text:
"a female vocal excursion in the dreamy land of Italian movie soundtracks" – according to the website moviegrooves.com
cool cover
from: www.moviegroves.com
Posted by Adrian on July 31, 2007
"a female vocal excursion in the dreamy land of Italian movie soundtracks" – according to the website moviegrooves.com
cool cover
from: www.moviegroves.com
Posted in Popular Culture/Culture | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Adrian on July 27, 2007
Marvel has been putting out some solid publications of late, the company has been able to fuse the fantasy storyline of superheros aspect to general adult themes. I have been critical of Marvel in the past, only because they seemed intent on over commercializing aspects of their titles, which means they have dumbed down publications and aimed them at kids. Recently this doesn't seem to be the case, She-Hulk is one of those titles. The quality of the comic comes from Dan Slott's ability to write a mature story about a woman called Jennifer Walters, i.e She-Hulk. It's the skills of a good writer who can create a complex and interesting female character who is career ambitious, quirky yet paradoxical.
She-Hulk is definitely a comic for adults, in fact I don't know many teens that would get this, maybe late teenagers. But generally the situations in Slott's She-Hulk pretty much relate to the relationships in her life. Slott brings in a lot of style similar to Candace Bushnell's Sex and The City, Alley Mcbeal and even Boston Legal. As far as quirky legal interaction within the firm Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway (GLK&H) which Walters/She Hulk works as a lawyer. The Sex and The City influence is Walters/She-Hulk sex life and her dilemma with various men she encounters as She-Hulk and Jennifer Walters.
Up until recently She-Hulk has been conscripted to S.H.I.E.L.D as part of a the 'Hulk Buster unit', oblivious to the reason her cousin The Hulk is not on earth. Slott's humour with the character and generally feel of the comic keeps the reader curious of where this is heading, with Jennifer Walters nowhere to be seen and a full representation of She-Hulk seems to have taken precedence over her appearance. Under the She-Hulk alta ego , Jennifer Walters is able to have sex with the guys she likes, kick arse and generally have a feeling of power over the male sex and her own sex. Slott seems to try and create a balance with the two characters, but you ask, are they the same person? In someways Slott's skill of a writer emerges, as he does create not two different characters, but an extension of the original one – Jen Walters. The extension is of course She-Hulk. It's nice mix, both characters compliment each other well, both seem relaxed in control (as much as human an superhumanly possible).
She-Hulk compliantly goes about her missions with the 'Hulk Buster' unit, has sex with two of the main honchos of S.H.I.E.L.D and Clay Quartermain and Tony Stark (Ironman), I mean she has needs, so I guess the guy's oblige. Why not?
Is the strong willed, physically strong and desirable She-Hulk Slott's observation of what a women would like to be? As far as the promiscuous, 'won't fall in love' independent She-Hulk (with out the obvious physical appearance). The interesting aspect of She Hulk and in her human form as Jennifer Walters is that they are the same character. Not like the Hulk who losers the human side of Bruce Banner's (Hulk) self control and turns into a raging maniacal destroyer. Although with She-Hulk, even though Walters and her are the same character their personalities don't change much. She-Hulk can turn off that human emotion of anxiety that may hinder Walters from being as a female cavalier with her lovers. Where Walters has that human sentimental attachment, or falls in love. Can She-Hulk fall in love? Slott smartly addresses some paradoxes there with both characters .
Like I said earlier, you can see the influences from the Sex and The City themes and the quirkiness of the Boston Legal television show set up. But Slott's She-Hulk is distinctively his comic, and his creation. Slott has taken the old She-Hulk formula, and reworked, modernized and made a very updated character that a lot of Gen X's and even Gen Y's would relate too.
Jennifer Walter is a smart lawyer and of course she is focused and in control as She-Hulk. She learns that she was some what manipulated by Tony Stark/ Ironman to be part of the S.H.I.E.L.D directive in capturing former Hulk villains. She also learns that Ironman, Dr Strange and Mr Fantastic shot her cousin (The Hulk) into space. Because of The Hulk's 'out of control' destructive behavior on earth. She-Hulk learns of this and attacks Ironman, who somewhat overpowers her and injects her with a nano particle that temporary takes her power away.
Resuming back to her Jennifer Walters form, she gives a good line by saying 'I may have knocked you around being She- Hulk, but I will destroy you as the lawyer Jennifer Walters'. Such a good line courtesy of Slott delving into the strength of her character – with or with out her She-Hulk altar ego.
The art is very cartoonish with clean lines almost like an animated television cartoon. But don't be fooled, this comic if Marvel would allow it, could tip over into the R rated realm (art and story). That is in it's present form (Marvel's T+ rating – teens and up), however you do see the after effects of She-Hulk's hearty F*** sessions with her various lovers.
Posted in Books, Comic Reviews | 2 Comments »
Posted by Adrian on July 27, 2007
Updates for World Crisis scenarios for the 21st century – Worldwide economic depression
"It's a sea of red," said Brian Schaeffer, an New York Stock Exchange floor specialist at Van der Moolen, pointing to a flat-panel screen filled with flashing stock quotes at a post in the main room at the bourse. "Any green we see we call a shining star."
This could be possibly the start of the coming credit crunch, as investors stay away from risks. The markets at this point are hanging at an edge for even a greater fall. Very dangerous. Bloomberg article
"Over the past few years there has been a boom in company profits, house price increases, and mergers and acquisitions.Driving this have been low interest rates that have made it cheap for companies and consumers to borrow cash and finance purchases.That period of cheap cash now seems to been coming to an end with central banks worldwide, including the Bank of England, raising their main rates to slow stubbornly high inflation."
Is stagflation going to pose a risk to world economies too? Are we entering into a time of stagflation? BBC news. Business article – World Stocks fall
Posted in Finance and Economics. Strategy and Society | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Adrian on July 25, 2007
As mentioned in the summary of World Crisis scenarios for the 21st century. There will be constant updates and developments with the various World Crisis scenarios discussed on the Morbius Glass blog.
Updates for World Crisis scenarios for the 21st century – Worldwide economic depression
"Credit markets are facing a "sudden liquidity crisis", says Bill Gross of PIMCO bond fund (US) – CNNmoney article
Housing prices in America have falling so dramatically the only comparable time was the housing price decline in 1930's Great Depression – Business Day, The Age
Posted in Finance and Economics. Strategy and Society | 1 Comment »
Posted by Adrian on July 25, 2007
With all the potential long range and short range predications for a worldwide crisis in the 21st Century, the one crisis that could be closer on the horizon would be a worldwide economic depression, possible one that would be on a larger scale and far more destructive on worldwide financial markets than the 1929 crash or worldwide depression, otherwise known as the Great Depression.
World Crisis scenarios for the 21st century – Worldwide economic depression.
The world has currently gone through one of the longest and sustained financial growth spurts in history spurred by the insatiable and seemingly unstoppable growth of China and it's consumption for raw materials from the West. In turn asset markets worldwide have expanded and inflated these asset classes that range from stocks, property, art and antiques. Although the majority of the asset bubble comes from Stocks and Property.
The property boom worldwide has been fueled by the easy availability of credit and excess liquidity. Borrowing rates, or interest rates have been low which has fueled a huge mortgage market worldwide. Undoubtedly the biggest mortgage market took place in the America, more specifically is the large growth of a mortgage market called Subprime. A dubious and over utilized mortgage market that targets people who have bad credit history, poor credit rating and generally high risk individuals. Various Subprime mortgage broker firms were set up to cater for that market. Hedge Funds also bought into these high risk markets to see if they could profit from risk based mortgages. The idea is to look at high risk groups, repackage the loans into a CDO (Collateralized Debt Obligation) then have a investment bank reassess credit ratings on borrowers (adding high risk with middle range risk) then bundling mortgages to together to form MBS (Mortgage Backed Securities), then sell them onto various hedge funds that attend to make profits, or bets on the premise that housing market will still boom and housing prices will still rise. This hasn't happened, in fact the Subprime housing market collapsed almost completely overnight, metaphorically speaking. A recession is now in place in one of the largest housing booms to occur in the last century in America, which has effected various Subprime mortgage brokers (who sold the loans) have closed down and gone out of business. The Hedge Funds that bought high risk subprime CDO stand to lose millions as the housing market melts in America. Bear Stearns investment bank with it's offshoot Hedge Fund has already informed investors that one of it's Hedge Fund's that backed Subprime CDO's; of the real possibility that investors stand to lose all cash assets as the Bear Stearn Hedge Fund goes into liquidation from Business week
"Investors in a 10-month-old Bear Stearns (BSC) hedge fund are learning the hard way the danger of investing in risky bonds with borrowed money. The investment firm's High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Leverage Fund, as of Apr. 30, was down a whopping 23% for the year. The situation is so bleak that Bear Stearns' asset management group is suspending redemptions at the onetime $642 million fund—meaning investors have no choice but to sit on their losses. And that's got some hopping mad. "At the end of the day, I'd like someone to be honest with me about what's going on," says one investor in the hedge fund, which bet heavily on bonds backed by subprime mortgages, or home loans to consumers with shaky credit histories. An investor in Europe, who didn't want to be identified, says he's been trying to get his money out of the hedge fund since February."
Investors have already begun filing a lawsuit against Bear Stearns with the law firm Bernstein, Litowitz, Berger & Grossman,
"NEW YORK (Reuters) – Investors in Bear Stearns Cos. (BSC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) hedge funds that were virtually wiped out from large bets on risky mortgages are planning to sue the company as early as Monday, television channel CNBC reported on Friday. The lawsuit will be brought by the firm of Bernstein Litowitz Berger and Grossman LLP, which represented investors against WorldCom Inc. over a massive accounting fraud, CNBC said. According to CNBC, the lawsuit will allege Bear Stearns made material misrepresentations in offering documents, misrepresented risks of the hedge funds in those documents, and misrepresented its ability to control those risks."
CDO's are complicated financial instruments, working on high risk and with high leverage from Hedge Fund portfolios. By combing the high risk Subprime with the other mortgage backed securities, the idea is the risk could be manged. But Hedge Funds, like Private Equity companies don't like using their own funds; usually, in the case of a Hedge Fund the money raised has been heavily leveraged from loans borrowed from other banks using the CDO as collateral. It is complex system to generating more income on investments, but ultimately it has proven to be problematic and in the Bear Stearns case potentially misleading investors.
The housing sector in America is receding very quickly and destroying any of the income possible generated by the hedge funds, again using Bear Stearns situation as an example (Businessweek article),
"In fact, things deteriorated rather quickly at the fund. The hedge fund got off to a good start, posting a cumulative 4.44% return over its first four months, according to a Bear Stearns investor letter. But early this year the fund's performance began to suffer as the market for subprime mortgages began to implode. Coming into April, the fund was down 4% for the year.Then things really fell apart. In April, the hedge fund posted an 18.97% decline, according to the June 7 letter obtained by BusinessWeek. But even more shocking than that big loss: only weeks earlier, the company had said it lost just 6.5% for April, according to a May 15 letter the firm sent fund investors. It's not clear what happened in those intervening weeks to force Bear Stearns to significantly revise upward its estimated April losses.
Bear Stearns isn't the only big investment firm with a hedge fund that ran into trouble making bets on the Subprime market. In May, UBS (UBS), the Swiss-based banking giant, announced it was shutting down its Dillon Read Capital Management hedge fund after incurring a $123 million loss because of its exposure to the U.S. Subprime market. The hedge fund's woes helped drag down first-quarter profit at UBS."
So what does a severe deteriorating housing market and collapse of high leveraged hedge funds like Bear Stearns point too? World Depression? Of course that is a long call, but never the less, the fear of major depreciating markets (such as housing) could be the lead to a very quick spiraling downturn. Which could end up as a worldwide crash.
Recently the Bank for International Settlements has been quoted in saying that conditions that lead to the Great Depression in 1929 and Asian crisis in the 1990's is now showing signs of a repeat in the present financial markets, from The Age Business Day article;
"The BIS, the ultimate bank of central bankers, pointed to a confluence of worrying signs, citing mass issuance of new-fangled credit instruments, soaring levels of household debt, extreme appetite for risk shown by investors, and entrenched imbalances in the world currency system."
The main concern is China, even if a down turn in the economy does occur in America, say a recession partly brought on by the housing sector collapsing. China could derail, which is a possibility, this will most certainty effect countries in the West like America as far as production in exporting raw material and the import of cheap goods from China – if production slows or stops, or import costs rise manufacturing could come to a halt to China. According to the BIS from the Businessday article;
"The BIS said China may have repeated the disastrous errors made by Japan in the 1980s when Tokyo let rip with excess liquidity. 'The Chinese economy seems to be demonstrating very similar, disquieting symptoms,' it said, citing ballooning credit, an asset boom and 'massive investments' in heavy industry."
also from the BIS article,
"It said China's growth was "unstable, unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable", borrowing a line from Chinese premier Wen Jiabao"
Can the federal banks save us from a possible crash that would lead to a worldwide global depression? During the the Great Depression that started in 1929 and lasted to 1933. Are all the worldwide banks tackling inflation yet acknowledging the growing dangers of the debt bubble?
From article on the great depression wikipedia,
