text:
Noerr Newsroom news Poland: Anti-crisis shield for Covid-19 epidemia
Poland: Anti-crisis shield for Covid-19 epidemia
I. EMPLOYMENT MATTERS
1. REMUNERATION SUBSIDIES:
Entrepreneurs may apply for funding of the employees' remunerations from the Guaranteed Employment Benefit Fund (for a total period of 3 months from the date of conclusion of the agreement on granting funds) with regard to employees affected by the economic standstill or short-time work as a result of the pandemic:
an employee affected by the economic standstill shall receive a reduced remuneration (however, the employee's remuneration may not be lower than the statutory minimum remuneration); this remuneration shall be funded from the Guaranteed Employment Benefit Fund up to the amount of 50% of the statutory minimum remuneration along with the social security contributions from the granted funds paid by the employer (i.e. PLN 1,533.09), taking into account the total working hours;
in the event of a decreased turnover due to COVID-19 (by 15% or 25% towards applicable references periods), the employer may reduce working time by 20%, however no less than to 1/2 full-time working time (however, the employee's remuneration may not be lower than the statutory minimum remuneration); the remuneration shall be funded from the Guaranteed Employment Benefit Fund up to 40% of the average monthly remuneration in Poland in the previous quarter (as published by the Polish Statistical Office – GUS) along with the social security contributions from the granted funds paid by the employer (i.e. PLN 2,452.27).
2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF WORK:
The conditions and mode of work during a period of economic standstill or reduced working hours shall be determined by the employer in consultation with the company's trade unions, representative trade unions or in consultation with the employees' representatives. The employer shall send a copy of the agreement to the competent district labour inspector within 5 working days of the agreement being concluded.
3. WORKING TIME:
It shall be possible to shorten daily uninterrupted employee's rest from the current 11 hours to 8 hours, and weekly time of uninterrupted employee's rest from 35 to 32 hours. It shall also be admissible to extend daily working time to 12 hours (equivalent working time) and to extend settlement period to 12 months.
4. PERIODIC MEDICAL CHECK-UP:
The obligation to carry out periodic medical check-ups with regard to employees shall be suspended until the end of the epidemic state (the obligation will have to be fulfilled within 60 days following the end of the aforesaid state).
The validity of medical certificates issued as part of periodic medical check-up which expired after 7 March 2020 shall be extended until 60 days from the date of the end of the epidemic state.
5. EMPLOYEES' CAPITAL PLANS:
Implementation of the Employees' Capital Plans in medium-sized enterprises is postponed until 1 October 2020.
II. CORPORATE MATTERS
It shall be admissible to hold management boards' and supervisory boards' meetings with the use of means of distance communication. Adoption of resolutions by the aforesaid corporate authorities shall be possible in the same manner or in the written form. It shall also be possible to cast a vote in written form through another member of the company's governing body. These means will be admissible unless the articles of association or statutes provide otherwise
It shall be admissible to attend the Shareholders Meeting and the General Meeting of Shareholders with the use of electronic means of communication and exercise the voting right in the same manner.
It shall be possible to postpone the deadline for approval of remuneration policy in listed companies for the members of the management board and the supervisory board until 30 August 2020 on the basis of the regulation.
III. REPORTING OBLIGATIONS
The deadline for disclosure of information in the Central Register of the Ultimate Beneficial Owners shall be postponed until 13 July 2020.
IV. PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
Parties to public procurement agreement shall be obligated to inform each other about the impact of circumstances connected with COVID-19 on the proper performance of their contractual obligations.
It shall be possible to modify a public procurement agreement in a situation where the circumstances related to the occurrence of COVID-19 may adversely affect the proper performance of the agreement (the price increase caused by this change may not exceed 50% of the agreement value).
It shall be possible to release a party from the contractual penalties for delay in fulfilment of the public procurement in connection with the pandemic.
Members of the companies' governing bodies shall not be liable for damage suffered by the company as a result of refraining from pursuing claims arising out of: non-performance or improper performance of the public procurement agreement due to circumstances related to the occurrence of COVID-19; modification of the agreement due to COVID-19.
V. COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES
During the period of the ban on operating in commercial facilities with a sales area exceeding 2000 m2, mutual rights and obligations of the parties to the lease, tenancy or other similar agreement shall expire.
VI. LEASE AGREEMENTS
Lease agreements shall be extended until 30 June 2020 on the basis of the tenant's declaration which should be submitted not later than on the original expiry date. This rule shall not apply if the tenant has breached the lease agreement.
It shall not be allowed to terminate the lease agreement or change the amount of rent until 30 June 2020, except in the cases indicated in the regulations.
Any questions? Please do not hesitate to contact us.
Radosław Biedecki
Ludomir Biedecki
Jakub Lerner, LL.M.
Radca prawny, Attorney-at-law (NY), Solicitor (England & Wales)
Paweł Żelich
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Q: How to print result of function "add" from class "Add" from "Fun with Type Functions" Below the code from here Fun with Type Functions
{-# LANGUAGE MultiParamTypeClasses, FlexibleInstances, FlexibleContexts, TypeFamilies #-}

-- Start basic
class Add a b where
  type SumTy a b
  add :: a -> b -> SumTy a b

instance Add Integer Double where
  type SumTy Integer Double = Double
  add x y = fromIntegral x + y

instance Add Double Integer where
  type SumTy Double Integer = Double
  add x y = x + fromIntegral y

instance (Num a) => Add a a where
  type SumTy a a = a
  add x y = x + y
-- End basic

This is the code which I'm trying to run:
main = print $ show (add 1 1)

This is the result:
No instance for (Show (SumTy a0 b0))
      arising from a use of `show'
    Possible fix: add an instance declaration for (Show (SumTy a0 b0))
    In the second argument of `($)', namely `show (add 1 1)'
    In the expression: print $ show (add 1 1)
    In an equation for `main': main = print $ show (add 1 1)

I've tried few things like putting "data" everywhere:
Result 1
Not a data constructor: `a'

Result 2 (after removing "instance (Num a)")
Multiple declarations of `Double'
Declared at: ...

like adding some function:
class Add a b where
    type SumTy a b
    add :: a -> b -> SumTy a b
    s :: SumTy a b -> String

instance Add Integer Double where
    type SumTy Integer Double = Double
    add x y = fromIntegral x + y
    s (SumTy _ x) = show x

main = print $ show (s (add 1 2.0) )

with this result:
Not in scope: data constructor `SumTy'

As you may have noticed I'm stuck so any help is priceless for me. :)

A: The problem is that there is not enough context to determine which instance of Add to use, and hence the type of the result cannot be determined. Since ghc doesn't know which types to use, it reports the most generic problem, there's no Show instance for a generic SumTy a b:
No instance for (Show (SumTy a0 b0))
      arising from a use of `show'
    Possible fix: add an instance declaration for (Show (SumTy a0 b0))
    In the second argument of `($)', namely `show (add 1 1)'
    In the expression: print $ show (add 1 1)
    In an equation for `main': main = print $ show (add 1 1)

The suggested "Possible fix" isn't what is required here, though. What you need is to specify the types of the arguments to add, so that the instance to use can be determined, and thus the result type:
*TyFun> show (add (1 :: Int) (1 :: Int))
"2"
*TyFun> show (add (1 :: Integer) (1 :: Integer))
"2"
*TyFun> show (add (1 :: Integer) (1 :: Double))
"2.0"
*TyFun> show (add (1 :: Integer) (1 :: Float))

<interactive>:7:1:
    No instance for (Show (SumTy Integer Float))
      arising from a use of `show'
    Possible fix:
      add an instance declaration for (Show (SumTy Integer Float))
    In the expression: show (add (1 :: Integer) (1 :: Float))
    In an equation for `it':
        it = show (add (1 :: Integer) (1 :: Float))

