text:
Home › Modern History › A Long Tale to Tell: Crime and Imprisonment in the United States
A Long Tale to Tell: Crime and Imprisonment in the United States
Posted on December 17, 2018 by hradmin — No Comments ↓
by Tony Platt
In the United States, there is a long history of police violence and failed attempts to counteract it. Beyond These Walls offers a far-ranging exploration that tracks the legacy of crime and imprisonment, from the historical roots of the American criminal justice system to our modern state of over-incarceration, and offers a bold vision for a new future. Author Tony Platt, a recognized authority in the field of criminal justice, challenges the way we think about how and why millions of people are tracked, arrested, incarcerated, cataloged, and regulated in the United States. Keep reading for an exclusive essay from the author.
Police killings of civilians are so commonplace that it now requires an unusual circumstance for social media and journalists to take note. The death of Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford Jr. was newsworthy in November because police in Hoover, Alabama, mistook this African American man for a dangerous criminal when in fact he was trying to protect Thanksgiving shoppers from a shooter.
Bradford was one of three people killed by the police that day. The other two were not so newsworthy.
In 2014 and during the presidential campaign, activists compelled the media to resurrect many of the dead victims of police violence as full human beings, their deaths recorded on YouTube and debated at political conventions.
We learned their names and about their lives: Freddie Gray, Jr. killed as a result of spinal injuries suffered from a "rough ride" in a Baltimore police van; Eric Garner arrested for selling "loosies" and choked to death by police in New York; Michael Brown Jr., shot by police in Ferguson, his body left for hours in a public place in the sweltering Midwest heat; twelve-year-old Tamir Rice, shot to death by Cleveland police who claimed they mistook the boy's toy gun for a real one.
We also learned about the decisive role of racism in the deaths of African Americans. A study of 1,217 fatal police shootings from 2010 to 2012 reported that black youth were twenty-one times more likely than their white peers to be killed.
In December 2014, responding to "recent events that have exposed rifts in the relationship between local police and the communities they protect and serve," President Obama created a Task Force on 21 Century Policing. What sparked the president's attention was not so much the killing by police of African Americans, for such an event is a routine by-product of modern policing, but rather the spread of large and often furious protests proclaiming "I can't breathe" and "Black lives matter," just as urban riots and antiwar protests of the 1960s had triggered President Johnson's National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders and President Nixon's National Commission on Campus Unrest.
"There have been commissions before, there have been task forces, there have been conversations, and nothing happens," said President Obama, encouraging his blue-ribbon task force to come up with solutions to the "simmering distrust that exists between too many police departments and too many communities of color." This time, he promised, it "will be different," not just "an endless report collecting dust on the shelf."
Obama's task force generated some modest reforms: equipping police with body cameras, restricting the use of some military hardware, and training police in multicultural sensitivity. Moreover, Obama's Department of Justice pressured local police departments via "consent decrees" to root out their worst practices.
Despite these reforms, there was no significant change in the behavior of the police during Obama's last two years. And any hope of significant change was quickly erased by a Trump administration that came into power committed to "Standing Up for Our Law Enforcement Community" and drastically reducing federal oversight of local police departments. In a 2017 speech, Trump essentially encouraged police to rough up suspects.
This cycle of extra-legal police violence, public outrage, reform, and back to business-as-usual has a long history. In the late 19 and early twentieth centuries, the professionalization of policing was supposed to stop lynching in the South and corruption in the North. Nothing changed. Police racism was still so entrenched in 1951 that the Civil Rights Congress petitioned the United Nations for relief from "acts of genocide against the Negro people. Once the classic method of lynching was the rope. Now it's the policeman's bullet."
Throughout the 20th century, the police sided with capital against labor; with guardians of the sexual and gender status quo against gays, lesbians, and feminists; and with rightwing politicians against civil rights and other movements for social justice. In 1964, James Baldwin knew hardly anybody in Harlem, "from the most circumspect church member to the most shiftless adolescent, who does not have a long tale to tell of police incompetence, injustice, or brutality."
In the 1960s and 1970s, broad-based social protests generated a new round of reforms and public inquiries into police atrocities. National commissions called for diversifying the racial composition of police departments; many cities created civilian review boards to weed out bad cops, and the U. S. Department of Justice began to monitor law enforcement agencies that blatantly subverted the Constitution. But none of these reforms addressed the quasi-military mission of policing embedded in the foundations of the profession or the absence of democratic governance of policing. And so the brutality and killings continued.
The report of Obama's task force is already gathering dust, joining many others on the shelves, including a 1969 national report that I co-authored and in which we warned that "this nation cannot have it both ways: either it will carry through a firm commitment to massive and widespread political and social reform, or it will develop into a society of garrison cities where order is enforced without due process of law and without the consent of the governed."
Why the police and other institutions of the carceral state—criminal and juvenile courts, prisons and jails, private police, and national security operations—have been so resistant for so long to structural change is explored in Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States. To end the tragedy of the punitive state will take new ways of thinking, a revitalized imagination, and reckoning with a historical legacy that bleeds into the present.
TONY PLATT is a Distinguished Affiliated Scholar at the Center for the Study of Law & Society, University of California, Berkeley. The author of numerous books dealing with issues of criminal justice, race, inequality, and social justice in American history, including Beyond These Walls: Rethinking Crime and Punishment in the United States, he previously taught at the University of Chicago, Berkeley, and California state universities. Platt's experience as a political activist and public intellectual informs his research and publications. He lives in Berkeley, CA.
‹ An American Journalist Under Castro's Shadow
Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life ›
Tagged with: beyond these walls, Criminal Justice, tony platt, united states
Posted in Modern History