"the 1920s, in the U.S. the widespread use of purchases of businesses and factories on credit and the use of home mortgages and credit purchases of automobiles, furniture and even some stocks boosted spending but created consumer and commercial debt. People and businesses who were deeply in debt when a price deflation occurred or demand for their product decreased were often in serious trouble—even if they kept their jobs, they risked default. Many drastically cut current spending to keep up time payments, thus lowering demand for new products. Businesses began to fail as construction work and factory orders plunged."
So is huge worldwide debt going to be a precursor to a 2nd great Economic 'Depression'? Margin lending, which is borrowing to invest into the stockmarket is at the highest peak sine the 1920's. In the last 7 years there has been massive margin debt increases.
(graph from economist.com)
From the article on the Economist, regarding margin debt and the bubble it has created on the stockmarket,
"Margin Debt reaches it's highest ratio since the 1920's"
"MARGIN debt in the American stock market has reached a new record of $285bn. In other words, more borrowed money is being used to buy shares than ever before."
"As David Rosenberg of Merrill Lynch observes, margin debt has jumped by $40bn in the past three months, a similar rate to early 2000, when the markets were in frenzy. As a proportion of market value, margin debt is now at its highest since the late 1920s, an era that was a by-word for speculation (and resulted in the crash of 1929-32)."
It is clear there is now correlation to the first great Depression that occurred in the 1920's. It may be a matter of time when something does give, geopolitical crisis, the collapse of the hedge funds markets, the instability and inflation in China and the huge debt bubble that has swamped the World.
The financial markets, asset markets are now all at their peak and dangerously at the point of collapse.
Article reference links:
Business Day, The Age – Banks' banker warns of Downturn
Telegraphy – BIS warns of Great Depression from credit spree
CNN money – The greateset economic boom ever
The Economist, Buy now, pay later article – Margin Debt Feb 25 2007
Wikipedia – The Great Depression 1929
CNNmoney – Bernanke Subprime could hit 100B in losses
Business Day, The Age – Subprime drives stockmarket down
Posted in Finance and Economics. Strategy and Society | 17 Comments »
Posted by Adrian on July 23, 2007
As mentioned in the summary of World Crisis scenarios for the 21st century. There will be constant updates and developments with the various World Crisis scenarios discussed on the Morbius Glass blog.
Updates for World Crisis scenarios for the 21st century – Peak Oil:
$100 a barrel sooner than later. Oil analyst's speculate as early as next year, Bloomberg article
Financial Sense website interview with Bill Paul author of Future Energy, interview discusses in depth the energy dilemma namely oil shortage and the possible bridging of alternative energy source to slowly replace the Oil industry, bio fuel, hybrids and other non dependent Oil based industries, interview conducted by Jim Puplava. Interview here in mp3 format
Posted in Finance and Economics. Strategy and Society | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Adrian on July 20, 2007
Will the 21st Century shape up to be the century of pandemic virus outbreaks? The ramification of a severe and devastating pandemic is frightening. The world is more interconnected than ever before, trade and the flow of workers crossing country boarders is staggering. The huge concern of eminent world heath bodies like the World Health Organization is how efficient governments, health organizations can contain the virus within a countries border. In some ways a near impossible feat. The virus that is concerning every one at this point in time is Bird Flu or (H5N1), not to mention the lesser ones in the media spotlight like SARS.
World Crisis scenarios for the 21st century – Bird Flu (H5N1) and other pandemic Virus concerns
An influenza virus first emerged in Hong Kong in 1997, it was a strain of the influenzas virus that also effects poultry and other birds. It was giving the media term of the avian influenza or bird flu. Avian, meaning relating to or characteristic of birds and poultry. The H5N1 viruses the reappeared in China in 2003, a 24 year old solider died from the disease. From 2003 onward Asia had a Bird Flu outbreak. The outbreak occurred around three main regions, Vietnam, Indonesia and China. The main Asian country to be affected by the H5N1 strain was Indonesia, in all of it's 102 cases of theH5N1 (Bird Flu strain) 81 people have died.
At this point in this particular influenza strain (H5N1) , the virus is able to jump from bird to human. The H5N1 is easily passed on through bird livestock to who ever is handling the birds. Concerns on the spread of H5N1 are the migration of birds and bird trading, according to the World Health Organization (WHO);
"Apart from being highly contagious among poultry, avian influenza viruses are readily transmitted from farm to farm by the movement of live birds, people (especially when shoes and other clothing are contaminated), and contaminated vehicles, equipment, feed, and cages. Highly pathogenic viruses can survive for long periods in the environment, especially when temperatures are low. For example, the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus can survive in bird faeces for at least 35 days at low temperature (4oC). At a much higher temperature (37oC), H5N1 viruses have been shown to survive, in faecal samples, for six days."
The Bird Flu in it's current state is an animal to human disease and is proving to be hard to contain. Is is also deadly and causes death. Can the H5N1 mutate to become a virus that spreads from human to human? A potential possibility according to the WHO:
" The virus can improve its transmissibility among humans via two principal mechanisms. The first is a "re assortment" event, in which genetic material is exchanged between human and avian viruses during co-infection of a human or pig. Reassortment could result in a fully transmissible pandemic virus, announced by a sudden surge of cases with explosive spread."
If that becomes the case, this will become a pandemic visrus and one that will spread quicker than any other virus or disease in history. Due to the free flow and interconnectivity of the world, the global village. Without resorting too much to alarmist based hysteria. The effects of a global pandemic could and mostly likely bring down financial markets, effect economies and cause mass death. As world-renowned virologist Robert Webster wrote in American Scientist with and article titled "The world is teetering on the edge of a pandemic that could kill a large fraction of the human population"
As world health organizations struggle to contain any out breaks from the bird to human H5N1 strain, the situation grows potential worrying, as the H5N1 now has spread other parts of the world outside of Asia, although contained primarily to the Asian region, there are now reports of Bird Flu in Turkey, which is closer to Europe, current confirmed cases from the H5N1 – Avian Bird Flu strain:
|Lao People's Democratic Republic
|Viet Nam
As the Bird Flu spreads over a vast area of the world, in now will become harder to contain and predict where the human to human strain will originate from, As the WHO puts it:
" The recent spread of the virus to poultry and wild birds in new areas further broadens opportunities for human cases to occur. While neither the timing nor the severity of the next pandemic can be predicted, the probability that a pandemic will occur has increased."
So what is in store for us if there is pandemic human to human strain of the Avian Bird Flu virus? Again according to WHO dire and unpredictable in our age of world trade and commerce:
" Pandemics can cause large surges in the numbers of people requiring or seeking medical or hospital treatment, temporarily overwhelming health services. High rates of worker absenteeism can also interrupt other essential services, such as law enforcement, transportation, and communications. Because populations will be fully susceptible to an H5N1-like virus, rates of illness could peak fairly rapidly within a given community. This means that local social and economic disruptions may be temporary. They may, however, be amplified in today's closely interrelated and interdependent systems of trade and commerce."
A pandemic like human to human H5N1 could add to the stress and downward spiral of economies and global wealth, not to mention the collapse of over stretched and inflated financial bubbles. How many business world survive a pandemic? At this point in time there is no cure for the H5N1, except for various commercially available antibiotics to lesser the severity of the virus. If the Avian Bird Flu becomes a human to human strain, there is no known drug or antibiotics that exist that will work against the disease.
I'll let the WHO have the last word from their FAQ regarding Avian influenza:
"Is the world adequately prepared?
No. Despite an advance warning that has lasted almost two years, the world is ill-prepared to defend itself during a pandemic. WHO has urged all countries to develop preparedness plans, but only around 40 have done so. WHO has further urged countries with adequate resources to stockpile antiviral drugs nationally for use at the start of a pandemic. Around 30 countries are purchasing large quantities of these drugs, but the manufacturer has no capacity to fill these orders immediately. On present trends, most developing countries will have no access to vaccines and antiviral drugs throughout the duration of a pandemic."
American Scientist – Robert G Webster article
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS is a lesser known disease that appeared between 2003 and 2004. in that short period of time it became a pandemic virus killing 774 people and infecting 8,096. SARS was able to infect people from Asia, Europe and America. It was easily spread worldwide by infected people via air travel. The symptoms were flu-like and may include: fever, myalgia, lethargy, gastrointestinal symptoms, sore throat and coughing and other non-specific symptoms. The only symptom that is common to all patients appears to be a fever above 38 °C (100.4 °F). Shortness of breath may occur later.
The virus origins, according to sarsreference.org,
"Investigations then focused on members of the Paramyxoviridae family, after paramyxovirus-like particles were found by electron microscopy of respiratory samples from patients in Hong Kong and Frankfurt am Main. Further investigations showed that human metapneumovirus (hMPV; van den Hoogen) was present in a substantial number of, but not in all, SARS patients reported at the time."
SARS also had a long incubation period before a person shows any symptoms, usually 2-3 days before the virus shows itself as far as effects on the body. Because of the long incubation period of the disease, it has been hard to track the progress or movement of SARS. Airports across Asia and China used Thermal imagery equipment to see if anyone was showing an unusually high body temperature.
(Thermal scanning station China)
In it's short pandemic time, SARS was contained and a vaccine was development that appeared to stop the virus and help the patient create antibodies to fight the disease.
Could another more resilient strain of SARS mutate anytime soon?
Reference Links:
Posted in Finance and Economics. Strategy and Society | 5 Comments »
Posted by Adrian on July 18, 2007
This time the fall of the US dollar is due to the ever increasing problem in the subprime mortgage market – as it continues to collapse.
Hedge Funds are a type of fund manager that takes 'risks' from various financial asset products. In the Case of Bear Stearns, they took 'bets' on the performance of risky mortgages, ala subprime. Now with the Subprime market in widespread meltdown. Big Hedge Funds like Bear Stearns are now bearing the brunt of the massive losses incurred. This in turns effects the stock market and the overall economy in the US. Everything now becomes somewhat risky, including their slowly depreciating USD.
Currency update:
Hedge Fund info here
Bloomberg article on Bear Stearns losses and it's possible effect on the USD here
Posted in Finance and Economics. Strategy and Society | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Adrian on July 17, 2007
'She-Hulk' Marvel Comics. Writer Dann Slott, Art Rich Burchett
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Adrian on July 16, 2007
We are now entering a new age of extreme worldwide change, amidst the fact we are living in an age of unprecedented growth and economic prosperity. The engines of China and Asia fueled an insatiable appetite for raw materials. Massive real estate booms in Europe, Asia, Australia and America ( although their housing boom is now in recession) and asset markets peak to the point of inflated bubbles. New threats appear on the horizon, lets look at some of these new threats to humanity, the first world crisis scenario Morbius Glass blog will look at is Peak Oil.
World Crisis scenarios for the 21st Century – PEAK OIL
(graph from: lifeaftertheoilcrash.net)
"Civilization as we know it is coming to an end soon. This is not the wacky proclamation of a doomsday cult, apocalypse bible prophecy sect, or conspiracy theory society. Rather, it is the scientific conclusion of the best paid, most widely-respected geologists, physicists, bankers, and investors in the world. These are rational, professional, conservative individuals who are absolutely terrified by a phenomenon known as global "Peak Oil."
However the degree of extremity by the Peak Oil theory could be balanced by the bridging of alternative fuels, bio, electricity and hydrogen fuel cells to the world demand. Can this meet the increasing demand on oil production? Or will there be an inevitable oil crisis, worst than anything the world has even seem? At this point in time there is a mad rush to produce as much ethanol or bio-fuel as quickly as possible. In America this has effected the commodity corn, last year it was reported that corn production for feedlots, dairy and other live stock became more expensive. As ethanol production began to increase, from the Californian Farm Beau Federation website,
"The booming ethanol industry may help ease U.S. dependence on foreign oil, but many California livestock producers fear the growing demand for corn used in ethanol production will drive up costs to feed their cows and chickens."
In some ways this is a good example of our merchandised industries fine tuned dilemma, which is their and our total dependence on oil. So when another industry like ethanol attempts to be a buffer between the potential shortage and demand for fossil based oil, it can and does unbalance other industries. This can be seen in the livestock aspects of the food industry, by pushing corn prices up. So according to Peak Oil theorists an invertible crisis is looming, which ever way we look at the Peak Oil theory – the World is dependent on Oil and if production struggles, we are going to be in trouble.
How severe? Extreme, according to the author Matt Savinar of the website, Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash. A compete and utter meltdown of society. Matt Savinar is also featured in the new documentary movie ' A Crude Awakening'. Savinar's website offers links, forums and book references to tell you how one can survive the coming Oil Crash.
If Peak Oil Theorists are correct, there is certain doom coming our way. Hopefully their calculations mean we face an extreme oil crisis later in the future than sooner, at least the world can prepare. But according to Peak Oil evidence, the 'sooner' scenario of Peak Oil crisis seems more of a reality.
Links and Reference:
Life After The Oil Crash website
California Farm Bureau Federation – on ethanol production
Clip from the documentary movie 'A Crude Awakening'
Posted in Finance and Economics. Strategy and Society | 13 Comments »


