the process could become fractious, as an element of negotiation fatigue will almost certainly have appeared and patience will be wearing thin. Logically, an extension of the negotiating period would imply a corresponding extension of the period during which the UK is subject to all of the rules currently applying to it as an EU Member State. The militant pro-Brexit tendency in the UK would be likely to regard this scenario with great suspicion as foot-dragging. All of the problems which I have already enumerated, including the specific Ireland-UK problems, would still have to be addressed.
A third possibility would lie in an arrangement similar to that between the EU and Norway, or that between the EU and the EEA, or that between the EU and Switzerland. To varying extents, these arrangements resolve some of the range of issues regarding trade and the operation of the single market. They also involve, however, acceptance by the non-EU partner of rules which it has no (or little) part in shaping; freedom of movement of citizens of the partners and acceptance of the jurisdiction of the ECJ in matters arising under the arrangement. These are all matters which militant pro-Brexit tendencies in the UK would find objectionable.
A variant of this possibility consists of a Norway or EEA or Switzerland type arrangement with a mediation structure agreed between the ECJ and the UK courts. Such legal commentary as I have seen points out that both the ECJ and the UK courts would have serious reservations about such an arrangement, with the ECJ probably holding that it would be incompatible with the European Treaties. I note, however, that a number of existing agreements and the TTIP proposals include arbitration arrangements, although not of the range that seems to be envisaged in this hybrid possibility. This possibility, however, comes up against the difficulty posed by paragraph 8.2 of the UK White Paper on Brexit, which baldly states that: "We do not seek to adopt a model already enjoyed by other countries".
WHAT KIND OF AGREEMENT DOES THE UK WANT?
The real difficulty here is that the UK government has put no flesh on the bones of the kind of arrangement it hopes to secure with the EU27. The introduction to the White Paper states:
"The Government will prioritise securing the freest and most frictionless trade possible in goods and services between the UK and the EU. We will not be seeking membership of the Single Market but will pursue instead a new strategic partnership with the EU, including an ambitious and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement and a new customs agreement".
Paragraph 8.3 of the White Paper goes on to say:
"That agreement (i.e. the Free Trade Agreement) may take in elements of the current Single Market arrangement in certain areas as it makes no sense to start again from scratch when the UK and the remaining Member States have adhered to the same rules for many years. Such an arrangement would be on a fully reciprocal basis and in our mutual interests".
There is room to detect an element of doublespeak in this presentation. An "ambitious and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement" leads to fee trade, not "the freest and most frictionless trade possible": those terms in themselves are relative and suggest some cherry-picking.
Again, an agreement that "may take in elements of the current Single Market arrangement" suggests more cherry-picking and leaves open the possibility of changing the terms of some of the provisions of the UK Reform Bill. Which cherries does the UK want to pick?
The logic of the White Paper implies a "soft Brexit" but much of the rhetoric from UK Government members suggests the objective of a "hard Brexit". London needs to state clearly where its aim is on that spectrum .
For obvious reasons, the Irish interest is in the softest possible Brexit. I believe that that this is also where the EU27 interest lies. The sooner the UK becomes specific about its trade aims, the easier it will be for the EU27 to start considering the post-Brexit EU-UK relationship. No party to this fiasco has an interest in cutting off its nose to spite its face.
NOTHING TO RECOMMEND "IREXIT"
Finally, there is the suggestion that we in Ireland should consider leaving the EU with the UK and building up a new relationship with that country and with the United States in the form of some new kind of North Atlantic relationship. I agree that we should consider this possibility and its consequences – just as I believe that it is useful to consider the consequences before jumping out of an aeroplane without a parachute.
We had trade agreements with the UK from the late 1940s up to our accession to the EEC in 1973, when we finally escaped the more suffocating aspects of the UK's embrace. Those agreements were considerably more advantageous to the UK than to Ireland and were particularly unbalanced in the agriculture and food sectors. Overall, trade with the rest of EU27 is far more important to us than trade with the UK, although the UK is of particular importance to trade in agriculture and food products. We would want a very "soft Irexit": it is hardly conceivable that we could achieve more favourable terms from an EU26 than the UK would.
A non-EU UK seeking to cut trade deals with the rest of the world is not likely to be a high-price market for agriculture and food products. The prospect of negotiating a new trade agreement in the North Atlantic area looks rather fanciful when the current NAFTA looks like being the subject of a forced re-negotiation and when the US wants to torpedo the TTIP. In addition, a non-EU UK seeking trade deals with the rest of the world might very well be distracted from concerns with Ireland.
"Irexit" would probably mitigate border and trade problems between the Republic and NI but in a less favourable economic environment: I cannot see that it would make any material difference to the pursuit of the objectives of the Belfast Agreement and associated agreements and arrangements. I therefore see nothing to recommend it.


text:
15 minutes of frame
International portrait galleries
Karen Quinlan AM and Kim Sajet
Delve into the lives, loves and labour of the world's most prominent portrait galleries in this new international conversation series. From curatorial decisions to art handling, exhibition design to major events, favourite portraits to the creative copy they command – this is your chance to go behind the scenes for insights into gallery goings-on. (Not to mention an opportunity to hear about the parallels, contrasts and challenges across national collections.)
The first event in this international edition of 15 Minutes of Frame will focus on leadership in the time of Covid-19 and how to guide communities toward conversation. It features Karen Quinlan AM, Director of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, in conversation with Kim Sajet, Director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. Together these directors will explore the changes they have made internally to make 'the pivot' following the arrival of Covid-19, the hybrid models their institutions are using to engage new audiences, how they continue to diversify their collections, and what's next as their institutions move into the next chapter of our "new normal."
Australian audiences: November 18, 2020 9:00 – 9:40am (AEDT)
International audiences: November 17, 5:00 – 5:40pm (EST)
Join the Zoom webinar session by following this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83569517044
Or put the following details into your Zoom app/account - Webinar ID: 835 6951 7044
Karen Quinlan AM has been the director of the National Portrait Gallery since December 2018. Karen commenced her curatorial career in 1994 at the National Gallery of Victoria before becoming curator of the Bendigo Art Gallery in 1996. She went on to serve as the director of the Bendigo Art Gallery from 2000 until 2018 and was instrumental in working with international cultural institutions, attracting high profile exhibitions to regional Victoria. This initiative enabled Bendigo and the surrounding region to benefit socially, culturally and economically throughout her tenure. Before moving to the ACT, Karen was a professor of practice and director of the La Trobe Art Institute, La Trobe University; a former trustee of the State Library of Victoria; and board member and former chair of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria. Karen has also previously been a board member of the Victorian Foundation of Living Australian Artists, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Melbourne Fashion Festival. Karen was recently invited to be patron of the Capital Arts Patrons' Organisation, based in Canberra.
Kim Sajet (pronounced Say-et) has been director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Washington since April 2013. Before her current appointment, Kim was the president and CEO of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the vice president and deputy director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the director of corporate relations at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Before arriving in the United States with her family in 1997, she served first as curator and then as director of two Australian art museums from 1989 until 1995. Born in Nigeria, raised in Australia and a citizen of the Netherlands, Kim brings a global perspective to the position. She earned a master's degree in art history from Bryn Mawr College, a master's degree in business administration from Melbourne University Business School in Australia, a bachelor's degree in art history from Melbourne University and a graduate diploma in Museum studies from Deakin University in Australia. She has completed arts leadership training at the Harvard Business School, the Getty Institute and National Arts Strategies. In addition to twenty years of arts management experience, Kim has written a number of scholarly publications, curated exhibitions and spoken at academic symposia around the world. Her current interests include the June 2019 study of identity politics, role-playing in online virtual worlds and the significance of celebrity in American history. She is also the host of the Portrait Gallery's podcast series, "PORTRAITS", exploring themes of art, history and biography.
We always have lots to share, so sign up and get the scoop!
The Amazing Face
A 14-day dive into portraiture
Daily event
An educational and fun 14-day adults' introduction to portraiture.
Daily event until Sun 28 Feb
All visitors must pre-book for one of the daily sessions. Each day will have a limited number of people allowed.
Australian Love Stories
An amorous online adventure
Lust and longing, drama and devotion, seduction and scandal! Delve into an enticing array of tales of the heart.
Portrait Stories app
Explore the collecton


