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Home / Cultural Heritage under Threat / Back from the brink: Britain's 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review
Back from the brink: Britain's 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review
Posted by: Rowan Allport
By Dr Rowan Allport – Senior Fellow
The publication last month of Britain's National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review (commonly referred to as SDSR 2015) marked the culmination of a process that had arguably been ongoing since the days following the release of the previous SDSR in 2010. Despite years of dire predictions that anticipated further savage cuts in the name of reducing the UK's budget deficit, the final document saw the Ministry of Defence (MoD) allocated a real-term increase in funding. But the contrasts to the deeply flawed previous review went far beyond simple financial resources. Although a significant number of details are still to be clarified, and there seem likely to be a number of nasty surprises in the proverbial small print, the path laid out by SDSR 2015 should be able to begin to restore the UK's hard-power capabilities and standing.
In retrospect, it was UK Prime Minister David Cameron's decision at the NATO Wales conference in September 2014 to urge fellow member states to meet the NATO target of spending two per cent of their GDP on defence – whilst embarrassingly avoiding committing Britain to maintaining that expenditure level itself – that saw the final form of SDSR 2015 begin to be set. Prior to the May 2015 General Election, Cameron had no intention of protecting UK defence spending. But in the aftermath of an unexpected outright election victory, the right-wing, pro-military backbench Conservative MPs on whom Cameron's slim parliamentary majority depended smelt political blood, and – in concert with elements of the UK's press and military establishment – launched a push for Britain to maintain its defence spending at two per cent of GDP. When this effort melded with both lobbying from the US for the UK to set a good example to other NATO members and ongoing crises in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, the pressure on the British government to honour the principal it had articulated in Wales the previous year became irresistible.
In July 2015, UK Chancellor George Osborne announced that Britain would indeed continue to spend two per cent of its GDP on defence. However, it quickly became apparent that this pledge came with major caveats, the most prominent being that elements of the budget for civilian intelligence agencies would in the future be counted towards 'defence' expenditure – a move that would significantly dilute the spending rise that achieving the NATO target would require. This change comes on top of other recent alterations to how defence spending is defined, which have included the addition of peacekeeping funds, pension payments and elements of cyber security expenditure to the NATO-declared spending total. But the decision to grant the MoD even a modest budget rise at least allayed fears of further cuts, with some predictions from early 2015 suggesting a ten per cent fall in defence spending had been a possibility. If this sounds manageable, it has been estimated that as a result of the eight per cent defence spending decrease enacted in SDSR 2010, the UK lost twenty to thirty per cent of its conventional combat power. It is not hyperbole to suggest that further cuts on this scale would have essentially ended the UK's role as a meaningful international military actor.
The remit of SDSR 2015 covers areas ranging from energy security to diplomacy. However, for the sake of manageability, I will focus here on only the components under the auspice of the MoD. Financially, this department will receive a 3.1 per cent real term funding increase between 2015/16 and 2020/2021, with the overall spend increasing from £34.3bn ($51bn) to £39.6bn ($59bn) during the same period. SDSR 2015 also contains a pledge to increase spending on new equipment over the next ten years from the planned £166bn ($247bn) to £178bn ($265bn).
Examining what this is intended to translate into in practice in the realm of defence, it is clear that one thing that SDSR 2015 cannot be accused of is a lacking of ambition. In relation to power projection, the most striking shift has been with regards to the scale of the force the UK expects to be able to field in the event of a major conflict. SDSR 2010 pointedly stated that Future Force 2020 (FF 2020) would be expected to be capable of only deploying 30,000 personnel overseas – around a third less than the number involved in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 (46,000). SDSR 2015 drastically reverses this decision: by 2025, it is intended that the new 'Joint Force 2025' (JF 2025) will be able to field an expeditionary force of 50,000 personnel, including a three-brigade heavy/medium division, a maritime task group and an air group.
When not engaged in high-intensity warfare, the range of tasks the Armed Forces will be expected to embark upon has remained relatively static. As with FF 2020, JF 2025 will – in addition to supporting peacetime tasks such as the provision of UK air defence – be capable of sustaining one medium-scale enduring operation and multiple smaller operations of a varying nature. However, one notable new addition to the formal list of required tasks is that of defence engagement, with training teams and mentoring being explicitly highlighted. Defence engagement – a task which can range from overseas personnel exchanges with allies to diplomatic meetings – is, of course, nothing new to the Armed Forces. But if any of the diverse current set of conflicts in which the UK has an interest have a common theme, it is that of actors who are hostile to British interests taking advantage of weak internal state security. The advance of ISIS in Libya and Iraq, Boko Haram in Nigeria and Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine were all in large part made possible by the dysfunctional armed forces of those countries. UK military training teams are already present in Iraq, Nigeria, Ukraine, (as well as Afghanistan), and it looks likely that Libya will soon join this list. By making defence engagement a core, funded task of the MoD for the first time, Britain has acknowledged what is arguably the key security lesson of the last half-decade.
In addition to overseas tasks, the UK military will now be expected to contribute up to 10,000 personnel to help with managing a major domestic security crisis – double the previous requirement and in line with the French deployment in response to the Paris terrorist attacks of November 2015. How sustainable such an operation would prove is open to question, but these new provisions at least set out a contingency plan to provide large-scale armed support to civilian police in an emergency. However, perhaps more pertinent to anti-terrorism efforts, both at home and abroad, has been the decision to double spending on UK Special Forces equipment over the next decade.
Looking at the individual armed services, it is relatively clear that the RAF has emerged from SDSR 2015 in the best condition. In relation to fighter aircraft, the situation is mixed. The number of Typhoon squadrons will be increased from five to seven, with (it is to be presumed) older models of the aircraft to be retained in service longer. However, the much publicised pledge to buy 138 F-35B aircraft over the course of the programme is broadly meaningless, as production will last decades (well beyond the scope of SDSR 2015). Furthermore, the claim within the review that it provides for an 'additional' F-35B squadron (two rather than one) is essentially an outright lie: the initial pair of front-line F-35B squadrons to be formed were named over two years ago. Fundamentally, a total of nine fighter squadrons will still leave the UK with a potentially inadequate force when accounting for the tasks at hand.
Nevertheless, beyond the fast jet fleet, the situation is far more positive. Over twenty Protector UAVs will replace the existing ten Predator aircraft, and current ISTAR assets including the R-1 Shadow, R-1 Sentinel, E-3D Sentry and R-135W Rivet Joint will remain operational. The RAF has been unexpectedly allowed to keep fourteen C-130J Hercules aircraft in service, despite plans for their disposal in 2023. The fixed-wing transport fleet will additionally consist of A-400M Atlas, C-17A Globemaster and Voyager tanker/transport aircraft; with Chinook and Puma helicopters in support. However, arguably the most commented upon SDSR 2015 development with regards to the RAF has been the decision to purchase nine P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to mitigate the gap left by the scrapping of the Nimrod MRA4 programme in 2010. Whilst it is currently unclear when the aircraft will enter service – there has been talk of the UK 'jumping the queue' in order to have the P-8s delivered more quickly – it does at least mean that the embarrassing spectacle of Britain having to ask its allies to hunt for Russian submarines in its own waters will come to an end in the foreseeable future.
For the Royal Navy, SDSR 2015 proved to be a relatively neutral affair. What had been previously expected to be a major decision in the review regarding the fate of the second of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers was actually announced a year earlier at the NATO Wales conference, when David Cameron revealed that both HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales would enter service. This decision was intended to grant the Royal Navy the ability to always have a carrier ready to deploy. More broadly, SDSR 2010's plan for a fleet of nineteen escort ships and seven nuclear powered attack submarines has been preserved, as was the size of the amphibious landing force and Fleet Air Arm – although the number of mine countermeasures vessels is to be cut from fifteen to twelve.
Future construction decisions, however, raised more controversy: the planned buy of new Type 26 frigates was cut from thirteen to eight, with the stated intent being to supplement them with a yet-to-be-designed 'light frigate'. Additionally, whilst the fate of the programme to replace the UK's Trident missile-carrying submarines with four new vessels was never in question, SDSR 2015's decision to further delay their entry into service by five years (following a similar move announced in SDSR 2010) presents serious questions as to how long the current Vanguard-class can safely remain operational. Across the fleet, personnel levels also remain a major concern: it was reported that during the build-up to the review's publication, the Royal Navy had asked for 2,000 additional sailors. In the event, it only got 400.
However, amongst all the talk of fighter squadrons and aircraft carriers, it is perhaps the Army that will see the most radical shift in what is expected of it. Structurally, the headline Army reform of SDSR 2015 is the plan to form two new 'strike brigades', medium-weight formations designed for rapid deployment. This plan has significant potential weaknesses: these units will not be ready until 2025, and although details of the structure of these formations are yet to be fully worked through, it seems possible that in converting/downgrading one of the current three armoured infantry brigades into a strike brigade (the other strike brigade will come from upgrading a current light infantry brigade), the Army could end up losing a third of its tanks and heavy artillery. But on the more positive side, the addition of an extra medium brigade to the Army reaction force should hugely increase deployability. During a post-SDSR 2015 question and answer session in the House of Lords, Defence Minister Earl Howe stated in no uncertain terms that the plan was to restructure UK ground forces "so that by 2025 we will be able to deploy a division comprising two armoured infantry brigades and a strike brigade, in addition to our high-readiness forces of 3 Commando Brigade and 16 Air Assault Brigade." Taken at face value (always dangerous), the land force projection capability outlined by the minister represents a significant enhancement of previous provisions. However, serious deficiencies in the support available to Army combat units – most notably in the realms of signals, logistics and engineering – will have to be rectified if timely and large-scale ground operations are to become a reality. The Army is now embarking on review of its structure – tentatively entitled Army 2020 Refine – in order to attempt to calculate how to deliver what is required.
At the other end of the scale, the Army will also be taking the lead in defence engagement, with at least two infantry battalions to be reconfigured to support the training and capacity enhancement of allied forces. This will mean that the overseas support role will, for the first time, have specific dedicated units. More broadly, overall regular Army strength will remain at 82,000, with a target of an Army Reserve of 30,000 trained personnel still the goal. Also as before, the planned withdrawal of the Army from Germany will be completed by 2020.
There is, of course, far more to the security provisions outlined under SDSR 2015 than that listed above. Additional announcements include plans to publish an updated counter-terrorism strategy in 2016, a doubling of investment in efforts to enhance cyber security, funding for additional intelligence personnel, and even new resources for the BBC World Service. However, rightly or wrongly, it is the more traditional hard power component of these reviews that observers take greatest note. But more than that, it is not only the basic content of the document that is important, but also the tone it takes. Certain elements of SDSR 2010 read as if the Government had outsourced the drafting of UK security and defence policy to Eeyore. In contrast, the new review puts forward an optimistic, engaged and outward-looking impression. Such a shift will not go unobserved by the UK's allies, who have (with good reason) expressed their concerns with regards to Britain's attitude to global security engagement.
Being realistic, it is unlikely that SDSR 2015 will age well: with the good news released in a blaze of publicity, the negative aspects are likely to quietly drip out over the coming months. As demonstrated by the ludicrously protracted debate over air strikes in Syria, care must also be taken not to ignore the deeper issues with regards to transforming the UK's security and defence capability and theoretical intent into action. But recovering from the setbacks of recent years was always going to be a process, not an event, and the broadly positive outcome of this review is a crucial step. Although Britain may not quite be back, it is back from the brink.
Prior to SDSR 2015's publication, the Human Security Centre published its own Alternative Defence Review, which can be viewed here.
Image: MoD/Crown copyright 2008 (link)
ASDSR defence SDSR security UK 2015-12-28
Rowan Allport
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About Rowan Allport
Dr Rowan Allport is a Deputy Director who leads the HSC's Security and Defence team. Rowan holds a PhD in Political Science and an MA in Conflict, Governance and Development from the University of York, as well as a BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Hull. Specialising in strategic analysis and international security, Rowan's primary areas of interest lie in the defence issues in and around the NATO region, interstate conflict and US foreign policy discourse. He is also the lead author of HSC's recent 'Fire and Ice: A New Maritime Strategy for NATO's Northern Flank' report. Rowan's publication credits include articles and commentary in The Diplomat, The Hill, DefenseOne, RealClearDefense, The Strategist, UK Defence Journal, Politics.co.uk and The National Interest. He has previously worked as a lobbyist for the Whitehouse Consultancy in Westminster, and as a Senior Analyst for RAND Europe's Security, Defence and Infrastructure team.
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Q: How to replace data in one column in a table with data from a column in another table? I have a table called users that has first_name and last_name columns and I want to shuffle the values in these columns so the names are no longer identifiable as real people.
I thought one way to achieve this would be to create a shuffle table, which takes the value from each column ordered randomly and then sets those values back into the users table, but I can't seem to get that to work.
The code I've tried is:
CREATE TABLE shuffle SELECT first_name FROM users ORDER BY RAND();
INSERT INTO users (first_name) SELECT first_name FROM shuffle;