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- 3. Weird Artifact in Berdsk near Novosibirsk, Berdsk near Novosibirsk
- 4. Giant golfball, near kinross
- 5. Carpark at airport, upper heyford bicester
- 6. Dino dam, Haskovo
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Concordes at Heathrow, U.K.
|Concordes at Heathrow, Heathrow
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Information about Concordes at Heathrow
The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST), along with the Tupolev Tu-144, was one of only two models of supersonic passenger airliners to have seen commercial service. First flown in 1969, Concorde service commenced in 1976. It regularly flew from London Heathrow (British Airways) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (Air France) to New York JFK. However, it never fully recovered from its only crash in 2000, and, for economic reasons post 9/11, operations ceased in 2003. Its development represented a major economic loss for the French and British governments, although it made large operating profits for British Airways for much of its service life. In retirement, Concorde remains an icon of aircraft history.
This information was provided by Wikipedia under the GNU license. Read more about this placemark on Wikipedia.
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subset: commoncrawl


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With two full days to spend in Ocracoke we had a perfect amount of time to relax on the beach and explore the tiny town on bicycle. Each morning we biked 3 miles into the village for a cup of coffee and a tasty breakfast before riding around the side streets and stopping to see the lighthouse or browse the shops. One afternoon we were a bit spontaneous and jumped aboard an old oyster sail boat for a cruise into the ocean with a long time local and sailor.
Our afternoons were spent sitting under the bright blue umbrella as we hid from the strong North Carolina sunshine. The ocean was the perfect way to cool down ... along with a crisp and chilly IPA!


