text:
We process your data in full compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR), as well as any other applicable legislation in Romania.
By publishing this Privacy Policy, we inform you in a transparent manner about how we collect, use, transfer, and protect your personal data when you interact with us through our website.
To reflect any changes to the way we process your personal data or any changes to your legal requirements, updates and periodic changes to this Privacy Policy will be published on this page.
What categories of personal data are processed
We collect your personal data directly through the forms published on our site, so you control the type of information you provide to us.
For example, when you send us a message using the contact form, you provide us with information such as: name and surname, email address, phone number, etc.
We can furthermore collect and then process certain information about your behavior while you visit our site, in order to personalize your online experience. According to our Cookie Policy, we can store and collect information in cookies and/or by using similar technologies.
We do not collect or otherwise process sensitive data included by the EU GDPR in special categories of personal data. We do not want to collect or process data of minors (under 16).
The purpose od data processing
We use your personal data as follows:
1. To improve our services
To give you the best online browsing experience on our site, we can collect and use certain information about your activity on the site. We rely on our legitimate interest in doing business, while being careful to respect your fundamental rights and freedoms.
2. For marketing activities
To keep you up to date with the best deals for products/services you are interested in, we can send you emails with general and thematic information, offers or promotions, as well as market research or opinion polls, and we can show customized recommendations on our site. For this purpose, we may use certain data about your activity on our website to create a profile.
We ensure every time that these processing is carried out in accordance with your rights and freedoms and that the decisions taken on them do not affect you to a significant extent.
In most cases, we base our marketing communications on your prior consent, which you can later withdraw by using the unsubscribe link displayed at the end of the email received from us or by direct contact (mail, phone or email).
3. To defend our legitimate interests
In some situations, we will use or transmit information to protect our rights and commercial activity. Among them we mention:
- Various measures to protect the website and its users against cyber attacks.
- Measures to prevent and detect fraud attempts, including the transmission of information to competent public authorities.
- Measures to manage various other risks.
In some cases, we base our processing on legal provisions such as the obligation to safeguard the goods and values provided for by the applicable law in this regard.
How long do we keep your personal data
We will store your personal data for the period necessary to maintain good communication with you. You may request the deletion of certain information at any time and we will respond to these requests. We keep certain information in situations where applicable law or legitimate interests require it.
Who we send your personal data to
As the case may be, we may transmit or give access to your personal data to various categories of service providers (courier, payment / banking services, marketing, market research) or to other companies with which we can develop market joint bidding programs of our goods and services.
We may also disclose certain personal data to public authorities, if we have a legal obligation or if it is necessary to defend our legitimate interest.
We ensure that access to your data by third-party private law entities is done in accordance with the legal provisions on data protection and confidentiality of information, based on contracts concluded with them.
In which countries we transfer your personal data
We currently store and process your personal data in Romania.
However, we may transfer certain of your personal data to entities located in the European Union or outside the Union, including in countries where the European Commission has not recognized an adequate level of personal data protection.
We take every precaution to ensure that any international transfer of personal data is carefully managed in order to protect your rights and interests. Data transfers will always be protected by contractual commitments and, where appropriate, other safeguards. To find out more about the countries where we transfer your data, you can contact us at any time.
Security of your personal data
We are committed to ensuring the security of personal data by implementing appropriate technical and organizational measures, according to industry standards.
Despite the steps taken to protect your personal data, we do not take responsibility for the vulnerabilities of the systems that are not under our control. The transmission of information via Internet is not completely secure, there is the risk that the data will be seen and used by unauthorized third parties.
Your rights
The EU GDPR provides as follows:
- You can request access to your data, correct any mistakes in our files, and / or you can oppose to the processing of your personal data.
- You have the right to complain to the competent supervisory or to the courts, as well as the right to request the deletion of your personal data, the right to restrict your data processing and the right to data portability.
In order to exercise your rights, you can contact us using the contact details published on the contact page. We intend to respond to any valid requests within 30 days, unless this is particularly complicated or if you have made several requests, in which case we will respond within 60 days.
You can ask us to confirm if we process your personal data and to make available to you a copy of the data and give you the data we have, what we use, who we disclose the data to, whether we transfer them abroad, and how we protect them, how long we keep them, what rights you have, how you can make a complaint, from where we have obtained your data, to the extent that the information has not already been provided to you through this notice.
You may ask us to rectify or complete your inaccurate or incomplete personal data. We might verify the accuracy of the data before correction.
Delete data
You may ask us to delete your personal data, but only if:
- data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were collected;
- you have withdrawn your consent (if the data processing is based on consent);
- they have been processed illegally;
- you have a legal right to oppose in this respect;
- there is a legal obligation to do so.
We are not required to comply with your personal data deletion request in any circumstance. The most probable situations in which we may decline your request are:
- to comply with a legal obligation;
- for finding, exercising or defending a right in court.
Restriction of data processing
You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data only if:
- their accuracy is being challenged (see the Rectification section) to allow us to verify their accuracy;
- they are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they have been collected, but you need them to find, exercise or defend a right in court;
- the processing is illegal, but you do not want the data to be deleted;
- you have exercised the right to oppose you, and checking whether our rights prevail is in progress.
We may continue to use your personal data as a result of a restriction request if we have your consent, or to establish, exercise or secure the defense of a right in court or to protect the rights of Integral Design or any other natural or legal person.
Data portability
You may ask us to provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and automatically readable form, or request them to be ported directly to another data operator, provided the processing is based on your consent, or the conclusion or performance of a contract with you and to do so by automatic means.
You may oppose the processing of your data at any time if you believe that your fundamental rights and freedoms prevail over our legitimate commercial interest.
You can also refuse direct marketing processing (including creating profiles) at any time without giving any reason, in which case we will cease processing as soon as possible.
Automated decisions
You can request not be the subject of a decision based solely on automatic processing when that decision:
- produces legal effects with respect to you;
- affects you in another similar way and to a significant extent.
This right shall not apply if the decision taken following automatic decision-making:
- is required by us to conclude or run a contract with you;
- is authorized by law and there are adequate guarantees for your rights and freedoms;
- relies on your explicit consent.
You have the right to complain to the National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing about the processing of your personal data, but we recommend that you contact us in advance and ensure that we make every effort to resolve any issues amicably.
We are always open to your feedback and provide you with any additional information you may need regarding the processing of your data. Please contact us using the details or form published on the contact page.


text:
Frayed hymn, but faded. Unsown
threads turned toothy-tough — a gift
of wild roadside seedheads gone
gunmetal with dirt-freckled rain. Fern
fringing its supper dish, ditch
dweller meant to mate with lemon
like a crayfish. A scrim for the hideaways
and shade-curtained highway-side living-
rooms where lately I laze, wandering
my mind's weedy routes, dreaming trysts
aboard an anchored oil tanker
with its Italian captain, or along the wire-
crossed phone lines with my faraway
love, whose days are ragged
with work that makes talk tend
toward chore. Each of us lonely as a teapot
filled with birds' tongues. Bitter
as lark's feathers. Oolong leave-
s lusting for hot water like a gold coin
cut to wedges wishes for the sum
of its fractions. Shall I go on? A teacup,
chipped, then gilt-mended with poison
sumac glue, urushi, sap-lacquered red-
handed in rash joinery, as if
evidence of its break bred
a more elegant penance — then shut up
to cure three weeks in a lightless
room the size of a shoe. Me, I worried
my hems beneath bridges searching
for sigils, signals, hobo code hardened
to petroglyphs of the petroleum era,
as when eighteenth-century explorers
carved their misbegotten names in the 20' toe-
nails of the Sphinx. I, too, signed my name
to works I hadn't nurtured. I made nothing
but my small orbit: unfortunate
neighborhood of broken riches
a little gold leaf meant to mend couldn't hurt,
nor cure. Its meager inheritance
of Maytag washers and outdoor weight benches
oozing their orange innards like maitake
emerging from the sticks of a scorch-
blacked forest. I passed the mechanics
dumping motor oil down a storm
drain, past a patch of wild lettuce — plucked, milk-
stink sweet as somnambulist poppy's
semen, by one junkie herbalist I knew
in search of its opiate trace. Its leaves,
purse-lipped like disapproval's guardian,
go flaccid the moment roots
bid goodbye to soil; glamour couldn't call
this salad's bitter cousin hers. I pried a nickel
from one parking meter, then the next, drank
three forty-cent Cokes from a machine
older than me while the town
psychic scanned the obits in her waiting
room. Eventually I'll become someone
who wakes to brush out her gray braid
and listens to the horse traders, buys
by radio classifieds what would've come
by river eighty years earlier. In its quiet-
est moments my canvas cottage industri-
ously readies its ordinary poltergeists, the cats
bringing their gifts to blood-
y my pillow and die. If I sew
myself a series of tiny fur-lined sacks
to keep my cuticle-bitten fingers in,
if my ship comes in but I say Grazie,
no to the big-handed suitor whose engine
room I only want to see (though they say lies lay
close to the truth), and go out to harvest fennel
bulbs in the overgrowth where tent cities
accrete as sand grains beneath capitalism's ruth-
less nacre… If I take the tincture
my herbalist friend gives me, Lactuca
virosa, which couldn't make a mouse
high, and give up arguing over mating
calls with the yellow-beaked birds that holler
in my trees all morning, to ask Por
favore of the world, will it delight
me? Tesoro, ci sei? it says, its booty
call: Are you there, my darling?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Shimano's PD-R550 SPD-SL Pedals offer wide, stable platforms for great support and stability when you're out on the road. An extra-wide platform maximizes power transfer. Durable stainless steel tread plates reduce flex and pedal body wear. Wide bearing placement provides uniform load distribution for miles and miles of riding.