I don't get any error messages when I run this, but it doesn't do what I'm wanting. Is this the right approach? What am I doing wrong?

A: if you want to update columns in user table, this should work
UPDATE users SET first_name=(SELECT first_name FROM users ORDER BY RAND() LIMIT 1)
but I'm a little bit confused, because in your query you use users2 table, which I don't know what is. Is it copy, or temporary table? Do you need update user table or create a copy of table with shuffled values?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I am new to couponing. I do a little bit right now but am looking forward to learning new ways on how to better my savings. Any tips for the Austin Texas area?
Welcome! The same methods found in the e-book available here should work just about anywhere. I really like the extras in the back. I use the custom lists all the time.
Guys can coupon too, right?
Welcome! The biggest tip I can give is to make sure you know the stores coupon policies in your area. Lots of luck... couponing is such a great way to save a ton of money!!


Until recently we were domiciled in Mulgoa Valley, semi-rural with House Sparrows resident and thriving. Until the horse people next door departed, about five years ago, in retrospect it was over the ensuing months that the sparrows disappeared, only one or two briefly passing through.
The most appealing explanation is . . . → Read More: House Sparrows.


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Homelessness and substance misuse targeted in £3m council crackdown
In 2018 a report from ECC estimated there were 3,500 people living with a combination of homelessness, offending and substance misuse.
Piers MeylerLocal Democracy Reporter
Almost £3m from the Government and National Lottery will be spent on helping people facing significant multiple disadvantages (Image: Getty)
Get a weekly round up of all the biggest court and crime news in Essex
Almost £3m in grants will be spent by Essex County Council on helping people living with significant multiple disadvantages including issues around crime and drug addiction.
The grants, totalling £1.9m from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and £900k from the National Lottery Community Fund, will be spent over the next three years by the authority to help tackle challenges facing the county such as homelessness and substance misuse.
In 2018, a report from the county council estimated there were 3,500 people living with a combination of homelessness, offending and substance misuse in Essex.
Read more: Latest news about Essex County Council
Making Every Adult Matter, a coalition of charities, has estimated a cost to public services per individual with significant multiple disadvantages (SMD) of £41,124 per year excluding benefits.
What are the plans?
The Changing Futures programme will work with adults experiencing SMD who are not receiving or engaging with services. They may also have learning disabilities, financial issues, physical health needs or other accommodation issues.
A proportion of the money will be spent with charity and housing association Phoenix Futures, who have demonstrated a high success rate in their work providing services for people affected by substance use.
To deliver the Changing Futures programme, the current £7m Offenders with Complex and Additional Needs contract between ECC and Phoenix Futures will be increased by £300k so it includes adults experiencing SMD.
Another £2.5m will be spent on other areas - including 900k to increase the capacity of support from district and borough councils and £470k on mental health and wellbeing posts.
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It is estimated that only 16 per cent of people facing two or three severe multiple deprivations consider their quality of life to be good or very good, compared to over 70 per cent of the general population. Furthermore, only six per cent of those are reported to be in employment.
A statement to the county council's cabinet said: "Individuals with Significant Multiple Disadvantage i.e. those in contact with the criminal justice system (both perpetrators and victims), coupled with substance misuse and/or mental ill-health and/or homelessness, will invariably have poor health outcomes, and experience health inequalities.
"One of the main challenges is services being generally equipped to treat or support single issues, rather than being able to address multiple needs at one time.
"Services are too often focused on the problem and so neglect the multiple factors involved and fail to resolve those issues, leaving people revolving between services, as well as often falling below eligibility thresholds, leaving for example mental illness untreated and without providing the support they need.
"One consequence of this is that, for example, they end up being admitted to Accident and Emergency, or arrested by the police and taken into custody.
"Due to their multiple needs, those with SMD are then prevented from successfully engaging with treatment or support, and so fall through the gaps. For example, a person with substance misuse issues may be refused mental health support. Similarly, those with mental ill-health may be made homeless/prevented from accessing housing support due to the manifestation of that mental ill-health and lack of necessary support to help them sustain a tenancy.
"There is evidence that this disjointed and ineffective approach also has a detrimental impact on wider society, for example, with the effect on children of parents with SMD."
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Millions of families across the EU are in a situation of over indebtedness, millions more don't have access to a basic bank account, another few million don't have access to basic loans such as mortgage credit in order to buy a home where they can thrive as a family. Access to housing is a precondition for social inclusion and can be facilitated by various public policies like overarching welfare programmes, but also (public) social housing, intervening in the rental market, or policies on home ownership. For a majority of families, a mortgage is the only way to access home ownership. Yet a mortgage comes with risks like defaulting on the mortgage for various reasons (life accidents, illness, job loss,…). In this regard, the number of non-performing loans is still quite high in Europe.
COFACE Families Europe explored, in the following report, in which way the Danish mortgage system can help families access housing while lowering the risks for both families and financial service providers, balancing the interests of both families (social inclusion), financial service providers (profitability and risk hedging) and governments (social stability).
According to the recent Country-Specific Reports under the European Semester 2018, some countries are experiencing imbalances which are affecting the economy, including vulnerabilities in the financial sector coupled with high-indebtedness and non-performing loans in the corporate sector (Bulgaria), high stocks of private debt and increasing mortgage debt levels (The Netherlands), high levels of non-performing loans (Portugal), and overvalued house price levels and rises in household debt (Sweden).
– All families to have access to certain financial products such as mortgage credit, pensions and saving products to ensure that they can make long-term life investments which are essential for their family life.
COFACE Families Europe Annual Report 2017 is out!