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Various Positions
- Employer
- Rush University Medical Center
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois (US)
- Salary
- Competitive salary and benefits
- Posted
- Nov 05, 2018
- Closes
- Nov 16, 2018
- Category
- Breast, Clinical Research Oncology, Clinical Trials Research, Genitourinary, Head and Neck, Hematologic Oncology, Medical Oncology, Melanoma, Palliative Care
- Education
- Hours
- Full Time
Rush is a Chicago-based academic health system whose mission is to improve the health of the patients and the diverse communities it serves with nationally recognized health care, education and research, as well as a commitment to community partnerships.
The Rush University Cancer Center comprises all of the cancer-related clinical, research and educational efforts at Rush, crossing 20 departments, divisions and sections; inpatient and outpatient areas; professional clinical activities; and the colleges of Rush University. The Cancer Center integrates the latest advances in cancer research by building a strong cancer research program focused on basic and translational investigation. We are also developing new educational opportunities to train future oncology physicians and scientists.
The Cancer Center provides a true comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to cancer, incorporating members from the four colleges of Rush University and 28 academic departments.
We are recruiting for a number of faculty positions, including:
- Lung Medical Oncologist
- Breast Medical Oncologist
- Genitourinary Medical Oncologist
- Melanoma Oncologist
- Benign Hematologist
- Hematologist/Oncologist - Lymphoma
- Hematologist/Oncologist - Bone Marrow Transplant and Cell Therapy
- King Endowed Professor of Cancer Research
- Integrative Psychosocial Medicine
For more information, visit joinrush.org or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com


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April 30, 2018 at 11:25 am #19296@jackdevOnly available when logged in
I have two pages, index.php and edit.php
When I click on edit person, I click Save and I want to go back to the index.php page to the place where the label is placed (scroll)
header ("Location: http: // localhost # label")
and on the index.php page
< a href="# label "> </a>
I will be fine at the place, but then I will jump back to the top.
I'll do some wrestling and fitness on the main page, then jumps to the top of the page, does not work on this label. Where can the problem be?
Thanks in advance.
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
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Toggle navigation
Passport ranking
Border ranking
'); document.write('
'); } //-->
Visa requirement to travel from Ghana to Micronesia
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Visa required ?
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Looking for embassy and consulates of Micronesia in Ghana ?
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text:
October 5, 2019
There are currently no leaders.
NEW THIS YEAR! Register to walk in honor of your (or a loved one's) baby and they will be included on the back of the shirts!
Save lives by supporting our stillbirth awareness, research, education, prevention & outreach efforts through the Abby's Run, hosted by the Star Legacy Foundation! Please click Event Details for more information.
The Star Legacy Foundation is committed to saving precious lives. Our mission is to raise awareness, support research & education, advocate for change and support and provide support to families who are dealing with these devastating losses. We believe that many of these tragedies can be prevented, and we hope to ultimately lower the number of stillbirths in the the United States and beyond.
Learn more about our work at www.starlegacyfoundation.org


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Supermarket cashiers suspected of theft had their privacy breached after their employer used hidden video cameras to spy on them.
In today's Chamber judgment1 in the case of López Ribalda v. Spain (application no. 1874/13) the
European Court of Human Rights held:
by six votes to one, that there had been a violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private
family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights, and
that there had been no violation of Article 6 § 1 (right to a fair trial).
The applicants, Isabel López Ribalda, María Ángeles Gancedo Giménez, María Del Carmen Ramos Busquets, Pilar Saborido Apresa, and Carmen Isabel Pozo Barroso, are five Spanish nationals who were born in 1963, 1967, 1969 and 1974 respectively and live in Sant Celoni and Sant Pere de Vilamajor (Ms Pozo Barroso) (both in Spain).
The case concerned the covert video surveillance of a Spanish supermarket chain's employees after suspicions of theft had arisen. The applicants were dismissed mainly on the basis of the video material, which they alleged had been obtained by breaching their right to privacy.
The Spanish courts accepted the recordings in evidence and upheld the dismissal decisions.
As just satisfaction (Article 41), the European court decided by four votes to three that Spain was to pay the applicants 4,000 euros (EUR) each in respect of non-pecuniary damage.
It held unanimously that Spain had to pay EUR 500 to the first applicant in respect of costs and expenses and EUR 568.86 euros to each of the others.
In June 2009, the applicants were all working as cashiers for M.S.A., a family-owned supermarket chain.
The surveillance was carried out by their employer in order to investigate possible theft after the shop manager had noticed irregularities between stock levels and what was actually sold on a daily basis.
The employer installed both visible and hidden cameras. The company told its workers about the visible cameras but not about the hidden ones and they were thus never aware that they were being filmed.
All the workers suspected of theft were called to individual meetings where the videos were shown to them. They had caught the applicants helping customers and other co-workers to steal items and stealing them themselves.
The court found in particular that under Spanish data protection legislation the applicants should have been informed that they were under surveillance, but they had not been. The employer's rights could have been safeguarded by other means and it could have provided the applicants at the least with general information about the surveillance.
The domestic courts had failed to strike a fair balance between the applicants' right to privacy and the employer's property rights.
However, the Court found that the proceedings as whole had been fair because the video material was not the only evidence the domestic courts had relied on when upholding the dismissal decisions and the applicants had been able to challenge the recordings in court.


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I am thrilled to see some interest in The Bodacious Bloggity Book Club! I hope it will be a fun way to connect as bloggers and celebrate the joy of reading.
Almost as soon as I hit publish on my previous BBBC post I started making a mental list of books, with one book in particular firmly seeded in the top position. In my opinion, this is a book that should be on everyone's reading list. It is one of those special books that can burrow its way into your heart and soul and change you. The story stands the test of time. It can be re-read at different points in your life and it will impact you in a new way.
This book has to be our first selection...
So visit your local library, bookstore, your own bookshelf, or borrow from a friend and get your brain into this book. We will have our first *meeting* April 25th, this gives us close to a month to read. Hope that works for everyone. I will post a reminder a bit before that and have Mr. Linky figured out by then. After our *meeting* we can pop some popcorn and watch the movie in our pajamas, K?
***Please offer some suggestions for upcoming BBBC selections through comments or email. Remember this is for everyone interested and you can participate whenever you are able. Let's get busy reading!


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World Science Day for Peace and Development: celebration in Italy
Established by UNESCO in 2001, World Science Day for Peace and Development is celebrated globally on 10 November each year. The motivation behind World Science Day is twofold: one is to create an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between science and society and secondly to ensure that citizens are kept abreast about the developments in science, while highlighting and promoting the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the sciences. This year is no exception.
Within the UN International Year of Water Cooperation 2013 declared by the UN General Assembly (Resolution A/RES/65/154), UNESCO has dedicated its World Science Day to underline the importance of water in all of its various aspects.


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text:
Bitcoin has received an unexpected boost from Christine Lagarde, following the head of the International Monetary Fund in-depth the worldwide benefits of cryptocurrency. Ms Lagarde composed in a blog-post which crypto currencies such as bitcoin could let fast and cheap transactions, whilst the underlying block-chain technology might produce monetary markets safer. The expense of the earth's most effective cryptocurrency came back over $8, 000 after a publication of Ms. Lagarde opinions, though it's unclear if the proceeds are directly proportional to the content. As a few technology that emerged out of the dotcom era have shifted our own lives, " the crypto assets that survive could possess a major influence on the way in which people economize, invest and pay our debts," Ms Lagarde composed from the blogpost.
Ms Lagarde reiterated remarks she did at the Bank of England last year which called for an evenhanded way of regulation, with all the anticipation harnessing the benefits whilst simultaneously minimising the risks. Earlier crypto resources might alter financial actions in a meaningful and durable fashion, they need to secure the confidence and support of all consumers and authorities, Ms Lagarde wrote. An essential preliminary measure would probably be to attain a consensus inside the world regulatory group upon the role crypto resources must play. Because crypto resources know no bounds, global collaboration will be very important.
Last month, Ms Lagarde expressed her worry about cryptocurrencies at an alternative blogpost titled: Tackling the Dark Side Effects of the crypto universe. Indoors, she explained the possible hazard that comes along with the warranty, thanks to the semi anonymous temperament of the tech. Such reverses include the financing of terrorism along with fresh techniques of money laundering, together with easing the purchase of drugs and weapons on the web. Cryptocurrency markets are notoriously tough to predict and investigation is usually suspended in speculation, nevertheless pros believe the rocketing price could have become the result of a couple of actors.
Personally, I believe the increase was due to a significant institutional investor, Olga Feldmeier, CEO of block chain startup Smart Valor, told The Independent the other day. You can find many institutions, hedge funds and huge investors anticipating the proper to measure in. Bitcoin has been able to preserve unprecedented profits, with all the fee steadying approximately $8, 000 these days. That may possibly happen to be aided by favorable information within the cryptocurrency area, like an Islam scholar announcing the digital strength halal underneath Sharia Law. The comments out of Ms Lagarde is very likely to contribute to a optimistic sentiment and can have activated the marketplace most recent up tick.
More information about Bitcoin please visit site: this site.