<interactive>:7:7:
    No instance for (Add Integer Float) arising from a use of `add'
    Possible fix: add an instance declaration for (Add Integer Float)
    In the first argument of `show', namely
      `(add (1 :: Integer) (1 :: Float))'
    In the expression: show (add (1 :: Integer) (1 :: Float))
    In an equation for `it':
        it = show (add (1 :: Integer) (1 :: Float))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Instead of being lazy and spending the day reading and napping (as I'm on vacation), I spent the day hiking along Kennesaw Mountain and train watching. Although there were a number of overlooks, the haze and humidity prevented decent photos.
Up along the ridge of Pigeon Hill, just south of Little Kennesaw, there were beautiful prickly pears in bloom. Here, on June 27, 1864, Southern units from Missouri repelled an attack led by northern units that were also from Missouri. The South held the high ground but had to withdraw when Sherman's larger army threatened to flank around their positions. These prickly pears were spaced over an acre or so. There were a few other flowers in bloom (varieties of sunflowers and spiderworts), but the pears were most beautiful.
The definition of heaven for a bee!
A train heading toward Tennessee along the former Western and Atlantic Railroad (now CSX). In the Spring of 1864, General Sherman moved his army down this line in his approach to Atlanta. This was also the line on which the great railroad chase, between the General (carrying Union spies) and the Texas, took place. Last month, I wrote about watching Buster Keaton in "The General," one of the great silent movies.
A 3 Word Wednesday and a Southern Haiku
The last two days have been great--sleeping in and taking my time and not having to worry about too much... It's nice to be on vacation. I played around a bit with poetry this afternoon. Yesterday's Three-Word Wednesday assignment was to write something using the following three words (match, illegal, blurred). I don't know why these words brought the mind Bonnie and Clyde… There have been enough poems and lyrics written about the two and now here is my attempt.
A match made in heaven,
theirs were not.
Petite and refined,
a lover of words and a desire for fame,
Bonnie fell for Clyde and together they ran,
leaving behind a string of illegal deeds
and a winding trail of spent shells
from Clyde's Browning Automatics
till one day in late May
on a dirt road in Louisiana
the law caught up.
Deafened by exploding gunpowder
and vision blurred by the flying lead
their match were broken with their lives
eternally separating
the two.
As part of Maggie's Southern Summer Reading Challenge, she's sponsoring several mini-contests. One is to write a haiku to describe one of the books you're reading. The winner of her contest receives an autographed copy of Mudbound, donated by the author, Hillary Jordan. My haiku describes Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray.
Crazy ancestors
Cars in Longleaf, wiregrass yard
Rusting, a childhood
Everything Must Change: A book review
I'm down south on vacation and won't be able to keep you very well with my readings of blogs. I'll get around some, but a lot depends on where I am at (and for much of next week on the coast, I won't have regular internet access). But I will try to occasional post. I committed myself to read five non-fiction books for Joy's challenge (and I've read three to date). This is my second review. I need to get around to reading some of my Southern Challenge books (I started my first yesterday).
Brian D. McLaren, Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 327 pages, endnotes, some graphs and discussion questions for each chapter.
As anyone who has spent time in American churches knows (and as those who haven't spent time there probably suspects), the problems our world faces and the issues that seem to command the most attention and interest within churches are not the same. Having observed this disconnect, McLaren sets out to answer two questions: "What are the biggest problems in the world?" and "What would Jesus have to say about these global problems?" McLaren's hope is to begin a discussion that will get the church addressing the serious problems faced by our planet.
McLaren, in Everything Must Change, draws from hosts of fields and disciplines to make his case. At points, he's a theologian and biblical scholar. Other times he writes like a politician, an environmentalist, a scientist, a historian, peacenik and an economist. It is impossible for one individual to master all these disciplines; therefore specialists in each field may find chinks within McLaren's armor. But by focusing too much on small chinks, one will overlook McLaren's important message.
This book makes a compelling case that the world is a mess (that's not hard to do!) and that the church needs to change in order to address the problems our planet faces. He is especially critical of the western "prosperity" system that is not sustainable and creates not only environmental problems but also security and equity problems with the rest of the planet. As one portion of society becomes more affluent, they spend more on security to protect their affluence, a loop that becomes an insane trap. McLaren refers to this as a suicidal system.
Drawing on the work of other scholars, McLaren goes to great length to explain the "framing story" of the Roman Empire (into which Jesus was born) and to allow parallels to the modern world be made within the mind of the reader. The pax Romana, which was in place in the early 1st Century, wasn't enjoyed by all. Slaves, servants, small farmers, women, and those living in the border lands suffered. In order to enforce the peace, the cross was utilized to make sure those disenfranchised towed the party line. Within this world, McLaren identifies four viewpoints. The imperial or dominant view was enforced by the cross. Not only did this view include the Roman soldiers and officials, but also the Herodians and Sadducces, many of whom profited from the Roman system. Defying the official world view were the zealots, the revolutionaries of the day who advocated forceful removal of the Romans. Then there were those like the Pharisees who adopted a "dual narrative" and lived under the Roman rule, but challenged it by their strict religious rule in domestic matters. Finally, there was a fourth group, the Essenes, who fled into the wilderness. Jesus socialized with all, but he provided an "emergent narrative" framed around the "kingdom of God."
McLaren critiques each of the counter-narrative to the dominate culture, applies them to our lives, and then calls for followers of Jesus not to let the "framing stories" of our age reframe the gospel to support their positions, but to allow Jesus' teachings to challenge the status quo that is destroying the world. Knowing that the present system isn't working, this should be obvious, but as McLaren points out, there are ways people have adapted the gospel in order to support the existing system. McLaren is highly critical (and for this I praise him!) of the modern eschatology as appears in popular literature such a the Left Behind series, Such belief supports a dangerous myth that there is no way to keep the world from going from bad to worse, but we don't have to worry because Jesus is going to come back as a conquering king (they type he refused to be in the first century) and kill all the bad guys.
At the end of the book, McLaren lays out potential solutions. However, this is not a self-help book and he only has broad ideas about possible solutions. His main concern is to get people to question our current "dominate system" (a technique he suggests is similar to what Jesus did to the Roman system) and look for alternatives. Quoting from economists, he makes suggestions of ways we can help address the inequality within the world and help the desperately poor to improve their lives. He calls on believers to embrace Jesus "kingdom narrative" and to involve themselves in personal, community, public and global action.
I am still pondering much of what McLaren has said here. On one level, this book is important as it gets us to think about the church in a new way. The church is not just about saving souls, it's about exhibiting God's kingdom to the world (something we have a hard time doing when we're wedded to the dominate system). McLaren criticizes the Protestant emphasis on grace (page 208), and runs the risk of over emphasizing works (I think the two—grace and works—need to be in tension and perhaps McLaren would agree with such a scenario). I didn't really hear McLaren cite the traditional Protestant view that from our gratitude (for what God has done for us), we are to do God's work. It seemed more like he made the case that we better get our butts busy because we're in deep trouble. From my point of view, such a message lacks grace.
McLaren criticizes traditional economic thinking that growth is the answer. Although I don't remember him using this analogy, the idea is that instead of cutting a pie more equally, a better way to help the poor is to get a bigger pie. Of course, such strategies don't work (30 years of trickle-down economics has shown us that the economy isn't necessarily tied to the laws of gravity and doesn't trickle-down!) I think McLaren is right in that we need to consider what the limits of growth are and what a sustainable economy might look like. Finally, McLaren doesn't emphasizes the resurrection nearly enough. He does mention it, but it's seems to be an after thought-tacked on as a way to provide hope. Instead, the resurrection is the central theme of the Christian faith, a theme that allowed the early church to take the empire's symbol of domination (the cross) and recreate it into a symbol of liberation. .
I recommend this book. It's easy reading; I'd love to know what others might think. For more information about Brian McLaren's ideas, check out his website.
For my summer travels and reading plans, click here.
An afternoon in the canoe
Today is the last day of school and only half a day at that. So it was a good day to take off and we headed to some new water.
This lake is very shallow and there are lots of weeds, but also lots of waterfowl. Here some geese are taking to the skies. There must have been three or four pair of great blue heron's on the lake. There were some huge tadpoles (compare this guy to the blade of my paddle). The smaller ones were darting around, the larger fellows were sluggish as they made the transition to the frog world.
Not only was the lake pretty (even though in another month, the lily pads will be thick enough to walk across the water), the drive was also nice
Driving home, I spotted two young sandhill cranes being attacked by a redwing blackbird! They must have been too close to the redwing's nest. I wish I had my 300mm lens with me!
I've got to work a lot this weekend, but on Tuesday I'll be heading south for a week at the beach, the first of my summer trips.
Banana Pudding and Politicking
I've been busy lately and haven't done a good job of keeping up with blogs, etc... This is a quick catch-all post.
Several of you asked for my recipe for banana pudding after I confessed to making a half dozen last Thursday. I have to be honest and admit that I learned how to make banana pudding from the back of a Nabisco Vanilla Wafer box. Here are my directions.
6-7 ripe bananas (pick ones that have brown spots, but about a day from becoming soft)
¾ cups sugar
2 cups mile
Separate three eggs, set aside the whites
In a double boiler, add three beaten yokes, ½ cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of flour and two cups of milk. Stir constantly (I use a wire egg beater and beat the yokes into the rest of the ingredients). When the pudding gets thick (8-10 minutes), remove from heat and add a good squirt (around a tablespoon) of vanilla. Mix well.
Turn the oven on at 350 degrees.
In a glass 2 quart casserole bowl, spread a layer of pudding. Then place a layer of vanilla wafers and a layer of banana slices (1/3 of an inch thick). Add 1/3 of the pudding. Do this three times, till you have filled the casserole bowl.
Take the eggs whites and begin to mix on high, slowly adding ¼ cup of sugar. Mix for 3-5 minutes, till peaks form, and then coat the top of the pudding.
Bake for 15 minutes. It's okay warm, but I like mine cold so as soon as it's cool, I put it into the refrigerator.
On an unrelated topic, did you see Hillary this weekend the Marker's Mark distillery… Did you see all those oak barrels behind her? Now that's what I call real politicking! I wanted to find a picture off the net so Nevada Jack could write a post, but I couldn't find the picture shown on TV.
Preparing dinner, watching "Loney Are the Brave" & complaining about foreign birds
I've been busy the past few days, preparing for a dinner of 40 some folks last night. It turned out great and everyone had a good time. I just wish I'd taken the time to buy the beer. We had Leinenkugel's, which ar from an old brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. They generally makes a pretty good beer, and their wheat beers were good, but I could do without the Summer Shandy (think "wine cooler" with beer and lemonade) and Berry Weiss (think Grape Nehi). Either one of those drinks are enough to make me want to take the temperance pledge.
I began on Thursday night, preparing the meat, chopping vegetables and making a half-dozen banana puddings. Turning on the TV while doing this work, I was pleasantly surprised to discover TMC playing "Lonely Are the Brave." This 1962 black and white film is one of my favorite and is based upon one of Edward Abbey's early novels, The Brave Cowboy. The film had an all star cast. Kirk Douglas plays Jack Burns, a cowpoke who just can't fit into the modern world. He comes down off the mountain to check in on Paul, a friend sent to prison for helping illegal Mexican aliens get work (Interesting topic for the time!). Jack gets in a bar fight and ends up in jail, where he's reunited with Paul and tries to talk him into breaking out with him. His friend refuses and Jack leaves, heading to the mountains on his house. The movie then involves a modern chase scene that involves jeeps and a helicopter with Jack and his horse (he'd left he horse with his friend's wife). Jack gets away, makes it over the ridge of the mountain and tells his horse that he's got a pine carpeted trail all the way to Old Mexico. But then, with one last highway to cross (in the pouring rain), Jack and his horse are hit by a tractor/trailer hauling privies to Mexico, driven by Carroll O'Conner.
The movie has great symbolism. At the beginning of the movie, Jack comes into civilization by crossing a busy highway and having trouble with his horse being spooked by the cars. The movie ends in the same manner, with him crossing a highway (only he doesn't make it). Jack cuts barbwire and complains about it. He tries to avoid the bar fight and even in his escape, refuses to do more harm than necessary to protect himself. He shoots the back rooter of the helicopter to "let down easy," and when he encounters a cruel deputy who had knocked a tooth out of his mouth when he was in prison, he returns the favor and throws his weapons off a cliff, but doesn't kill him even though he has a chance. He considers himself a true individual. Paul won't break jail for he doesn't want another five years tacked on to his two year term. Paul has a wife and son to consider. Jack, without a family or any other ties, is free. The Sherriff, played by Walter Matthau, seems to sympathize with Jack's plight, but others like the cruel deputy played by George Kennedy are willing to do anything to get the "cowboy." What a great movie to watch while slicing bananas and peeling potatoes.