Port Isabel, situated in the southeastern corner of Texas, sits along the shores of Laguna Madre Bay and across a causeway bridge from South Padre Island. In addition to activities such as fishing, swimming and boating, attractions in the city include the historic Port Isabel Lighthouse, the Lighthouse shopping and dining district, and the Treasures of the Gulf and the Port Isabel historical museums. Among events held in the area are the Texas International Fishing Tournament and the Lighthouse Arts & Heritage Festival. Antique and flea markets are regularly held in Port Isabel's Beulah Lee Park. A handful of places to stay are within its city limits.
The Casa Rosa Motel (spadre.com) in Port Isabel has daily, weekly and monthly rates available. Located four miles from the beaches of South Padre Island, the motel has rooms that all come with microwave and refrigerators. It also has suites equipped with hot tubs. On-site facilities include a spa and an enclosed outdoor swimming pool with chairs and tables. The two-story motel is within walking distance of the Laguna Madre Bay and approximately a mile to the east of the South Padre Island Golf Club.
A family-owned-and-operated establishment in Port Isabel, the Marchan's White Sands Motel, Marina & Restaurant (the-white-sands.com) first opened in 1952. The motel consists of rooms that come with two full beds as well as kitchens equipped with stoves, microwaves and refrigerators. Both daily and weekly rates are available for most of the year, while monthly rates are available during the winter. Motel facilities include a laundry room and a swimming pool. The restaurant, which serves three meals a day and offers waterfront dining, specializes in seafood and Mexican cuisine. It also has a bar area. The marina has boat slips, a boat launch, a gas pump and a store.
The SouthWind Inn (southwindinn.com), situated in Port Isabel's historic district and within walking distance of the lighthouse on Laguna Madre Bay, has rooms that come with kitchenettes, bathtub/shower combinations and ceiling fans. The rooms on the first floor have marble floors, while the second-floor units provide scenic views of South Padre Island, the bay and the Queen Isabella Causeway Bridge. For recreation, the inn has an outside swimming pool. Within a few minutes of the inn are the Port Isabel historic trolley tour and the Port Isabel Museum.
The Long Island Village (longislandvillage.com) is accessed via a swing bridge from Port Isabel. This is a gated community that has permanent residents, but it also has accommodations for people on vacation. Lodging options include RV camping sites with full hook-ups and a dock, park models and cottages. Many of the cottages and sites are along a channel that connects to the Intracoastal Waterway. Recreation facilities on the property include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, an 18-hole par-3 golf course, an exercise room and tennis courts. Among its other amenities are a laundry facility, a library and a boat ramp. Various events are held at the village, including holiday and cocktail parties, concerts and a golf benefit.
Smith, John. "Places to Stay at in Port Isabel, Texas." Travel Tips - USA Today, https://traveltips.usatoday.com/places-stay-port-isabel-texas-60776.html. Accessed 20 April 2019.


This renovated 18th century farm is located in outside of Moergestel in Brabant. The shutters and partially thatched roof reinforce the farm atmosphere. The spacious garden with picnic table, play equipment and the covered terrace offer activies outside of the house as well. This holiday home is located on the edge of the village centre on a tree nursery. The centre of Moergestel is only 1 km away and the pleasant village Oisterwijk is not far from your holiday home either. The region is perfect for long walks and cycling trips. The Oisterwijkse woods are only a stone's throw away from your holiday home. This location is also a good starting point for day trips to attraction park de Efteling and Safari park Beekse Bergen.


Rachelle is the Marketing Team Lead for Planting Roots. She is an Army veteran, Army wife and mom of four boys, two with four paws. She has been a financial counselor in the military community for over ten years, a residential planner for nearly 20 years, a speaker and aspiring writer. She is passionate about helping military women create a lifestyle full of "ABUNDANCE." Connect with her on Instagram @rachellesamone.
My name is Larissa Traquair and I am a Jesus-loving, Bible-believing, God-fearing woman who is a recovering perfectionist and is passionate about glorifying God in all I do. I am a scrap booker, card maker, paper planner who knitted for a little while and survived running for 6 months. I am a great friend who loves to do lunch. My motto is: "Everyone has to eat so why not eat together." I am also a foodie and a very picky eater. I love dark chocolate and hate almost ALL vegetables. I will always prefer eating out over cooking at home.
I am married to a Marine and we are retired in the great state of Texas. We parent a pair of adopted bulldogs (Hope & Chip) who keep us both entertained and humble. God has been known to refine us through our everyday interactions with this, the most stubborn of breads. As a military spouse, I have lived overseas twice; traveled to Thailand & Hong Kong; and even lived in Hawaii for three years.
God has blessed me with many adventures that have allowed me to write for a local blog on the island of Okinawa; host my own craft show; and serve behind bars at the only all-women's Correctional Center on Oahu. I have served on several P.W.O.C. (Protestant Women of the Chapel) boards and I have had the pleasure of speaking at two local P.W.O.C. events.
My passion is to help other women realize that adopting an attitude of gratitude will make a world of difference in their lives and the lives of those around them. God has given us a sphere of influence, aka a community to do life with, and we get to choose whether we influence this community in a positive or a negative way. To accomplish this purpose I believe God called me to start broadcasting live on Periscope back in 2015. This is where I, the GR8TFUL Chick, Chief Inspirational Officer (CIO) of the GR8TFUL Tribe, get to share an encouraging word daily with the amazing Tribe that God has given me. By equipping me in this manner He gave me this opportunity to introduce our Planting Roots team to this fabulous way of reaching out to military women all over the world. You can find one of our PR Team members broadcasting most weekdays at www.periscope.tv/PlantingRoots1 and you can find the GR8TFUL Tribe at Gr8tfulChick.com. Join us on social media where we are making a difference in the world, one broadcast at a time. We love doing community with other #WorldChangers. Join us and discover that you can change the atmosphere wherever you show up!!!
My name is Stacey. I met my high school sweetheart about 27 years ago and married him a couple years later. He joined the Army shortly after that and we began what would become a 20-year career. We retired about four years ago and bought a little house in the beautiful country side of Kentucky. Then about 2 years later, the Lord let us know He had another plan in mind and so we landed in Alabama at Redstone Arsenal. We have two grown kiddos, Ryan who remained in Kentucky and Caitlyn who is still at home for now and enjoying college, and three fur babies. I am in the half empty nest season of life, a hard thing for someone who absolutely adores babies and motherhood, but I am determined to navigate it the best way I know how, surrounding myself with Godly, military women.
I feel the call to women's ministry and have served on the board of PWOC at both Ft. Knox and here on the Arsenal. I have also served as a church administrator, MOPS/ Women's group leader and social media coordinator for our church in Kentucky. I just love social media and the avenue it provides to let everyone know what the Lord has done for us and to be an encourager and inspiration. It's the best way I know to serve, love and lead those around me and make a positive difference for Christ in my online (and offline) community. I loved being an Army wife and can't wait to use all my experience and stories to inspire and encourage the women of Planting Roots.
Courtney Woodruff is a military spouse, mom of two boys, writer and web content strategist currently living in the Pacific Northwest. She has a heart for our troops and their families and strives to draw from her own experience to help fellow spouses navigate the challenges of military life. You can connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.