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Want some help choosing the right pedals and/or shoes? Interested in trying something new? Contact us to ensure your shoes are compatible with your pedals, and all of it's compatible with you.
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text: Mark Hahn wrote: > personally, I'm pretty convinced that MPI implementations should stay > out of the jobstarter business, and go with straight agentless (ssh-based) > job spawning. I'm curious about your reasoning, Mark. We've had nightmare situations for years with ssh-based job spawning. The most common case is where sshd processes terminate on nodes without the child mpi processes exiting. Then we have orphaned mpi processes, owned by init, scattered throughout the cluster. If any of these processes are using limited resources (like Myrinet adapters), subsequent jobs can (more likely, will) exit immediately upon dispatch to the node. We've found ways around this with prolog/epilog scripts, and scheduling policy, but the slickest solutions so far, in my opinion, have been mpiexec (admittedly not part of an MPI implementation) and lam/openmpi. Allowing the resource manager to completely handle job spawning has provided better post-job cleanup, and more complete job statistics (cpu-time, mostly) for us. Do you not have to deal with these sorts of issues? If not, lay some wisdom on me; I could use it. Matt -- Matt Allen | Systems Analyst malallen at indiana.edu | Research and Technical Services 812-855-7318 | Indiana University


text:
Reg E. Cathey, Star of 'House of Cards' and 'The Wire,' Dies at 59
A great loss for the acting community today, as one of its most recognizable supporting players has passed away. House of Cards, Fantastic Four and The Wire vet Reg E. Cathey has died at the age of 59, reports confirm.
News of Cathey's passing was first corroborated by The Wire creator David Simon over social media. The actor put his distinctive baritone voice to use over two seasons as political operative Norman Wilson, campaign manager to Tommy Carcetti (Game of Thrones' Aiden Gillen). According to TMZ, Cathey died of lung cancer at his home in New York, surrounded by friends and family.
In addition to his roles in HBO series like The Wire and Oz, Cathey recurred through five seasons of House of Cards as ribs joint owner and Frank's confidante Freddy Hayes; earning three Emmy nominations and one win for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. In addition to film roles like the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot's Franklin Storm, Cathey's rich TV history also included appearances in Star Trek: The Next Generation, ER, 30 Rock, multiple Law & Order series, Inside Amy Schumer and much more. Most recently, Cathey maintained a regular role in Cinemax's Outcast.
The actor was born in Alabama and educated at University of Michigan and the Yale School of Drama. Best wishes to all those mourning a truly regrettable loss.
Check Out 100 TV Facts You May Not Know!


text:
Amodex's Stain Swipes are saturated with a nontoxic stain-fighting formula and are perfect to on-the-go stain treatment. They remove stains from porous and nonporous surfaces, including fabric. Stain Swipes can be used to remove white board ghosting and also work on permanent marker, inks, dyes, crayon, scuffs, wine and more.
877-866-1255 or amodexink.com


text:
Open Government Program
All Resources
Search a listing of Government of Alberta open datasets and publications.
Views: 592
July 27, 2018
These data are the current Electoral Divisions, enacted in 2010. There are 87 Electoral Divisions. Created as areas in which the Albertans eligible to vote in provincial general elections will be...


text:
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text:
LEA-AID offers the most advanced covert video and audio surveillance devices, body worn video and audio equipment, GPS tracking technology, under vehicle inspection systems, storage, lighting, restraints and forensic equipment available today.
Helping you protect and serve is our passion. Turn to LEA-AID for the specialized covert equipment, operational technology and logistical services you need to meet your mission goals and department objectives. Here at LEA-AID, we understand the critical nature of your work and recognize that reliability is vital.
Police departments, defense contractors, military agencies, security personnel and more rely on LEA-AID for the tools, technology, services and surveillance training required to create a secure environment while safeguarding the lives and property of the communities they serve. We also offer a variety of contract vehicles, including a full GSA Schedule, to make it easy for federal, state and local agencies to work with us while staying within fixed budgets.


text:
By Steve Scauzillo, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
I walked into the Big 5 in Pasadena and waited for the young man to finish his negotiation with the salesman. He was buying bullets, presumably to hunt animals or target shoot.
"Just a second. I'll be right with you," said the clerk.
When he asked how he could help me, I became aware of the distinction.
"I need some good binoculars to watch birds," I told him.
A few days later I stowed in my car the new binoculars with my camera and my largest lens, plus a birding scope and my trusty Audubon book on birds of North America. My wife, Karen, and I set out for Morro Bay, in particular, the Morro Bay National Estuary, where shorebirds and birds of prey are abundant. In short, a great place for bird watching.
I'm always skittish when I say that's the reason I went to Morro Bay or why I like hanging out at Hahamongna Watershed Park.
"My wife and I enjoy bird watching." I always get looks like you're somehow not as tough as that guy in front of me at the counter at Big 5.
But when I'm watching a bird in my scope, I'm lost in the moment for what seems like hours. I quickly forget about what anybody thinks.
A bird's detailed plumage can fill up a painter's palette. So many shades of blue, orange, red, black. That's a world opened up to me only through high-powered lenses.
A bird's behavior can be remarkable, curious, fascinating or mundane. In flight, each bird flies differently.
Studying birds as they flew helped Orville and Wilbur Wright design the first flying machine. As documented in the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough's inspiring book "The Wright Brothers," Wilbur spent hours on the sands of Kitty Hawk, studying turkey vultures (he called them buzzards), gannets, hawks and eagles in flight.
"The reality of what birds could do —the miracle of birds — remained a subject of continuing importance of and fascination …" McCullough wrote. Sometimes people would watch Wilbur flapping his wings like a bird and laugh.
So I'm in good company.
I walked the strand that curls around Morrow Rock with a purpose: to see the peregrine falcon, the bird that tops all birds of prey. The king of kings in flight, capable of reaching speeds of 240 miles per hour. That's right! That makes the peregrine falcon the fastest animal on the earth.
They eat other birds by snatching them out of the air. It's called stooping. A peregrine strafes an area populated by shorebirds and then when it eyes its potential victim, descends into a vertical warp speed dive until bam! It literally connects with its dinner.
"I can take you to where they're at," said a man wearing shorts, a T-shirt and a warm smile.
I knew from the museum curator that the peregrines nest in Morrow Rock, a volcanic outcropping almost twice the height of the Statue of Liberty. Peregrines like high places. For stooping.
"There," he said, pointing to a rock ledge near the top. I trained my scope on it and could clearly see the white-breasted bird with a black head and sideburns standing tall, peering over the bay like a king overlooking its kingdom. Then, as my wife was watching through the binoculars (the ones I bought at Big 5), it leapt into the air and was gone. Flying so fast, we lost sight of it over the circuitous shoreline.
I added a peregrine to my lifetime bird list. But more than that, I was slain by the experience.
To think we almost lost these birds. Not to hunters, but to farmers who used DDT, a pesticide eventually banned by the EPA. Now, according to Kimball L. Garrett, ornithology collection manager at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, they have been seen in greater numbers since the 1980s, sometimes on shore cliffs, often nesting in skyscrapers.
"I see them fly by the museum," he said.
If they or their kind weren't around for the Wright Brothers to examine, would we have manned flight today?
Steve Scauzillo covers environment and transportation for the Southern California News Group. He is the 13th winner of the Aldo Leopold Award for Distinguished Editorial Writing. Follow him on Twitter @stevscaz or email him at email@example.com.


text:
A warrant has been issued for DeSean Farley who is believed to be the man who shot and killed a Hayes subject at Willbrian apartments on Saturday, July 12th. Farley is considered to be armed and dangerous. He is a Black male, age 22, 5'9" and 190 lbs. with multiple tattoos on chest and arms. Detective W. G. Pannell is the investigating officer.