Speaking of illegal aliens and at the risk of sounding like Lou Dobbs, I'm in my own fight against aliens. Those "blankety-blanket" European Starlings are back. They're ugly and chase away my favorite birds from the feeders.
Lost in the Wild: A "Non-fiction Challenge Book Review"
This is the first book I plan to read and review this summer for the Non-fiction Five Challenge. Click here for more about my summer plans (including my reading plans).
Cary J. Griffith, Lost in the Wild: Danger and Survival in the North Woods (St. Paul, MN: Borealis Books, 2006), 302 pages, some photographs and 4 maps.
In August, I'm going with five other guys on a seven day canoe/fishing trip in the Quetico, a wild area of Western Ontario, just north of the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. As we discussed this trip, I'd lobbied for another location, in northern Ontario, quipping that the Quetico isn't that remote. A few days later, one of the guys gave me this book. Of course, remoteness is a matter of degree and the Boundary Waters and the Quento are vast wilderness areas. It's hard to traverse this country without a canoe and it's a place where the mastery of outdoor skills and the ability to read maps are essential. Yet, even with such skills, there will always be dangers as Griffith demonstrates as he tells of two skilled outdoorsmen who were lost in this region.
Jason Rasmussen was a medical student. With some time off, he planned a backpacking trip on the Pow Wow Trail in the Boundary Waters. It was late October 2001. He was well supplied, but got confused as the area he was hiking in wasn't well marked and there were many blow-downs and old trails left over from the logging days. He made a wrong turn and spent his first night camping off the main trail. Thinking he was somewhere he wasn't, he continued on the wrong path the next day. He also took out his map and, putting it inside his jacket, where it fell out. On his third day, without a good map, he took some snacks and went out scouting, trying to find his way back to the main trail with plans to head immediately to the trailhead. This time, he lost his way and the weather changed, the rain turning to snow. Unable to find his tent, he sought shelter in a hollowed trunk of a dead tree, where he spent the next seven nights. Although he had an orange tent, the snow covered it up, keeping rescue planes from spotting it. After a bit of warmer weather, the tent appeared and dogs were dispatched, and Jason was found, less than a mile from his tent.
Dan Sommers was a 22 year old guide for the Charles L. Sommers Boy Scout Canoe Base in Ely. In August 1988, he was leading a group of scouts and two adult leaders on a wilderness trip north into Canada and the Quetico. Looking for a portage, he went into the woods and never came out. The scouts and their leaders waited for a long time. When he never came out or returned their call, they moved on to find the portage and to set up camp. They kept going back and looking for Dan, but he never appeared. Dan, it turned out, had fell and hit his head. When he got up, he was confused and wandered around. As he gained his senses, he realized his problem. He started navigating by the stars and the sun—placing sticks in order to determine the way south, which was the way he knew offered his best chance for rescue. Along the way, Dan built shelters by stripping bark from trees. While he was fighting his way through the woods and against the mosquitoes, the scouts (whose radio wasn't working), headed toward a remote ranger station where they were able to summon help. A search was just beginning to get underway when Dan ran into another scout group. He had spent three nights in the wilderness.
Griffith adds details to make you feel as if you're with both Jason and Dan as well as with the rescue parties and the scout unit that had lost their guide. He alternates chapters, jumping back and forth from Dan to Jason. After a few chapters, I felt like I was watching a tennis match and gave up and read Jason's story (skipping over Dan's), then went back and read Dan's straight through. The writing is engaging and the book is exciting. I read this book in just a couple of days. Wanting to finish it and know how things worked out, I put all other books aside. I recommend this book, especially to those who like wilderness travel, but I still think that Deep Survival (I reviewed it late last year), is a better all around book.
For other book reviews by Sage, click here.
For Semicolon's Saturday's list of book reviews in blogs, click here.
Posted by sage at 10:13 PM 7 comments:
My mother taught her children to think about other people first… We never left home on an overnight trip without making sure the house was spotless and that our beds were made. "What if we were in a wreck?" she'd ask. "We wouldn't want someone else to have to clean up our mess." "But Mom," I'd once pled, "someone's going to have to clean my guts up off the side of the road…" That was not a proper response.
Mom always thought about other people and their feelings. When I was in the third grade and we were living in Petersburg, she scolded my bother and me for calling a kid in the neighborhood "Tommy Two-names." I think Bubba, who lived next door and was two years older than me, came up with the name when he realized that Tommy's last name was different than the name that was on his mailbox. We didn't know too many kids from divorced parents in 1966; that would all change before I got out of high school. Mom also scolded us neighborhood kids for picking on Bubba and Denise's older sister, who was mentally challenged. "How would you feel if that was you?" she'd ask us.
Shortly after moving to Wilmington at the beginning of my fourth year in school, I came home acting tough repeating what all my friends were saying about a young African-American girl in our class. She was the only one of her race in the class. It had been raining that day and instead of going out for PE, they'd taught us how to square dance. No one wanted to be her partner. Referring to her as my friends did, using the N word; Mom got angry and told me that I better never use that word in her house again. I can assure you I abided by her command. She also told me that I had better be willing to dance with the girl the next time around. Then the question came, "How would you feel if you were her?" "How would you feel if you were the only white boy in the class?"
And there was the time another kid and I got into an argument. I don't remember what it was about, but I can remember where we were in the backyard. David had wanted a chemistry set for Christmas and didn't get it. Now, that little fact had nothing to do with our argument. Going for the jugular and not knowing anything about ad hominem fallacies, I threw this at David and struck a nerve. My mother, who was hanging out clothes, heard me and immediately called me into the house for a lecture. I started to defend myself, saying I was only telling the truth. She started off with the question, "how would you feel." Then she went on to point out that whether or not it was the truth, the truth had nothing to do with my motives, that I was just being mean! I think it was then that I learned that when someone says, "I'm just telling the truth," you better get ready to pull the dagger out of your back. When my mom was finally done with me, she sent me back out to apologize.
Of course, there was another question my mother would often ask, "why couldn't be like so and so." Generally this was an attempt prod me into doing better. I can't say it worked and instead it did what I suppose most mothers do well, caused guilt. Most often, she'd compare me to one of my cousins, all of whom seemed to do well in high school. On other occasions it was Homer, a member of my scout troop who seemed to want to get every merit badge in the book (when I was in my 20s, I told my mom that it was through the generosity of Homer that I had my first encounter with girlie magazines and marijuana). At other times, generally when I was acting up, she would want to know if I'd committed my deed if the "preacher's daughters" were watching (sometimes they were). Even though I made it to adulthood with a boat load of guilt, I know my mother was just at her wits-end, wondering how to raise us kids.
A few days after graduating from high school, I discovered a letter my mom had placed for me in a book that I was reading. It was handwritten and six pages long . She'd written it right after my graduation, while I was out partying. Mom recalled holding me as a baby and about how proud she was of me. This was a message I'd hear more of as I entered adulthood. My mom became my greatest cheerleader and encourager. She'd copy articles that I had published and disturb them to friends. She'd also call and discuss my work at great lengths. But then, the phone conversations became shorter and she'd start repeating herself over and over again. She stopped bragging about things I've done and would be surprised if I mentioned an accomplishment… It's becoming more evident that there are times she's doesn't even know to whom she's talking.
It'll be three years this summer since my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I miss my Mom…. I know she won't remember that I called earlier, but then she seemed surprised to learn it was Mother's Day and has probably already forgotten that too.
Hiking in Great Basin National Park: 3 Word Wednesday Exercise
I've used this week's 3-Word Wednesday writing exercise to tell about another solo backpack trip. This week's words are: cautious, human, maybe. A few weeks ago I wrote about a trip where I did a foolish thing while hiking. In this post, I tell about deciding not to go through with my original plans. The digital photos were copied from prints.
Descending the switchbacks toward Johnson Lake, I think about how I wouldn't have been so cautious when younger. But now, with kids to consider, the thought of an accident while alone in a wilderness area was too much. I had abandoned my attempt to cross over from Pyramid Peak to Mt. Washington. The knife-edged ridge was covered with a bed of broken chips of limestone. The rocks shifted under each step and to both sides dropped off preciously. It wouldn't take much, maybe a fall or just sliding rocks, to dispatch me into a fatal fall of 100s if not a 1000 feet. I pondered it long and hard, sitting on the edge of the saddle for a good thirty minutes, considering options and looking for a way around. At nearly 12,000, I was well above tree line and a good 7000 feet above the desert floor surrounding the Snake Range. The views were incredible, but this was not a place for a mistake.
I had wanted to visit the two large groves of Bristlecone Pines that flank the northwest and south sides of Mount Washington. These ancient trees eke out a living in the most rugged terrain, at the edge of tree line, where there is little competition from other trees or plants. Just north of here, on the slope of Wheeler Peak, a Bristlecone was cut down in 1964. A controversy ensued at it was learned the tree was nearly 5,000 years old, perhaps the oldest living thing on earth.
Before arriving at Johnson Lake, I come upon an overhead tram, the remains of a mining operation. This would have been a harsh environment to have worked in. It's a long ways from anything and the winters are bitterly cold. Ore was discovered in these parts in the late 1860s, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that any serious mining occurred. In the teens, the town of Bonita existed here, deep in the Snake Range, with two saloons to serve a population of 25. The town was abandoned after the mine went bankrupt in 1919. I drop my pack and explore the relics around the lake. It's hard to imagine those working here, for today I'm the only one around. There had only been one other vehicle at the parking lot and I assumed that belonged to a fisherman I'd seen the day before on Baker Creek. I hike a little further down a trail along Snake Creek, stopping for lunch of crackers and cheese and an apple. I fix lemonade and force myself to drink a quart. At t his elevation, you can get seriously dehydrated with knowing it. At a fork in the trail, I hike northeast, crossing over a bare ridge of sage, with great vies of the desert to the southeast. Then I take a rough trail that breaks off to the right and follows Timber Creek, back to my car at the Baker Creek trailhead.
The trailhead is at 7900 feet. I'd begun my hike here, 26 hours earlier. I'd taken the Baker Creek trail, which followed the creek for maybe a quarter mile, jumping it twice, before leaving the creek and making a series of steep switchbacks in an open field of sage. After gaining several hundred feet, the trail and creek reunited and for the next couple miles, the sound of running water could be heard if not seen just to my left. The climb continued to be steep and I thought I'd never get to Baker Lake. As the sun was dropping behind the Snake Range, I passed an old cabin, and then began another steep set of switchbacks. After gaining another couple hundred feet in elevation, I arrive at the top of a glacier moraine. I still had another good quarter mile to make it to the lake nestled into a basin, with steep cliffs all around. It was a six mile hike, with an elevation gain of approximately 2800 feet. It took me a little over four hours, an hour longer than I'd planned.
With night approaching, I dropped my pack on a small level area of sand, set up my bivy tent and got out my stove and a pot. I walked over to the lake to fill the pot and notice the trout rising. For a moment, I wish I had a fly rod with me for the lakes and rivers of the park contain Great Basin Cutthroats. Then I realize that light is fading fast and I fill my pot and walk back to camp, starting the stove to get water to boil. The meal this evening is easy, an MRE delicacy. I'll boil the pouch in water and then use a bit of the boiling water for tea. The air has become chilly and as I wait for the water to boil, I pulled out a fleece jacket and pants. After eating and storing my gear, I realize that I'm the only human in miles, so I crawl in my bag and watch my old friends, the stars. The tail of Scorpius hangs just over the ridge to the south and in the sky, high above, are the two dippers. I fall asleep. When I awake, several hours later, Pegasus and Cygnus, the northern cross, are flying high overhead. I wonder if I'll see Orion rise in the east at dawn, but when I wake again, the stars have faded away with the coming of the dawn.