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This month we get the real deal with Brad Will, co-founder of Ashokan Architecture and Planning (AAP), based in Kingston, NY, in the heart of the Hudson River Valley. Brad has been involved with award-winning residential projects, two major senior living centers, public design competitions, a new office high-rise, and pro bono assistance for non-profit organizations. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Architecture in 1984, and became a LEED Accredited Professional in 2004 with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). AAP brings state-of-the-art design and building technology to the practical challenges of getting good buildings completed on time, and on budget. The firm built its reputation on bringing subtle and playful sophistication to each project using American vernacular forms and local traditions, but 21st Century ideas and tools for living, working and using our buildings. Both their residential and commercial work is literate, friendly, livable and generous in detail – with a design approach practical rather than conceptual in nature
Lisa Halter: Tell us how you got started in your line of work and what a typical day looks like.
Brad: When I was completing my junior year of high school, my mother had the foresight to enroll me in the RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) summer program for high school students. That was in 1978, and the five weeks I spent under the direction of renowned architect and professor Rodolfo Machado helped me build a strong portfolio. More importantly, it introduced me to the creative and fascinating world of architecture. A typical day doesn't exist - every day is unique, and ever since I started working for myself - beginning in 1993 when I earned my license in California to practice architecture - that truth has held. I map out what needs to be accomplished, and am always aware of project deadlines, meetings, and milestones. I have come to value the quiet days when I can focus on the creative impulses that are central to my work, but most days involve communications of all types and the inevitable traveling to job sites. The latter task is so rewarding - seeing a design come to life. There is nothing like it.
Lisa Halter: Where did you study and what was your very first project?
Brad: I earned my Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University in 1984. A 'B.Arch' is considered a professional degree, as it requires five years of study. During my years at Cornell, I was fortunate to study for a summer in Vicenza, Italy - we visited the palazzos and the Palladian villas of the Veneto, and immersed ourselves in Italian culture. I also spent a semester in Washington, D.C. and interned at the American Institute of Architects headquarters - memories of playing softball on the Mall linger! My very first project was for Wayne and Mary A. I designed an addition to their house in Andover, MA while I was still in Ithaca, and even received three credits for it as an independent study. They raised their children in the house, which they still call home 35 years later!
Lisa Halter: What inspires you and how do you go about designing a house?
Brad: I am inspired by my contemporaries, by the 20th-century masters, innovations in technology and sustainable design practices, and the stunning majesty of the Hudson Valley. How can nature not inspire all of us? In its building and site designs, AAP seeks to achieve a symbiotic relationship with the unique natural environments in which we work, play, and live. Initial design concepts come to me fairly quickly - the Parti, as it's known in architectural shorthand, can start with a napkin sketch or scribbles on trace. In today's computer-driven world, these early sketches evolve into three-dimensional virtual reality rapidly. This is a powerful tool for spatial visualizing for all parties of the design & construction process: owner, contractor, engineer, agency, and architect. For a house project, clear communications with the homeowner and an understanding of their goals and expectations are important first steps before any design work commences - my job is to translate the spoken and written thoughts into a spatial language that embodies light, air, enclosure and sequence, and the oft-repeated (and accurate!) marriage of form and function.
Lisa Halter: Where does an architect fit into the process of building or renovating a house and are you involved in the entire process?
Brad: From pre-project planning through the post-construction issuance of Certificate of Occupancy, that's where the architect fits in. A site or building can be assessed for its viability and opportunities prior to any design work, and the final project inspected for completeness and correct detailing before final payment is disbursed to the contractor. The architect acts as the owner's agent throughout the design and construction phases, safeguarding their interests and vision to ensure delivery of optimal performance and quality craftsmanship in their house and property.
Lisa Halter: What are you working on right now?
Brad: AAP has new house projects under construction in Gardiner and Margaretville, Delaware County, renovation/addition projects in design phase in Athens, Greene County and Woodstock, a church conversion in Newburgh, Orange County, a 23-unit 'eco-motel' in the Hamlet of Woodstock, a new church in Schenectady, and a Zero Net Energy Irish Cultural Center in Kingston - and more projects in the pipeline. These are busy days for AAP!
Lisa Halter: That's great! What are this year's trends and which do you dislike or favor most?
Brad: I'm not a trend-seeker or follower per se - I have been mainly focused on client concerns and projects. That said, I do my best to stay current with technology - high-efficiency HVAC solutions, advances in window and door design, and building-integrated alternative energy products. I like clean design that deftly combines smooth, durable materials with natural surfaces - stone and wood - and expressed structure that enhances space. Advancements in engineered products have made creating open spaces more affordable and dramatic, and the use of recycled content materials always intrigues me. In today's high-speed-connected world, I find that our clients often have done research and are the ones informing us of design trends and niche products that we can then integrate into our designs when they make sense and contribute to the project in a positive, cost-effective manner.
Lisa Halter: What are your favorite design magazines or websites for inspiration?
Brad: For actual magazines, I like Architect, Metropolis, and Architectural Record. Online, I'll visit Smart & Resilient Cities, Green Building Advisor, Next City, EcoDistricts. There are many more, but an architect can't tell all!
Lisa Halter: What is the most memorable career advice someone gave you?
Brad: It wasn't so much a piece of career advice, but a friend and architect colleague I met in California (with time spent in Woodstock, coincidentally) offered this business advice: if I was going to run my own design firm, I should own the building it operates in. That encouraged me to purchase AAP's first office in Marbletown in 2004, and then a commercial property in Uptown Kingston in 2005. AAP was a prime tenant for six years, and I continue to have a stake in the property. Managing a multi-tenant commercial venture has taught me so much over the last 11 years, and I have architect Morton Frank to thank for his encouragement.
Lisa Halter: If you weren't an Architect - what would be your dream job?
Brad: Outside of architecture? A world touring jazz musician.
Lisa Halter: With that in mind, it's karaoke night – what song do you take on?
Brad: For some reason, the Beatles "Girl" popped into my head, so I'll go with that. It's dark and mysterious, breathy and melodic in a way only the Fab Four could craft.
Lisa Halter: What is the most frustrating aspect of your job? And the most rewarding one?
Brad: That's easy under the frustration column - the endless agency meetings larger scale projects often require. Most rewarding is tough to define - I love the creative energy of the design process, watching the building being constructed (especially during rough framing), and getting to know the people I've met and been fortunate to work with in collaborative environments - very rewarding and stimulating indeed.
Lisa Halter: What are some of your favorite homes or buildings in the Hudson Valley?
Brad: Mohonk Mountain House is a place our family has always visited, and it remains a special place for our local family members - my wife Sari, and mother Patricia who grew up in New Paltz (right on the SUNY campus!). The buildings and gardens are situated in a stunning environment, with a balance of great care and maximum, full sensory effect. There is no place in the world that even approaches Mohonk - and it is right in our own backyard. In Woodstock, I am drawn to the Colony Cafe on Rock City Road, perhaps because it reminds me of my Southern California days and I look at it and think "what the heck is that doing here?" Both the Maverick Concert Hall and the Byrdcliffe Arts & Crafts Colony are visceral reminders of Woodstock's creative roots and core principles that continue today. In a real way, successful architecture accomplishes this human trajectory: it reminds us of where we've been, who we are in the present, and offers a launchpad for our next adventures. Architecture is our continuum from the past to future, through the millennia.
To learn more about Ashokan Architecture and Planning - visit their website and take a look at more of their beautifully designed projects.
Lisa Halter
Principal Broker/Owner
Halter Associates Realty