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Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star Review
Ever since Chris Farley died, I've been a little concerned about David Spade. Tommy Boy and Black Sheep were two of the funniest comedies of the '90s, but Spade's movie career since has been less than stellar. Lost & Found and Joe Dirt just weren't up to his potential, and I wondered if he could actually carry a film by himself. Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star has given me a little more faith.
Dickie Roberts was a cute little blonde kid who captured the hearts of America on his "Brady Bunch"-like TV show "The Glimmer Gang." His catchphrase that melted hearts was "That's knuckin' futs!" His mother Peggy (Doris Roberts), who was his manager, would sometimes dress Dickie up as a little girl if the part called for it. When "The Glimmer Gang" got cancelled, Dickie's life fell apart. His mother abandoned him, he developed a weird habit of always wearing gloves, and he was now a six-year-old has-been. Fast forward to the present day, and a 35-year-old Dickie (Spade) is now parking cars for celebrities at a nightclub. He has tried the occasional comeback attempt, like fighting Emmanuel "Webster" Lewis in a "Celebrity Boxing" match, but nothing is working. His girlfriend, Cyndi (Alyssa Milano), has just dumped him for being a loser. All he has for friends are his fellow former child star poker buddies, Barry "Greg Brady" Williams, Leif Garret, Corey Feldman, Dustin "Screech" Diamond, and Danny "Danny Partridge" Bonaduce. He also has his faithful agent, Sidney Wernick (Jon Lovitz), by his side. When Dickie hears about a primo lead part in the next Rob Reiner-directed film, he imposes upon some of his connections to get a meeting with Reiner. Brendan Fraser helps him out, and he gets the meeting. Reiner (appearing as himself) tells Dickie that he has the right look for the part, but that he hasn't lived a normal enough life to get the right emotional tone for the part. Since Reiner wasn't planning on auditioning for the role for another month or so, it would give Dickie some time to learn how to be normal. He figured that all he needed to do was relive his childhood with a normal family. Dickie decides to sell his memoirs to raise some money to hire a family to teach him how to be normal. After some scary potential families, He chooses the Finney family. In a deal made with George Finney (Craig Bierko), the owner of a used car dealership, Dickie would stay with the Finneys for one month and observe how a normal family acts. This comes as a surprise to George's wife, Grace (Mary McCormack), and their two kids, Sam and Sally (Scott Terra and Jenna Boyd.) When George points out how much they need the money, Grace reluctantly agrees. At first, Grace and the kids don't like Dickie, because he is rude and has weird tantrums, but they start to warm up to him. For Sam, it is because Dickie teaches him how to be more assertive, allowing him to stand up to the school bullies and ask out a cute neighbor girl named Barbie (Ambyr Childers.) For Sally, Dickie teaches her some cheers for the pep squad, so she can compete against Heather Bolan (Ashley Edner), a girl who gets her way by using moves that are just a little too spicy. For Grace, Dickie teaches her also to stand up for herself, against her rude neighbor (Edie McClurg) and her constantly absent husband. Meanwhile, Sidney goes to great lengths to get Dickie an audition, which becomes increasingly hard when he learns that Dickie is competing for the part against Sean Penn. If all goes well, Dickie will learn how a real kid is supposed to grow up, and maybe he will be ready to audition for the comeback role of a lifetime.
You definitely have to be a fan of '70s and '80s sitcoms to appreciate the humor in this movie. Anyone who has seen an episode of "E! True Hollywood Story" can find some humor in this film (in fact, the movie starts out with a fictional episode of this show talking about Dickie.) It's funny how former child stars are coming back in full force in different projects that poke fun at their status. Aside from FOX's "Celebrity Boxing," there is the WB's "The Surreal Life" (a "Real World" for has-beens), E!'s "Star Dates" (single B-list celebrities go on two dates with real people), and NBC's "The Rerun Show" (a troupe of comic actors reenact old episodes of cheesy sitcoms with a weird new twist.) You might also mention ABC's "Celebrity Mole" and "I'm a Celebrity! Get Me Out of Here!," but those are just recent has-beens. I think the whole self-parody trend started with the hilarious big-screen adaptations The Brady Bunch Movie and The Addams Family. Ever since, many child stars have come to accept their role in pop culture and are now making money poking fun at it. In fact, during the credits at the end of the movie, several former child stars sing a "We are the World"-like song about how they get tired of being asked about the roles that made them famous. It is a very funny scene, and it might surprise you to see who shows up (that Maureen "Marcia Brady" McCormick has a filthy mouth!)
So how is the movie aside from the pop culture references? Not bad. Spade gets in some great lines while trying to help out the family who is helping him. It does dip into sentimentality a little heavy, but I can forgive that. I'm just glad to see Spade finally lead a movie worth going to see.
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star will crack you up, especially if you grew up with the child stars that are being lampooned. Spade still has a ways to go in terms of bringing out a movie that is as funny as his two with Farley, but he is on the right track. Now that "Just Shoot Me" is over, maybe he can concentrate on a full on movie comeback. This one is a good start.
Get the soundtrack featuring songs by David Soul, Corey Feldman, Christopher Cross, and many other classics:
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alias mkdir='nocorrect mkdir -p'
alias cp='nocorrect cp -R'
alias mv='nocorrect mv'
alias which='nocorrect which'
alias source='nocorrect source'
alias man='nocorrect man'
alias git='nocorrect git'
alias h='history'
alias history='fc -l 1'
alias j='jobs -l'
alias ..='cd ..'
alias path='echo -e ${PATH//:/\\n}'
alias du='du -h'
alias df='df -h'
alias ls='ls -F'
alias ll='ls -lFh'
alias la='ls -alFh'
alias ldot='ls -ld .*'
alias less='less -M'
alias xs='cd'
alias vf='cd'
alias moer='more'
alias moew='more'
alias kk='ll'
alias sshx='export DISPLAY=:0.0 && open /Applications/Utilities/X11.app && ssh -X'
alias lssh='ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o GlobalKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -o ConnectionAttempts=35 -o ConnectTimeout=1 '
#alias dxt='xtitle `basename $PWD`'
alias fixopenwith='/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user'
alias gitpu='git pull && git sm update && git remote prune origin'
alias wget='wget -c'
alias grep='nocorrect grep --color=auto'
alias fd='find . -type d -name'
alias ff='find . -type f -name'
alias t='tail -F'
alias zshrc='vim ~/.zshrc'
alias luajit='rlwrap luajit'
alias lua='rlwrap lua'
alias lua5.1='rlwrap lua5.1'
alias lua5.2='rlwrap lua5.2'
alias lua5.3='rlwrap lua5.3'

alias -g N='2>/dev/null'
alias -g L='| less'
alias -g H='| head'
alias -g T='| tail'
alias -g G='| grep'
alias -g L="| less"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Steps to Take When Calling for an Auto Towing Company
Best CricHD Alternatives Sports Fans Should Know
How to Enhance Your Quality of Life Through Passive Income
EDITHOW
By Robert Lopez / July 1, 2022
How Chatbots Have Changed the Way of Customer Service
Chromecast With Google TV: The Big Feature Update
No one dreads towing services. Towing service is often the best option in case of
No one dreads towing services. Towing service is often the best option in case of an accident or inability to...
What are some of the best CricHD substitutes out there? The most important sites like CricHD are a need if...
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7 Key Mobile Advertising Networks That Will Dominate in 2022
Automobiles Business Entertainment Finance Internet Lifestyle News Science Technology
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Joy Sargita Singarayer (born 23 September 1976) is a British climate scientist and Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Reading, where she is joint Head of the Department of Meteorology. She has made contributions to understanding past climate change (particularly the Quaternary) and has used that knowledge to constrain current and future environmental changes. Her work focuses on interactions between humans, land cover/use and climate, and future implications for agriculture and water resources.

Education and research career
Singarayer completed a MSci in Physics at Imperial College London in 1998. She moved to the University of Oxford and completed a PhD in 2002 on "Linearly modulated optically stimulated luminescence of sedimentary quartz: physical mechanisms and implications for dating" with Richard Bailey. Singarayer then moved to the School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, where she held a lecturer and later senior lecturer position. She moved to the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading in 2013.

Singarayer's research can be broadly split into two main areas: the use of modelling approaches to help understand of the mechanisms of environmental changes, and land surface changes (anthropogenic and natural) and their interactions with climate. Her work on the catastrophic release of fresh water during the end of the last ice age showed how ocean circulation can be affected, which has implications for future loss of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. She has shown how sea ice has regulated Earth's past climate, both through reflection of sunlight and prevention of heat escaping from the warm ocean to the atmosphere. Using climate simulations, Singarayer demonstrated that methane emissions from last glacial cycle may be the result of Earth orbital changes, rather than human activity. Singarayer has also quantified the climate implications of changing land use by agriculture, including assessment of the bio-geoengineering benefits of switching to high reflectivity crops.

Media and presenting
Singarayer has been involved in a number of scientific public communication activities. In 2009 she acted in an advisory capacity for the BBC's six-part "The Incredible Human Journey", exploring the evidence for the theory of early human migration out of Africa, presented by Alice Roberts. The same year, she presented four episodes of Channel 4's "Man on Earth" series, alongside Tony Robinson and Jago Cooper. It looked at the effect of climate change over the 200,000 years of human history.

Singarayer also provides commentary on historical climate-related news stories.

References

External links
 http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3511887

British climatologists
Academics of the University of Reading
Living people
Paleoclimatologists
Alumni of Imperial College London
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Academics of the University of Bristol
1976 births

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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This Ancient Tick Is Engorged On The Oldest Mammal Blood Ever Discovered
Discussion in 'Veterinary Discussion' started by Admin, Apr 5, 2017.
By Admin on Apr 5, 2017 at 1:34 PM
Imagine, if you will, an ancient, engorged tick feasting on the blood of a monkey in a steamy tropical jungle as far back as 45 million years ago.
Suddenly, the monkey's companion discovers the tick while grooming its partner, and roughly flings it aside, where the injured, bleeding parasite sinks into a dense, sticky tree sap. Over time, the sap slowly fossilises into amber, preserving the punctured pest in a frozen time capsule, surrounded by the oozing blood droplets of its last meal.
"These two tiny holes indicate that something picked a tick off the mammal it was feeding on, puncturing it in the process and dropping it immediately into tree sap," he adds.
"This would be consistent with the grooming behaviour of monkeys that we know lived at that time in this region."
Not only does the specimen reveal the tick and its last meal, but if you examine the scene under a microscope, the specimen holds the only known fossils of a tick-borne parasite that's still around today, called Babesia microti.
Babesia microti infects the blood cells of humans and other animals, causing a potentially fatal disease called babesiosis in humans. A related parasite is responsible for the bovine form of the disease, called Texas cattle fever.
The amber specimen shows that this tick-borne pest has been plaguing animals for millions of years, says Poinar Jr.
Fossilised red blood cells. Credit: The George Poinar Jr/Oregon State University
"The fossilised blood cells, infected with these parasites, are simply amazing in their detail," he says. "This discovery provides the only known fossils of Babesia-type pathogens."
If it all this amber time capsule stuff sounds a little like something out of Jurassic Park, that's no coincidence.
Poinar Jr's research in the 1980s examining ancient critters (and their genetic structures) being preserved in fossilised amber was part of what inspired novelist and filmmaker Michael Crichton to incorporate the ideas into his famous dinosaur-resurrecting story:
In more recent years, the researcher has looked at the origins of malaria in the time of dinosaurs, and identified a whole new order of insect.
After decades of this research, Poinar Jr remains just as fascinated with how ancient insects from several million years ago can still teach us important scientific lessons.
"The life forms we find in amber can reveal so much about the history and evolution of diseases we still struggle with today," he says.
"This parasite, for instance, was clearly around millions of years before humans, and appears to have evolved alongside primates, among other hosts."
As for whether there's any chance we could extract the genetic code from this ancient monkey bite to recreate primates from Earth's distant past, Jurassic Park-style, Poinar Jr isn't too hopeful.
"Oh, I wish I could get some DNA out of the specimen," he told Ryan F. Mandelbaum at Gizmodo, "but it would destroy it... so I am not trying at the moment."
The findings are reported in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
Admin, Apr 5, 2017