PERSON OF INTEREST IN CHECK FRAUD SCHEME IN KANAWHA COUNTY AND RALEIGH COUNTY, WV. Seeking identity of white male check fraud subject who has cashed more than 260 counterfeit checks at Kroger stores in Kanawha County and Raleigh County (Beckley Crossing and Harper Road locations). Uses aliases of Arnold Thomas, Arnold Lee Thomas, Lee Thomas, Jr., and Al Thomas on checks. Checks are mostly for payment of fuel and cigarettes, checks allegedly issued by Suntrust Bank, Bank of America, Ally Bank and Pioneer Bank.
If you know the identity of this person, contact Crime Stoppers @ 304-255-7867 or leave a tip on this website.
- -- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -- - - -
Beckley Police are searching for a man considered to be armed and dangerous. 25-year-old Nicholas Jamar Johnson is wanted in connection with shots fired on 3rd Street. That happened on Saturday night, April 8, 2017.
Johnson is wanted on six felony counts of Wanton Endangerment and is believed to be in the Beckley area. He is 5-feet 10-inches tall and weighs 160-pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on his location is asked to contact the Beckley Police Department at 304-256-1708. Anonymous tips can also be left atCrimeStoppersWV.com or by calling 304-255-STOP (7867). The P3 Tips App can be used to submit information from your phone or mobile device.


text:
Valentine's Day Dog Treats
These heart shaped frozen treats are the best present for your favorite Valentine!
- ½ cup strawberries
- ½ cup blueberries
- 1 banana
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- Wash blueberries and strawberries
- Remove stems from strawberries
- Blend all ingredients together in a blender.
- Pour into a silicone heart mold and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours.


text:
Valparaiso & Casablanca Valley
Most Popular Chile Trips & Tours
Trip | Price | Days | Highlights |
Australis Glacier Cruise & Patagonia Hiking | $6,560 | 12 Days | Mt. Fitz Roy & Cerro Torre, Cape Horn, Tierra del Fuego National Park, Los Glaciares National Park, Perito Moreno Glacier |
Chile Triangle | $6,845 | 12 Days | Chile's most famous regions, Easter Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site , Atacama Desert, Torres del Paine National Park |
Classic Patagonia & Torres del Paine | $6,425 | 10 Days | Los Glaciares National Park, Torres del Paine National Park, Perito Moreno Glacier, Classic Treks to Mt. Torre and to Mt. Fitz Roy |
Lake District and Chiloe Island | $2,995 | 7 Days | Myths and legends in Chiloe Island, Lake District, Llanquihue Lake and majestic Osorno Volcano |
Valparaiso & Casablanca Valley - 10 Hours
- Pricing
- 2 Travelers$3553 Travelers$280All prices are per person.
- Included in tour cost
- Private transportation
- All listed activities
- English-speaking certified guides
- Entrance fees for all scheduled tours, national parks & archaeological sites
- Meals as indicated
- Southern Explorations pre-departure services
- Excluded from tour cost
- Airport taxes, international and local
- Domestic airfare within South America
- International airfare to and from Central & South America
- Tips and gratuities
- Medical & travel insurance (highly recommended)
Valparaiso & Casablanca Valley - 10 Hours
- Trip Dates
- Available
We had a tremendous experience. Patagonia is truly heaven on earth and Southern Explorations enabled us to safely and efficiently spend 2 weeks in this paradise. Eri was a superb guide and traveling companion. Knowledgeable, smart, humorous and patient. He has a wonderful laid back style. We developed a genuine bond with Eri and we hope to see him again. He was superb with my 9 yr. old son. The estancia Tercera Baranca was wonderful, we could have stayed there indefinitely. I can't make enough positive statements to describe our experience. - Will, Beth and Max Mondzac (Patagonia)
Vira Vira was awesome - it was the perfect start to the perfect trip. Michael and his family are totally hands on and committed to creating a top notch experience for their guests. The property, the food, the excursions, the attention to detail - we could not find a single fault with anything. It literally felt like we were their personal guests. Everyone else staying there seemed very satisfied as well. Two thumbs up! Dimple (Honk Kong) (Custom Chile)
The Southern Explorations team did a fantastic job helping us plan our Galapagos adventure in 2011 and our Torres del Paine/Australis Magellan Straits cruise 2015. They were extremely helpful in planning our trips and quickly responded to each of our questions. We will definitely seek their services to assist in any future travels. - Sharon McRae (Torres del Paine/Galapagos Islands)
Our experience from our first exploratory call to the Seattle office was excellent. Prompt and courteous responses and they accommodated our specific needs for a combined Patagonia and Galapagos trip. I cannot think of anything that was not satisfactory. I recommend Southern Explorations highly. -Lyn Arscott (Patagonia & Galapagos Island Cruise)
Basically the trip was perfect. Our wishes about big things were totally fulfilled, like exploring Rio Brian, going up Valle del Silencio, etc. Our wishes for small things (low sugar, low gluten, good photo opps) were exceeded. It was a totally excellent trip. Your ability to deal with the unexpected was amazing .. weather, my injuries, our changing our minds. It was an amazing trip! And SE agent gave us all kinds of good advice before we left. -Brian & Lynne Collins, USA (Chile)
Our words to describe our trip are Spectacular, Exciting, and Remote! We got to see basically everything we had hoped for, and more! - Ann Huston, California (Patagonia)Thank you for a wonderful introduction to South America and excellent vacation. We will be returning to other SA venues in the coming years and will be sure to contact Southern Explorations for assistance. -Gordon McPhee, South Carolina (Chile & Argentina)
This was a trip of a lifetime. The highlight was the Explora Lodge with unbelievable hikes and horseback riding. Also, the Perito Moreno Glacier was fantastic. I wouldn't change a thing. - Kyle Craig, Colorado (Patagonia)
"The Southern Explorations team did a fantastic job helping us plan our Galapagos adventure in 2011 and our Torres del Paine/Australis Magellan Straits cruise 2015. They were extremely helpful in planning our trips and quickly responded to each of our questions. We will definitely seek their services to assist in any future travels." - Sharon McRae (Cruceros Australis + Hotel Las Torres)
Our experience planning a trip to Patagonia in South America with Southern Explorations exceeded my highest expectations! Everything was incredibly well organized, the hotels they booked for us were very nice, the guides and people who transported us all spoke our language (English). When my husband got very sick and we had to alter our plans, they were on top of rebooking flights and canceling excursions, and handled all of the logistics for us. I would highly recommend the services provided by Southern Explorations, and will certainly use them for all future travel planning that we do!! - Kristi Holland, Alabama (Patagonia))
Our two sons, ages 19 & 22, said it was the best trip they'd ever been on. (And we've been to southern Africa game camps, New Zealand, Galapagos, numerous SCUBA diving vacations all over the globe, not to mention dozens of other less dazzling spots around the world and the US). (Patagonia) is really gorgeous. Jorge (Guide) was exceptional--just perfect for us! The tents are fantastic--lots of room to put huge backpacks inside along with lots of other gear--kudos on the tents. La Tercera (estancia) was marvelous and charming--we're so glad you planned two nights for us there. The food by Carmen was the best we ate on our entire trip to Chile--really extraordinary both nights!