text:
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#include "stdafx.h"
#include "CEFDemo.h"
#include "DlgCHtmlView.h"
#include "afxdialogex.h"

// CDlgCHtmlView dialog

IMPLEMENT_DYNAMIC(CDlgCHtmlView, CDialogEx)

CDlgCHtmlView::CDlgCHtmlView(CWnd* pParent /*=NULL*/)
	: CDialogEx(CDlgCHtmlView::IDD, pParent)
{
	m_pHtmlView=NULL;
}

CDlgCHtmlView::~CDlgCHtmlView()
{
	if (NULL!=m_pHtmlView)
	{
		m_pHtmlView->DestroyWindow();
		delete m_pHtmlView;
		m_pHtmlView=NULL;
	}
}

void CDlgCHtmlView::DoDataExchange(CDataExchange* pDX)
{
	CDialogEx::DoDataExchange(pDX);
}

BEGIN_MESSAGE_MAP(CDlgCHtmlView, CDialogEx)
	ON_WM_SIZE()
	ON_WM_ERASEBKGND()
END_MESSAGE_MAP()

// CDlgCHtmlView message handlers

BOOL CDlgCHtmlView::OnInitDialog()
{
	CDialogEx::OnInitDialog();

	// TODO:  Add extra initialization here
	CRect rcClient;
	this->GetClientRect(&rcClient);

	GetDlgItem(IDC_EDIT1)->MoveWindow(&rcClient);

	m_pHtmlView=new CefJamMFCHtmlView;
	m_pHtmlView->CreateFromResource(IDC_EDIT1,this);

	m_pHtmlView->Navigate2(_T("http://www.baidu.com"));

	return TRUE;  // return TRUE unless you set the focus to a control
	// EXCEPTION: OCX Property Pages should return FALSE
}

void CDlgCHtmlView::OnSize(UINT nType, int cx, int cy)
{
	CDialogEx::OnSize(nType, cx, cy);

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{
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	return CDialogEx::OnEraseBkgnd(pDC);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This "unbearable" event is a unique opportunity to show your bravery as you support local Special Olympics athletes by walking, running or crawling into the frigid winter waters. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics Missouri's year-round program of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Held at Lake of the Ozarks State Park Public Beach #2 in Osage Beach.


Private English conversation school founded in 1992, located in Kazo city Saitama prefecture (50km from Tokyo &30min from Omiya).
Students range from kindergarten kids to adults and we offer both private/group classes.
Your creativity to make classes more interesting is guaranteed.
This is a 1 year contract and the position begins ASAP.
Teacher must obtain or possess a WORKING HOLIDAY VISA. (We do not sponsor visas).
BA, ESL experience & experience teaching both children and adults preferred.
Must be energetic, creative and enthusiastic.
Contact: Teruhiro Takenouchi at INTERSECT School of Foreign Language.


I started by taking pictures of her room, noting colors and other objects on the walls. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out a way to make it less heavy. My husband even tried routing out some of the plywood so the mirror would sit snuggly inside, but that didn't seem to work. I finally surrendered to the idea that it was going to weigh as much as an average third grader. Now I could focus on the fun stuff: I collected ceramic tiles, glass tiles, marbles, shells, watercolor paper and handmade papers--anything I thought would work.
I embellished the larger tiles with some torn paper and resin. I also found that my nature-hoarding (seeds, pods, shells, etc.) came in handy. After much inner debate, everything was arranged and glued securely on the plywood and then the dark sanded grout was applied followed by the slow process of wiping it away...done!
If I were to do this again I would do things differently (and probably faster!), but I appreciate this project for its structural and creative challenges and I know what I learned will show up on my gourd work!