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Bishops and astronauts gather in Washington to remember Apollo 8
by Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service
webRNS-Space-Religion5-121318.jpg
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Michael Curry addresses the gathering at the Washington National Cathedral on Dec. 11, 2018. (RNS/Jack Jenkins)
Washington — Sometimes, the most profound truths about humanity — and God — are revealed when we take a small step back. Or rocket ourselves about 238,000 miles into space.
Astronaut James Lovell had that epiphany 50 years ago as he became one of the first astronauts to orbit the moon.
"I remembered a saying I'd often heard: 'I hope to go to heaven when I die.' I suddenly realized that I went to heaven when I was born," said Lovell.
Lovell spoke at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday night (Dec. 11) as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Apollo 8 mission that sent Lovell and fellow astronauts William Anders and Frank Borman into space to circle Earth's gray satellite.
The mission, which lasted from Dec. 21 to Dec. 27, 1968, included an unusual religious element: As the trio of spacefarers rounded the moon on Christmas Eve, they paused to read the first 10 verses from the Book of Genesis.
"From the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you — all of you on the good Earth," Borman said, in what was then the most-watched broadcast in history.
The themes of religion, space and caring for the "good Earth" were recounted over and over Tuesday evening as religious leaders and NASA officials addressed a crowd gathered beneath a canopy of swirling stars projected onto the cathedral's sprawling ceiling.
Randy Hollerith, dean of the cathedral, opened the festivities by reflecting on the unique way Apollo 8 impacted life here on Earth — especially the famed "Earthrise" photo.
"This amazing mission that I would call a pilgrimage revealed not only the dark side of the moon, but it gave us the most powerful images of our small and fragile world — God's precious gift, awash in an unimaginably large universe," Hollerith said. "I think of it as a holy journey not only for what it accomplished, but for what it revealed to us about our place in God's grand creation."
Hollerith's sentiment was echoed by Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, who drew parallels between the experience of spaceflight and encounters with divine mystery.
"The exploration of space is part of the human quest for knowledge, and the human quest for knowledge is to know God's creation," Curry told Religion News Service before the ceremony. "There is something awe-inspiring about (space) that must be akin to the awe experience of the mystics, who from a different angle beheld this world and look at it from within."
During his address, Curry discussed how cosmic awe can fuel Earth-bound activism. He said many have claimed the famous Apollo 8 "Earthrise" photo helped jump-start the modern environmentalist movement, and he called on those present to continue that tradition by taking action on climate change.
"This is God's world. We are here because the great God Almighty looked back and said, 'I'm lonely; I'll make me a world.' Deep in the fabric of this creation, we are a part of it — not the sum total of it," Curry said during his talk, which was broadcast live on NASA TV.
He hoped Tuesday's commemoration would be "a moment of re-consecration and dedication" of the mission of NASA and others "to explore new worlds, to seek out vast knowledge and then to mobilize the great knowledge of science and technology and the wisdom of humanity, to mobilize it now to save this oasis, our island home."
To drive his point home, Curry led the crowd in a slow, soft rendition of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."
Curry's environmentalist message likely resonated with the next speaker, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. Earlier this year, the former Republican congressman from Oklahoma became one of the few high-level Trump appointees to throw his support behind the overwhelming scientific evidence for climate change and declare that humans are contributing to it.
Bridenstine's remarks at the cathedral focused on the sheer audacity of the Apollo 8 mission. He noted that the astronauts' Christmas message reached those in Soviet Russia, where religious celebrations were discouraged by the officially atheistic government.
He then cited the Genesis passage to frame NASA's plans to return to the moon. He explained that ice found there could provide resources and even rocket fuel for future space missions to Mars, the moons of Jupiter and beyond.
That Scripture passage says that "God separated the waters, the water below the firmament … and the waters above the firmament," he said. "We now know that there are hundreds of billions of tons of water ice at the poles of the moon."
Religion has played a perhaps surprising role in the space program since the beginning.
A few months after the Apollo 8 Scripture reading, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, a Presbyterian, had Communion on the moon — complete with bread and a small vial of wine — just hours before stepping out on the lunar surface with Neil Armstrong. Astronaut Edgar Mitchell carried microfilmed copies of the King James Bible on Apollo 14.
In 1996, astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman, who is Jewish, read the opening verses of Genesis from a Torah scroll while in orbit.
And in 2007, the Malaysian space agency convened a group of more than 150 Islamic scholars to determine how Muslim astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor could pray while orbiting the planet in the International Space Station.
Projectors illuminate the ceiling of the Washington National Cathedral scenes of the cosmos on Dec. 11, 2018. (RNS/Jack Jenkins)
Fusions of space and faith have also sparked controversy.
The Apollo 8 Genesis reading triggered a lawsuit by famed atheist activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who argued the crew's actions violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, which dismissed it by citing lack of jurisdiction.
On Tuesday night, Hollerith mentioned that the National Cathedral retains a piece of the otherworldly in its walls. One of the stained-glass windows in the main sanctuary is called the "Space Window" — a gift from former NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine — and contains a piece of moon rock collected during Apollo 11. The window was illuminated for the occasion.
While NASA doesn't promote any specific faith or religion in general, the agency's work can touch on broader spiritual concerns, Bridenstine told RNS.
"I will tell you, as the administrator, when I talk to people in the community, there is an element of spirituality that is present in the work that we do," he said. "The Scripture is very clear that God created the heaven and the earth. … There are other spiritual questions, like are we alone in the universe? Could there be life on a world that is not our own? These are scientific questions, but also gets to maybe a deeper philosophical understanding of 'what is our place in the universe?' "
Asked about the possibility of sending faith leaders into space, Bridenstine said NASA "absolutely" would be amenable to the idea.
"I think it'd be fantastic — why not?" he said, pivoting to a discussion of NASA's role as customer in the rapidly expanding private space industry.
"The vision I would like to present is a vision where anybody from any walk of life would have access to space, the same as we have right now to airliners," he said. "It doesn't matter if it's somebody from the clergy, or just a faith leader of some kind — everybody should have access."
The evening concluded with an address from Lovell, who recounted in vivid detail his first historic journey around the moon and back.
As he reflected on his first thoughts upon seeing the Earth emerge above the lunar horizon, he repeated the evening's theme: Traveling to the moon was about exploration, yes, but also about understanding life here on Earth.
"I arrived on a planet with a proper mass to have the gravity to retain water and an atmosphere — the essentials for life. I arrived on a planet orbiting a star at just the right distance to absorb that star's energy," he said.
He paused, then added: "In my mind, the answer was clear: God gave mankind a stage on which to perform. How the play ends is up to us."
Environment | Bishops and astronauts gather in Washington to remember Apollo 8
'Laudato Si'' is inspiration for those who want to be part of the solution
Whose artificial intelligence should we be worrying about?