- Chile - Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How do I choose an itinerary?A: We offer a variety of pre-planned tours online and we'd love to design a custom trip just for you. Take a look at what we have online then call an Adventure Travel Coordinator to discuss the trip that best fits your timeframe, budget and interests.Q: Can I make changes or additions to these tours?A: Yes! We are happy to modify any tour to meet your needs and also add pre and post-excursion extensions. If you sign up for a group departure we cannot change the group portion but we can add extensions before and after.Q: When is the best time to go to Chile?A: Chile can be visited year-round, although the southern regions are generally best visited in the Spring, Summer and Fall, which run from October through April. Northern Chile, due to its high desert, is pleasant to visit year round. Central Chile, in the Andes, becomes a skiers paradise from late-June to mid-September. Contact an Adventure Travel Coordinator to discuss the best timing for your preferred tour.Q: What is the weather like in Chile?A: Chile is a long country, spanning many climatic zones, and offers weather systems ranging from warm, high desert to cold tundra. Patagonia is famous for having "all four seasons in one day," while the Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on earth. Contact an Adventure Travel Coordinator today to discuss the weather on your trip.Q: What is a typical day like in Chile?A: The typical day varies widely from trip to trip, but all tours will have full days with guided exploration. There is time for rest and relaxation, as well as independent exploration of the cities and towns you visit. Due to the remote nature of Chile's most scenic areas, some long travel days will be required.Q: How much time do we need to visit Chile?A: Although we have trips as short as 5 days, we highly recommend spending at least 7 days in Chile, and ideally 12. Chile has many fascinating regions and some of the most beautiful areas are quite remote, requiring extended travel time.Q: How far in advance should I book?A: As a rule, the further in advance you can plan, the more options you will have. We recommend planning a trip at three to nine months in advance, but if you want to stay at very specific luxury hotels or travel over a holiday we recommend planning nine months to a year in advance.Q: What are your booking and cancellation policies?A: Click here to see our booking and cancellation policies.Q: Do you use certified guides?A: The guides on all of our tours are experienced, fluent in English and hold a degree in a related field. The guides are experienced in the outdoors and trained in basic first aid. We tend to use the same guides as they are accustomed to the trips we offer and understand the Southern Explorations commitment to quality.Q: What kind of accommodations can I expect?A: We primarily work with 4-star hotels in Chile and the occasional 3-star property that meets our standards. We also work with several amazing 5-star properties and all-inclusive lodges. All of our hotels are clean, comfortable, well-located, offer en suite bathrooms and have been personally vetted by a Southern Explorations' staff member.Q: Do tours include airfare?A: We will confirm all airfare within South America and this price is listed separately from our base tour costs. You are responsible for booking international flights to Chile.Q: Will I get more information on packing, vaccines, currency, electricity, etc.?A: After booking you will receive a link to our online trip portal which includes all of the need-to-know information that is specific to your itinerary. This includes packing lists, restaurant recommendations, tipping guides, FAQs, vaccine recommendations and currency information. Your Adventure Travel Coordinator will also be a great resource for any other information you may need.Q: How will I do laundry during the trip?A: Patagonian hotels charge very affordable rates for doing a guest's laundry. You will also have access to laundry facilities on most days in major cities. Some of the Patagonian experiences will be true 'wilderness' style camping with only a river or lake as a water supply. Some locations have washing facilities where guests may do laundry. Bring biodegradable soap if you wish to do your own laundry. Please refer to the full itinerary or contact us for details.Q: I've heard Patagonia is very remote. What if I have a medical emergency on the trip?A: Some of our trips take passengers into some primitive wilderness areas. Our guides are trained in wilderness first-aid. To ensure the safety of our travelers, our guides are linked with outside services 24 hours a day in all locations to provide assistance when necessary. Though our guides carry extensive first aid equipment for minor ailments, injuries and accidents, they cannot handle serious medical conditions, and passengers are advised to obtain health or travel insurance that covers medical evacuation. There are small hospitals in the Patagonia region, some with 24-hour medical assistance that can deal with minor injuries and illnesses. In the rare event of an accident or broken bone, passengers would be evacuated from the wilderness area (probably by horse) and continue on the long drive out. Helicopters are available for emergencies but cannot fly during high winds. Any passengers with a medical condition or using medication should discuss this with us prior to travel.


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Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here. Chapter XXIV
The Wind dies away.—The Vicinity of the Desert.—The Mistake in the Water-Supply.—The Nights of the Equator.—Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties.—The Situation flatly stated.—Energetic Replies of Kennedy and Joe.—One Night more.
The balloon, having been made fast to a solitary tree, almost completely dried up by the aridity of the region in which it stood, passed the night in perfect quietness; and the travellers were enabled to enjoy a little of the repose which they so greatly needed. The emotions of the day had left sad impressions on their minds.
Toward morning, the sky had resumed its brilliant purity and its heat. The balloon ascended, and, after several ineffectual attempts, fell into a current that, although not rapid, bore them toward the northwest.
"We are not making progress," said the doctor. "If I am not mistaken, we have accomplished nearly half of our journey in ten days; but, at the rate at which we are going, it would take months to end it; and that is all the more vexatious, that we are threatened with a lack of water."
"But we'll find some," said Joe. "It is not to be thought of that we shouldn't discover some river, some stream, or pond, in all this vast extent of country."
"I hope so."
"Now don't you think that it's Joe's cargo of stone that is keeping us back?"
Kennedy asked this question only to tease Joe; and he did so the more willingly because he had, for a moment, shared the poor lad's hallucinations; but, not finding any thing in them, he had fallen back into the attitude of a strong-minded looker-on, and turned the affair off with a laugh.
Joe cast a mournful glance at him; but the doctor made no reply. He was thinking, not without secret terror, probably, of the vast solitudes of Sahara—for there whole weeks sometimes pass without the caravans meeting with a single spring of water. Occupied with these thoughts, he scrutinized every depression of the soil with the closest attention.
These anxieties, and the incidents recently occurring, had not been without their effect upon the spirits of our three travellers. They conversed less, and were more wrapt in their own thoughts.
Joe, clever lad as he was, seemed no longer the same person since his gaze had plunged into that ocean of gold. He kept entirely silent, and gazed incessantly upon the stony fragments heaped up in the car—worthless to-day, but of inestimable value to-morrow.
The appearance of this part of Africa was, moreover, quite calculated to inspire alarm: the desert was gradually expanding around them; not another village was to be seen—not even a collection of a few huts; and vegetation also was disappearing. Barely a few dwarf plants could now be noticed, like those on the wild heaths of Scotland; then came the first tract of grayish sand and flint, with here and there a lentisk tree and brambles. In the midst of this sterility, the rudimental carcass of the Globe appeared in ridges of sharply-jutting rock. These symptoms of a totally dry and barren region greatly disquieted Dr. Ferguson.
It seemed as though no caravan had ever braved this desert expanse, or it would have left visible traces of its encampments, or the whitened bones of men and animals. But nothing of the kind was to be seen, and the aëronauts felt that, ere long, an immensity of sand would cover the whole of this desolate region.
However, there was no going back; they must go forward; and, indeed, the doctor asked for nothing better; he would even have welcomed a tempest to carry him beyond this country. But, there was not a cloud in the sky. At the close of the day, the balloon had not made thirty miles.
If there had been no lack of water! But, there remained only three gallons in all! The doctor put aside one gallon, destined to quench the burning thirst that a heat of ninety degrees rendered intolerable. Two gallons only then remained to supply the cylinder. Hence, they could produce no more than four hundred and eighty cubic feet of gas; yet the cylinder consumed about nine cubic feet per hour. Consequently, they could not keep on longer than fifty-four hours—and all this was a mathematical calculation!
"Fifty-four hours!" said the doctor to his companions. "Therefore, as I am determined not to travel by night, for fear of passing some stream or pool, we have but three days and a half of journeying during which we must find water, at all hazards. I have thought it my duty to make you aware of the real state of the case, as I have retained only one gallon for drinking, and we shall have to put ourselves on the shortest allowance."
"Put us on short allowance, then, doctor," responded Kennedy, "but we must not despair. We have three days left, you say?"
"Yes, my dear Dick!"
"Well, as grieving over the matter won't help us, in three days there will be time enough to decide upon what is to be done; in the meanwhile, let us redouble our vigilance!"
At their evening meal, the water was strictly measured out, and the brandy was increased in quantity in the punch they drank. But they had to be careful with the spirits, the latter being more likely to produce than to quench thirst.
The car rested, during the night, upon an immense plateau, in which there was a deep hollow; its height was scarcely eight hundred feet above the level of the sea. This circumstance gave the doctor some hope, since it recalled to his mind the conjectures of geographers concerning the existence of a vast stretch of water in the centre of Africa. But, if such a lake really existed, the point was to reach it, and not a sign of change was visible in the motionless sky.
To the tranquil night and its starry magnificence succeeded the unchanging daylight and the blazing rays of the sun; and, from the earliest dawn, the temperature became scorching. At five o'clock in the morning, the doctor gave the signal for departure, and, for a considerable time, the balloon remained immovable in the leaden atmosphere.
The doctor might have escaped this intense heat by rising into a higher range, but, in order to do so, he would have had to consume a large quantity of water, a thing that had now become impossible. He contented himself, therefore, with keeping the balloon at one hundred feet from the ground, and, at that elevation, a feeble current drove it toward the western horizon.
The breakfast consisted of a little dried meat and pemmican. By noon, the Victoria had advanced only a few miles.
"We cannot go any faster," said the doctor; "we no longer command—we have to obey."
"Ah! doctor, here is one of those occasions when a propeller would not be a thing to be despised."
"Undoubtedly so, Dick, provided it would not require an expenditure of water to put it in motion, for, in that case, the situation would be precisely the same; moreover, up to this time, nothing practical of the sort has been invented. Balloons are still at that point where ships were before the invention of steam. It took six thousand years to invent propellers and screws; so we have time enough yet."
"Confounded heat!" said Joe, wiping away the perspiration that was streaming from his forehead.