And then there was always this: not that Walt needed any protector, but he was Bob Bertram's brother-in-law, so . . . .
Walt was a "Mensch." In Kant's categories–Walt read philosophy too–a "Ding an sich." Walt's works, his hundreds of "living letters," do follow him. Marie and I joined some 500 others of them at his Dec. 29 memorial service in Valparaiso.
Pasted below is the obit his kids wrote that appeared in the Gary, Indiana, newspaper.
On December 5, 2006, Walt Reiner, who described himself as a "community resource redistributor" died surrounded by family and friends. Walt, 82, was born on December 29, 1923, in Tampa, Florida, the youngest of three sons, to Otto and Frances (Mugge) Reiner. Growing up during the days of the Great Depression, Walter helped support his family from a very young age, eventually enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II where he participated in the first wave of attacks on Omaha and Normandy beaches, and subsequently served tours in North Africa and East Asia. [He was a communications specialist in seven landings, which meant he was one of the first on the beach helping to direct the following waves of troops — and he was only 17 or 18.]Following the War, Walter attended Springfield College in Springfield, MA, and, upon graduation, accepted a football coaching position at Valparaiso University. During his tenure as "Coach," Walter led the Crusaders to its only bowl game in VU's history, coaching such legends as Fred "Fuzzy" Thurston (Green Bay Packers) and earning hall-of-fame status in 2001. Walter was given leave from his coaching duties to serve his country during the Korean War. In 1952, he returned to VU and married the love of his life, his partner, his "Schatz" (treasure), and wife of 54 years, Lois (Bertram) Reiner.
In the early 1960s, Walt was asked by former VU President, O.P. Kretzmann to begin the Youth Leadership Training Program, which sought to connect young people to programs serving the broader community and world. In 1965, Walt moved his family to Chicago where he served as Director of Prince of Peace Volunteers, guiding 34 teams of volunteers in U.S. inner cities and overseas, whose work was captured in the documentary film, "I BELIEVE," aired on NBC in 1966.
During the 1960s, Walt supported Vietnam War Conscientious Objectors and became a civil rights activist in his own right. His leadership activities and commitment to human rights sustained him through a heresy trial before the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1967. From 1960 through 1968, Walt served as Director of Camp Concordia, a Lutheran [summer] camp in Gowen, Michigan.
During the late sixties, Walt was a founder of the Association of the Colleges of the Midwest's Urban Studies Program in Chicago, offering students at Valparaiso University, as well as a consortium of liberal arts colleges, the opportunity to truly experience the diversity of the city and to connect with those who were creatively addressing issues of racism, poverty, violence and other issues faced by thousands of people on a daily basis.
Returning to Valparaiso in 1969, Walt and Lois Reiner founded Valparaiso Builders Association, a predecessor organization to Project Neighbors, whose primary mission was, and continues to be, partnering with families in need to relocate to Valparaiso, offering a new sense of community in which all of its citizens learn from and respect diversity.
Project Neighbors, under Walt's direction, has provided homes to over 300 Valparaiso residents. In developing these new relationships, particularly in and around the Hilltop neighborhood, Walt turned his attention toward other projects that impact people's lives, including the development of Maria Elena's restaurant, the creation of top quality child care and medical/dental care at Hilltop Neighborhood House and Hilltop Community Health Center, the Village Market, and the latest, the Reiner Community Center.
In 1991, Walt "retired" from his formal teaching duties as associate professor emeritus of Valparaiso University's Christ College. In that same year, Walt was the co-winner of the University's Martin Luther King award, sharing the honor with his "brother," Karl E. Lutze. The following year, Walt was awarded the "Sagamore of the Wabash," the highest honor given to a resident of the State of Indiana for lifetime service. More recently in this year, Walt and Lois were named volunteers of the year by the Porter County Community Foundation. One of Walt's greatest thrills was to be a featured "performer" on the Planetary Blues Band CD several years ago.
Walt was predeceased by his brother, Otto Reiner, and more recently in September of this year, by his brother Dr. Ernest Reiner, co-founder of the Judeo-Christian Health Center in Tampa Florida. He is survived by Lois, his children Patricia Terrell (George) of Chicago, IL, Rebecca Reiner of Valparaiso, IN, Elizabeth Gingerich (Keith Chitwood) of Valparaiso, IN, and Mark Reiner (Linda) of Denver, CO, niece Leslie Reiner (Tony Kriseman) and nephew Chris Reiner (Kathleen Kilbride) and sister-in-law Doris, all of Tampa, FL, together with his dear grandchildren, Annie, Rachel, Dylan, Olivia, Katie, Susannah, Kyla and Clarice, and step-grandchildren Joe and Kelly Chitwood, and his larger family of community members and friends.
Walt does not want us to forget his messages translated into a lifetime of action, of building relationships and taking risks, all while keeping a sense of humor in taking one day at a time. His credo, he often said, was, "when you give up the need for power, reputation and money, you have the whole world open to you." There will be a private family burial in the Memorial Park Cemetery of Valparaiso followed by a celebration of Walt's abundant life at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Friday, December 29 (his 83rd birthday) at Immanuel Lutheran Church at 2:00 p.m., followed by a reception in the school's gymnasium. Walt and his family ask that all memorials be made to Project Neighbors, 408 Lafayette, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383, to carry on Walt's mission and legacy.
Published in the Gary (Indiana) Post-Tribune on 12/7/2006.


text:
Q: Having Two ObjectId in an array I am trying to get the matches array to contain the match and chatroom both of which are objectId with reference to different Schema. But when I log the match in a get operation I cannot understand what is logged in the matches section can someone help me with this.

const mongoose = require('mongoose');
const Schema = mongoose.Schema;
const {ObjectId} = mongoose.Schema;

var match = new Schema({
        match:{
            type: ObjectId,
            ref:'User'
        },
        chatroom:{
            type:ObjectId,
            ref:'Chatroom'
        }
    });
const matchList = new Schema({
    user:{
        type: ObjectId,
        ref:'User'
    },
    likeSent:[
        {
            type: ObjectId,
            ref:'User'
        },{
            timestamp:true
        }
    ],
    likeRecieve:[
        {
            type: ObjectId,
            ref:'User'
        },{
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        }
    ],
    matches:[match]
},{
    timestamp:true
});

const MatchList = mongoose.model('Match',matchList);

module.exports = MatchList;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Thesis work is an integral part of the EMBC+ Master programme and is credited for 30 ECTS. All students undertake their thesis work during the fourth semester, at one of the EMBC+ partners or members of the consortium. During their thesis work students will focus on a specific research topic for a given amount of time. Students work independently albeit under supervision of a thesis supervisor and promoter. Through the thesis work, students are able to apply the knowledge and techniques they gained during the courses in the three previous semesters. The final product is a written thesis report stating the main results of their research presented in a scientifically correct manner. Thesis students also present and discuss their results at the annual thesis symposium.
Thesis work is carried out according to the annual guidelines available here.
In December of the first academic year students are provided with a thesis research catalogue which enables them to find a thesis topic that suits their interests. Students can contact potential thesis supervisors and finalise a research topic from the catalogue. Students can also submit their own thesis topics but only after approval by the EMBC+ management board. Therefore, students need to contact the EMBC+ coordination office before March of the first academic year in order to discuss the feasibility of the thesis topic. Students submit a thesis project to the EMBC+ coordination office making use of an electronic form available on their personal student page. Thesis project descriptions include a title, an abstract, a work plan, contact details of supervisor and promoter and an agreement of the promoter to welcome the student for the particular thesis subject.
The thesis research lines can be viewed on the European Marine Training Portal at MarineTraining.eu.
Students can start with the preparation of the thesis (for example literature review, introduction, or sampling) during the second and third semesters. However, this must not interfere with the students other courses in these semesters. In principle, the fourth semester (January to June) is fully available for the thesis work and submission. Therefore, these activities have to be supervised by the thesis promoter/supervisor. The students will be encouraged to organise their thesis work in a way that enables them to submit the thesis in the first session exam period. At the start of the fourth semester students will receive € 150 from the EMBC+ co-ordination budget to pay the thesis mobility costs. This includes the travel to the thesis event in June.
At the end of June each year EMBC+ students will present the results of their thesis work during the EMBC+ Thesis Event. Students give a 15 minute oral presentation followed by 10 minutes for question from members of the reading committee and the audience. If the thesis is not submitted during the first session exam period of the second master year, the thesis can be submitted in August. However, students (and supervisors) will be strongly encouraged to finalise the thesis by June. Students who submit in August are still required to give an oral presentation on the current status of their thesis work at the Thesis Event.
Declaration copyright: 'No data can be taken out of this work without prior approval of the thesis promoter'.