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Turn That Noise Down
Theatre...
Art...
SotD80 - Nick Straker Band
Inspired by our series of articles looking back at music released 30 years ago, Jimmy Hunter takes a step further back in time to give us a Song of the Day 1980. This week, he goes for A Walk in the Park...
If you want to know what I looked like at some point in 1980 then have a look at the lead singer of this week's band. If anyone around my age says they didn't have a perm in the '70s or early '80s then they're quite simply lying. Or ashamed. Or deeply uncool. I'll also admit to the tiniest of crushes on ol' Nicky, the lead singer. But only tiny.
This week we are bopping to what I always think of as one of the kick-offs of the Eurodisco sound – A Walk in the Park by the Nick Straker Band. Yes, it's poppy and yes it smacks of "the holiday disco hit" – and it had actually been a massive hit in (western) Europe throughout the summer but having just returned from three weeks Canada, I'd missed it.
I do like this record though. A bouncy keyboard and bass intro with the inevitable handclap machine and a simple bassline that effectively goes up a few notes then back again. The lyrics are light, fluffy and largely meaningless but as a post-summer record, it kept the discos going well into autumn and I remember dancing to it still at a weekly disco into October.
The drum roll and peel of syndrums heralding the chorus actually provide the hook, along with an escalation in sound and instruments and the repetitive chorus with added falsetto voices:
"A walk in the park, a step in the dark.
A walk in the park, a trip in the dark.
I`m getting away, escaping today"
Some of the members of the group were simultaneously members of New Music so were entertaining themselves with a couple of hits around the same time. The band didn't hold stick around that much after the next album or two. Seven years later, Stock Aitken and Waterman (PWL) did the inevitable remix and it was a hit all over again.
This latter tragedy notwithstanding, I think it's as good now as it was then [You always do! – Ed] and here is the band's first appearance on Top of the Pops …
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❶Both Kiedis and Slovak were beginning their long and in Slovak's case soon to be fatal battles with drugs on this tour.
Freaky Friday—the latest from the often weird and wonderful world of writing this week. Check the challenge out here. Freaky Friday—the latest from the often weird and wonderful world of writing this week followed, as always, by a prompt. The HuffPo polled readers for their favorite literary fights, and the results and brief explanations made for one of the most fascinating reads of Charles Bukowski loved Wagner.
Oscar Wilde loved Haydn. Turns out year-old Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, Janet Evanovich and others have a different audio hero Close Encounters of the Authorial Kind: The Word Made Flesh: If your favorite books are already forever imprinted in your mind, why not wear them on your sleeve? Check out the trailer for an intriguing new book on literary tattoos.
PS, anyone else have any literary tattoos? Freaky Friday—the latest from the weird and wonderful world of writing this week followed, as always, by a prompt. Song of the Sun Inspired by recent discoveries about the Sun. A Secret Worth Keeping 3 friends share a life-altering secret on the 3rd of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day.
The Review Spot Free, honest, and in-depth reviews. Secret Santa A fun way to get in the holiday spirit! Perhaps The broken and confusion of a mans love. The Violinist and the Violist A poem from an album. There is much more to come from here. The Cold-chapter 4 Mute Hank tries to communicate by writing about the night before. Peace as my mind's chatter becomes numb Just expressing my minds mettle.. A Loss of Faith Amy has doubts about being a Christian.
Offline or Private Last On: Welcome to my port. Feel free to have a look around, but if you read, please rate and review! All your comments will be valued. Luv Don Magic Fanny If you like my work, please visit my website at http: The wierd and wonderful world of things that don't make sense! I came out of the shower all wet and really had to text this hot guy I know.
Paragraphs to show you are naughty. I totally deserve a spanking with a paddle because I have been naughty today. If only there was someone to spank me for that. I get so turned on thinking about you. I wish I had someone to help me try it out. Paragraphs to tease him about what you have planned for later. Would you mind if i cooked in my nightgown for you? I have been thinking long and hard about what i want you to do to me tonight. I wonder who would like to see me in it.


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8th May 2020 Expense Payments / Payroll
Tax treatment of the reimbursement of expenses of travel and subsistence to office holders and employees
Tax treatment of the reimbursement of expenses of travel and subsistence to office holders and employees (Clarifications)
The material in Tax and Duty Manual Part 05-01-06 has been updated to include the following:-
Clarification at Paragraph 1 that Civil Service travel and subsistence rates apply exclusively to payments made by employers to employees; and
At Paragraph 4.12 members of non-commercial bodies, to clarify that section 195A of TCA 1997 applies to expenses of travel and subsistence for attendance at relevant meetings.
This manual explains the tax treatment of reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses to employees (including directors).In practice, one of two scenarios will generally arise:
1.The employer does not reimburse an employee for the cost of travel and subsistence, or
2.The employer reimburses an employee for the cost of travel and subsistence.
In the first scenario, an employee may claim a tax deduction for travel and related subsistence expenses necessarily incurred in performing the duties of her/his employment by submitting a claim to her/his Revenue office. There are no circumstances where it would be appropriate for a taxpayer to apply the civil service rates of travel and subsistence to themselves in calculating the expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of the employment in question. The civil service rates of travel and subsistence apply only in the case of payments made by employers to employees.
4.12.Members of non-commercial bodies
Section 195A Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 exempts from tax the reimbursement of expenses of travel and subsistence to certain members of non-commercial bodies, in both the public and private sector, in respect of attendance at meetings of such bodies. This section is specific in its application and the exemption only applies to expenses of travel and subsistence for attendance at the meetings.
The exemption applies where the work of the members is generally performed either in the course of meetings of the board or in preparation for such meetings. Incidental duties such as attendance at conventions or meetings as delegates on behalf of the body may be disregarded for this purpose.
For the purposes of this section, a 'member', in relation to a body, means a person holding office as a member of that body and who has no other duties in relation to that body. Where a member has other duties, the exemption will simply not apply.
To qualify for the exemption, the member's annualised emoluments (excluding the expenses) from the body must not exceed €24,000 per annum in the case of the chairperson and €14,000 in the case of other members. The exemption covers expenses up to the Civil Service rates.
A non-commercial body in this context means a body –
that is organised solely for purposes other than for profits;
that, in fact, operates other than for profit;
whose activity income is used by the body to assist it in achieving its purposes;
does not distribute or otherwise make available any of its income for the personal benefit of any officer, employee or member or connected person other than as wages, salaries, fees or honorariums for services rendered.
See Tax and Duty Manual Part 05-02-19 for further information in respect of Non-Executive Directors attending board meetings.
The application of the Capital Goods Scheme and the VAT treatment of Donations or Gifts of goods or meals
Charities VAT Compensation Scheme – extension to closing date for submitting claims


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Q: DaVinci Resolve won't start Ubuntu 16.04 So finally free version of Resolve has arrived, but after I installed it on my notebook it doesn't start. Can someone help me out?

A: Installing libssl-dev and a few symbolic link solves the problem. Please enter the commands below:
sudo apt install libssl-dev
sudo ln -s /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgstreamer-1.0.so.0 /usr/lib/libgstreamer-0.10.so.0
sudo ln -s /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgstbase-1.0.so.0 /usr/lib/libgstbase-0.10.so.0
sudo ln -s /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libssl.so.1.0.0 /usr/lib/libssl.so.10
sudo ln -s /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libcrypto.so.1.0.0 /usr/lib/libcrypto.so.10

(Source)


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From its humble beginnings in a backroom office, to what is now a six-office brokerage, Josslin Insurance is a family business and a staple in the community – a success story with roots dating back to 1880.
Managing partners and brothers, Scott and Steve Wagler want to continue to keep their father's legacy alive as the business keeps on booming.
"The Company grew over the years and the boys grew with it too," says their father, Don Wagler.
"They worked in the office on evenings and weekends doing odds and ends and learned the business. Scott worked for a number of insurers and after university, Steve came directly here. They've helped the business grow into what it is today. They've been in it from the ground up. There was no coercion to come into the business, it was their choice."
And the brothers never looked back.
"We learned from mom and dad that it's about personal relationships and that it takes a lot of good people to grow," Steve says.
Family Photo: Steve, Rose, Don and Scott Wagler
For Scott, the same core values remain present in the business today, as they were from the very beginning.
"It's about caring," he says. "They've always cared about what happens to their customers and this is what works. This is why it continues to flourish."
And flourish it has.
What began with only two employees, now staffs over 76 in offices located in New Hamburg Elmira, Kitchener, Cambridge, Tavistock and Wellesley.
As one of New Hamburg's oldest businesses, Josslin Insurance is recognized as being an integral part of history in the area.
Louis Peine, from New Hamburg, opened the business in 1880 and became known as one of the foremost insurance specialists in southern Ontario.
By 1920, he ran his own insurance business, the CPR Telegraph Office and a bookstore. He also represented New Hamburg on Waterloo Country Council.
But five years later, Peine was tragically killed when his car stuck a freight train on Waterloo Street. He was 69.
Following his death, his sons Fred and Theodore formed a partnership and continued the business, but in 1930 Fred contracted pneumonia and died at age 52.
Ted Peine continued the business for 17 years until he sold it to Robert A. Park in 1947.
In 1950, Park sold the agency to Rupert L. Hatter, the superintendent of agencies at Economical Insurance Company and three years later it was sold to John B. Josslin.
When Josslin's lease expired in 1975, the agency was sold to New Hamburg native, Donald Wagler, who had worked for Prudential Insurance Company of America for 10 years.
Office Staff (Rose is on the left and Don is in the back with the beard), 1979
New offices opened and two years after purchasing the agency, it became a family operation, with Don's wife Rose coming on board.
The couple have recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.
Although retired, they are still keen to lend a helping hand when they can.
"We overcame a number of challenges," Don says. "When we bought the business, we just had two people working at the time. The government then had decided that we had to become a brokerage so that's when we became an independent brokerage, working with different insurers, representing our clients."
The insurance industry has evolved over the years and Josslin Insurance has had no choice, but to make changes with it.
"At first, we were primarily dealing with personal lines. There seemed to be a rate for every risk. Now, most insurers have their own appetite and if they haven't a certain rate for a certain risk, they simply don't want it," Steve says.
"Everything has become more complex. We sell a government mandated product and since I started with Scott in the 90's, it has become so complicated."
Josslin Insurance offers a variety of insurance products including, car, home, life, commercial farm, group home and auto and group life and benefits.
The company is partnered with over 29 insurers to help better suit the needs of clients.
"If you want to do business with us, we meet with you face to face. We grew up in a smaller town, which is why we continue to make a presence in our rural communities. We are all about community and supporting them is one of our cherished values," Scott said.
"If they have a question, they can come see us. We hold on to the bricks and mortar in this digital age. Because without the bricks and mortar, there would be no community."
It's the bricks and mortar left by their parents that the brothers continue to build on.
"We've had support from each other and from the Centre for Family Businesses. Having a family business is complicated, but in the end, it's what carries you through," Scott said.
Steve says that everyone in the family has a role to play and everyone has a voice.
"And these roles continue with each new challenge," he says.
His mother Rose couldn't agree more.
"We may not always have a consensus, but we always get through it. There's always tough times, but sometimes, you just have to laugh," she said.
Scott and Steve have often witnessed their parents going out of their way for clients.
"We worked late through bad storms and stayed because of limited service during these events," Don says.
"And during the tornado in Goderich, we stayed and tried calling all of our clients to make sure they were ok," Rose adds.
The company takes pride in being able to personally handle all of it's client's claims, 24/7.
"One of our people will always answer; a real person, not some computer voice" Don says.
"It's about taking time and effort to support the people we are here to serve."
And for Steve, it's very much about learning how to continue to better serve them.
"We are always trying to be innovative in how we serve and it's challenging times right now. It's not easy for anyone as companies battle for coverage."
The company has a history of innovation from being one of the first brokerages to have a computer, to being one of the first businesses in New Hamburg to utilize fibre optics.
Last year, Josslin Insurance won IBAQ Innovator of the Year by offering clients a consumer app which provides them with options such as proof of coverage, policy change requests and submitting claims, all at their fingertips.
Despite all the challenges, family is key and it is what continues to keep the brokerage, "real".
"We start the day everyday with open eyes and ears. We learn from our mistakes and continue what's good. This has been an opportunity for us, with a common goal in mind. It's about keeping one foot in front of the other at all times," Scott said.
His father too has seen the value of forward thinking.
"It's like riding a bicycle. You are either moving ahead or you fall. This is the reality of the times. You have to move forward and that can be challenging," Don said.
Steve sees a bright future ahead.
"Despite the challenges we have always tried to differentiate ourselves. But even in a digital era, it's always been about the people. People look for people they can trust," he says.
For the brothers, the roots run deep and it's what has helped the business branch out into what it is today.
"Through the years it's been the optimism and caring attitude that makes a real difference for our customer," Scott said.
"And this is what matters to all of us."
family businessinsurancelocal
Written by Barbara Geernaert
Local Origins - Wellesley
Marriage Today - How to Find the Right One
Letter from Bryan May – MP for Cambridge