"If we had water, this heat would be of service to us, for it dilates the hydrogen in the balloon, and diminishes the amount required in the spiral, although it is true that, if we were not short of the useful liquid, we should not have to economize it. Ah! that rascally savage who cost us the tank!"[3]
[3] The water-tank had been thrown overboard when the native clung to the car.
"You don't regret, though, what you did, doctor?"
"No, Dick, since it was in our power to save that unfortunate missionary from a horrible death. But, the hundred pounds of water that we threw overboard would be very useful to us now; it would be thirteen or fourteen days more of progress secured, or quite enough to carry us over this desert."
"We've made at least half the journey, haven't we?" asked Joe.
"In distance, yes; but in duration, no, should the wind leave us; and it, even now, has a tendency to die away altogether."
"Come, sir," said Joe, again, "we must not complain; we've got along pretty well, thus far, and whatever happens to me, I can't get desperate. We'll find water; mind, I tell you so."
The soil, however, ran lower from mile to mile; the undulations of the gold-bearing mountains they had left died away into the plain, like the last throes of exhausted Nature. Scanty grass took the place of the fine trees of the east; only a few belts of half-scorched herbage still contended against the invasion of the sand, and the huge rocks, that had rolled down from the distant summits, crushed in their fall, had scattered in sharp-edged pebbles which soon again became coarse sand, and finally impalpable dust.
"Here, at last, is Africa, such as you pictured it to yourself, Joe! Was I not right in saying, 'Wait a little?' eh?"
"Well, master, it's all natural, at least—heat and dust. It would be foolish to look for any thing else in such a country. Do you see," he added, laughing, "I had no confidence, for my part, in your forests and your prairies; they were out of reason. What was the use of coming so far to find scenery just like England? Here's the first time that I believe in Africa, and I'm not sorry to get a taste of it."
Toward evening, the doctor calculated that the balloon had not made twenty miles during that whole burning day, and a heated gloom closed in upon it, as soon as the sun had disappeared behind the horizon, which was traced against the sky with all the precision of a straight line.
The next day was Thursday, the 1st of May, but the days followed each other with desperate monotony. Each morning was like the one that had preceded it; noon poured down the same exhaustless rays, and night condensed in its shadow the scattered heat which the ensuing day would again bequeath to the succeeding night. The wind, now scarcely observable, was rather a gasp than a breath, and the morning could almost be foreseen when even that gasp would cease.
The doctor reacted against the gloominess of the situation and retained all the coolness and self-possession of a disciplined heart. With his glass he scrutinized every quarter of the horizon; he saw the last rising ground gradually melting to the dead level, and the last vegetation disappearing, while, before him, stretched the immensity of the desert.
The responsibility resting upon him pressed sorely, but he did not allow his disquiet to appear. Those two men, Dick and Joe, friends of his, both of them, he had induced to come with him almost by the force alone of friendship and of duty. Had he done well in that? Was it not like attempting to tread forbidden paths? Was he not, in this trip, trying to pass the borders of the impossible? Had not the Almighty reserved for later ages the knowledge of this inhospitable continent?
All these thoughts, of the kind that arise in hours of discouragement, succeeded each other and multiplied in his mind, and, by an irresistible association of ideas, the doctor allowed himself to be carried beyond the bounds of logic and of reason. After having established in his own mind what he should not have done, the next question was, what he should do, then. Would it be impossible to retrace his steps? Were there not currents higher up that would waft him to less arid regions? Well informed with regard to the countries over which he had passed, he was utterly ignorant of those to come, and thus his conscience speaking aloud to him, he resolved, in his turn, to speak frankly to his two companions. He thereupon laid the whole state of the case plainly before them; he showed them what had been done, and what there was yet to do; at the worst, they could return, or attempt it, at least.—What did they think about it?
"I have no other opinion than that of my excellent master," said Joe; "what he may have to suffer, I can suffer, and that better than he can, perhaps. Where he goes, there I'll go!"
"And you, Kennedy?"
"I, doctor, I'm not the man to despair; no one was less ignorant than I of the perils of the enterprise, but I did not want to see them, from the moment that you determined to brave them. Under present circumstances, my opinion is, that we should persevere—go clear to the end. Besides, to return looks to me quite as perilous as the other course. So onward, then! you may count upon us!"
"Thanks, my gallant friends!" replied the doctor, with much real feeling, "I expected such devotion as this; but I needed these encouraging words. Yet, once again, thank you, from the bottom of my heart!"
And, with this, the three friends warmly grasped each other by the hand.
"Now, hear me!" said the doctor. "According to my solar observations, we are not more than three hundred miles from the Gulf of Guinea; the desert, therefore, cannot extend indefinitely, since the coast is inhabited, and the country has been explored for some distance back into the interior. If needs be, we can direct our course to that quarter, and it seems out of the question that we should not come across some oasis, or some well, where we could replenish our stock of water. But, what we want now, is the wind, for without it we are held here suspended in the air at a dead calm.
"Let us wait with resignation," said the hunter.
But, each of the party, in his turn, vainly scanned the space around him during that long wearisome day. Nothing could be seen to form the basis of a hope. The very last inequalities of the soil disappeared with the setting sun, whose horizontal rays stretched in long lines of fire over the flat immensity. It was the Desert!
Our aëronauts had scarcely gone a distance of fifteen miles, having expended, as on the preceding day, one hundred and thirty-five cubic feet of gas to feed the cylinder, and two pints of water out of the remaining eight had been sacrificed to the demands of intense thirst.
The night passed quietly—too quietly, indeed, but the doctor did not sleep!
About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books.
This book is part of the public domain. Jules Verne (2002). Five Weeks in a Balloon. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3526/pg3526-images.html
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Misting Fans help beat the heat and improve your outdoor experience.
One of the most popular spots at the zoo or amusement park on hot summer days is not necessarily one of the main attractions. It's the misting stations that draw in a consistent crowd eager to feel cool and refreshed before moving onto the next wild animal or wild ride. Creating your own personal misting station is much easier, much more pleasant, and much less expensive than spending hot summer days with the family at a pricey zoo or park. The way to accomplish this is with a misting fan.
Misting fans bring together the refreshing mist of water with the cool breeze generated by a fan. This combination cools more effectively than just mist or just a fan alone. In fact, a misting fan can reduce the surrounding air temperature by as much as 30 degrees, making it possible to feel comfortable on your back patio or deck even on the hottest days. Better quality misting fans are able to cool an area 200 square feet or more in size, which makes the misting fan ideal not only for home use, but also for commercial and industrial use. Outdoor cafes, construction sites, and sporting events are just a few of the places where misting fans would be welcomed and appreciated.
When shopping for a misting fan for your home or workplace, there are a couple of features you will want to insist upon having. Most misting fans are mounted on top of a water reservoir, many of which can hold anywhere from 5 to 10 gallons of water. Better misting fans, no matter what the capacity, should be able to run, when starting with a full reservoir, up to 4 or 5 hours long without needing a refill. Additionally, be sure to choose a misting fan that comes with attached, locking wheels or a convenient cart so that it is easy to move and store away.
Optional features are available that can enhance the quality of your misting fan experience. For example, some misting fans have variable speeds, allowing you more control. Another particularly handy feature in a misting fan is a telescoping post that allows the fan to be adjusted easily for height. Also, some fans oscillate to more efficiently distribute the cooling mist in the surrounding area.
No matter what features you choose, having your own misting fan at home or work can significantly improve your level of comfort, even on the hottest of days. Because they provide so much relief from the heat, misting fans at home can help you enjoy your patio or deck more fully, and at work, misting fans can increase your productivity and make working outdoors much more pleasant.


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There's good news this week. There's only about two weeks before the midterm elections.
Now for the bad news. There's still about two more weeks to be garroted by TV ads.
Back-to-back-to-back, we are choking on lies, distortions, and half-truths. This year may go into history as having the most vicious attack ads since the "dark ages" shortly after the nation was founded. Biggest difference? More than two centuries later, most of the ads scream at you from television rather than partisan newspapers.
Between $3.5 and $4.5 billion will be spent on campaign ads this season. That's one to two billion more than was spent during the mid-term elections four years ago.
One of the reasons for the increase in spending is that the conservative wing of the Republican party has launched an all-out assault to once again take over Congress. Another reason is that they got a supreme assist in January. The Supreme Court, by a 5–4 vote along party lines, decided in Citizens United v Federal Election Commission [130 S.Ct. 876] that the First Amendment applies to corporations, which now would enjoy the same protections given to citizens and associations of citizens. The decision essentially obliterated the gains made by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (known as the McCain–Feingold Act) that reformed campaign spending— and a Supreme Court decision (McConnell v. FEC; 540 U.S. 93) a year later that ruled most of the Act constitutional.