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Let's say that you have just accumulated $1,000,000 in your investment savings account. Depending on your family circumstances, here are some questions that you might have:
- How much can I spend?
- Where should I put the money?
- How long will the money last?
The first question is the "budget" issue; the second question is the "how-much-risk-do-I-need-to-take" issue; the third question depends on your budget decision and investment strategy.
A million dollars is a lot of money. Can it fund a lifestyle that requires a $4,000 monthly budget? Remember, each month you will need to increase the monthly budget by the rate of inflation in order to maintain your lifestyle. Also, if you put your money in a safe, principal-guaranteed, interest-earning investment like a U.S. Treasury Note or an insured CD, you will pay income tax.
In order to get a rough idea of how a "safe" investment strategy might perform, we assumed that $1,000,000 was invested in a portfolio of short-term (6 month) U.S. Treasury Notes starting January 1, 1994. At the beginning of each month, you receive a check for $4,000 plus an adjustment for the rate of inflation. Thus, on February 1, 1994, you go to the mailbox and open a check for $4,013. By October of 2013 the check's face value has increased to $6,407 because it takes $6,407 to buy the same amount of goods and services today that $4,000 bought in 1994.
We graph the value of the $1,000,000 fund after accounting for taxes (20% rate), inflation, and monthly withdrawals through October of 2013:
Absent withdrawals, if the $1 million could be invested in a world with no taxes or inflation, it would grow to $1,851,880. The income tax bite reduces it to $1,637,496. Inflation reduces the purchasing power to $1,019,671. This is a particularly sobering insight—after putting you money in a safe investment for approximately twenty years, the future value after inflation and taxes just about equals what you started with. You kept the money safe but earned nothing. Furthermore, this is before you start to take out your monthly check! However, after withdrawing the monthly check from your portfolio, the account dwindles to only $122,209.
The chart suggests that if you are willing to (1) live on a modest monthly budget; and (2) spend down your nest egg over a twenty-year period, then you need not take much, if any, investment risk. For comparison purposes, we ran the same numbers at $5,000 per month withdrawal—the guaranteed interest and principal portfolio is fully depleted ($0.00) by January of 2012. So you ran out of money—two years too soon!
If you want to increase your monthly consumption budget; or, if you want to give a larger bequest to family, church, or charity, then you will probably need to take some investment risk. There's no right or wrong—it's up to you.
Of course, this example covers the period from 1994 through October 2013. It is not a guide to what might happen over the next twenty years. It shows, however, how hard it is to produce safe and substantial monthly income and keep the nest egg intact.
Bottom Line: A good monthly income from your savings often requires that you put principal at risk; keeping principal safe often requires that you live on very little monthly income.
This blog post is an adaptation of a similar post originally published on Mesothelioma Circle. Mesothelioma Circle is an organization focused on providing information and resources to victims of mesothelioma and their families. It is sponsored by Kazan McClain Satterley & Greenwood. Since 1974, Kazan Law firm has worked tirelessly to help the victims of asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.


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The medieval Doctrine of Signatures, for example, held that every plant and animal was put on earth by the creator to serve human beings and was marked with a signature that indicates the use to which it can be put. Thus the liver-shaped leaves of the liver wort indicated it could cure liver problems, and the ear-shaped hindwing of the earwig was a sign it could cure earaches (crushed, and mixed with the urine of a hare!)
Humans too have signatures that make us distinctive to other species - an upright, bipedal posture, forward facing eyes and relatively hairless bodies. These too have been abused, and variations within those characteristics - skin color, hair texture, eye shape, gender - have led to judgment and divisiveness.
The most unusual aspect of being human however, as Dr. Winston describes, is that we live simultaneously inside and outside of nature. We are subject to the same laws as other animals - our life span is finite, we vie for mates, we respond to variations of temperature and climate - yet unlike other species we consider ourselves not only separate from nature but superior to, and more important than, the rest of life.
Justification for these feelings of eminence was found in the translation of the Hebrew word memshalah as dominion, as in having "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Does dominion mean 'plunder and subjugate,' or does it mean 'care and look after'? A pronouncement by the Imperial Conference of 1926 described Great Britain and the dominions as "autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs ..." Thus Canada was declared a dominion in 1867, as was Australia, New Zealand and South Africa within the next fifty years.
"Equal in status, in no way subordinate to another ..." Our relationship with fish, fowl, cattle and every creeping thing 'doth changeth' in the light of this interpretation compared to a definition which justifies the conscious and deliberate remodeling of the globe to suit our needs and which is the core of our current environmental crisis.
Just as every organism has a defining characteristic so does it have a habitat, a niche with food, water and shelter. We, by contrast, not only thrive in different habitats but can invent our own, whether it is the complexity of a city or the recent bio-dome built to test humans' ability to survive in a Martian environment.
If we accept civilization as beginning 10 000 years ago with the development of permanent human settlements in at least four different areas of the world, then our society was essentially agricultural for 97% of that time, before the scientific revolution drastically re-shaped our living standards and our environment. For more than 9500 years humans carved a few fields out of the forests and woodlands and fertilized them, if at all, with natural products. They burned a sustainable amount of wood and traveled by foot, horseback or cart along essentially dirt tracks. Today we have token patches of natural vegetation which we need legislation to protect, despite which more than 150 million acres of pollinator habitat have been destroyed in the United States in the last 20 years. We burn sufficient fuel to modify the earth's climate and asphalt highways are traveled by vehicles, the emissions of which threaten the very quality of the air we breathe.
An aside. Fifty years ago, and four times a year, my drive to university covered 1400 miles, the first 400 of which took me through just one town. The parents of a colleague, Graham Henderson, realized after he had left for the same trip that his passport was sitting on the dining room table and without it he could not cross the border at the Limpopo river. They phoned a rural police station 80 miles down the road and described the vehicle. The police put up a road block, recognized the car, explained the situation and Graham returned home.
The danger did not come from emissions so much as from animals on the road, including, very occasionally, elephants. Today, driving in the US, wherever I go there always seem to be vehicles in front of me and vehicles coming up behind.
Honey bees are not indigenous to north America and were first introduced in the early 1620's as part of a western-based agricultural system. In the last 50 years they have been inundated with a number of viruses and parasites - tracheal mites, nosema ceranae, varroa mites, chalk brood and small hive beetle, with more to come - which not only straddle the world as the result of global transportation but exist in an increasingly toxic environment, as indeed do we. Speaking at the Pennsylvania Beekeepers' Conference last November, Mark Winston stated that 1.3 billion pounds of pesticides are used in this country every year, which equates to about four pounds per person. Considering that most pesticides are toxic to humans in doses of one hundredth thousand to one millionth of a pound, that's a lot of poison.
If we are to be effective perhaps we need to agree on dominion as stewardship rather than as pillage, on interdependence rather than independence, on a web of life rather than a hierarchy. Action can be effective in a crisis - the response to the depletion of the ozone layer is one example - but stewardship means being proactive rather than reactive; it means respect for all forms of life, it requires humility and requires a re-examination of what we mean by quality of life.
Rachel Carson concluded Silent Spring by writing that "the control of nature is a phrase conceived in arrogance born of the Neanderthal age of biology and philosophy, when it was supposed that nature exists for the convenience of man."
The theme for the PSBA conference last November, "Audacious Ideas for the Future of Beekeeping," was inspired by Mark Winston's Manifesto, first published in 2015, in which he argued for a new paradigm "that recognizes beekeepers as stewards of both managed and wild bees, promoters of healthy environments, managers of economically sustainable apiaries and paragons of collaboration and cooperation. It's time for some audacious thinking about the future of beekeeping." Indeed, it's time for a BHAG.
In 1994 James Collins and Jerry Porras published Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, in which they devised the term 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal'. BHAG, as it is customarily referred to, is a strategic business statement designed to focus an organization on a single goal which is audacious, likely to be externally questionable but not internally regarded as impossible.
Let's return for a moment to the term 'dominion' as meaning either plunder and subjugate or caring and looking after. In describing the different approaches to beekeeping in the United States, Europe and Oceana, as compared say to Africa, Maryann Frazier uses the terms nursing versus nurturing. In the former the management objectives and styles are mostly economically driven, with the maxim that increased yields means increased profits for the beekeeper. The bees are expected to adopt to our needs despite the fact that they are exposed increasingly to diseases, pests and parasites, they exist increasingly in monocultures, we treat even weak colonies for survival, and the bees are expected to use and re-use old comb, which as Keith Delaplane explained, "forces the bees to use their liver as their uterus." It's hardly surprising that pollinators are in decline in so-called 'developed' countries.
In many parts of Africa, Asia and South America beekeeping is more biologically driven. It is nurture more than nursing, and we are expected to adapt to the bees. Although this is changing, there is less use of pesticides, less exposure to pests and diseases with minimal intervention by the beekeeper, a diverse environment for foraging, and apis mellifera scutellata is allowed to exercise its need to swarm frequently which not only interrupts the varroa cycle but allows for the frequent building of new comb. Honey bees are not declining in these areas; indeed they are increasing.
There are other examples of this comparison not immediately connected to honey bees. Dr. Mai Van Trang, an Indonesian, in a poem entitled An Asian View of Cultural Differences, describes Asians as always at rest compared to Westerners who are always on the move. "We are passive; you are aggressive. We like to contemplate; you like to act. We accept the world as it is; you try to change it according to your blueprint. Religion is our first love; technology is our passion. We delight to think about the meaning of life; you delight in physics ..." Obviously these are generalizations but you get the picture.
So what if the BHAG is to move consciously from the current Industrial era to an Ecological era? Using comparisons developed by Riane Eisler and David Loye in The Chalice and the Blade, what if we were to move from an emphasis on material progress to one of a balance between materialism and spirituality; from a consumptive, self-serving behavior to a more cooperative, life-serving behavior; to an identity defined by possessions and social status which leaves us feeling separate and alone, to an identity defined by our participation in life which leaves us feeling connected to a larger universe?
Recent elections in Europe and the USA suggest a retrogression to divisiveness, confrontation, fear, judgement and the elements of domination associated with control and subjugation. Nurturing, by contrast, challenges us to view the world as a living organism of which we are a part rather than an object to be conquered and exploited. Our interactions would be based on a win:win philosophy and rather than operate from a base of competition, control and fear we would place our trust in cooperation, partnership and love. "These words are hard to keep still within definitions," said Wendell Berry during the 41st Annual Jefferson Lecture, "but they make the dictionary hum like a beehive."
So, the question remains, what's to be done? In 2003 Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff published The 10 Trusts : What We Must Do to Care for the Animals We Love, which can be tweaked for honey bees :
• Recognize that we are all connected and interdependent.
• Respect all life.
• Open our minds in humility and learn from the bees.
• Teach our children to love and respect nature, starting with all insects.
• Be wise stewards of this earth.
• Realize that every action has consequences that last for seven generations.
• Have the courage of our convictions.
• Recognize and help those who work for the benefit of the natural world.
• Act knowing that we are not alone.
• Live with hope.
Is there, perhaps, a BHAG that incorporates a definition of dominion as stewardship, interdependence and a web of life, that places trust in cooperation, nurturing and partnership and which will lead to a shift of our world view for the benefits of all living things, not least our planet?
The US Declaration of Independence, in words composed by Thomas Jefferson, proclaims that "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
What if the Creator (whatever that term might mean) believed that these unalienable rights are endowed not just to human kind but to all living things, just as 'dominion' does not justify self serving pillage so much as demand the protection and nurture of all life?
Unfortunately, legal systems around the world are not designed to protect nature. Rather, laws and governments are focused on how to use the natural world and it's resources as fast as possible for maximum financial gain. There are numerous examples of CEO's who are contractually obligated to make a profit for the benefit of the share holders even when the product is proven to be environmentally harmful. International trade agreements empower corporations to sue governments in order to obstruct or restrain the reach of environmental laws. Global climate agreements remain largely non-binding and unenforceable.
But there are signs of change, and as with many effective movements, they are evident in small groups of passionate people from all around the world. It might be called The Rights of Nature and is described by Mari Margil on a new website, Democracy : A Journal of Ideas, in an article titled Nature and the Law (20th December, 2016)
I first got to experience it in Costa Rica some ten years ago. In lieu of a standing army Costa Rica devotes equivalent funds to education, health care and conservation, to the point that small schools and clinics cover the countryside, 25% of which has been preserved as national parks. The passion and pride of Costa Rican citizens for the natural world is evident in their daily actions.
Margil cites other examples. Ecuador, in 2008, was the first country to recognize the rights of nature in its national constitution, which was tested when a provincial court found that the rights of the Vilcabamba river were being infringed by road construction that was impacting the river's flow. Similarly in the Galapagos, a judge cited the rights of nature constitutional provisions in ruling that road construction must stop until a government review could guarantee the protection of iguana and other species' habitats.
Here in Pennsylvania, in 2013, Highland Township passed a local law prohibiting frack wastewater injection wells, recognizing that the wells would violate the rights of people and ecosystems. The township supervisors repealed the ordinance in 2016 under pressure from an oil and gas company, community members voted in November 2016 to reinstate the prohibition and the township was sued a second time. The case is currently before a Court of Appeals.
In February of 2106 the Green Party of England and Wales adopted a national policy platform on the rights of nature, and in September 2016, the General Council of the Ho-Chunk Nation, based in Wisconsin, introduced an amendment to their tribal constitution to recognize the rights of nature. If passed by a vote of the full membership later this year the Ho-Chunk would become the first tribal nation to enshrine the rights of nature in its constitution. Similar initiatives are evident in Australia and India, and as late as March 15 of this year, after 160 years of pressure from local Maoris, the New Zealand parliament has recognized the Whanganui River as a living entity which can be represented in court proceedings by two appointed people.
Unsurprisingly, much of industry is opposed to these efforts.
"Rights of nature laws differ significantly from conventional environmental laws," Ms. Margil argues. "They recognize nature as possessing legally enforceable rights, including the right to exist, flourish, regenerate and, importantly, be restored. Nature is empowered to defend and enforce its own rights, and people and governments are authorized to do the same. If the rights of an ecosystem are found to be violated, damages are to be awarded in the amount it would take to fully restore the ecosystem, and such funds are to be used solely for that restoration.
Under rights of nature laws, proposed activities must be evaluated as to whether their operation would violate the rights of natural systems. Thus a frack wastewater injection well would need to be considered in light of whether it would infringe on the right of ecosystems to health and well-being. In so doing, such laws are intended to stop harm before it happens. Under current oil and gas laws, on the other hand, harm is legally authorized and damage that occurs is considered after the fact. For environmental laws that do provide for citizens to bring suit against a corporation for environmental harm, the courts require citizens to show that they've suffered "injury in fact" by the company's action. That is, they need to show some personal injury from that which was inflicted upon the environment. Harm to an ecosystem is considered secondarily."
Rights of nature laws move the focus away from the human-centric premise that willfully disregards actual harm to the environment; the concern is the ecosystem itself.
Mari Margil points out that although these laws may be relatively new, the ideas behind them are not. In the nineteenth century environmentalist John Muir wrote that we must respect "the rights of all the rest of creation." More than a century later Pope Francis, in calling for a new era of environmental protection, declared, in a speech before the United Nations, that "[a] true 'right of the environment' does exist…"
As past movements have demonstrated, recognizing rights of the disadvantaged and disposed is difficult, lengthy work, and as current movements show, years of work can be undone by the stroke of a pen.
What it means for honey bees and other threatened species is that instead of trying to rescue individuals we turn instead to the larger environment in which they exist, and in so doing, accept responsibility for having caused it. Like the story of the sage in India who came across villagers pulling a never-ending series of individuals from the river, it's equally important to find out why they were falling in in the first place.
Changing the hubcaps on a Model T Ford and calling it a Cadillac does not deceive anyone. We need to stop tinkering and go back to big issues. As Margaret Meade famously asserted, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." We cannot stand by much longer. "Our ability to radically transform the world," Dr. Winston wrote, "has caught up with our historical, human-centered sense of dominance and distance," or as Wendell Berry argued in the 41st Annual Jefferson Lecture, "Ecological health, in a land dying of abuse, is not worth 'something'; it is worth everything."