It's chilly in the morning. There's enough water in my pot, so I start the stove without getting out of my bag, waiting for the water to boil. When it was just about ready, I pulled on my fleece and retrieve my food bag suspended from a small tree. This wouldn't have deterred a bear, but it kept the small critters out of it. From the bag, I pull a flow-through bag of coffee and drop it into an insulated cup. In a bowl, I add oatmeal, and then add boiling water to both. The coffee and oatmeal warms me, but so does the sun as its rays reach the bottom of the basin and fill it with light. After packing up, I head south, to where an old trail leads over a saddle and into Johnson Lake. I'm sore from having climbed so much the day before, but with no one to complain to, I keep going and after thirty minutes, I'm on the ridge, where I head off southwest, toward Mount Washington. There, all alone, I come to the knife-edged ridge, where is where I decided to turn back.
An afternoon on the river
My brother and his daughter came into town yesterday. His daughter is going to be doing an internship for a nearby company this summer and he drove her up here. We spent yesterday afternoon on the river. In our teens and early 20s, he and I did a lot of paddling. This was our first trip together in more than two decades.
In addition to my daughter, Mr. Trisket also rode in my boat. The mutt doesn't like cameras.
The trees are budding out; the paddling was beautiful.
I shot this photo of a pair of Sandhill Cranes this afternoon. You should have heard them!
The Burmese Harp: A Movie Review
Ironically, as we are now learning about the horrors of the typhoon in Myanmar, this past weekend I watched a film set in that country (formerly known as Burma), during a time of another disaster there—World War Two. Interestingly, this Japanese film came out at approximately the same time as the western World War Two film, The Bridge on the River Kwai, which is also set in Burma.
The Burmese Harp, Directed by Kon Ichikawa, 1957, B&W, Japanese with English subtitles.
The war is almost over and a Japanese unit is on the run in the hills of Burma. Captain Inouye (Rentaro Mikuni), a former music teacher, has instilled a love of music into his troops. When feeling down, they lift their spirits in song, accompanied by a harp played by Mizushima (Shoji Yasui). At the war's end, they sing with the British troops to whom they've surrendered. Mizushima is a special soldier. He looks Burmese and without his uniform, is able to pass as a native. The unit uses this for its advantage, as Mizushima is sent out ahead as a scout. As a POW, Mizushima is asked to go into the mountains to encourage another Japanese unit dug in there to surrender. His captain tells him not to let anyone die needlessly and he takes his orders seriously, but the troops refuse to surrender. He begs them to save themselves and to surrender so they can help rebuild Japan, but they vote to continue to fight and abuse Mizushima, calling him a coward. The British shell and mortar their position, killing and wounding all the soldiers. Only Mizushima survives. He begins his walk back to Mudon, where his unit is being held. Along the way, he sees the horrors of war, bodies decomposed and being eaten by birds. Taking the dress of a Buddhist monk, he takes time to bury the dead, always honoring them with a salute. Mizushima under goes a transformation and decides to stay in Burma as a monk, for there are too many Japanese bodies that need to be buried. His unit, at first thinks he's dead. Then they recognize him as a local monk, but they are unable to talk him into returning to Japan. On the ship back to Japan, the Captain reads Mizushima's letter to the unit, where he writes fondly of his comrades and vows to wander through Burma honoring the dead.
The soldiers in this film are portrayed as sensitive and caring. They long to go home and rebuild Japan and look forward seeing their families, to taking a nap on the veranda and even to listen to the machines in a factory. This is an antiwar film; it shows the unity of comrades who are presented, not as killers, but as additional victims of war. It's interesting seeing such a film from the perspective of the defeated. Unlike The Human Condition, a trilogy of Japanese War films that deal with atrocities committed by the military and one man's fight against the system, The Burmese Harp focuses on bond between the men. In this way, the movie reminds me of the German film, "Das Boot," which centers on the experiences a U-boat crew during the Second World War, without getting into the larger political issues of whether their fight was right or wrong.
Although filmed in Black and White, the film shows the beauty of Burma, the land of the many Buddhas. In the interview with the film maker on the DVD, he pointed out that the shots of Mizushima wandering Burma were filmed on location. They could take one actor to Burma, but not the whole crew. The rest of the film was shot in Japan where he had the challenge of making his homeland look tropical. I enjoyed this film and recommend it.
Posted by sage at 10:22 AM 7 comments:
Summer Travels and Reading Plans
Summer always takes me back South… I took this photo of Wilmington, NC, from across the Cape Fear River, in the late '70s. The large steeple is First Presbyterian Church. This is a copy from a slide.
Summer is coming fast. The dogwoods are blooming, leaves on the maples are unfurling and the oaks are beginning to bud. Reviewing my calendar, I can't believe how busy the summer already looks… In late May, I'll be heading south for ten days, digging my toes into the sand along the Carolina coast and checking up on my mother and grandmother and others in the family. In late June, I'll be flying out to San Francisco for a convention. I've already booked my ticket, tagging on a few (4) extra days so I can head up into the Sierras and maybe check in on my old stomping grounds around Virginia City, Nevada. Unfortunately, the Giants are out of town when I'm there, but I hope to catch a game in Oakland. Then in late July, I will volunteer at a camp where my daughter will be spending a week (my daughter insisted, she really did). Then in August, I'm taking off with a few other guys for a week of wilderness canoeing and fishing in the Quetico of Western Ontario. Counting travel, I'll be gone another ten days then. They'll also be a few shorter trips…
With the onslaught of summer, comes the onslaught of summer reading challenges… Last summer I enjoyed Maggie's Southern Reading Challenge and I'm signing up again. This year, for some reason, her summer is running from May 15 to August 15. Is that because down there in Mississippi, it's so hot and sweaty in late August, one's perspiration will ruin the pages of a book. Whatever the reason, I'll abide by the rules.
Although I hold the right to change, these are the books I'm proposing for my Southern Reading Challenge:
Michael Malone, Handling Sin. This is not a "how-to" book! It's a novel. Supposedly it's funny and from the reviews sound a lot like the Martin Clark books I read last summer. I'm waiting on Clark's next book, but it's not due out till sometime in July.
Janisse Ray, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood. This memoir is set in rural Georgia.
Greg Bottoms, Sentimental Heartbroken Redneck: Stories. These short stories are set in Virginia. Wonder if any of these stories are about rednecks ironing their own shirts?
I'm also going to try a second reading challenge, Thoughts of Joy's "Five Non-fiction Challenge. This challenge runs from May 1 through September. These are the books I'm planning on reading in this challenge:
Cary J. Griffith, Lost in the Wild. I finished this book yesterday and will review it shortly. It's about two different individuals lost in the remote wilderness of the Boundary Waters and the Quetico in northern Minnesota and western Ontario. One of the guys I'm canoeing with later this summer recommended it. I think it had to do with me arguing for us to go into Northern Ontario and making a quip that the Quetico wasn't "that remote." I hope I don't have to eat my words…
Joseph M. Marshall III, The Journey of Crazy Horse. At Diane's recommendation, I started listening to this book on my ipod on Thursday. I like what I've heard so far; I'm an hour into a 12 hour book.
Brian McLaren, Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crisis and the Revolution of Hope. A few years ago, I enjoyed McLaren's A Generous Orthodoxy. He's thought provoking about the role the church should be playing in the world.
Paul Theroux, Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town. This book has been on my nightstand for nearly two years…. I need to read it. Besides, I like Theroux's writings even if I would never want to travel with him.
Robert Quinn, Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within. This is a business book written by a University of Michigan professor. I'll see what he has to say.
As of now, I'm not planning on running a DamnYankee Reading Challenge this summer… Last year, it started as a parody and ended up with a life of its own. As a southerner in exile up here, I figure a Yankee Reading Challenge is best left to the Yankees… (Murf or Ed, either of you up for the hosting?)
What's your summer plans and what books will you be totting along?
3 Word Wednesday: Another Idaho Tale
Things happen for a reason, or so they say. This is such a story that took place in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho in the summer of '88. Unfortunately, I must not have taken a journal on this trip (I just have a few notes I jotted down afterwards). And years ago I lent out my Idaho maps, on which I'd marked all my campsites. I never got those maps back! I copied the photos from slides (which is how I recalled the names of the lakes).
This week's 3-Word Wednesday got me thinking about this story. The words for this writing assignment are: Empty, Highway and Ignored. As usual, I'm posting my 3-Word Wednesday writing assignment on Friday.
A car approaches from the north. I turn around and stick out my thumb. "Was this a good idea?" I question. I need to hitch back to my car at a trailhead. It's going to be a long exposed walk if someone doesn't pick me up. They're few cars in this lonely country. The car rushes by, its wind providing a moment's relief from the heat. The sun is burning brightly overhead. With no clouds and no wind, it's hot, even at this elevation. Heat can be seen rising from the asphalt, its waves blurring the scenery down the highway. I turn back and resume walking along the shoulder of Highway 75, south of Stanley.
I hear another vehicle crest the hill behind me. It sounds like a truck. I turn around and stick out thumb. It's an old jeep; this will be my ride, I'm sure. Jeeps always pick up hitchhikers.
I remember an autumn day on the beach, five or six years earlier. I'd been on a conference. A hurricane was offshore and we had to leave the island. When I got in my car, I realized that I my gas gauze was on "E." Shortly after cross the waterway bridge, the car sputtered and quit. My gas tank was empty. Getting out, I hoofed it a couple of miles to a gas station. They lent me a can and I purchased some gas and when I started back when one of those bands of blinding rain hit. About that time a jeep came by, without a top. He shouted for me to jump in and I did. His windshield wipers worked overtime, but it didn't make much difference for there was as much water inside the glass as out. I began to wonder if riding in his jeep was such a good idea. The rain was so hard; I could hardly see my car park on the other side of the road. I put the gas in and headed home. The hurricane turned and went out to sea.
This jeep didn't stop. "Son of a…" I started, and then thought better. I couldn't believe he ignored me. I turned and started walking south. A few other vehicles came by, but none of them stopped. I continued to walk. Another vehicle approached. It was a mini-van, a family wagon. I didn't expect much, but stuck out my thumb. She flew by, but then hit her brakes, pulled over to the side and began to back up. I ran up and noticed that there were kids in the back waving at me. This wasn't who I'd expected to have given me a ride, but I was thankful for not having to walk all the way to my car.
"I don't normally pick up hitch-hikers," she confesses, "but the kids recognized you as the hiker on the ferry when we came back across Redfish Lake. I look back at them and smiled, remembering playing games with her kids, the oldest of whom was probably eight or nine. I thanked her for the ride and told her my car was at Hell Roaring Creek trailhead, just off the highway. She asked about the trip.
"I started out four days ago, spending the first night at Hell Roaring Lake," I began, "camping under the ominous "finger of fate" peak. It's a lone bent rock pinnacle that could have served as a model for Michelangelo's "Finger of God." The lake was surrounded by dead tree trunks from winter avalanches. Many of those trunks were waterlogged, but the ones not provided plenty of firewood. Although open fires had been banned for the summer (Yellowstone and Hells Canyon were being consumed with flames while I was hiking) I counted four campfires along the lake. I was invited over to one's family campfire. I joined them and was shocked to learn that one of men was a Forest Service employee."
"The next day I continued hiking deeper into the Sawtooth Wilderness area, climbing over a steep pass. There were so many lakes, I can't recall them all," I confessed. "Imogene, Virginia and Hidden were some of them, each surrounded by rocky peaks sparsely covered with gnarly trees. After leaving Hell Roaring Lake, I was alone with only the pikas keeping me company at night. I ran into a group of smoke jumpers, hoofing it out after having extinguished a small lightning fire deep into wilderness. We talked for a few minutes, but they were hiking much faster and moved down the trail toward their pickup point."
"It's all beautiful," I said, "but my favorite had been the Cramer Lakes, each with a waterfall outlet that spilled into the next lake."
"We were there," she said. "We took the ferry across Redfish Lake, and hiked up to Lower Cramer for a picnic."
It had been on the ferry on the way back, which saved miles of hiking along the shoreline, that I'd met her children.
"Oh my God," she muttered. I looked up and there was a jeep, lying on its back out in the edge of a field. A small fire had started. A couple other cars had also stopped and people were getting out of their cars, but no one had gone over to the jeep, where the driver stood stunned.
"I'll check it out," I said. "Park down the road a ways." Jumping out as she slowed down, I ran over toward the jeep yelling, "Is everyone okay?" Another car pulled up. The driver, shaken and with tears in his eyes, said that he's okay but was begging for a fire extinguisher. Drops of gas were dripping onto the ground and the fire was beginning to burn across the field. Without a fire extinguisher or other equipment, there wasn't anything we could do. I told them I'd get a ranger and ran back to the awaiting minivan. I knew a ranger's station was across from the trailhead from where I'd left my car. We flew down the highway, turning off and leaving a trail of dust on the dirt road up to the station. I reported the accident and the fire. The ranger called it in and got into his truck. The lady in the mini-van drove me over to my car and I dropped my pack in the trunk and headed back to the accident site where I helped the ranger and several other men dig a line around the fire. Luckily, as dry as it was, there was no wind and the fire didn't get out of hand. With everything under control and after the arrival of a regular fire truck that hosed the jeep down and put out the grass fire, I got back in my car and headed back to camp. By the time I left, the jeep that I had seen as a possible savior less than an hour earlier was a charred pile of metal.