I have had no issue with the schedule nor delay on our flight. What bothered me a little was the unavailability of snacks especially for young children.
I took this flight this AM, 7/19, with my family Atlanta to Denver. Departure 8.47, on time. Good. Flight was safe, landing was nice. All good. Cannot complain. The main reasons I log this review is because if you are flying on a budget (which you likely are on Frontier) then beware of the surly attendants, the lack of snacks, coffee and beverages available on a 3 + hr flight. This was a 8.47am flight, no coffee, no individual snacks for purchase, one box snack available for purchase and some sodas/juices. I don't look forward to airline "snacks" but when you fly with kids, creature comforts are welcome at times. Very strange airline. Very strange flight. Not worth the $1400.


text:
Artificial Intelligence in the food manufacturing industry: machine conquers human?
Four years ago, Elon Musk famously predicted that artificial intelligence will overtake human intelligence by the year 2025.
"We're headed toward a situation where AI is vastly smarter than humans and I think that time frame is less than five years from now," he told the New York Times.
Musk has also repeatedly warned of the potential dangers of AI, even invoking the "Terminator" movie franchise by way of illustration.
And yet, the very same Elon Musk recently unveiled the prototype for a distinctly humanoid Tesla Robot, which he hopes will be ready in 2022. Speaking to an audience at Tesla's AI Day in August, Musk quipped that the robot is "intended to be friendly," and added that it will be designed to "navigate through a world built for humans" – alluding to his previous, apparently still-extant concerns.
Of course, Musk's fears about AI aren't shared by everyone. Fellow tech entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg has distinctly different views on the matter. On the other hand, Musk isn't alone, either; Stephen Hawking once famously warned that AI could ultimately "spell the end of the human race."
So what can we take away from this confusing discourse about AI? Is artificial intelligence the savior of humanity? Or are we about to get conquered by an army of drones?
The truth is (probably) a lot less theatrical – but arguably no less dramatic.
Let's face it: AI can do things humans can't – especially when it comes to data
The misleading thing about these types of high-profile, philosophical debates about AI is that we actually have a long way to go before what Hawking referred to as "full artificial intelligence" is even developed – let alone mass-introduced into the marketplace.
Undeniably, however, the vast potential of AI is as much recognized by experts as it is taken for granted by the general public. Machine learning and other forms of AI are already defining many aspects of our daily lives, from the way we communicate with others to our ability to get to work on time, to how we shop, work, and even acquire knowledge.
In unveiling his Tesla robot, Musk offered a pretty succinct summary of the core benefits of AI in general, asserting that the robot's purpose will be to take over "unsafe, repetitive, or boring" tasks that humans would rather not do.
That summary is applicable to almost any AI application you can think of: taking over tasks that humans either never really enjoyed doing, or weren't ever that great at in the first place. A classic example is food assembly lines: humans get tired, bored, make mistakes, and have potentially dangerous accidents – all things that robots either don't experience at all, or (in the case of accidents) experience less often, with costs measured in terms of financial losses rather than human lives.
But a far better illustration of this reality is in the world of data. In the days before "big data" became a buzzword, there was hope that the explosion of information would immediately usher in an era of true enlightenment. Finally, human beings could have all the data they needed at their fingertips to make the optimal decisions every time.
Of course, that's not what happened. Instead of being liberated by "big data," we became hostages to it. From the spam clogging our email inboxes to the blur of graphs, charts, and tables that to this day form the core challenge for almost every business.
Then came artificial intelligence, and with it, the key to unlocking the potential of that ocean of data. And herein lies both the immense promise of AI, as well as the fear of "Terminators" and robot-driven unemployment: AI, particularly in the form of machine learning algorithms, is infinitely better at analyzing data than human beings are.
The bottom line: Artificial intelligence helps humans make better decisions