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Plan eólico
De: Rafa Casuso
Categoría: Fotografía, Unas risas
|Distancia focal:
|70 mm
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11 comentarios el "Plan eólico"
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As computer and video games have increased exponentially in popularity over time, they have caused significant
impact upon popular culture.
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You might need heavier line and tackle to account for
powerful river flows. One of the benefits of fishing is that it is not
physically demanding. But here's my top 5 to consider with choices for both types of water included:.
You don't have to hit the gym for two and three hours each day to lose weight, but it does help to squeeze in 30 minutes of physical activity each day. For many working to lose weight, one failure is enough to get them off the path to success. Hence, broccoli is a must-add ingredient in your vegetarian weight loss diet.
Carter's gloves slip on the safety buckles; the mud has invaded every crevice of the uniform. In the minority of minorities, his opinion of the Barack is that he will turn the USA into a liberal hippie haven where gays and blacks will be exalted like Angelina Jolie. Gibson's father Hutton Gibson, a
devout Catholic, has been quoted as saying that the Holocaust was mostly "fiction", so
it wasn't like Mel or his ten brothers and sisters were off to the best start in terms of lineage or genes or childrearing.
Scroll down to the music section and click on the
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The independent german watchmaking brand, MeisterSinger, has its fans and its critics but one thing is sure, they managed to carve out a nice place for themselves in the niche market of single-hand mechanical watches. Today they unveil a new model, the MeisterSinger Neo Plus, a larger and welcome addition to the Neo collection.
A slim, minimalist and vintage watch
The german factory is known for its minimalist single-hand watches bringing you back to the basics. This new model is no different and features the usual style of the brand. Yet we definitely like the size increase, especially when compared to its precursor. The case of the Neo Plus goes from the Neo's 36 mm to a nice 40 mm for our greatest delight.
Be reassured, even though the size changes, the style remains the same and the watch is still slim, sober and elegant. The thin bezel and large dial blend together to give the illusions that the watch is bigger than it actually is. It should suit those who avoid large and thick pieces and it might very well fit the ladies thanks to its unisex design.
The charms of the single-hand
The dial displays MeisterSinger usual refined design, going very well with the minimalism of the single-hand. The hand rotates in a smooth manner over the sober and efficient Arabic numerals and the subtle round date window at 6 o'clock. Overall the watch looks deliciously vintage without trying too hard and reminds us of the 50's. This new model is available in 5 different colours : ivory, black, sunburst sapphire blue, sunburst green and opaline silver. It is worn either on a suede or leather strap.
It is worth noting that the single-hand might not fit meticulous people and those who cannot stand approximations. But it's pretty much what makes this particular type of watch attractive and what we love about it. A global and rough display of time focusing on what's essential instead of giving time too much importance.
Les différentes couleurs disponibles de la MeisterSinger Neo Plus.The Neo Plus should be available soon for around 1.300 euros at MeisterSinger.