All photos shot with a Pentax MX on Kodachrome 25, using either a 28 or a 100 mm lens, digitally copied from slides:
1. Hell Roaring Lake at Dawn (notice the finger of fate peak in the center)
2. Trail in the Sawtooth Wilderness
3. From a pass, overlooking Virginia and an unnamed lake
4. Cramer Lakes (notice the smoke in the sky)
5 Falls into Lower Cramer Lake
This just in...
I had to go to court this morning… Sorry for those who wish otherwise, but the law didn't finally catch up with me. I went voluntarily in order to watch my daughter try her first case as a lawyer (I thought I'd raised her better!). The good news is that she won. The bad news is that she won and took away the child from her mother and gave the child to some dwarf that practices magic and witchcraft. Yes, this all happened in our local county courthouse. My daughter represented Rumpelstiltskin in his complaint against the queen. It was all a play put on by her fourth grade class (however, the voting of the jury wasn't in the script, they had to make up their own minds). May 1 is Law Day and this was part of the celebrations.
Preparing dinner, watching "Loney Are the Brave" &...
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Hiking in Great Basin National Park: 3 Word Wednes...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home PGA Tour News Wallace, Villegas Overcome Cool Windy Weather At RSM
Matt Wallace's 64 was his career-best round on the PGA Tour.
Wallace, Villegas Overcome Cool Windy Weather At RSM
Posted By: Tom Edringtonon: November 19, 2020 In: PGA Tour NewsNo Comments
Matt Wallace and a lot of European Tour players who competed in The Masters last week stuck around and made the short trip to Sea Island for the RSM Classic.
Good decision for Wallace as he came up with his career-best score in PGA Tour competition — a six-under par 64 on the Seaside course at Sea Island. After Wallace signed for his round, Camilo Villegas came in behind him with his own 64 to share the lead on a cool, windy Thursday.
"It was a very tough round," said Wallace, who used a local caddie after his regular looper tested positive for COVID-19. "I hit it nicely today but the wind was tough. On one hole I hit a five-iron from 155 yards and was still short of the green." Wallace also acknowledged that he changed putters and corrected his stance and setup. "I hadn't been comfortable over the ball," he said.
For Villegas it was the start he needed as he's seeking to regain his full-time playing privileges for the PGA Tour. He's been going back and forth between some regular tour events and the Korn Ferry Tour.
When Villegas arrived at the range to prepare for his round, he saw a rainbow in the distance. He later said itt made him think of his daughter, Mia, who died from cancer at 22-months old in July.
"She loved colors and rainbows and my wife was all about it. And it was cool. It was a nice way to start the day," said Villegas, who wears a rainbow ribbon on his hat in her honor. "I start thinking about Mia and said hey, 'Let's have a good one.' "
Villegas handled the windy conditions (winds 15-20 mph) and birdied three of his final four holes on his first nine and his final hole of the day as he seeks his first PGA Tour win in six years. "It was tough out here, but I love this place, had success. I've been coming here since 2000 and it's one of those stops I don't like missing," Villegas said.
Wallace and Villegas were a shot in front of a group of eight players who came in at five-under par. Four player on the Seaside course while Keegan Bradley headed another group of four on the Plantation course.
The co-leaders will head over to the Plantation course on Friday and the final 36-holes the cut-survivors move to the Seaside course.
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Dad and three kids living in bedroom while dream new home sits empty
A dispute between Irish Water and the developer has left buyers in a Newcastle development unable to move into their new homes
Amy Donohoe
A home at Cornerpark on the Peamount Road, Newcastle (Image: Wayne Stewart)
A father and his three kids have spent months sharing a single bedroom after their dream of finally moving to a permanent home turned sour.
Syed Fahran and his family bought a home at Cornerpark on the Peamount Road, Newcastle last year but a dispute over connection of the water supply has left 20 families in limbo and unable to move in.
Syed told Dublin Live he had already enrolled the children in the local school but has had to keep them home because of the distance from his temporary accommodation.
He said: "We enrolled our three kids in school in Newcastle but I can't take them from Sandyford to Dublin 22 because I won't be able to work if I do.
"I had to take three weeks off from work to bring them to school, a 40 minute drive. After three weeks I'd to go back to work and
"I spoke with the school. My kids aren't going to school now and I'm working from home. I'm the only person who can take them but if I do I can't work because of the traffic. It's a 160 minute journey for me every day to bring them to school. We've been homeless for two months."
The family lived in an Airbnb, which cost €250 per day, as well as staying in student accommodation before staying with friends.
The development consists of 25 homes, the majority of which have been fully complete since the start of this year, and some others since the middle or end of last year.
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An aspect of the planning permission involving the routing of the pipework for the water network was withdrawn, with the onus but on the developer to find an alternative solution.
The pipe network was then rerouted through land which is owned by a third party, leading to an impasse between the developer and Irish Water.
The houses were built and the pipe work for the water supply and sewerage were laid to connect to an existing network on the Peamount Road.
The pipes needed updating but a dispute between developers Alanna Homes and Irish Water over where they were rerouted to has led to the work not being scheduled.
This has left many buyers homeless, as they expected to be allowed to move in back in July 2020 and have not been able to secure short term leases until the work is completed.
"We're having a very tough time," said Syed.
"I received an email from the builders three months back saying that our house was ready, it just needs a final inspection so you can come and take a look.
"We reported a few things wrong and we were told that it would take two weeks to fix things up but nothing was mentioned about Irish Water.
"We gave notice to our landlord where I was living for four years, everything was set up in Sandyford. It was a great area with everything around, and the very next day he was able to secure new tenants so we had to leave on August 6.
"Because the house wasn't ready, we took temporary student accommodation for three weeks in the hopes of moving to the new house after that time period. It was very expensive, I was charged €2,200 for 21 days.
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"There were more delays from Irish Water and they said they'd let us know when it'd be resolved. By that time I'd left my house and I was waiting in student accommodation with my three kids. I have two sons, who are seven and a daughter who is six.
"I didn't know how long it'd be until we could move in, we were told that the student accommodation lease couldn't be extended so we had to leave."
But that was only the beginning of Syed's constant moving around the county with his family.
He explained: "At that time there was nothing. I had to move into a place where I paid €250 per day. This was excluding other living expenses like food.
"I never take any favours but I had to reach out to a friend because I didn't know where to go with my family. So I had a place sorted for a week, I've continuously had to move because I can only find places with a minimum of one year lease.
"I had to move in with another friend, I lived in one room with my three kids for a week, I had to move there to a new place where I am now, but it's only for two weeks.
"Now we have to leave here on Sunday, we still don't know when we can move into our house. Will it take weeks or months? There's nowhere I can move for the short term in Ireland, even if we find somewhere, it probably won't be near the kids' school.
"We've put all our furniture in storage and it costs €250 per month, we've retailers ringing us telling us to collect our stuff for the house - but we've no where to put it. We've moved so many times, we only have two basic bags with the clothes we need.
"One of my son's had surgery on his leg recently too, he's in a cast, it's hard to manage everything. All the problems come at once, but he's better now. We're so tired, we just need clarity, they've no idea how we're living during the wait."
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, another person who is waiting to move into his home spoke to Dublin Live. He claims he's living in "a storage unit" as his new house isn't ready yet.
He said: "Financially it's very tough from month to month when you're under a microscope and for our own headspace, we're in an apartment but all of our stuff is paid for, some of it is here, some is still with the retailers.
"It doesn't fit where we are, it's taking up so much room, we're basically living in a storage unit.
"There's 19 other families waiting to move into newly built houses and it's being held up in legal red tape between Irish Water, the builders at Alanna Homes and South Dublin County Council. We were promised that we could move in during the summer of 2020.
"We're locked into contracts and we've been told by the builders that we can walk away from the contracts but we're locked in with the price we paid at the time which is lower than the current housing market.
"A lot of people are waiting out, we don't know how long it's going to be. We're stuck, when you're saving for a mortgage you can't do anything, you've to save your money.
"You've to show the bank that you can save every month but this isn't considering the fact that we're still renting as well. But the price of short term renting is ridiculous.
"Furniture stores, floor providers, fitters and retailers are chasing us asking to take the stuff out of the warehouse because it's been there so long.
"We've been left in the dark for the guts of a year so we called a protest and we've complained to the builders, Irish Water but they can't share anything with us because of GDPR, they can only share with the builder.
"All this legal stuff needs to be sorted, we've been waiting over a year to move in. We want to start getting on with things and live our lives."
Independent Councillor, Francis Timmons also told Dublin Live: "I fully support the families that purchased their houses in Cornerpark Newcastle in May 2020, and were told they would be in by July 2020. They are now 14 months plus later and still not in their new homes.
"The issue is between Alanna Homes and Irish Water. It seems that the pre-planning agreement for the Irish Water connection was that Alanna Homes would connect pipes to the Peamount Road.
"However after construction Alanna Homes were advised that this would not be possible as the pipe work on Peamount Road needed upgrading by Irish Water and this would not be happening for some years to come.
"This is not good enough and this must be resolved as a matter of urgency''
A spokesperson for Irish Water said: "For this development Irish Water is ready to facilitate connection to the site as soon as the developer can confirm they have secured the relevant permissions from other site owners to connect through their sites."
South Dublin County Council and Alanna Homes have been contacted by Dublin Live for comment.
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World's safest airlines: UAE's Emirates, Etihad top the charts
Emirates airlines is offering reduced air fare on an extensive list of holiday destinations (Mustafa Kasmi)
Shuchita Kapur
Published Wednesday, January 06, 2016
All you nervous flyers out there, you may breathe easy.
For, UAE's official carriers – Dubai-based Emirates airline and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways – have been ranked as the world's safest airlines for 2016 with a perfect 7/7 safety score.
Aviation analysts at AirlineRatings.com have named 20 of the world's airlines (from among the 407 airlines it monitors) that are on top of their game when it comes to ensuring passenger protection.
Two of the top 20 safest airlines in the world are based in the UAE by AirlineRatings.com, a safety and product rating website.
The portal gives Emirates a safety rating and product rating of 7/7. While rating the strengths of the airline, the website notes that Emirates is one of only a few airlines that operates a fleet of wide-bodied aircraft, has in-flight entertainment system, shows consistency and quality of in-flight product and is based at one of the world's largest and most efficient airports.
Etihad, too, scores a perfect 7 on safety and product rating. The website highlights that the airline's award winning in-flight product in all classes and nannies available on board to assist with children on some long haul flights are its major strengths while its unique one-of-a-kind residence in first class is an X Factor.
"Our top 20 safest airlines are always at the forefront of safety innovation, operational excellence and the launching of new more advanced aircraft," says AirlineRatings.com editor Geoffrey Thomas. "These airlines are always a byword for excellence in the safety space."
AirlineRatings.com, which launched its annual listing in 2013, says its editorial team also examined each airline's operational history, incident records and operational excellence to arrive at its Top 20 safest airlines.
Of the 407 airlines surveyed, 148 have the top seven-star safety ranking but almost 50 have just three stars or less.
Australia's Qantas makes it to the top of the list for the third year running. In selecting Qantas as the world's safest airline, AirlineRatings.com noted that over its 95-year history, the world's oldest continuously operating airline has amassed an extraordinary record of firsts in operations and safety and is now accepted as the industry's most experienced carrier.
Here is the full list (in alphabetical order) that make up the World's Top 20 safest airlines.
Scandinavian Airline System
Among the World's 10 Safest Low-Cost Carriers are:
Jetstar Australia
These ratings are based on a range of factors related to audits from aviation's governing bodies and lead associations as well as government audits and the airline's fatality record.