Today things look rather different. With few exceptions, repression has returned to the Middle East and North Africa, as dictatorial regimes have learned to master digital technology. Other authoritarian countries—notably Russia and China—have learned valuable lessons from the Arab Spring and are now closely monitoring and censoring social media platforms. In the United States, we've spent the last 16 months trying to understand a Russian disinformation campaign that used omnipresent platforms—Google, Facebook, Twitter—to undermine the presidential election.
And on Monday, United Nations investigators revealed that Facebook has played a "determining role" in the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar. The announcement felt like the final nail in the narrative that the spread of internet technology and social media is inherently democratic.
Ghonim's response summed up the thinking about tech in 2011. The budding consensus was that if you provided free access to information, freedom will follow. (This was not unlike its corollary in places like China, which equated access to the market with inevitable political reforms.) Give people Facebook and they will organize themselves, this thinking went. Eventually, they will topple dictators.
Seven years later, of course, we know that the Arab Spring did not usher in a new era of democracy and peace. With the exception of Tunisia, the countries that underwent revolutions in 2010 and 2011 have slid back into authoritarianism. Or anarchy—the ongoing civil war in Syria has precipitated the greatest humanitarian crisis in decades. It's also clear that social media's role in the initial waves of protests was exaggerated. These were still traditional revolutions in many respects, with brave, mostly young citizens taking on corrupt and despotic regimes. With the internet not widely available, radio ultimately played a larger technological role than social media.
Over the last several years, authoritarian governments have more than caught up. Spreading misinformation and propaganda have become vital to regimes across the world. Censoring social media is the norm, and we've seen crackdowns in countries like Egypt and China and Turkey over the last several years. And social media platforms, eager to spread their reach, have largely cooperated with censorship requests from governments keen on controlling the flow of information. Facebook, in particular, has come under fire for its partnership with Philippine President Rodrigue Duterte, who has weaponized the social media site to attack his critics.
Facebook is singled out in the report, because it's ubiquitous. "As far as the Myanmar situation is concerned, social media is Facebook, and Facebook is social media," Darusman said.
Facebook issued a milquetoast statement in response: "There is no place for hate speech or content that promotes violence on Facebook, and we work hard to keep it off our platform." But what's clear in Myanmar is that the government sees social media as an instrument for propaganda and inciting violence—and that non-government actors are also using Facebook to advance a genocide.
Seven years after the Arab Spring, Facebook isn't bringing democracy to the oppressed. In fact, Ghonim's quote to Blitzer may have been inverted. If you want to preserve a dictatorship, give them the internet.


text:
HOLLYWOOD BEAT: Happy Hollywood Holidays on the Hollywood Beat
— December 14th, 2005
Harry Hamlin & Lisa Rina
at Teddy Bear Ball
The Teddy Bear Ball, honoring Anne Sweeney, President of Disney-ABC TV, brought out much of the cast of Desperate Housewives – including one of the "living dead", Brenda Strong, who portrays Mary Alice Young, who gets knocked off in the first episode. But nothing can keep this gal down, as she takes us into the lives of her family, friends and neighbors, commenting from her elevated P.O.V.
Wonder what she was thinking when she spied Nicollette Sheridan, the serial divorcee on the show, who was once married to actor Harry Hamlin. Handsome Harry was at the event with his equally gorgeous wife, Lisa Rina (Soap Talk). Is this an incestuous group or what?
To add to the mix, Teri Hatcher (divorcee and single mom on the show, and in real life) strolled around from table to table, offering Teddy Bears for $1,000. Lots of guys snapped up the Bears, not only because the proceeds went to support children with special needs, but to catch a glimpse of the glamorous Ms. Hatcher. And that's not all folks, George Lopez and his wife, Ann, joined the Help Group Children's Choir as Mr. and Mrs. Claus. A Happy Hollywood Holiday indeed.
Lots of stars were seen shopping till they dropped, at the Opening Night Gala of Design Design. This fundraiser, held at the massive hanger at the Santa Monica Air Center, benefits Project Angel Food, which provides life sustaining meals to LA County residents facing HIV/Aids and other serious illnesses.
Ryan Seacrest & Ryan Cabrera
at Divine Design
Ryan Cabrera presented the Man of Style Award to Ryan Seacrest, and joked that the spiky, highlighted hair that Seacrest is know for on American Idol, was actually his idea! Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) who led the Fantasy Live Auction, said he gave up tenth row center seats to the Paul McCartney concert to be at Divine Design, because he cares so much about Project Angel Food. What a guy!
And last, but not least, was pleased to attend the opening night of the Israel Film Festival, which honored our friend, Bernie Brillstein. This legendary manager/producer was the force behind such hits as Saturday Night Live, the Blues Brothers, and the Muppet Show to name a few. A few years ago, he married one of my close pals, Carrie Winston, and this power couple supports a myriad of charities.
Rachel Weisz, Bernie Brillstein, Laine Kazan
and Army Archerd at Opening Gala for Israel Film Festival
The opening flick was Israel's official entry to the 2005 Academy Awards, What A Wonderful Place, which centers on an ex cop and family man whose career was ruined by compulsive gambling. Other films presented for the first time during the festival included, Out of Sight, from director Daniel Syrkin and Free Zone, starring Natalie Portman.
Some of the celebs at the event included actress/singer Laine Kazan, and Rachel Weisz, who presented awards to Focus Features co-presidents David Linde and James Schamus. Mazel Tov to all concerned on the Hollywood Beat.