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Randall Monk – Greetings, . Your planet is experiencing a time of great change. Each and every one of you are experiencing a major shift as well. This, this is an extraordinary opportunity; a time of choice, a time of quantum growth potential.
This is a unique time, a grand time on your planet, and a grand time for the cosmos.
You have the ability to make unparalleled changes within yourself and your planet. You are creating your world via your thoughts, your feelings and your actions. You are also creating your group environment and the experiences of your planet as a whole, via your group consciousness.
Your point of focus is of paramount importance during this period. Your point of focus determines what you are creating, what you are manifesting in your life, and in your world.
This is an opportunity to make grand changes; to make quantum leaps in your spiritual development, in the growth of you as an individual and the growth of your planet.
We ask that you consider focusing on that which you wish to create rather than what you see and experience in the world. If you wish to see your planet at peace, we encourage you to see the planet at peace, to feel yourself at peace – to experience the feeling of peace. We encourage you to focus on what you would like to see and experience in your world.
You have free will. It is your choice. It is always your choice whether you choose to employ in your life what we share.
When interacting with another human being we invite you to look at their good points. Find something to appreciate or love about them; something that will bring forth the light, something that will allow their light within to shine brighter. As you do so, the light within you will shine brighter as well.
This is an opportunity for unprecedented leaps; you make these quantum leaps via your point of focus. We encourage you to focus on the good within your world. We encourage you to focus on the good within yourself. We encourage you to maintain a high vibration, by placing your attention on the way you want your world to look – feeling the pleasure of that experience, rather than the way it appears.
When you focus on present discordant circumstances you are reinforcing and re-creating the same experience; you are giving energy to that which you focus on. When one wishes to change their circumstances or their world, it is imperative to hold the vision, hold the feeling of the New World, the new reality you wish manifest.
Should you choose to do this, know that we are watching. We are encouraging you. We are applauding you.
Your point of focus is like the dial point of a radio. It can move to another station, without being stuck.


In this article, we'll review some of the primary Digital Marketing Channel Benefits for small businesses.
If you're just starting a business, or just getting into the digital marketing game it can be overwhelming trying to figure how each channel might benefit your business.
Let's get into the Digital Marketing Channel Benefits!
You're likely already very familiar with display advertising as it is the most widely used form of advertising online.
In case you're not, display ads are visual ads that are presented across countless websites, blogs, forums, apps, and so on.
With display advertising, CPM (cost per thousand impressions) can be very low, so a successful display campaign can be very cost effective. Combined with the fact that display ads are visual in nature, they can be a great way to raise brand awareness.
Targeting has become increasingly more sophisticated for display advertising. Whatever demographic you are trying to reach, you can target them with display advertising. This means you can not only reach a wide audience, but you can present your ads to the right people.
Display advertising provides real-time performance tracking. This means you can get feedback on how your ads are doing, and tweak and optimize along the way in a quantified manner.
Because display advertising has been around for so long, agencies such as Affix have streamlined and optimized the process. This means the right agency can deliver you reliable results.
Paid search ads are sponsored search results that appear on at the top of the page when you search on Google. You can also run paid search ads on Bing and other search engines (but let's be real, Google is the big player here).
Essentially, you bid on various keyword phrases in order to have your ad show as a sponsored search result. If you run an online bicycle shop, you'll likely run ads for phrases such as "2019 mountain bikes" "Schwinn bicycles" and so on.
The main advantage of paid search is that you can connect with users who are already in a buying mindset. Adding on to the previous example, if someone searches for "Buy Schwinn Bicycles" there's a good chance they are ready to buy a Schwinn bicycle.
Paid search can be extremely targeted. In addition to specific keywords, paid ads can target parameters such as location, device, language, time of day, and more. This allows you to reach the specific type of user that you want to.
Paid search campaigns are measurable. Just about everything you can think of can be tracked with paid search campaigns. From user impressions to clicks, to conversions, and so much more – you'll have access to data. With that data, there is plenty of room for understanding performance and optimization.
When it comes to paid social, we're primarily talking about running ads on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and to a lesser extent Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat and so on.
Paid social is similar to display advertising yet allows for more sophisticated control and targeting of your campaigns.
While coming regulations have the potential to tighten the reigns a bit, companies like Facebook collect endless amounts of data on its users. What this amounts to is an extremely sophisticated targeting system for advertisers. Advertisers can target based on demographics such as age, gender, location – but also things such as interests, purchasing behavior, favorite websites, travel behavior and more. This means you can reach exactly the audience you want to with incredible precision.
With guaranteed visibility, and a massive audience, paid social is a great way to extend your reach and build brand awareness.
Fit any budget. With paid social, you can start small and scale your campaigns as your business and marketing budget grows.
Email marketing is self-explanatory. It is the practice of marketing to users (that have voluntarily subscribed to you) via email.
By the nature of communicating with users who have subscribed to your email list, you already know they are interested in your business and what you have to say.
Email marketing provides clear metrics. With open rates, click through rates, conversion tracking and so on – email marketing performance can be easily tracked and optimized.
Social media marketing is simply utilizing the various social media platforms to promote your business by interacting in an "organic" manner. Where paid social involves paying for advertising on these platforms, social media marketing consists of sharing content, commenting, liking posts, and interacting with your audience similarly to how you would with a personal social media account.
Increased brand awareness. Most of us live on our devices these days, and so much of that time is spent on social platforms. If your business isn't on social media, it doesn't exist. Not to mention that social media allows for sharing of your content with the click of a button – your audience can get the word out about your business for you! By building your presence on social media, you are building brand awareness as well.
Build trust and authority. Engaging with your audience on social media allows you to connect with them in a non-transactional manner. You can provide value to them without selling anything which will improve the perception of your brand.
Drive traffic to your website. Being active on social media is a great way to attract new visitors to your site. The more quality content you have on social media, the more inbound traffic you'll generate. More traffic means more leads and more conversions.
SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the practice of improving visibility/ranking of your web pages in organic search results. This is achieved by using certain keywords on your website, optimizing technical aspects such as page load speed, managing your "online reputation" with link-building, and other various techniques.
It's cost-effective. SEO is one of the most cost-effective digital marketing strategies because it helps you to connect with an audience that is actively searching for your products or services online.
Increased traffic. Top positions on the search engine results page get almost all the clicks. Improving your SEO can result in dramatic increases in traffic to your website.
Build brand awareness. In addition to increased traffic to your site, being at the top of search rankings will improve your brand awareness and build trust with your audience.
While the term content marketing can include email marketing, social media marketing, and various other platforms for content we'll specifically be referring to on-site content such as a blog.
More time on site. This may seem obvious, but having high-quality content on your site will increase the amount of time your audience will be on your site. With increased time on your site consuming content, there will be increased spillover to leads and conversions.
Build trust and authority. By producing high-quality content, you can position your business as an authority in the industry. If you create compelling and interesting content that provides value to your audience, they'll be more likely to think of you when the time comes to make a purchase.
Improved SEO/search engine visibility. Producing content isn't a magic bullet for SEO, however, high-quality content combined with a larger SEO strategy will get your site visible on search engines.
Ultimately, each of these channels shines and are most effective as part of an integrated digital strategy.
Contact Us to learn how we can help you build a comprehensive digital strategy. Or, learn more about our services today.