text:
import time
import paho.mqtt.client as mqtt

## Global variables
# mqtt information
MQTT_TOPIC_PM25 = "office/sensor/airquality1/pm25"
MQTT_TOPIC_PM10 = "office/sensor/airquality1/pm10"
MQTT_TOPIC_CONTROL = "office/switch/airpurifier"
MQTT_USER_NAME = "your_own_name"
MQTT_USER_PASSWORD = "your_own_password"
MQTT_HOST_ADDR = "127.0.0.1"
MQTT_HOST_PORT = 1883
MQTT_CLIENT_ID = "controller"
auth_info = {'username':MQTT_USER_NAME, 'password':MQTT_USER_PASSWORD}

list_pm10 = [];
list_pm25 = [];

# filter and controller information
TS_S = 10               # sampling period
NH = 10                 # FIR filter horizon length
BBC_LEVEL_ON = 50       # bang-bang controller on level (PMs)
BBC_LEVEL_OFF = 40      # bang-bang controller on level (PMs)

# output filtering
def output_filtering(list1, list2):
    pm25 = -1
    pm10 = -1
    if len(list1) > 0:
        pm25 = sum(list1)/len(list1)
    if len(list2) > 0:
        pm10 = sum(list2)/len(list2)
    return pm25, pm10

# An on-off controller (i.e. a hysteresis controller)
def compute_control_action(pm25, pm10, u_current, off_level, on_level):
    # we only regulate the pm2.5 concentration
    pm = pm25
    # the default control action is -1, which is an invalid value
    u = -1
    if (pm >= 0):
        if (u_current == 1):    # upper
            if (pm < off_level):
                u = 0
            else:
                u = 1
        else:                   # lower
            if (pm > on_level):
                u = 1
            else:
                u = 0
    return u

# MQTT subscription callback function
def on_message(client, userdata, message):
        global NH, list_pm10, list_pm25
        if message.topic == MQTT_TOPIC_PM25:
            tmp = float(message.payload)
            list_pm25.append(tmp)
            if len(list_pm25) > NH:
                list_pm25.pop(0)
            # print(list_pm25)
        elif message.topic == MQTT_TOPIC_PM10:
            tmp = float(message.payload)
            list_pm10.append(tmp)
            if len(list_pm10) > NH:
                list_pm10.pop(0)
            # print(list_pm10)
def on_publish(client, userdata, mid):
    # print(client)
    # print(userdata)
    # print(mid)
    print("Data published.")
## the main program
# mqtt client
mqttc = mqtt.Client(client_id=MQTT_CLIENT_ID)
mqttc.username_pw_set(MQTT_USER_NAME, MQTT_USER_PASSWORD)
mqttc.connect(MQTT_HOST_ADDR, MQTT_HOST_PORT)
mqttc.subscribe([(MQTT_TOPIC_PM25,0), (MQTT_TOPIC_PM10,0)])
mqttc.on_message = on_message
mqttc.on_publish = on_publish
mqttc.loop_start()
# initialise previous control action
uPM = 0
while True:
    # subscribe to avoid unexpected mosquitto server stop/restart
    mqttc.subscribe([(MQTT_TOPIC_PM25,0), (MQTT_TOPIC_PM10,0)])
    # output filtering
    pm25, pm10 = output_filtering(list_pm25, list_pm10)
    # print(pm25)
    # print(pm10)
    # compute control actions
    uPM = compute_control_action(pm25, pm10, uPM, BBC_LEVEL_OFF, BBC_LEVEL_ON)
    # get the current hour
    d = time.strftime("%H")
    d = int(d);
    # if the current time is NOT beteen 8:00 and 22:00, switch is OFF.
    if d <= 7 or d >= 23:
        uPM = 0
    # print(uPM)
    # only publish valid control actions
    if (uPM == 0) or (uPM ==1):
        try:
            # publish MQTT messages of control actions
            mqttc.publish(MQTT_TOPIC_CONTROL, str(uPM))
        except Exception as e:
            print(e)
    time.sleep(TS_S)
mqttc.loop_stop()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Whether you're refurbishing an aging building or planning a new project from scratch, it can be difficult to choose industrial roofing for a business.
Keep reading for 5 tips on how to choose the right roof for industrial applications.
Are you working with a shoestring budget?
If so, it doesn't make sense to consider materials or contractors outside of your available price range. An accountant can offer guidance to anyone unsure of how much room is available in the budget.
Unexpected costs can come up, especially with an old building. A little extra money can work as a buffer to keep the project from stalling.
Business owners should think about how they'll use the space in the future.
Will employees need regular access? Are there any local codes that limit building height? If so, a flat, non-slick roofing material would be the best fit for the project.
Local climate patterns can play a big role in a roof's durability.
Businesses in areas with frequent, intense storms—especially if high winds and copious rainfall are common—will need to choose a weather-resistant material.
High temperatures and UV radiation can also damage roofing materials.
Those in northern climates with heavy snowfall will need a sturdy material that can stand up under the extra winter weight. A flat roof can accumulate a lot of snow, but a contractor can determine how a roof will hold up in those conditions.
When it comes to industrial roofing materials, there are several options to choose from.
This type of roof is made of layers of a felt or fabric. That fabric is then sandwiched between coal tar pitch or asphalt.
It is usually topped off with a weather-resistant top coat to protect it from the elements.
This material is made of a synthetic rubber. The rubber is resistant to weather, abrasions, and ozone damage.
This type of roof is lightweight and quick to install.
These roofs feature lightweight plastic membranes. They can stand up against weathering, UV rays, and even most chemicals.
Corrugated metal is a durable, fire-resistant classic. It can be slick when wet, however.
So, you've budgeted for your project. You know how your roof should look, and you've chosen a roofing material. The next step is to look at roofing contractors.
The best contractor is someone who is professional and communicative with a solid reputation in the local community.
Potential candidates should have experience with similar jobs. A good contractor can also offer advice on a roof's design and materials before building begins.
All contractors should have insurance to cover any injuries that might happen on the job. Roofing is an inherently dangerous profession. Business owners need to be sure they won't be liable if an accident happens.
How Can You Find Quality Roofing Services?
Find a Business That can help you locate other businesses and contractors for any of your upcoming projects. You can browse by state or category with this completely free database, or visit our blog for advice on branding, SEO, or other business topics.