text:
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text:
SATURDAY MAILBOX
The Baltimore Sun
Young killer belongs in the adult system
Your editorial "Two wrongs" (May 9) does not include important facts that led prosecutors to handle the Devon T. Richardson case in the adult system. Records presented publicly in this murder case reflect that Devon was committed to the Department of Juvenile Services at the time of the murder and was already placed in a community home commitment program offering intensive therapy and intervention because of a prior adjudication.
Records introduced at the transfer hearing indicate that Devon consistently failed to take advantage of these services and rehabilitation. A court medical report suggested that the juvenile justice system had exhausted all possible interventions and treatments and that attempts to use out-of-home placements had proved futile, and therefore adult prosecution was recommended by the professional psychiatric court staff. The message to prosecutors and the court was clear, that there was no additional service, treatment or rehabilitation left to offer Devon in the juvenile justice system.
Devon's plea to second-degree murder is in the interest of justice.
The real issue is what is needed to rehabilitate and punish youthful, violent offenders such as Devon. For many years, I have advocated for a youthful offender facility where treatment and rehabilitation would be provided to violent youthful offenders, but with the proper confinement and punishment needed in the interest of public safety.
Maryland needs a facility to accommodate the growing numbers of violent youthful offenders processed through our courts every year and who straddle our juvenile and criminal justice systems. This facility should separate these violent offenders not only from adults but also from less-violent juveniles.
In a case like this, prosecutors are faced with two options: a short commitment to the Department of Juvenile Services, or an option such as the youthful offender program at the Patuxent Institution, where Devon will have access to treatment, with meaningful incarceration for this tragic crime. The right choice was made.
Patricia C. Jessamy
The writer is state's attorney for Baltimore.
Kudos to St. John's for rankings boycott
Thank you for your article on St. John's College's boycott of the peer-review section of the U.S. News & World Report college rankings ("St. John's boycotts college rankings," May 12).
I particularly enjoyed the quotes from presidents of other colleges in the area. I think that they illustrate well what St. John's President Christopher Nelson may have meant when he said that there is "a real evil" affecting higher education.
St. Mary's College President Jane Margaret O'Brien and Hood College President Ronald Volpe sounded much like politicians afraid of alienating voters, or popularity-hungry schoolchildren refusing to join unless "everybody else is doing it."
I am convinced that most colleges are getting out of the business of human development and into the business of ... maybe just business.
Those other colleges can keep their "intangibles," supposedly measured by the peer-review section of the U.S. News survey. What do you think are the institutional consequences of back-slapping and navel-gazing by these elitist politicos motivated by money and prestige?
Instead of turning to a magazine to tell us how to further develop our minds and human potential, all families ought to be looking to the real substance of the college: the curriculum. The values of an institution are also evident in the way it chooses to spend its money, the way it treats its faculty, staff and students, and the way it uses its influence in the world for good or the alternative.
In my family, we will be looking for a college that believes that the weight of a good education, like the value of a good book or the measure of a human soul, can never be truly quantified.
Corita Stull
Institute a safety tax on monster vehicles
While looking for a small, 40-plus miles per gallon economy vehicle, I quickly ran afoul of the soccer mom's safety threshold: Small economy cars would be crushed in the school pickup line between the monster SUVs.
This is the main conundrum in economizing on our gluttony for gas ("Senate panel OKs fuel economy rise," May 9): Everyone wants bigness for safety at the expense of smallness for economy.
In a future sustainable world, everyone would drive small cars getting 50-plus miles per gallon, or bicycles or scooters. But with today's monster American SUVs, gluttonous drivers tend to buy huge vehicles and thus buy safety at the expense of others.
We need a monster tax on monster vehicles to bring safety and equality into balance and create incentives to move toward smaller, sustainable and safe vehicles.
All vehicles above a certain size should require payment of a $1,000 "monster tax" on the purchase. This tax would go into an equality safety fund. After any collision between a big SUV or truck and a smaller economy car, there would be an automatic $500 payout toward the damage on the smaller car.
Creating disincentives for those who own these massive machines while getting everyone to economize and slow down would be an environmental benefit and a safety benefit for everyone.
Bob Bruninga
Working to clean up contaminated sites
The Sun's article "Toxic sites dot city's waterfront" (May 7) leaves the wrong impression of the extent of contamination from chrome residue from the Allied Chemical Co. (the predecessor of Honeywell International Inc.) plants and our remediation work in the city.
A list of Baltimore-area sites that contain chrome ore processing residue - all that we are aware of - was submitted to your reporter, and we count three construction sites, as opposed to "numerous construction projects around the city's waterfront." At two of these sites, chrome residue has been excavated. At the third, the developer has submitted an application for excavation to the Maryland Department of the Environment.
At the Dundalk Marine Terminal, contrary to the article, we are not "negotiating with MDE." For more than a year, we have been implementing a remediation agreement with the Maryland Port Administration and the MDE.
At the Race Street site in South Baltimore, we have signed a consent order with Baltimore and the MDE. The agreement includes timelines that will obligate Honeywell and the city to continue to maintain the site and to develop and implement remedies.
Federal and state laws provide that liability for remediation costs be divided among responsible parties that can include state and local governments. In order to expedite cleanups in some cases, we finance the work and then reach agreement with other responsible parties. This is the approach that we have taken with the Race Street site.
By using sound remediation practices and contemporary science, sites containing chrome residue contamination can once again become vital parts of the community.
David Wickersham
Morristown, N.J.
The writer is Honeywell's director of remediation and evaluation services.
Down payment aid helps poor families
The Sun's article "HUD to seek ban on mortgage 'aid'" (May 9) cites statistics from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that could lead readers to believe that there has been a surge in foreclosures by homeowners who have received gifts from nonprofit organizations that provide down payment assistance. Unfortunately, government studies can have flaws.
These same statistics have been widely used by HUD to downplay the positive impact of nonprofit organizations that provide down payment assistance to low- to moderate-income individuals and families.
But last fall, the George Mason University School of Public Policy conducted an independent analysis of government housing research and strongly suggested that the performance problems of FHA loans involving nonprofit down payment assistance have been overstated by the government.
This analysis concluded that mortgage loans involving down payment assistance from nonprofit organizations do not have significantly higher default rates than mortgage loans involving other sorts of assistance or gifts.
Clearly, families in more precarious financial situations are more likely to have financial difficulties. But other than their lack of savings for a down payment, many of these families are financially qualified and deserve an opportunity to achieve the dream of homeownership.
I'm not saying there are no problems regarding nonprofit organizations that provide down payment assistance. But to eliminate programs involving down payment assistance based on flawed government studies would hurt thousands of potential homebuyers, negatively impact the economy and take away key programs that have helped more than 1 million lower-income families achieve homeownership.
Ann Ashburn
The writer is president of AmeriDream Inc., a nonprofit group that provides down payment assistance to homebuyers.
Communities can learn from dispute
Eric Siegel's article "Reservoir Hill project draws HUD rebuke" (May 5) highlights misunderstandings between the city and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regarding the terms under which a development could be pursued.
The critical lesson for communities in this situation is the dire need for organization and for a close working relationship between the city and the community.
In our experience, the request for proposals process allows for community comment during selection of the project. But after that is complete, community involvement is not automatic. And the project in question may change dramatically through the city review and negotiation.
Unless a community is well organized and aggressive, very few of those details seep back out to the public.
Reservoir Hill is a fairly well organized community, and the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council is a reasonably sophisticated organization. Yet we have been pretty much in the dark about the changes to and challenges in the Druid Park Lake Drive project.
How much harder is it for residents where community organization is lacking?
Recently, the city has taken some steps toward greater engagement with communities.
The position of deputy commissioner of neighborhood investment was recently created, and the city is establishing a cadre of neighborhood liaisons. Such changes are welcome and may help the situation.
But we need to see the city put in place solid, formal processes that guarantee a close working relationship between the city and the community affected by a project through all stages of planning, and secure the right and ability of the public to comment on plans for the use of public property.
For communities, the message in the Reservoir Hill dispute is simple: Get organized.