In a strongly-worded dissent in the Citizens United case, Justice John Paul Stevens declared the Supreme Court's decision "threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the Nation…. [It is] a rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self government since the founding, and who have fought against the distinctive corrupting potential of corporate electioneering since the days of Theodore Roosevelt."
Justice Stevens further argued that, "While American democracy is imperfect, few outside the majority of this Court would have thought its flaws included a dearth of corporate money in politics."
President Obama called the decision, "a major victory for Big Oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans."
Eight of the 10 groups that have bought the most TV advertising this election lean to the Republicans, according to an analysis of by the Wesleyan Media Project.
And that brings us to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, second in spending only to the Republican Governors Association. The Chamber of Commerce, along with the National Rifle Association, was one of the most vigorous supporters of the Citizens United legal case to extend First Amendment protections to corporations.
At one time, the Chamber was a non-partisan association that advanced the interests of all business. During the past decade, it has become an advocacy group for conservative candidates and ideology. For this election, it has promised to spend about $75 million in campaign ads. Because the Chamber, a non-profit agency, doesn't need to report who it receives contribution from, or even report its spending to the Federal Elections Commission, the nation is left wondering if it's true, as the President charges, that significant donations are from foreign companies and governments. Those contributions are illegal under U.S. law. The Chamber claims it does receive foreign money but doesn't use it for political advertising — but refuses to disclose specifics.
Even if the Chamber doesn't use foreign money for political ads, the revenue it receives from foreign money frees up its budget to increase spending for a right-wing agenda. Four years ago, almost every organization disclosed where their funds came from. This year, according to FEC data, only about one-third of the organizations have done so.
Republicans have put a "face" on their attack ads, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who appears in more anti-Democrat campaign ads than any Democrat running for office, is seen as everything evil. Perhaps it's because she is a powerful woman who represents San Francisco, a district that is racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse. Pelosi, and most Democrats in hotly contested races, are portrayed as Pelosi puppets who voted for the stimulus bill and health care reform, both seen erroneously by the ultra-conservative wing as socialist or Marxist programs.
Most objective analysts say that the stimulus bill, even with its flaws, kept the nation out of sinking into a Depression, and that health reform, derisively known as Obamacare, has significantly improved the nation's health care while keeping costs down. However, President Obama doesn't appear in too many attack ads. For the Party on the White to emphasize the "evils" of President Obama could result in a backlash.
In response, the Democrats have charged Republicans as being the "Party of NO," with no social conscience and no political agenda, a party that blocks any reform or progress solely for political reasons. What the Democrats didn't do is more important than what they did do. The Democrats have been unable to effectively use campaign advertising to portray the Republicans as the party in power when the nation entered into an unjustified $1 trillion war in Iraq, created the greatest deficit in American history, refused to stop Wall Street and bank greed, allowed the mortgage crisis to develop and undermine American security, brought about double-digit unemployment, and shoved the nation into one of its greatest recessions.
But here's another reality. TV ads, like newspaper editorials, seldom change anyone's preconceived opinions. Liberals continue to support liberals. Conservatives continue to support conservatives. The "independent" middle, sometimes known as a "soft vote" because both parties try to grab it, is largely a myth. The "soft middle" may not be influenced by any campaign ad—and they may not even vote.
So what is the purpose of TV ads and the significant increase in funding? Simply, it's to hold and reinforce the base. Conservatives have done much better to rally their base than have liberals this year. If the conservative retake either or both houses of Congress, it will not be because the Obama administration failed, but because the conservatives spent significantly more on television ads, rallied its base, controlled the agenda, and effectively blocked an ineffective Democratic response that failed to counter lies, distortions, and half-truths.


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Hey Guys, This story is getting weirder and weirder, but as many people are interested in the developments of this prediction i have decided post any updates. The new channelings seem quite bizzare so i decided not to post them as i believe the original the channelings from Blossum are more legit .
Basically the news is that Susan Leland and quite a few other psychics have also channeled similar information that backs up the claims of blossum Goodchild , (the lady who originally channeled the october 14 predictions). For more about this see this site
Anyways just wanted to ask what you guys whats your thoughts on all of this and if you have any comments or more thoughts from original prediction (repost again below - if you missed it):
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A Testament to Design-Build
Alaska's Goose Creek Correctional Center was Under Budget and Ahead of Schedule Despite Long Winters and Difficult Access
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the State of Alaska Department of Corrections, as owner and operator, respectively, brought online the new medium-security Goose Creek Correctional Center (GCCC) under budget and ahead of schedule, thanks to design-build delivery and collaboration.
Moreover, the project received the highest national award, in the correctional facilities category, from the Design-Build Institute of America for 2012.
"The project was designed and constructed in less than three years, a testament to the high level of process organization and communication skills achieved, and to how a large, top-quality project can be produced on time and within budget through a D-B approach," said Projects Administrator Gary Donnelly of Neeser Construction Inc. (NCI). The project was ahead of schedule by approximately four months.
The 1,536-bed correctional center for long-term male felony offenders is sited in a rural area 75 miles northeast of Anchorage. Driving to the site during the winter months requires dealing with snow and ice conditions, long hours of darkness and frequent encounters with moose on, or crossing, the roads.
Alaska has a short construction season compared to the rest of the country; things are usually in-closure, or enclosed, due to the weather by mid-October, when workers battle heavy snow and wind. The long winters and exceedingly short summers, which are routine in Alaska, did not deter the construction team's construction window, which is limited by the hours of daylight and months of below zero temperatures, in terms of schedule or cost.
"We have to get the buildings enclosed as quickly as we can and try to beat the winter weather," said Donnelly. "The first season we got in the ground in May 2009 and we had four buildings enclosed by the end of October or mid-November of 2009. It would have never happened without design-build."
"NCI, the different design firms, and the folks from the DOC, and their consultants, established a tremendous working relationship that allowed the project to move forward in a way that made sense," said Donnelly.
"The design revolved around the needs of the Alaska DOC. There was a lot of work that went in, as a collaborative team, which helped keep the project on schedule and on track," said Donnelly. "Which up here in Alaska is a critical issue."
In addition to the Alaska-based architects and engineers, there were additional AE firms involved in the project from Washington, Colorado, Texas, California, South Carolina and Nevada —comprising a 40-member D-B team from 14 different AE firms, seven contractor/subcontracting companies, and a 12-person owner team with design professionals for each discipline.
On the occasions where travel to Anchorage was not practical or possible, participation was achieved through the use of virtual meeting software, and large-screen projections of drawings and diagrams, for real-time discussion and evaluation.
The design strategy was based on paralleling the construction schedule, which began with the support visitation building because it was the most challenging of the five structures, and it contained the central boilers and ventilation units for the entire prison campus.
"This allowed all buried utilities, and the HVAC system serving all [five] buildings, to be constructed in the first year, along with enclosure of approximately 190,000 square feet of the most complex building on the campus," said Richard M. Reed, project architectural lead and principal at KPB Architects.
Design proceeded to complete outside administration, warehouse, vehicle maintenance and general housing buildings in phases to dovetail with the construction schedule. Peak activity on site had four buildings and related sitework under construction simultaneously. Construction of general housing was begun and finished in the final year, along with landscaping the entire campus.
The entire prison campus was designed and built in less than three years, "which we feel quite proud of, and there is three winters in a period like that," said Reed. "We are driving winter or summer and negotiating all of the challenges that frequent any project in Alaska. This one was a huge one."
At its peak, the project had nearly 450 trades people on site at any given time and cumulatively employed more than 1,200 construction workers.
RISE Alaska was the representative for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and was on-board from start to finish with several people on the site at one time.
"This was one of the largest vertical construction projects that's ever taken place in Alaska," said Purchasing Officer Russ Krafft at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. "It's like building an entire university campus at once."
"We were in the ground early," said Krafft. "There were zero claims on the project."
GCCC is the largest publicly funded vertical construction project ever done in Alaska and the $223 bond is the largest single bond ever written in Alaska.
GCCC is comprised of five primary buildings. The two largest buildings, general housing and support visitation, are adjoined by a 250-foot by 1,000-foot movement yard and bounded by a secured, perimeter double-fence. The movement yard provides secure circulation between the two buildings and includes ball fields and courts for outside recreation. Indoor recreation facilities include two gymnasiums and exercise rooms centrally located in general housing.
Academic and vocational education programs, the central kitchen and dining facilities, segregated housing, and visitation functions are located in support visitation. The three smaller buildings located outside the secured perimeter fence include a multi-bay vehicle maintenance shop, a high-stack warehouse, with five-weeks storage capacity for dry and refrigerated foods, and the publically-accessible outside administration building to process visitors, train and exercise staff, and to house the master control tower. The outside administration building gets its name from its siting outside the secured perimeter, while inside administrative facilities are located in the general housing and support visitation buildings as well.