While philosophical debates between tech heavyweights naturally make the headlines, the current daily reality is far more benign. In practice, AI is mostly being used to empower humans, not sideline them.
Take the food manufacturing example above. Yes, it's true that many food assembly lines are now dominated by machines rather than people, much in the way the Industrial Revolution did away with other menial jobs. But just as the Industrial Revolution paved the way for a more prosperous future, rather than one of mass unemployment (as many feared at that time as well), the Industrial Artificial Intelligence Revolution is enhancing and improving the lives of food manufacturing teams, rather than rendering them redundant.
Using AI, food manufacturing teams are better able to excel at their jobs – which of course benefits them, their employers, and ultimately the consumers who benefit from a greater quantity and better quality of product.
I've seen this firsthand. My company, Seebo, is part of this "Fourth Industrial Revolution." Our proprietary Process-Based Artificial Intelligence™ is enabling global leaders in the food industry to reduce production losses like waste, yield, and quality, saving them millions each year. At the same time, they're using our technology to become more sustainable: cutting emissions, reducing energy consumption overall and significantly reducing food waste.
And as with many other applications of machine learning AI, it's all about the data. In the case of food manufacturers, it means using Seebo's AI to reveal the hidden causes of these food production losses, high emissions, and so on – insights that were previously unavailable due to the complex nature of food manufacturing data. Armed with those insights, process experts and production teams are able to make the right decisions in real time: to know when to adjust the process or maintain certain set points that they may otherwise have neglected or overlooked.
AI: Empowering us to do better
Of course, as the saying goes, "with great power comes great responsibility."
From the wheel to the printing press to nuclear power, technological advancements always have the potential for good or bad. In that sense, AI is no different; where it differs is that its full potential is largely unknown. We've still yet to tap into the full potential of this technology, so it often feels like a sort of black magic.
But I do believe that the current trajectory is very much for the good – but more to the point, we don't have a choice.
Humanity today faces two simultaneous global challenges. First, a population crisis – with the global population set to swell 25% by the year 2050 on the one hand, while on the other hand many countries (most notably China) face a rapidly aging population. And second, a rising climate crisis, as countries and industries struggle to cut carbon emissions while maintaining the productivity necessary to sustain those growing and aging populations.
In this struggle, artificial intelligence is perhaps our greatest ally. I've seen up close its potential to empower better decisions, bridging the gap between seemingly opposing goals – like reducing emissions while producing more, not less.
Far from conquering us, AI is humanity's best chance of overcoming some of our greatest food manufacturing challenges today.
by Lior Akavia
Source: foodindustryexecutive.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Given how little utilization we saw when using Core i7 and even Core i5 processors in our Titanfall 2 test, we were keen to try some lowly dual-core processors. Sadly, however, the game wouldn't load on our Celeron and Pentium systems. Nothing seemed to happen at all, we hit play in Origin and the client acted as if the game had been launched but nothing happened. In the end we gave up and I'm honestly not 100% sure if it was just a bug with our system or if the game won't work at all on a dual-core.
Adding to that frustration, Origin's hardware swapping limitations mean we'll have to wait 24 hours before trying again as we maxed out all three accounts.
Anyway, from what we found, pretty much any CPU supporting four threads will play Titanfall 2 without an issue. For those interested, we found the same surprisingly low CPU utilization in the multiplayer portion of the game as well.
While we were only seeing around 20% utilization on the Core i7-6700K, for some reason I was still expecting to see a slight decrease in performance when dropping down to 2.5GHz. Evidently, that wasn't the case so it seems Core i7 and Core i5 owners need not bother overclocking their CPU for this title.
The FX-series does see a slight performance benefit from overclocking, though you will need an extremely high-end GPU to take advantage of it. That said, given how high these processors already operate there probably isn't much (if anything) to be gained from going past 4.5GHz in this title.