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M.S. Dhoni
Tight screenplay and good performances makes this one a good watch.Sep 2016
...is an eye opener of sorts in today's society where many preconceived notions about how women are looked upon as, exist.Sep 2016
Baar Baar Dekho
Nitya Mehra's debut outing as a director with Baar Baar Dekho is certainly a promising one. She treats this story with a lot of sincerity; a subject which in itself is a challenge to sell to the audience.Sep 2016
...it is Akshay Kumar who ensures that the audiences are glued in despite certain distracting elements in the screenplay.Aug 2016
This is an out and out pot boiler film which does have its moment where logic can be questioned. But as long as the film keeps you entertained, it won't hurt watching this film.Jul 2016
Udta Punjab
Don't watch Udta Punjab because it was embroiled in controversies but because its a story not many would have dared to tell.Jun 2016
Watch it for the raw display of human drama and the realistic approach to many situations which has been missing at the movies for sometime now.Jun 2016
...the film takes you on an emotional ride...May 2016
Contrary to what many would expect, the film is not a one-sided affair. However, by the end of it, Azhar does come out looking like a hero.May 2016
The film will keep you engaged with its brilliant execution by late director Rajesh Pillai and remarkable performances by the ensemble.May 2016
While Khan's acting prowess will keep you glued to the film, Maneesh's brand of crisp and tight storytelling holds the plot together.Apr 2016
Rocky Handsome
...despite good performances from the leading cast, the film fails to hold the viewers' interest.Mar 2016
Kapoor & Sons
...all credit goes to director Shakun, who holds together all of this like a perfect winning trophy. His sensibilities in the family drama genre will certainly set a new benchmark.Mar 2016
Teraa Surroor
...a genuine attempt for an out and out entertainer.Mar 2016
Jai Gangaajal
As for Priyanka's performance, she will make a lot of female cops proud. Wish we could see more of her in the film.Mar 2016
Apart from the man's journey which the film informs in detail, there is nothing about the film that holds you in totality.Feb 2016
Tere Bin Laden Dead Or Alive
If you have loved the first film, this one doesn't live up to its expectations.Feb 2016
Coming to the heart of this film, Sonam Kapoor, this is her finest performance till date.Feb 2016
Ghayal Once Again
For the Sunny Deol fans who like to watch his punches and dialogues, make sure you don't miss this one.Feb 2016
Angry Indian Goddesses
The commendable thing about the film is that it lays the cards down on the table without the lecturing or even becoming too preachy.Dec 2015
Director is very realistic in her approach and doesn't go preachy about it. However, with an inconsistent screenplay, it makes the film less engaging.Dec 2015
The movie isn't a conventional love story, but every emotion has been layered with justification that only Imtiaz could pull off successfully.Nov 2015
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
For all those who love family sagas, drama and 90's style romance, this is one royal ride you might want to take.Nov 2015
Kanu's first attempt as a director doesn't disappoint, only if the slow moving film could have picked up pace towards its crucial end.Oct 2015
Welcome Back
The film which does makes you laugh in portions comes crashing drown in possibly the worst climax in a long time.Sep 2015
The unpredictable treatment of the storyline keeps you hooked.Jun 2014
The Xpose
The film has its zone, which is a no brainer.May 2014
The film is predictable and nothing really excites you.Apr 2010
Kuchh Kariye
...don't bother wasting your money behind this crap. Google a song of Sukhwinder and enjoy what he is really good at.Apr 2010
Bird Idol
...is definitely an honest attempt. But as Indian theatres are flooded with quality Hollywood animation films, this film will fail to grab any attention.Apr 2010


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What Does Your Morning Routine Look Like?
Open Loops
has a wonderful piece about using the early morning hours to your
advantage. For many folks, morning is the best time of day to get
things done. I look at it in a more practical way: I want to be
successful and the first step in that is to start well.
Oh and by the way, have you read Guy Kawasaki's The Art of the Start? It's a great read for folks starting a business or major project.
Another great way to begin the day is through some kind of spiritual reading. Allan Wright's new book, Jesus in the House, is finally out and should be a great day-starter.
Good day-starters which begin early in the am:
- rituals (go for a run, make coffee, listen to the same song, say a mantra)
- working out (good for the body and the mind)
- journaling (get it out of your head and onto paper)
- blogging (I'm serious- it's a sort of mind-mapping)
- meditation and prayer (start your day by putting God first on your agenda)


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The Mann's Star in New TV-ONE Holiday Flick
TV One has announced that production is underway in Atlanta for the new original holiday movie, MERRY WISH-MAS. Starring Tamela Mann (The Manns) as Keneisha 'Kenni' Wright, a single and successful Atlanta businesswoman who hasn't returned home for the holidays in years, she plays opposite her creative and life partner, husband David Mann (The Manns) as Jessie Jenkins, an old high school friend. The two reunite at Jessie's fledgling wellness facility, the Beverly Living Center, where Kenni is reminded of the transformational power of love, hope and faith, amplified by the spirit of the holidays. The Manns also serve as executive producers on the project, which will premiere this winter on TV One.
Directed by award-winning actress, director and producer Terri J. Vaughn, this feel-good romantic comedy revolves around Kenni, who has avoided the annual holiday trip to her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina for years. While she is hoping for the best, as with any family, there are unresolved issues lingering that could make the holiday not so bright. The movie also stars veteran actress Kim Fields (Living Single) as Celine, a regular at the center who loves seeing the new smile Kenni puts on Jessie's face, but is protective about his feelings. Towanda Braxton (Braxton Family Values) plays the role of Natalie, the persistent local woman who has a crush on Jessie. Elizabeth Omilami (Madea's Family Reunion) appears as Kenni's matchmaker mom Regina, while Chrystale Wilson (The Player's Club) steps into the role of Kenni's sister and food truck entrepreneur Dionne, adding a high dose of sibling rivalry. Rap artist Yung Joc, best known for popular singles "It's Goin' Down" and "I Know You See It," makes a cameo appearance.
"Heartwarming stories like Merry Wish-Mas that bring families together and make us laugh are as much a part of the season as Christmas trees and Santa himself," said Vaughn, who makes her TV One original film directorial debut. "And this movie, touching upon family conflicts, singlehood and love, money woes, and wishing for Christmas miracles, is set to become a highlight of the coming holidays."
March 11th, 2018
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As the owner of www.henandstagsligo.ie Fergal Quinn brings groups of people into Sligo and its surrounding counties every weekend to sample the best activities the West of Ireland has to offer. We asked him to give us the top 7 activities that he would recommend to visitors coming in through Ireland West Airport.
1. What SUP? SUP, or Stand-up paddleboarding, is one of the most popular new adventure activities that suits people of all ages and physical abilities. What's great about this activity is you can do it right in the centre of town on the Garavogue in Sligo or out on Lough Gill amid the beautiful countryside immortalised by WB Yeats
2. A-MAZE-ING! One of the most popular activities year after year is one on offer at Lough Key Forest Park in Boyle, Co. Roscommon. There is so much to do at Lough Key, from Zipit and boating to bike trails and Segway tours. But by far the most popular group activity is their indoor puzzle house, a Crystal Maze-type challenge, called Boda Borg; a truly unique experience.
3. SURF'S UP. As we have some of the finest surfing beaches in the world, you can't experience the West coast without riding the waves. There are plenty of surf schools dotted along the beaches of the West, but our two favourites are Bundoran in Co. Donegal and Strandhill in Co. Sligo.
4. ON THE EDGE. For the even more adventurous, Coasteering is hugely popular with adrenaline junkies exploring old smugglers' coves and whirlpools before thrilling sea jumps off cliff edges. We love Mullaghmore in Co. Sligo or Co. Bundoran in Donegal for the best craggy cliffs.
5. RAPID THRILLS. Whitewater rafting is an action-packed activity that is very popular, especially with the all-male groups. Those taking part drop over waterfalls and power through gorges as they ride the rapids on the rivers of Sligo and Leitrim.
6. MOUNTAIN HIGHS. If jumping off cliffs and throwing yourself into the surf sounds a bit too adventurous, you can slow down along some of the most beautiful hikes and walks in the country. There are numerous tracks and trails all over the West but we particularly love the various trails up Knocknarea in Sligo – there is literally one to suit every level of ability and the views from the top are stunning.
7. LAID BACK. An even more laid-back way to view the West is to take one of the various boat tours. Some of our favourites are in County Leitrim – from a cruise on the Shannon to a tour of Lough Gill around Parke's Castle.
Activity Blog by Fergal Quinn
18 Jun 2019 15:23 pm
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