Remington Stone John Ruffin Baltimore
The writers are, respectively, the board president and the executive director of the Reservoir Hill Improvement Council Inc.
Bases in Kurdistan may be best option
Ted Galen Carpenter's argument that permanent U.S. military bases in Kurdistan are "A dangerous idea for redeployment" (Opinion
Commentary, May 15) is flawed for two reasons.
First, he seriously understates the advantages accruing to the United States from such a redeployment strategy. Second, he bases his opposition to the idea on the concerns of the Muslim world, Turkey and Iran, and not on an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of such a plan to American foreign policy interests.
Mr. Carpenter sees the only advantage to a Kurdistan basing strategy as being the removal of U.S. troops from harm's way. However, permanent military bases in Kurdistan would serve as staging areas for engaging terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan; for intervening in internal Iraqi fighting according to our agenda and interests; for deterring Iran from any ill-considered adventurism (nuclear or not); and to strategically remind all in the region of our bedrock commitment to the defense of Israel.
He worries that bases in Kurdistan would damage America's standing in the Arab world. Unfortunately, I don't think our standing in the Arab world can get much worse. Those who hate us would still hate us, but those we can count as allies (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf states) would publicly join the hue and cry but privately recognize the value of an American presence to counter the extremists who threaten their regimes and the value of an American presence to defend their oilfields.
Mr. Carpenter argues that bases in Kurdistan could entangle the U.S. in internal Iraqi power struggles. But we already are entangled. We cannot continue trying to referee a multisided civil war and insurgency. We cannot impose reconciliation of Sunni and Shiite after 1,500 years of hatred. It will not happen. We need to go on offense and pursue our interests: an independent and democratic ally in Kurdistan and the ability to militarily engage whom we want, when we want and how we want.
There is absolutely no good way to get out of Iraq. The only course open to us is to define our interests and to pursue them. It was a gigantic mistake to invade Iraq, but it would be an even greater mistake to just turn tail and run.
Stephen Kiss
Very little secrecy on stem cell panel
A recent column in The Sun complained that the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission (MSCRC) had a "penchant for secrecy" and was not being open enough in its decision-making process regarding funding of stem cell research ("Expose state's stem cell funding to sunlight," Opinion
Commentary, May 15).
The writer, John M. Simpson, representing a nonprofit foundation in California, appears woefully ignorant of the MSCRC's process for recommending awards for funding and of the scientific peer review process in general. His main complaint seems to be that the MSCRC somehow diverted from the usual process of making such decisions, having met in closed session to consider the 85 applications for funding submitted this year.
Scientific merit review panels have been meeting in closed sessions for decades. There are many good reasons that this is a standard practice: For one, it allows panelists to voice their concerns honestly and directly, without having to worry about how their words might be misinterpreted by others. The U.S. National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation run hundreds of such panels each year, and the U.S. is widely recognized as having the best research funding system in the world.
Mr. Simpson writes, "I don't give money to people unless I know who they are, why they want it and what they plan to do with it." Assuming he pays taxes, he's simply wrong about this, because governments do not let taxpayers review each and every expenditure (including the funds that support NIH and NSF).
In fact, the process for funding scientific research through the MSCRC is one of the most open government programs we have. Throughout our first year, as we have developed all aspects of the grant program and the procedures for review and decision-making, all commission meetings have been open to the public. The only closed meetings have been the two meetings at which the detailed proposals were compared. Our requests for proposals are public documents, and all awards will be announced publicly.
Mr. Simpson writes that details of proposed research will be withheld. On the contrary, scientists funded by the commission are expected to share their results as widely as possible, and they will be required to present their results at an annual public symposium.
In fact, the primary purpose of the MSCRC is to support science that will benefit the public by advancing the promising new field of human stem cell research, which we hope will lead to new treatments and cures for a wide range of diseases.
Steven L. Salzberg
The writer is a computer science professor at the University of Maryland and a member of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission. This letter was signed by eight other members of the commission.
Spanish TV offers chance for learning
I was happy to learn that Spanish-language television will be available on Maryland Public Television, which my family supports ("Spanish public TV an insult to majority," letters, May 10).
I was born in New York City, and a priority of my parents was that I would be bilingual. From the age of 7, I could speak, read and write Spanish.
I have been teaching the Spanish language, mostly at the Community College of Baltimore County, for 13 years.
On hearing that Spanish programs would be available on MPT, I thought of how it would benefit those who come to class to learn this beautiful language.
Last summer, at the Hunt Valley CCBC branch, there were 27 students in my class. Why did they come to class? Some came because of their jobs. Others were grandparents who were helping young ones. Others wished to travel. There are many reasons why they come to learn Spanish. And they are to be commended for this, for this is an international world today.
In my class, I encourage students to travel, to see foreign films such as the award-winning Volver and Pan's Labyrinth, to read books by Spanish authors such as Isabel Allende and Arturo Perez-Reverte, to learn about the customs and the leaders of other countries.
There is more to Spanish than conjugating verbs.
I hope Maryland Public Television will help make all this and more available.
Luz Damron
Bringing BRAC arrivals to Baltimore
While I cheered The Sun's call for Baltimore to aggressively seek to attract new residents from New Jersey and Virginia who will be coming our way as a result of the base realignment and closure process ("A chance to grow," editorial, April 22) and the later editorial that specifically calls for non-incremental improvements to MARC ("Putting traffic on track," April 25), I'm concerned about encouraging a foolish belief that newcomers who choose Baltimore can depend on MARC for transportation.
It's a given that we need more cars in the Interstate 95 corridor in Maryland like we need a bad outbreak of avian flu. But when we moved to Baltimore from the District of Columbia suburbs two years ago as empty nesters looking to downsize, simplify and "Get In On It," to quote the moronic, high-priced city slogan, I foolishly thought I'd have a pleasant commuting experience with a comfortable and affordable train ride each way to and from my job in Washington, courtesy of MARC. Wrong.
MARC is limping and wheezing. Before anybody starts talking about new stations or system expansions, I'd like to see Gov. Martin O'Malley's transportation secretary and the Maryland Transit Administration staff get the present system into some kind of decent operational shape.
The MARC trains are woefully overcrowded, and they regularly break down. Penn Station in Baltimore is crumbling, and there seems to be no hope of getting it repaired.
I love trains and believe that we once had a first-class mode of interurban, even transcontinental, travel by rail.
We let this great technology get ravaged and nearly trashed by tolerating the actions of greedy public officials. They sold us all out just to serve the special interests of the car and oil companies yearning for more highways and more dependence on private vehicles.
The Sun's recent article about the sad experience of our West Baltimore community with the "road to nowhere" ("Revival hope rides on MARC rail stop," April 23) shows the idiocy of our pro-car, pro-highway policies as well as the potential that a West Baltimore stop on a decent, reliable rail system might help heal the west-side communities and return them to health and growth.
I'll be retiring soon, so I can tough it out until then. But there are hundreds of Maryland citizens up and down our rail lines who deserve better from MARC and the MTA.
I hope that Mr. O'Malley, Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari and their staffs will give the MTA the resources and political support needed to turn our current "Toonerville Trolley" services into a reliable, better-integrated network of public transportation.
John Bosley
The only aspect of your excellent editorial on development and growth under the U.S. military's base realignment and closure plan ("A chance to grow," April 22) with which I disagree is your suggestion of a "citywide" campaign to attract this development to Baltimore rather than the suburban counties. I believe this should be a statewide campaign.
As you point out, Baltimore can benefit greatly from this influx of thousands into our region. When the city benefits, all of Maryland benefits. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
You mention that competition with the city for this BRAC growth will be stiff. Let's stop for a minute and ask: Why would the counties compete? They are already struggling to keep up with the infrastructure needed for pre-BRAC growth.
Each year during the legislative session, we hear from the counties about their dire needs for budgetary relief for their burgeoning schools and crowded roads. Wisdom would call for the counties to put aside the competitive nature among them and agree to direct this development to the city as much as possible.
I have spoken with Gov. Martin O'Malley, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (head of the sub-Cabinet on BRAC) and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman about this.
I would urge others to do the same.
Elizabeth Bobo
The writer represents Howard County in the Maryland House of Delegates.