text:
Coalition of Civil and Disability Rights Organizations
PDF of Letter
PDF of Press Release
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
2200 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850-3289
To the ASHA Board of Directors,
We write to respectfully urge you to withdraw two proposed position statements that recommend against the further use of methodologies designed to teach individuals with speech-related disabilities how to communicate using letterboards and keyboards.[1] Our request is grounded in the following concerns:
First, practitioners who follow the proposed recommendations risk being found in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ADA regulations mandate that public entities, including schools, support an individual's preferred means of communication except in extenuating circumstances. 28 C.F.R. § 35.160. The statements, if finalized, would put ASHA members and their employers in the awkward and untenable position of deciding whether to comply with federal law or with the contrary guidance of a nonprofit credentialing organization.
Second, the proposed recommendations are grounded dubiously on the absence of quantitative evidence. Any ASHA decision that could result in the denial of access to communication for hundreds if not thousands of individuals with disabilities and thus an infringement of their civil rights ought to be subject to an extraordinary burden of proof. Pointing out a need for additional research may be appropriate, but recommending that all practice cease in the meantime is not.
Third, the premise underlying the proposed statements—that the individuals using these methods are not capable of the complex thoughts they express—is unfounded and discriminatory. This echoes historical attitudes that neglected the capabilities of other populations with communication disabilities, including those who are Blind, Deaf, Deaf-Blind, or have physical disabilities affecting speech.
Finally, the process of developing the proposed statements lacked transparency and a diversity of inputs. Our understanding is that the committee refused to allow any user or professional (including ASHA members) with experience in either methodology to participate in or provide input into the committee's year-long review process of developing the proposals.
If ASHA decides to finalize and place its imprimatur on the position statements, the consequences will almost certainly lead to civil rights violations. ASHA's reputation as a credible and mainstream credentialing organization that supports the rights of individuals with disabilities would be threatened. Given the stakes, we urge you to withdraw the proposed position statements from further consideration.
Alliance for Citizen Directed Supports
The Arc of the United States
Autism and Communication Center
Autism National Committee
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
Burton Blatt Institute
Center for Public Representation
Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates
Foundations for Divergent Minds
Gamaliel Network
Institute on Communication and Inclusion
National Disability Rights Network
Nonspeaking Community Consortium
PEAK Parent Center
Quality Trust
Reid's Gift
SLP Neurodiversity Collective
United for Communication Choice
[1] https://www.asha.org/peer-review/Proposed-ASHA-Position-Statement-Rapid-Prompting-Method/; https://www.asha.org/peer-review/Proposed-ASHA-Position-Statement-Facilitated-Communication/
July 16, 2018 /by United for Communication Choice
https://unitedforcommunicationchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/l2a-feat.png 600 800 United for Communication Choice https://unitedforcommunicationchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/logo-bllg.png United for Communication Choice2018-07-16 15:05:032018-07-17 10:26:13Coalition of Civil and Disability Rights Organizations
ASAN Far From the Tree


text:
Q: Instagram Omniauth on Rails invalid_credentials I've had an instagram omniauth integration working now for a few years and I haven't changed anything in a long time but my customers are occasionally out of the blue getting an error when connecting their Instagram accounts:
Started GET "/auth/instagram/callback?code=d3b1c4d88e2f440b8a8a98037b821c15&state=2565d32ecd3cc5967f32d8c945db6ffba74dc784100777f2" for 127.0.0.1 at 2016-12-15 15:29:59 -
0800
I, [2016-12-15T15:29:59.276712 #32520]  INFO -- omniauth: (instagram) Callback phase initiated.
E, [2016-12-15T15:29:59.519801 #32520] ERROR -- omniauth: (instagram) Authentication failure! invalid_credentials: OAuth2::Error, :
{"code": 400, "error_type": "OAuthException", "error_message": "Matching code was not found or was already used."}

The only way I can consistently get this to happen is to connect the account from my app, then remove permissions from the instagram end, then try to reconnect again on my app, but it seems like some of my customers are getting this the first time they connect their instagram accounts.
Anyone encountered this before? My config/initializers/omniauth.rb looks like this:
Rails.application.config.middleware.use OmniAuth::Builder do
  provider :instagram, ENV['INSTAGRAM_CLIENT_ID'], ENV['INSTAGRAM_CLIENT_SECRET'], scope: 'basic comments public_content'
end

Edit:
I'm using omniauth 1.3.1 and omniauth-instagram 1.0.2
My routes is just your basic omniauth route:
 get '/auth/:provider/callback', to: 'omniauth_callbacks#create'

And my controller action is a bit complex but it looks like this:
class OmniauthCallbacksController < ApplicationController

  def create
    if user_signed_in?
      social_account = SocialAccount.from_omniauth(auth_params, current_user)
      social_account.save!
      redirect_to root_path
    else
      user = User.from_omniauth auth_params
      sign_in_and_redirect user
    end
  end

  private

  def auth
    request.env['omniauth.auth']
  end

  def auth_params
    {
      provider: auth['provider'],
      uid: auth['uid'],
      token: auth['credentials']['token'],
      secret: auth['credentials']['secret'] || auth['credentials']['refresh_token'],
      name: auth['info']['nickname'] || auth['info']['name'],
      emails_sent: 0
    }
  end
end

Basically it creates a new user and signs them in if they haven't connected, and it updates their login info if they have.

A: There seems to be a problem on Instagram around getting access tokens. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13178789


Alpha Channel: No; Looped Video: No; Frame Rate: 24; Resolution: 1920x1080; Video Encoding: Photo JPEG; File Size: 63.25mb; Total Clip(s) Length: 0:12.
Create VideoHive Physiotherapist Giving Businessman A Shoulder Rub 8363728 style with After Effect, Cinema 4D, 3DS Max, Apple Motion or PhotoShop. VideoHive Physiotherapist Giving Businessman A Shoulder Rub 8363728 from creative professional designers. Full details of VideoHive Physiotherapist Giving Businessman A Shoulder Rub 8363728 for digital design and education. VideoHive Physiotherapist Giving Businessman A Shoulder Rub 8363728 desigen style information or anything related.


DEFINING THE ERAS- LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!
Political correctness is making humans seem pretty foolish. For centuries we have marked time passed in years with the notations of BC or AD. How dare we accept a common reference that has a religious connotation? What kind of backwards barbarians are we? Well, all that is about to change…maybe. It already has in Great Britain (for some anyway).
A federal judge is an example of the loss of our culture and quite possibly our society. He's ruled that the county commission must allow atheist invocations before commission meetings (presuming the practice continues). Just, may I ask, who or what are atheists evoking in prayer? They acknowledge no higher power…so just what are they doing with the time?
Is a civil debate possible in America today? Florida Today is taking a shot at it bringing folks from various persuasions together for a chat…or several.
For his career on the bench, Judge A. B. Majeed remained politically silent. We talked last week about giving up rights for the employment we choose. The judge is now retired and he missed his first amendment rights for his entire career. He speaks out in today's 8am hour. Always enlightening, this is an hour you don't want to miss.
Do budget critics get it or the politics of it?


NOTE: Race Day Pickup is reserved for runners from out of town who are unable to come to any of the above pickups. Thanks!
In order to make the Race Package Pickup process as smooth and time efficient as possible, please make sure to email us ahead of time if you would like to modify your registration data.
If you would like to pick up for your friends, please have a list of all names which will help our volunteers to get you the right bibs.
1. A bib with your name on it.
3. Race Info Sheet with more information for Race Day.


Publish by in Category decorating ideas at November 1st, 2018. Tagged with mid century modern sofa console tables. mid century modern sofa tables. mid century sofa table. mid century sofa table plans. mid century sofa tables.
Mid Century Sofa Tables have 40 picture of decorating ideas, it's including Mid Century Sofa Tables Monumental Amazon Com 951309MW Modern Danish Table Kitchen Decorating Ideas 1. Mid Century Sofa Tables Shock Modern Table The Holland To Decorating Ideas 2. Mid Century Sofa Tables Amazing Console Acorn West Elm Decorating Ideas 3. Mid Century Sofa Tables Extraordinary How To Build A Style Table The Borrowed AbodeThe Decorating Ideas 4. Mid Century Sofa Tables Implausible Amazon Com Modern Console Entryway Table In White Decorating Ideas 5.