So Tender. So Fresh. So Chocolate.
There's nothing like the pure and simple bliss of tasting the perfect piece of chocolate – chocolate that feels just like heaven on the tip of your tongue, that makes you forget all your trouble and takes you straight to your happy place. Imagine you could find all of this and even more in a single chocolate brand. And guess what – you can.
For nearly 200 years, Cadbury has been the epitome of chocolate delight. It all started the way every good story starts: with one single person and big beliefs. This particular person, John Cadbury, opened a grocer's shop at 93 Bull Street, Birmingham, in 1824. There he sold – among other things – cocoa and drinking chocolate. It wasn't long until he started producing on a commercial scale, expanding his range and introducing innovative processing techniques. Fast forward to today: Cadbury is now the second-largest confectionary brand in the whole world and thrills both young and old.
The secret of Cadbury's success? Very simple: a combination of only high-quality ingredients and the smoothest chocolate sensation! Try it out for yourself. You won't be disappointed.


text:
package org.apache.jackrabbit.oak.spi.security.user;

import javax.annotation.Nonnull;
import javax.annotation.Nullable;

import org.apache.jackrabbit.api.security.user.UserManager;
import org.apache.jackrabbit.oak.api.Root;
import org.apache.jackrabbit.oak.namepath.NamePathMapper;
import org.apache.jackrabbit.oak.spi.security.SecurityConfiguration;
import org.apache.jackrabbit.oak.spi.security.principal.PrincipalProvider;

/**
 * Configuration interface for user management.
 */
public interface UserConfiguration extends SecurityConfiguration {

    String NAME = "org.apache.jackrabbit.oak.user";

    /**
     * Create a new {@code UserManager} instance
     *
     * @param root The root associated with the user manager.
     * @param namePathMapper A name path mapper used for conversion of jcr/oak names/paths.
     * @return a new instance of {@code UserManager}
     */
    @Nonnull
    UserManager getUserManager(Root root, NamePathMapper namePathMapper);

    /**
     * Optional method that allows a given user management implementation to
     * provide a specific and optimized implementation of the {@link PrincipalProvider}
     * interface for the principals represented by the user/groups known to
     * this implementation.
     *
     * If this method returns {@code null} the security setup will by default
     * use a basic {@code PrincipalProvider} implementation based on public
     * user management API or a combination of other {@link PrincipalProvider}s
     * as configured with the repository setup.
     *
     * @param root The root used to read the principal information from.
     * @param namePathMapper The {@code NamePathMapper} to convert oak paths to JCR paths.
     * @return An implementation of {@code PrincipalProvider} or {@code null} if
     * principal discovery is provided by other means of if the default principal
     * provider implementation should be used that acts on public user management
     * API.
     *
     * @see {@link org.apache.jackrabbit.oak.spi.security.principal.PrincipalConfiguration}
     */
    @Nullable
    PrincipalProvider getUserPrincipalProvider(@Nonnull Root root, @Nonnull NamePathMapper namePathMapper);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Here in the UK the colours of autumn are having their final brilliant display. It's a reminder of how natural colours work so well together, and can be used to create a style that is timeless and beautiful.
Our terracotta tiles are handmade in Spain from natural clays and look stunning in a conservatory, kitchen or hallway. Their autumnal tones of reds, yellows and gold add warmth and a homely feel to a room.
Create cosy interiors by introducing natural colours with floor tiles made from slate, travertine or marble. Don't worry about your room being cold however, as natural stone is suitable to use with underfloor heating.
Different surface finishes have different characteristics: highly polished wall tiles will reflect light – marble is a good example. Honed means the tiles are soft and smooth to the touch and suitable for bathroom flooring as well as walls. Flamed granite has a textured and slightly roughened finish has low slip potential which makes it ideal for floors in interior porches, halls, boot rooms and kitchens.
For more inspiration visit our Pinterest boards, and don't forget to look at our Twitter and Facebook pages on a regular basis to find out all the latest about Original Style.