There are three dining halls with 250 seats, each. All inmates coming from general housing, plus staff, are fed in two 20-minute shifts. A secure corridor connects the food service area, which is located in the support visitation building, to the segregated housing units.
The client did not seek LEED certification but NCI did employ a life cycle cost analysis to the selection processes for material durability, damage resistance, building systems, equipment and controls, including energy-conservation measures in terms of thermal performance, mechanical systems, plumbing design, energy supply, heat generation and electrical service.
The RFP established an energy goal of 20 percent greater than ASHRAE 90.1-2004. NCI targeted a goal of exceeding the referenced ASHRAE standard by 30 percent. The as-built result fell between the two goals.
The general housing project needed to be concrete on both the interior and exterior of the exterior wall — an insulated sandwich panel of eight inches of concrete, four inches of core insulation and four inches of concrete on the inside, explained Reed. "It was a massive —16-inch thick wall."
Glazed CMU wall is used in the shower areas because of its low maintenance cost in terms of paining and repairs. Low-flow showerheads and urinals were installed. Waterless urinals were not considered due to sanitary concerns.
Willoughby calculated an estimated $350,000 in security plumbing fixtures were installed in the medium-security facility.
Ozone water treatment technology is implemented in the prison laundry. The treatment for water is similar to UV treatment for air; it kills bacteria and germs such that hot water is not needed. Ozone utilizes cold water, which eliminates the water overheating process and saves gas usage, and uses less water per cycle. It also reduces the wear and tear on fabric.
In areas, such as Alaska, with significant months of snow-covered ground, the ground surface, or snow, has a high-reflectivity, and requires significantly less light fixtures to accomplish the same lighting levels. The number of light fixtures, on site, is appropriate number for non-covered ground, but control of some of the lights to be turned off during months of snow-cover, can be managed in the security control console in master control.
If there ever was a power outage, the facility is prepared. Reed explained they have two to three weeks of emergency power; a huge array of generators, and on-site fuel storage, both diesel and natural gas. If there is a crisis, inmates and staff will have water, fuel, heat, electricity, and food for two to three weeks.
"It is really a community," said Reed. "It is almost self-contained."
The project was financed by the sale of revenue bonds that will be repaid by the state through 25 annual lease payments. Borough taxpayers are not paying for the project.
The new correctional center doubles the number of available beds in the State of Alaska Department of Corrections in-state system and also provides overflow capacity for un-sentenced prisoners from local pre-trial facilities.
A National DBIA Winner
The Design-Build Institute of America recognized GCCC by honoring the project with a National Design-Build Award for 2012 in its correctional facilities category. According to DBIA, the 2012 National Design-Build Award program is the most competitive, to date, and the submission by Neeser Construction Inc. was rigorously judged by a panel of owners and DBIA professionals.
"Goose Creek is a particularly stunning example of what 'design-build, done right' means," said Susan Hines, managing director, public relations and information, at the Design-Build Institute of America.
The award will be presented at DBIA's annual conference in New Orleans on Nov. 7-9, 2012.
"There have been representatives from other facilities in the country that have visited GCCC and they give it very high marks," said Steve Fishback, AIA, who served as the architect for the State DOC. "We think the quality is very high and are proud of the end product."
Donnelly could not agree more and said "we met and more often exceeded the State's quality expectations.
"The craftsmanship is spot on. By correctional standards, it is a very nicely done facility. The operator could not be happier and the Borough is happy too because it came in within the numbers it needed to come in at."
Being received ahead of schedule gave the State of Alaska DOC more time to acclimate their staff and get ready for business.
The State is undergoing a very soft, slow ramp-up. Prisoners began arriving in July 2012. As of Sept. 25, the facility held just under 300 inmates. According to the Borough's website operations phase-in will continue until October 2013 and it is anticipated that full occupancy will occur in fiscal year 2014.
Officials at the State of Alaska DOC declined to be interviewed for this article.
Goose Creek Correctional Center
Facility Type: Medium-Security Prison
Construction Budget: $223 million
Number of Beds: 1,536
Area (square feet): 450,000 square feet
Start Date: May 2009
Completion Date: August 2011
Owner/Operator: Matanuska Susitna Borough, State of Alaska Dept. of Corrections
Owner Representative: Lee Sherman, Dept. of Corrections
Project Manager: Roe Sturgulewski, RISE Alaska
Design-Build General Contractor: Neeser Construction Inc.
Architect: KPB Architects
Structural Engineer: Engineering & Development Services
Mechanical Engineer: Coffman Engineers
Detention Equipment Contractor: CML Specialties
Security Electronics Contractor: Engineered Control Systems
Lighting Fixtures: Kenall
Security Systems: Engineered Control Systems
Video Surveillance: DVTel, Bosch
Video Visitation System: Renovo, Southern Folger
Intercom/Communications Systems: Harding, Atlas Sound
Touch Screen Access/Control Systems: Schneider Electric, ELO
Jail Management System: TAC
Perimeter Security System: Senstar
Security Fencing: USA Industries, Tymetal Corp.
Security Glazing: Allied Protective Glazing LLC
Security Locks: Southern Folger Detention Equipment Co.
Security Equipment: Norix Group Inc.
Detention Accessories: Norix Group Inc.
Security Plumbing Fixtures: Willoughby
Plumbing Fixtures: Bradley Corp.
Power Plant Systems: NC Power Systems Co.
Roofing: Firestone Building Products
Insulation: Western Insulfoam
Floor/Wall Systems: Site cast concrete
Ceiling System: Gordon Corrections Division, Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
Food Service and Refrigeration Equipment: Refrigeration & Food Services


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Tyrants of the Nanny State: When the Government Thinks It Knows Best
ANGLO AMERICA, 18 Oct 2021
John W. Whitehead and Nisha Whitehead | The Rutherford Institute – TRANSCEND Media Service
"Whether the mask is labeled fascism, democracy, or dictatorship of the proletariat, our great adversary remains the apparatus—the bureaucracy, the police, the military. Not the one facing us across the frontier of the battle lines, which is not so much our enemy as our brothers' enemy, but the one that calls itself our protector and makes us its slaves. No matter what the circumstances, the worst betrayal will always be to subordinate ourselves to this apparatus and to trample underfoot, in its service, all human values in ourselves and in others."
—Simone Weil, French philosopher and political activist
12 Oct 2021 – We labor today under the weight of countless tyrannies, large and small, carried out in the so-called name of the national good by an elite class of governmental and corporate officials who are largely insulated from the ill effects of their actions.
We, the middling classes, are not so fortunate.
We find ourselves badgered, bullied and browbeaten into bearing the brunt of their arrogance, paying the price for their greed, suffering the backlash for their militarism, agonizing as a result of their inaction, feigning ignorance about their backroom dealings, overlooking their incompetence, turning a blind eye to their misdeeds, cowering from their heavy-handed tactics, and blindly hoping for change that never comes.
The overt signs of the despotism exercised by the increasingly authoritarian regime that passes itself off as the United States government (and its corporate partners in crime) are all around us: COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates that strip Americans of their freedom of movement and bodily integrity; censorship, criminalizing, shadow banning and de-platforming of individuals who express ideas that are politically incorrect or unpopular; warrantless surveillance of Americans' movements and communications; SWAT team raids of Americans' homes; shootings of unarmed citizens by police; harsh punishments meted out to schoolchildren in the name of zero tolerance; armed drones taking to the skies domestically; endless wars; out-of-control spending; militarized police; roadside strip searches; roving TSA sweeps; privatized prisons with a profit incentive for jailing Americans; fusion centers that spy on, collect and disseminate data on Americans' private transactions; and militarized agencies with stockpiles of ammunition, to name some of the most appalling.
Yet as egregious as these incursions on our rights may be, it's the endless, petty tyrannies—the heavy-handed, punitive-laden dictates inflicted by a self-righteous, Big-Brother-Knows-Best bureaucracy on an overtaxed, overregulated, and underrepresented populace—that illustrate so clearly the degree to which "we the people" are viewed as incapable of common sense, moral judgment, fairness, and intelligence, not to mention lacking a basic understanding of how to stay alive, raise a family, or be part of a functioning community.
It's hard to say whether we're dealing with a kleptocracy (a government ruled by thieves), a kakistocracy (a government run by unprincipled career politicians, corporations and thieves that panders to the worst vices in our nature and has little regard for the rights of American citizens), or if we've gone straight to an idiocracy.
This certainly isn't a constitutional democracy, however.