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Champions League Results 2017: Qualified Teams After Wednesday Round-of-16 Ties
Matt JonesFeatured ColumnistMarch 8, 2017
Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Sergi Roberto scored a dramatic 95th-minute goal to complete a stunning comeback for Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday, as the La Liga side won 6-1 on the night at the Camp Nou and 6-5 on aggregate.
Barcelona looked out of the competition after Edinson Cavani's goal made the score 3-1 in the match. With three minutes on the clock, the game was meandering toward a straightforward conclusion before Neymar struck a quickfire brace and Roberto stretched to steer home the Brazilian's pass in injury time.
Borussia Dortmund are also through to the quarter-finals as a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hat-trick helped them beat Benfica 4-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate.
On Tuesday, Bayern Munich booked their place in the last eight in style, hammering Arsenal 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium to complete a 10-2 victory over two legs. Holders Real Madrid also progressed at the expense of Napoli. The remaining eight teams complete their ties Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here's a look back at the results from this week's Champions League showdowns and a reminder of some absorbing contests in Europe's premier club competition.
Champions League 2016-17: Last-16 Results
Date Fixture
Tuesday, March 7 Arsenal 1-5 Bayern Munich (2-10 on aggregate)
Tuesday, March 7 Napoli 1-3 Real Madrid (2-6 on aggregate)
Wednesday, March 8 Barcelona 6-1 PSG (6-5 on aggregate)
Wednesday, March 8 Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Benfica (4-1 on aggregate)
Wednesday Recap
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Barcelona have won the Champions League five times in their history, as well as myriad other titles. But there arguably will not have ever been a more thrilling moment in the club's existence than after Roberto's goal.
After losing the first leg to PSG 4-0, it was incredible that Barcelona even found themselves with a chance of progressing as the clock ticked into stoppage time. But as they threw everyone forward, Neymar somehow found Roberto with a brilliant cross.
This graphic from OptaJohan summed up just how crazy the final stages of the game were at the Camp Nou:
OptaJohan @OptaJohan
1 - Barcelona's 95th min goal came from a free-kick given after a foul on goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen on the opposition half. History. https://t.co/Ps6aalmkeF
This clip from Bleacher Report UK broke down how the incredible night panned out:
B/R Football @brfootball
The greatest comeback in Champions League history 🙌🏼 https://t.co/4wtH43DtDm
While the mettle of Barca is to be admired, for PSG it's another night of failure in the Champions League, as they crumbled under wave after wave of Blaugrana pressure.
PSG were distraught at the final whistle.JOSEP LAGO/Getty Images
Cavani's goal in the 61st minute looked to have spared their blushes after a horrendous performance. But as the momentum built in the final stages, the Ligue 1 champions were like a drained boxer leaning on the ropes, waiting to be hit with the knockout blow.
Jonathan Johnson of ESPN FC thinks that the French champions only have themselves to blame:
Jonathan Johnson @Jon_LeGossip
If you really think Barcelona were "vintage" tonight, you are easily pleased. PSG wrote history for them here. #FCBPSG #UCL
Dortmund also produced a comeback of their own to make their way into the last eight, although it wasn't quite as breathtaking as Barcelona's.
Aubameyang, having spurned so many chances in the first leg, found his shooting boots at the Westfalenstadion, netting a brilliant treble. U.S. national team member Christian Pulisic, still just 18, also found the back of the net for the Bundesliga side.
Tuesday Recap
For those Arsenal fans in attendance at the Emirates, it was another night to forget in the Champions League round of 16, as their club was obliterated by the German champions.
While the home side did take an early lead through Theo Walcott, a penalty for the visitors in the second half and a red card for Laurent Koscielny triggered a spectacular collapse. Robert Lewandowski's goal from the spot was the first of five in the space of 30 minutes for the visitors.
The scoreline meant an embarrassing 10-2 defeat over the course of the two legs for the Premier League side. The Bayern Twitter feed couldn't resist rubbing it in:
FC Bayern English @FCBayernEN
What time is it? Yep, it's ten to! 🔥 #UCL #ARSFCB https://t.co/T2lDkvivkS
As bad as Arsenal were, manager Carlo Ancelotti evidently has the Bundesliga giants peaking at the perfect time as they go in search of European glory.
You sense they may have to better Real Madrid if they're going to do so, though, with the holders showing their class in this competition once again with a quality performance in Napoli. They too fell behind, although they kept composed to recover to a 3-1 win at a hostile San Paolo.
Real are putting together a strong defence of their title.ALBERTO PIZZOLI/Getty Images
Centre-back Sergio Ramos was once again the hero for the Madrid giants, as he grabbed a brace. Per ESPN FC, so often he's on hand to pull his side out of the muck:
ESPN FC @ESPNFC
Of Sergio Ramos' 21 goals since the 2014 Champions League final, 18 have come when Real Madrid are losing or tied. https://t.co/icsRBXEhrj
While Los Blancos have 11 European Cups/Champions League trophies to their name, no team has every retained the trophy in its current format. Given the quality they possess, the calmness of manager Zinedine Zidane and big-game performers like Ramos, Real will feel they have what it takes to make more history in a competition synonymous with the club.


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Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
Francis Ford Coppola began to film 'Apocalypse Now' in February 1976. After 238 days in the jungle, filming was complete and millions of dollars had been spent (Marlon Brando was on set for three weeks at a million dollars a week). Actors had been replaced (Harvey Keitel by Martin Sheen). They had all gone a bit insane (according to Coppola) and the whole thing was documented on film by his wife, Eleanor.
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Christchurch, New Zealand: Experienced business leader Garry Diack has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of leading New Zealand exporter and critical communications company Tait Communications.
Mr Diack brings strong leadership and a wealth of governance and management expertise to Tait Communications. He has a 25 year career as an advisor in corporate performance improvement, governance and growth-related strategies in New Zealand and offshore.
He has served as a Trustee of the Contel Charitable Trust, one of the owners of Tait Communications, since 2007. Mr Diack's advisory roles have included News Limited (now News Corp Australia) and PMP Limited.
He was also involved in the merger activities, which led to the creation of Fonterra in 2001 and, as interim CEO, led State Owned Enterprise Solid Energy through a period of challenging market conditions last year.
Mr Diack replaces former CEO Frank Owen, who stepped down in April 2014. David Wade, Tait Communications acting CEO will remain with the company. Mr Diack's appointment is effective immediately.
Chairman of the Board, Peter van Rij, said, "Garry's appointment is exciting for us and a significant addition to Tait as we continue our tradition of innovating in the global market place.
"Garry will lead Tait Communications' shift to software solutions and support services as part of our global growth strategy.
"We're grateful for the energy and commitment of all our employees during our search for a new leader, and would like to thank David Wade for his excellent leadership."
Mr Diack said: "Tait is a business with such immense potential. It is endowed with great people and its excellent track record of international performance has clearly secured its status as an iconic brand for Christchurch and New Zealand. I am privileged to have secured this position and very excited to have a leadership role in its ongoing success."


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News & Press: Press Releases
The People's Favorite Iowa Architecture
Des Moines, Iowa (April 30, 2018) –The American Institute of Architects, Iowa Chapter (AIA Iowa) is pleased to announce the winners of the third annual People's Choice Award. Throughout the competition that lasted the month of April, the public had the opportunity to vote for architecture built by Iowa's architects. The public could vote once per project per day through IowaArchitecture.org and at the end of the month, nearly 125,000 votes were counted.
The Top 3 People's Choice Award Winners:
1) Southeastern Community College - Health Professions Center by DLR Group with 23648 votes
2) Prairie Ridge Integrated Behavioral Healthcare by Accord Architecture with 20950 votes
3) Storm Lake High School Addition and Renovation by DLR Group with 11186 votes
Twenty-eight projects were submitted for consideration by the community, including many schools and public buildings. This year saw a marked increase in community participation. Last year this program collected a total of 41,000 votes. In 2018, it soared to 125,000!
All of the winning projects can be found on IowaArchitecture.org. AIA Iowa would like to extend our thanks to all who participated and to encourage you to vote again next year!
ABOUT AIA IOWA:
Since 1857, the American Institute of Architects has represented the professional interests of America's architects. AIA Iowa, headquartered in Des Moines, is a statewide affiliate of national AIA with nearly 1,000 members. AIA Iowa members are committed to excellence in design and are proactive in the design of livable communities. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct that assures the client, the public and colleagues of an AIA member architect's dedication to the highest standards of professional practice.
For interviews or pictures, please contact Jessica Reinert at AIA Iowa, (515) 244-7502, or e-mail her at jreinert@aiaiowa.org.