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The Agriculture Manifesto
Articles, Blogs, Podcasts
Category: Farmers
Address to the FAO_UN Committee for World Food Security
Robert Saik's address to the FAO_UN Committee for World Food Security at the High-Level Special Event, Rome (Virtually), Oct 15, 2020 Honorable delegates – greetings from the Private Sector Mechanism on this Rural Woman's Day. COVID 19 creates an opportunity for the public and private sectors to work together in new ways to address global…
A New Document Goes to Bat for Glyphosate
By Marc Zienkiewicz – September 24, 2018 "Activists always equate GMO to more chemical. That's not true for Bt and not true for glyphosate- and glufosinate-tolerant crops," says Saik, an agrologist and founder of Agri-Trend (now Trimble), which helps farmers allocate scarce resources to produce profitable and environmentally sustainable crops. "I want the ag community to be…
How We Feed the Future: Technology for smarter agriculture
July 14, 2020 The following is an edited transcript of the Ag Future podcast episode with Rob Saik hosted by Tom Martin. Click here to hear the full audio. Rob Saik, CEO of AgVisorPRO, believes that the next thirty years could be the most important in the history of agriculture, and he claims that in…
Elaine Froese's Expert Guide to Conflict Resolution
Working With Family Can Be A Challenge Agriculture is largely a family business. Farming operations are often passed down from one generation to the next, and while this can be an extremely rewarding proposition, it also comes with a whole host of potential pitfalls that are best avoided. AGvisorPRO is working hard to bring growers…
Tom Wolf's EXPERT GUIDE to agricultural sprayers
AGvisorPRO connects farmers who need advice with the experts who have it. When it comes to advice about anything related to spraying or sprayers, one of the best experts to seek advice from is Tom Wolf. In this week's AGvisorPRO Expert Guide, we speak to Tom about what a farmer needs to have a successful…
PRESS RELEASE: New Tool provides connectivity between Agribusiness and Farmers
AGvisorPRO Press Release Calgary, Alberta May 13th, 2020: For Immediate release New Tool provides connectivity between Agribusiness and Farmers AGvisorPRO Inc has launched a new service designed to provide instantaneous connectivity between farmers and company technical representatives to enhance customer service. "The AGvisorPRO Tech Direct Solution™ built on the AGvisorPRO platform creates a connection between…
Technology has increased relevance during pandemic.
No one plans or welcomes a pandemic, but Rob Saik says in this unexpected time of isolation and social distancing, a new service he launched in 2019 can help farmers connect with a diverse network of agricultural expertise either online or by phone, at a time when face-to-face personal contact is being discouraged. Saik, well…
Farmers obtain info remotely
A new internet tool brings together agricultural experts and farmers as they learn to live in the new COVID-19 reality. Rob Saik had some ideas about agronomy and husbandry delivery, coming out of the sale of his Agritrend company to technology giant Trimble. "I had learned a lot over the years about what we could…
The competitive advantage of an extended knowledge pool
Human knowledge doubles every 13 months. However, a farmer only has an average of 35 springs, summers, falls and winters in their entire career. Every single decision is therefore of great importance, as it can heavily impact overall profitability. Meanwhile, there is an abundance of new information that farmers need to keep up with e.g….
AGvisorPR launches as the 'uberzation' of knowledge and wisdom
AGvisorPRO, a global platform that connects farmers to experienced ag experts, launched this week in Ag in Motion. Currently offering access to roughly 50 advisors, the platform enables users to connect via audio, video, or text, with photo-sharing capabilities. It also saves the connection for future reference. "AGvisorPRO is basically the 'Uberization' of knowledge and…
A Q and A with Robert Saik: It's Time to Get Big or Go Home for Agriculture Robotics
Robotics has been touted as a way to address some of the biggest issues in agriculture, namely when it comes to an ongoing labor shortage. Fifty-six percent of farmers in California alone have been unable to find enough workers in the past five years, according to a new report from the California Farm Bureau Federation….
As Presented to Canadian Deputy Ministers of Agriculture
On January 23rd I had an opportunity to present my thoughts on opportunities and challenges facing Canadian Agriculture to ALL the Deputy Ministers of Agriculture. I am not sure how I was chosen for this honour, however, I felt obliged to do a good job. Here are the issues I chose to present. BTW…no one…
Nourishing the World: Exponential Challenges, Exponential Technologies
Reported by Scott Bowman (clareo.com) for the TWIN GLOBAL 2018 Report INTRODUCTION In the coming decades, with a population booming to nearly 10 billion people, we will experience exponential growth in our global demand for food, while global food supply will continue to be under great stress. The World Economic Forum projects that global demand…
Lack of trained workers, internet service hold back robotic expansion.
Reported by Ed Maixner (Agri Pulse) Photo courtesy: University of Illinois-A vehicle the size of a Golden Retriever, designed and constructed at the University of Illinois, rolls on miniature tank treads between two rows of young plants in Arizona two years ago during a demonstration to assess a crop of semi-autonomous robots. Global sales…
The EU will become the "Museum of Agriculture," says Leading Agtech Entrepreneur
Reported by Jack Heald (AgFUNDER NEWS) Editor's Note: The Thought Leaders in Agriculture series is presented by IntelinAir, makers of AgMRI: a digital decision support system for farmers using aerial imaging. The first in the series is a conversation with Robert Saik, founder of Agri-Trend, a digital agronomy business that was acquired by Trimble in 2015….
SOME GOOD NEWS ABOUT GLYPHOSATE
By Christopher P. Dufault, P.AG., and Robert Saik, P.AG. CAC These days we are exposed to a great deal of negative, one-sided and inaccurate information in the media and online about a herbicide called gylphosate, often sold under the trade name Roundup. We interact with farmers and farm organizations on a regular basis. We understand…
What is the Future of Your Farm?
Reported by Christina Herrick (Senior Editor of American Fruit Grower® magazine, published by Meister Media Worldwide.) Where is the future of farming going? How is all the new technology being developed going to be integrated on the family farm in the next 20 years? Robert Saik Robert Saik, Founder of the Agri-Trend Group of Companies (now…
Get There First
Reported by Maggie Van Camp (Senior Business Editor CountryGuide) Agriculture is constantly moving the yardsticks, which means there's always a new business opportunity on the horizon. So, asks Rob Saik, founder of Agri-Trend: What are you waiting for? This fall Country Guide chatted with Rob Saik founder and CEO of Agri-Trend as the innovative…
View From The Top: Robert Saik
Reported by Nate Birt (AGWEB Powered by Farm Journal) Background: Born on a farm in Alberta, Canada, Robert Saik (robertsaik.com) studied agronomy and ag economics at university and went on to specialize in soil chemistry, plant physiology and crop nutrition. He built two independent fertilizer retailers in his 20s and in 1997 founded AGRI-TREND, a…
Anti-science attitude threatens agriculture, humanity – WATTAgNet.com
Reported by Austin Alonzo (WATT Global Media) aalonzo@wattglobal.com Link to article First world consumers need to understand the role genetically modified organisms can, and will, play in feeding billions of people far into the future. Otherwise, a key technology will be lost.| Bigstock.com Whether or not humanity will be able to feed itself in the…
10 forces shaping the future of agriculture – WATTAgNet.com
Reported By: Austin Alonzo (WATT Global Media) aalonzo@wattglobal.com The future of agriculture is bright, thanks to emerging technology and innovative thinking. But, there will be challenges in achieving that vision. The big question in agriculture is whether or not the world's ever increasing population will be able to feed itself with ever dwindling resources. One…
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Eric Bjerregaard on The Murder of a Molecule