Today I changed up the routine a bit, took advantage of the beautiful weather and hit the river trail on my bike. Ahh, yes, fresh air, sunshine and solitude. Just what an ailing psyche needs after weeks of putting the needs of others before one's own. My goal was to surpass the mileage of my previous ride, a milestone attained with far less effort than it had the last time I rode this trail.
Stopping to take a couple of photos on the river, I turned back at the twenty-mile mark and headed home to resume my supportive role of friendship. Then, it happened. Thirty miles into my forty miles on the American River, and still ten miles from home, the hypnotic drone of my dirt tires on the hot asphalt suddenly changed its tone… this could mean only one thing… I had a flat. This likely occurred during one of the three times I launched my mountain bike off the paved trail and onto a single track dirt path for a little off-roading.
In my haste to embark on this journey of self rejuvenation, I neglected to take a spare tube, my multi tool and enough water to sustain me had this unforeseen event occurred. Thankfully, my tire pump was mounted to the frame and after airing up each mile or so, I was able to ride another four miles before the tire would no longer take air.
My forty mile ride ended as a thirty-four mile ride and a six-mile walk… Still, this was a good day.
This entry was posted in Downtown / Midtown Sacramento, Hiking, Photography, Writing. Bookmark the permalink.


I was so happy to read your post about Sonia Delaunay. She was creative on so many levels; fabrics, clothing, collage, painting, book jackets. I'm a huge fan of her work. In addition to being an artist and craftswoman, she was a truly modern woman in that she supported her family and was able to make her work sufficiently commercial to have a viable customer base. On another note, I loved the way she dressed, it was very distinctive and creative, while also being practical and feminine. And her style suited a woman who was neither tall nor lithe nor young. She looked stylish and interesting throughout her life. A great inspiration in so many ways.
Thanks for bringing her into the spotlight.
Wonderful post, my favorite pairing, art and fashion! You always recommend the best books, this one is going on my wish list for sure!
Wonderful post. One of my favorite things is to compare fashion, design, and art history. There are so many fascinating levels to the topic! I will definitely be checking out the book. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Shani... I also love the study of fashion/design/art history. Have a wonderful weekend!
Great nexus that you make b/n art and fashion design. really enjoyed this post! Look forward to reading more ... - Jg.
Thank you for your lovely comment FatScribe. I found your fantastic blog through Deb at DT.
PS... have you seen Broken Embraces? Going this week!


STRASBOURG - Muslims living in Europe regularly face violence and prejudice and are the subject of several discriminatory European laws that bolster their social exclusion, a top human rights official said Tuesday.
Muiznieks, a Latvian human rights activist who began work as commissioner in April, singled out several European nations for legislation affecting Muslims in particular, including France and Belgium, which have banned the full-face veils worn by the Muslim women. Similar initiatives have been discussed in Austria, Bosnia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, he said. Local authorities in many European cities regularly stall permits for new mosques and in 2009, Swiss voters passed a ban on the construction of minarets, Muiznieks added.
"Governments should stop targeting Muslims through legislation or policy, and instead enshrine the ground of religion or belief as a prohibited ground of discrimination in all realms," Muiznieks said.
A recent EU study found one in three Muslims in the EU had experienced some form of discrimination in the past 12 months and one in four had been stopped by the police. "Ethnic or religious profiling is not only discriminatory, it is counterproductive, as it misdirects attention from suspicious behaviour to appearance and alienates the communities with whom law enforcement agencies need to cooperate," Muiznieks said.


Four times a year we take the Service Southside, partnering with our friends at Dumbo Feather to create a beautiful space to slow down and connect through story. The current Dumbo Feather issue is 'Healing the Land', all about the amazing people who are growing our food and regenerating ecosystems in the process.
Kate Dundas will be sharing her story about all things urban reforestation, landscaping and her project 3000acres and her time on Greening the Apocalypse on RRR. Curator, Sarah Pant will lead us to connect more deeply with the theme and one another through reflection, discussion and music.
Tickets via Eventbrite: $20 General Admission I $15 Concession I Members of The Weekly Service come for free.


text:
The Lab at Oaklands Rise
A community space, café and arts centre, enabling and facilitating a programme of arts, workshops, and events.
Our programme and the businesses we support are an exciting addition to the area, offering a series of events and workshops to meet, learn and create including, life-drawing classes, mindfulness sessions, exhibitions, open studios, film screenings, weekly art and yoga classes and lots more.
The Lab is open 10am-5pm Friday and Saturday, 10am-3pm Sunday.
Getting to The Lab at Oaklands Rise
The Lab at Oaklands Rise, Oaklands House, Old Oak Common Lane, London, NW10 6DU
Nearest station(s): North Acton (Underground), Willesden Junction (Overground/Underground)
Bus: 260, 266, 440, 487, BL-1, BL-2
Parking: TBC
Bike: TBC
Heart-y & French: Camel & Jeans Supper Club
Thursday 16th February 2023, 7:00pm to 10:00pm Supper clubs The Lab, Oaklands Rise, 19 Green Street The Lab at Oaklands Rise
Join MasterChef collective Camel & Jeans at The Lab for all things 'Heart-y & French' at our first Supper…
Meet Charlie Claydon, founder of The Well-Bean Company, which grew and thrived out of our RAW Lab space.
The Well Bean Company
Charlie Claydon is a guy on a mission to promote the positive relationship between good food and the mind. Based in our RAW Lab Charlie make shandcrafted vegan chocolate, which supports mental wellbeing projects.
Develop professionally
Our Lab at Oaklands Rise are part of a growing cultural hub with an exciting programme of events. Here, artists and creative businesses run public workshops, exhibitions, film screenings, classes and much more. We also give artists plenty of opportunities to develop professionally, through workshops, training sessions, peer crits, panel discussions and the sale of your art through Own Art.
Bow's the word… Get the latest from us


Robin Williams killed himself today. That's... Genuinely depressing.
Robin Williams is one of the few actors that I genuinely respected and whose performances I felt on a personal level.
That's....disturbing. I really liked Robin Williams both as a person and as an actor.
Mr. Williams was a man of infinite humor and what seemed to be patience. He pretended to be different characters not only to help us find out who we really are, but to hide how he felt. We can only take solace in the fact that his death will turn him into a martyr for mental health awareness, and that others can be saved where he was not.
I will miss him, as will many others, whereas I'm sure that there are some people who could care less for the loss of such a man. He was great both as an entertainer and a person, it's tragic to see him go in the way that he did; I indeed wish that he could have remained in the realm of the living for some time more, and offer more of his brilliance to the world. Despite my wishes, greed, or whatever you may call it, I still believe that he had lived a very full life, and regardless of how he went out my heart still goes out to the ones close to him.
I know most people know Robin Williams for his comedy and he was a pretty funny guy, but I thought of him more as just a nice, genuine guy who cared for others. From what I've heard from people who have met him, he really did care about other people. He would take time out of his very busy actor/comedian life to sit down and listen to how your life was going and he'd offer advice if he could. His role in Good Will Hunting I feel like is probably how he really was as a person.
It's really hard for me to think that someone like that is gone from our world.
Well, gone but not forgotten.
(08-12-2014, 05:47 PM)KomodoTheCashew Wrote: I know most people know Robin Williams for his comedy and he was a pretty funny guy, but I thought of him more as just a nice, genuine guy who cared for others. From what I've heard from people who have met him, he really did care about other people. He would take time out of his very busy actor/comedian life to sit down and listen to how your life was going and he'd offer advice if he could. His role in Good Will Hunting I feel like is probably how he really was as a person.
Nobody has an understanding of depression quite like a person who has it. It's admirable to go out of your way to make sure others don't feel the way you do. I wonder if he knew how many people he really helped.
Apparently Blizzard is going to memorialize Robin Williams in World of Warcraft.
"Thank you. You gave us so much joy in our lives, and we hope you enjoyed your time in our world. We'll see you in-game"


Amsterdam city council has come up with a team of school assistants and substitute teachers from its own ranks to combat teacher shortages in the capital, the Volkskrant reports.
Some 60 civil servants, of whom four are qualified teachers, will help out this school year if large number of teachers at primary and secondary schools fall ill from flu, or in other eventualities.
The council team will help out with teaching tasks and administrative tasks once a week, the paper said. This will give teachers a chance to take a break or free up time to coach a trainee, the paper said.
According to education alderman Marjolein Moorman, Amsterdam is hardest hit by the current teacher shortage. Primary schools in particular are struggling and before the summer holidays schools were still looking to recruit 300 teachers. That number has gone down to 122.
'But on Monday when schools start every child will have a teacher,' Moorman told the paper. That is a result of a raft of measures, such as merging classes, longer hours for part time teachers and more teaching tasks for classroom assistants.
'It is a fragile system and we hope a flu epidemic will not strike Amsterdam quite yet. We don't want to send pupils home for lack of a teacher nor do we want the level of education to suffer because the children are being taught by unqualified staff,' Joke Middelbeek of primary schools association BBO told the Volkskrant.
Among the long-term measures the local authorities are proposing is to see if students who have not yet qualified can be offered teaching posts, with extra coaching. They also announced that 15 highly-trained refugees who have a residence permit and who worked as teachers in their own countries, are being trained to teach maths, chemistry and physics.
According to the education ministry, primary schools in the Netherlands could be looking at thousands of vacancies if nothing is done, the Volkskrant writes.


text:
Événements
Revendication de la découverte Canada en 1534 par l'explorateur français Jacques Cartier, qui jeta l'ancre en Gaspésie.

Naissances

Décès

Chronologie du Canada au XVIe siècle

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


ROBBINS'S FERRY. Robbins's Ferry, on the Old San Antonio Road at the Thomas's Ford crossing of the Trinity River in western Houston County, was established in 1821 by Joel Leakey. It was named for ferryman and owner Nathaniel Robbins and acquired in 1847 by his son-in-law Elisha Clapp, who operated the ferry until his death in 1856. Under Clapp's direction the ferry's name was changed to Clapp's Ferry. His descendants operated the ferry until 1930, when Clapp's Ferry Bridge was built. The Texas Centennial Commission recognized the site and Clapp in 1936 with an official granite gravestone.
Armistead Albert Aldrich, The History of Houston County, Texas (San Antonio: Naylor, 1943).
Handbook of Texas Online, "ROBBINS'S FERRY," accessed April 25, 2019, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rtr01.