This overbearing Nanny State despotism is what happens when government representatives (those elected and appointed to work for us) adopt the authoritarian notion that the government knows best and therefore must control, regulate and dictate almost everything about the citizenry's public, private and professional lives.
The government's bureaucratic attempts at muscle-flexing by way of overregulation and overcriminalization have reached such outrageous limits that federal and state governments now require on penalty of a fine that individuals apply for permission before they can grow exotic orchids, host elaborate dinner parties, gather friends in one's home for Bible studies, give coffee to the homeless, let their kids manage a lemonade stand, keep chickens as pets, or braid someone's hair, as ludicrous as that may seem.
Consider, for example, that businesses in California must now designate an area of the children's toy aisle "gender-neutral" or face a fine, whether or not the toys sold are traditionally marketed to girls or boys such as Barbies and Hot Wheels. California schools are prohibited from allowing students to access websites, novels or religious works that reflect negatively on gays. And while Californians are free to have sex with whomever they choose (because that's none of the government's business), removing a condom during sex without consent could make you liable for general, special and punitive damages.
Up until a few years ago, Missouri required that anyone wanting to braid African-style hair and charge for it must first acquire a government license, which at a minimum requires the applicant to undertake at least 1500 hours of cosmetology classes costing tens of thousands of dollars. Tennessee was prepared to fine residents nearly $100,000 just for violating its laws against braiding hair without a government license. In Oregon, the law was so broad that you needed a license even if you were planning to braid hair for free. The mere act of touching someone's hair could render you a cosmetologist operating without a license and in violation of the law.
It's getting worse.
Almost every aspect of American life today—especially if it is work-related—is subject to this kind of heightened scrutiny and ham-fisted control, whether you're talking about aspiring "bakers, braiders, casket makers, florists, veterinary masseuses, tour guides, taxi drivers, eyebrow threaders, teeth whiteners, and more."
For instance, whereas 70 years ago, one out of every 20 U.S. jobs required a state license, today, almost 1 in 3 American occupations requires a license.
The problem of overregulation has become so bad that, as one analyst notes, "getting a license to style hair in Washington takes more instructional time than becoming an emergency medical technician or a firefighter."
This is what happens when bureaucrats run the show, and the rule of law becomes little more than a cattle prod for forcing the citizenry to march in lockstep with the government.
Overregulation is just the other side of the coin to overcriminalization, that phenomenon in which everything is rendered illegal and everyone becomes a lawbreaker.
This is the mindset that tried to penalize a fisherman with 20 years' jail time for throwing fish that were too small back into the water.
That same overcriminalization mindset reared its ugly head again when police arrested a 90-year-old man for violating an ordinance that prohibits feeding the homeless in public unless portable toilets are also made available.
It's no coincidence that both of these incidents—the fishing debacle and the homeless feeding arrest—happened in Florida.
Despite its pristine beaches and balmy temperatures, Florida is no less immune to the problems plaguing the rest of the nation in terms of overcriminalization, incarceration rates, bureaucracy, corruption, and police misconduct.
A few years back, in fact, Florida officials authorized police raids on barber shops in minority communities, resulting in barbers being handcuffed in front of customers, and their shops searched without warrants. All of this was purportedly done in an effort to make sure that the barbers' licensing paperwork was up to snuff.
As if criminalizing fishing, charity, and haircuts wasn't bad enough, you could also find yourself passing time in a Florida slammer for such inane activities as singing in a public place while wearing a swimsuit, breaking more than three dishes per day, farting in a public place after 6 pm on a Thursday, and skateboarding without a license.
In this way, the Sunshine State is representative of the transformation happening across the nation, where a steady diet of bread and circuses has given rise to an oblivious, inactive citizenry content to be ruled over by an inflexible and highly bureaucratic regime.
America has gone from being a beacon of freedom to a locked down nation. And "we the people," sold on the idea that safety, security and material comforts are preferable to freedom, have allowed the government to pave over the Constitution in order to erect a concentration camp.
The problem with these devil's bargains, however, is that there is always a catch, always a price to pay for whatever it is we valued so highly as to barter away our most precious possessions.
We've bartered away our right to self-governance, self-defense, privacy, autonomy and that most important right of all—the right to tell the government to "leave me the hell alone."
In exchange for the promise of an end to global pandemics, lower taxes, lower crime rates, safe streets, safe schools, blight-free neighborhoods, and readily accessible technology, health care, water, food and power, we've opened the door to lockdowns, militarized police, government surveillance, asset forfeiture, school zero tolerance policies, license plate readers, red light cameras, SWAT team raids, health care mandates, overcriminalization, overregulation and government corruption.
In the end, such bargains always turn sour.
We relied on the government to help us safely navigate national emergencies (terrorism, natural disasters, global pandemics, etc.) only to find ourselves forced to relinquish our freedoms on the altar of national security, yet we're no safer (or healthier) than before.
We asked our lawmakers to be tough on crime, and we've been saddled with an abundance of laws that criminalize almost every aspect of our lives. So far, we're up to 4500 criminal laws and 300,000 criminal regulations that result in average Americans unknowingly engaging in criminal acts at least three times a day. For instance, the family of an 11-year-old girl was issued a $535 fine for violating the Federal Migratory Bird Act after the young girl rescued a baby woodpecker from predatory cats.
We wanted criminals taken off the streets, and we didn't want to have to pay for their incarceration. What we've gotten is a nation that boasts the highest incarceration rate in the world, with more than 2.3 million people locked up, many of them doing time for relatively minor, nonviolent crimes, and a private prison industry fueling the drive for more inmates, who are forced to provide corporations with cheap labor.
A special report by CNBC breaks down the national numbers:
One out of 100 American adults is behind bars — while a stunning one out of 32 is on probation, parole or in prison. This reliance on mass incarceration has created a thriving prison economy. The states and the federal government spend about $74 billion a year on corrections, and nearly 800,000 people work in the industry.
We wanted law enforcement agencies to have the necessary resources to fight the nation's wars on terror, crime and drugs. What we got instead were militarized police decked out with M-16 rifles, grenade launchers, silencers, battle tanks and hollow point bullets—gear designed for the battlefield, more than 80,000 SWAT team raids carried out every year (many for routine police tasks, resulting in losses of life and property), and profit-driven schemes that add to the government's largesse such as asset forfeiture, where police seize property from "suspected criminals."
According to the Washington Post, these funds have been used to buy guns, armored cars, electronic surveillance gear, "luxury vehicles, travel and a clown named Sparkles." Police seminars advise officers to use their "department wish list when deciding which assets to seize" and, in particular, go after flat screen TVs, cash and nice cars.
In Florida, where police are no strangers to asset forfeiture, Florida police have been carrying out "reverse" sting operations, where they pose as drug dealers to lure buyers with promises of cheap cocaine, then bust them, and seize their cash and cars. Over the course of a year, police in one small Florida town seized close to $6 million using these entrapment schemes.
We fell for the government's promise of safer roads, only to find ourselves caught in a tangle of profit-driven red light cameras, which ticket unsuspecting drivers in the so-called name of road safety while ostensibly fattening the coffers of local and state governments. Despite widespread public opposition, corruption and systemic malfunctions, these cameras—used in 24 states and Washington, DC—are particularly popular with municipalities, which look to them as an easy means of extra cash.
One small Florida town, population 8,000, generates a million dollars a year in fines from these cameras. Building on the profit-incentive schemes, the cameras' manufacturers are also pushing speed cameras and school bus cameras, both of which result in heft fines for violators who speed or try to go around school buses.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, this is what happens when the American people get duped, deceived, double-crossed, cheated, lied to, swindled and conned into believing that the government and its army of bureaucrats—the people we appointed to safeguard our freedoms—actually have our best interests at heart.
Yet when all is said and done, who is really to blame when the wool gets pulled over your eyes: you, for believing the con man, or the con man for being true to his nature?
It's time for a bracing dose of reality, America.
Wake up and take a good, hard look around you, and ask yourself if the gussied-up version of America being sold to you—crime free, worry free, disease free and devoid of responsibility—is really worth the ticket price: nothing less than your freedoms.
John W. Whitehead is an attorney and author who has written, debated and practiced widely in the area of constitutional law and human rights. His concern for the persecuted and oppressed led him, in 1982, to establish The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit civil liberties and human rights organization. Whitehead's aggressive, pioneering approach to civil liberties issues has earned him numerous accolades, including the Hungarian Medal of Freedom. He has been the subject of numerous newspaper, magazine and television profiles, ranging from Gentleman's Quarterly to CBS' 60 Minutes. Articles by Whitehead have been printed in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and USA Today, among others. Whitehead's commentaries are available for publication to newspapers and web publications at no charge.
Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute.
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Tags: Anglo America, Elites, USA
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