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Q: Use internal Wi-Fi card and USB card for virtualbox I was able to get a usb Wi-Fi adapter working on virtualbox. However I am no longer able to tether to my laptop's internal Wi-Fi, via eth0. How do I allow my OS on virtualbox to see both the USB Wi-Fi interface and recieve internet access via my laptop?
Thank you


If there's one thing The Expendables 2 is really good at—and there is pretty much just this one thing—it's demonstrating that 2010's The Expendables was a one-joke wonder that had more than fulfilled its potential before that first movie had even finished unspooling. This dumb movie wants you to find it absolutely hilarious that random '80s action heroes—now puffy with age and sporting embarrassingly bad dye jobs—pop up in deus ex actioner situations, trade quippy and dated one-liners with one another and then disappear again.
Generally, the less awesome and more cheesy an '80s action hero is, the more screen time he gets here. So prepare for a lot of Dolph Lundgren, and not so much of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Willis. This time out, a girl crashes this He-Man Woman-Haters Club—in the form of Maggie (Nan Yu), because Awesome Chinese Badass Chick!—as they head out to scenic Albania on a new mission, which is interrupted by Euro baddie Jean-Claude Van Damme. His character is called "Jean Vilain," which translates exactly as you think it does.
There's a level of brutal, boring stupidity here that makes The A-Team look like it was written by Sun Tzu. It's all a big joke. Except it isn't in the least bit funny.


Ms Stephanie has been with Kids 'R' Kids since October 2016. She has a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and is a certified teacher. She has taught Special Needs Pre-K and Head Start for 7 years. She has two kids, Dayton and Eleanor, who attend Kids 'R' Kids. One is a graduate and attends Kindergarten.
Ms Kellie has been with Kids 'R' Kids since November 2017. She has a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education. She came from Paulding County School District with 3 years in Special Education. She is a certified teacher in Elementary Education and Special Education. She has two kids, Brody and Charlie, who both attend Kids 'R' Kids.
Ms Danielle has been in the industry for 12 years and has been with Kids 'R' Kids for 5 years. Ms Danielle was a classroom teacher in the infant and toddler classrooms before becoming Director of Administration. She has a Bachelor's in Biology. She has 1 daughter and 4 dogs.
Ms. Tee has been with Kids 'R' Kids for 3 years first as was a Pre School teacher for 2 years before becoming a Curriculum Coordinator. She holds two certificates in the medical field, Licensed Ordained Minister, and her highest degree is being a wife and a mother of 5. Ms. Tee has also served in the Army Reserves.
Ms Heather has been with Kids 'R' Kids for 5 years. She was a toddler teacher for 4 years before becoming Curriculum Coordinator. She has her degree in Surgical Technology. She has 14 years of experience at Northside and Kennestone. She has two daughters.
Ms. Johnetta has been with Kids 'R' Kids for 7 years. She was an infant teacher for 5 years before becoming a Curriculum Coordinator. Johnetta has her Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. She is also a mother of four children and four dogs!


This man- Carver- brings local jobs & buys from local merchants to a depressed area. Does the expression pertain to those opposed to what he is doing ?
It sounds like he is doing good things. If he wants to be able to continue to do so, it might be wise to not draw attention – lest those looking for "a piece of the action" descend.
From what I have read in the census and have been told Coeymans has a much lower unemployment rate than the rest of the state. Those that may be unemployed are predominantly not in the labor industry but in service and white collar industries. Those who may be on public assistance may not have the necessary skills to be hired there.
As of 2008 when the Port opened for business and up to the present hardly any residents have been hired and most Coeymns residents have been gainfully employed or retired. Some local businesses are benefitting now from the work while construction is in progress and that's great. But the presence of such heavy industry along the river and next to a residential area has only lowered property value and scared away any potential home buyers who would bring in families and children, property and school taxes and local small businesses much needed here.
I find it sad that the powers that be don't see the potential for an historical town right on the river with amazing natural resources to become a lovely place to live. Instead it has been sold to the highest bidder with an expensive PR and legal team convincing our leaders that the destruction of our natural resources is a great way to go.
Doesn't it strike anyone as odd….
Why would you ever want to live in a house next to an industrial park, and within 100yds of a bridge specifically designed for heavy industrial trucks.
I also can't help but notice… if the house is that old…It should be on the National Registry ..meaning there are very very specific details that must be maintained with respect to building codes…. clearly not enforced by TOC Code Enforcer Larry Conrad. Even if not… the house is designed as a multi-family dwelling…and again..no fire escapes..no ADA accessibility, no ADA parking upgrades.
Laraway is buying up properties…so that he, Flach, Conrad, and the political powers can create their own "fiefdom" … his way, or the highway… and they probably have a hand in the highway contract as well.


Go through the article to explore the yearly predictions of love, marriage and romance horoscope for Cancer individuals, for the year 2010.
Love, marriage and family are prioritized by all and the same is true with the individuals of Cancer sun sign. Love that is full of surprises, an eventful marriage and a family where disputes surface at ease without your consent, are all part and parcel of life. It is quite obvious to remain preoccupied by the thoughts about personal life. If you are also worried about what would happen in the future, then do not worry, just read the article. In the following lines, we have given yearly predictions of love, marriage and romance, for the year 2010 for Cancer sun sign. Through the horoscope given here, individuals born under the sun sign Cancer would be able to prepare themselves for unforeseen situations.
In 2010, the planet Saturn will be positioned in the 3rd house, while the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu will be in the 6th house and 12th house, respectively. You would not make commitments in relationships. It is suggested to acquire full control over your emotions; otherwise you might face unwanted trouble in your love life. Marriage of bachelors, after October, is on the cards. Divorcee Cancerians have fair chances of finding a new partner during or after a short or long distance journey.
A change in the way you speak or the tone of your voice would result in significant changes in your family life. However, you might feel all alone and left out most of the time in the year. The conditions in your family would neither be too bad, nor too good. There are chances of an extension in your family as well as in the source of your income. Problems might creep in with relation to your mother, house and vehicle in the year 2010. Problems may also surface in your father-in-law's family.


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O Instituto de Apoio à Criança (IAC) é uma reconhecida instituição de solidariedade social portuguesa que vista promover e proteger os direitos da criança. Foi fundada em 1983 pela Dra. Manuela Eanes, primeira dama de Portugal aquando da fundação da instituto. O IAC administra e responde em Portugal aos números europeus 116 111 e 116 000, as linhas SOS Criança e SOS Criança Desaparecida, respetivamente.

Referências

Instituições de Portugal

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Room Templates are the basis of design for Community Based Outpatient Clinics, and establish specific room space and equipment layouts for Leasing projects. Room Templates are listed by Room Code and Room Name and provide files in PDF, CAD, BIM, and IFC file formats. In addition, BIM equipment files are provided listed by JSN and equipment name.