text:
Support OpEdNews
OpEdNews Op Eds 4/9/2016 at 13:35:19 H4'ed 4/9/16
Government Should Give Us All a Break. A Bathroom Break, That Is.
By Thomas Knapp (Page 1 of 1 pages) (# of views) 2 comments
(Image by Wikipedia (commons.wikimedia.org)) Details DMCA
Apparently government solved all of society's real problems while I wasn't looking. Woo hoo! Violent crime has been eradicated. The Islamist terror threat is no more. Poverty? Everyone's a millionaire with a Rolls in the driveway. Heck, the Cubs may even win the pennant this year. At least I have to assume all that's been taken care of. Otherwise the politicians wouldn't have time to argue over who gets to use which bathroom. And that's what they're doing, soooo "
Charlotte, North Carolina's city council passed an anti-discrimination ordinance requiring both public venues (e.g. government schools) and private businesses to allow transgender people to use the bathrooms matching their gender identities.
Then the North Carolina state legislature passed a bill overruling Charlotte's and FORBIDDING both public venues and private businesses to allow transgender people to use the bathrooms matching their gender identities.
Even though the North Carolina bill seems to be economically suicidal -- it's already cost the state money and jobs, including 400 new jobs at a PayPal operations center that was going to be built in Charlotte and now won't be -- lawmakers in South Carolina and Tennessee are taking up similar legislation.
Because, you know, this has been such a burning social problem in the past.
Except that it hasn't.
For all the hobgoblin talk about men in dresses sexually molesting our daughters at rest stops, I've been unable to find any public mention of that happening. If it has, it's either been very rare or kept under wraps. And the latter seems unlikely given the paranoia even talking about it seems to bring out in people.
If you don't think you've ever shared a bathroom with a transgender person before, consider this: Depending on which study you believe, somewhere between 1 in 100 and in in 300 Americans are trans people. Now, think back over your life. All the school restrooms, highway rest stops, store bathrooms, concerts, ball games, and so on. Do you honestly think that over your life you've shared bathrooms with fewer than 300 people in all?
You've been sharing bathrooms with trans people your whole life, and you never noticed until some idiot fearmongering political hack brought it up because he thought he could scare you with it. Did it work?
This isn't that complicated.
In venues like government schools, politicians and their lackeys shouldn't be allowed to peer up skirts and inside zippers like a bunch of pervs. Does your gender identity match the "M" or "F" on your birth certificate ? None of their business.
Businesses should be free to set whatever policies they like. If they want to keep their customers, they probably won't get too nosy.
And as cultural changes do, this will all work itself out.
Rate It | View Ratings
Thomas Knapp Social Media Pages:
Thomas L. Knapp is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.
Related Topic(s): Discrimination; LGBTI Discrimination; Nondiscrimination Ordinance; Transgender, Add Tags
Add to My Group(s)
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Contact Author Contact Editor View Authors' Articles
OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.
If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly OpEdNews Newsletter
(Opens new browser window)
Most Popular Articles by this Author: (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)
Hypocrisy Alert: Republicans Agreed with Ocasio-Cortez Until About One Minute Ago
Finally, Evidence of Russian Election Meddling ... Oh, Wait
Chickenhawk Donald: A Complete and Total Disgrace
The Nunes Memo Only Partially "Vindicates" Trump, But it Fully Indicts the FBI and the FISA Court
Aircraft Carriers: Give Truman and Ford a Burial at Sea
Political Parties Should Say What They Mean. The Libertarian Party Does.
Click Here to View Comments or Join the Conversation
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121
"At 350.org we've always wanted to work from the bottom up, and it's good to see people assembling a theoretical framework for understanding this decentralized approach! "
Bill McKibben, founder 350.org, author of The End of Nature
Ad info: click here
This Is What A Good Samaritan Looks Like (Sunday Homily) by Mike Rivage-Seul (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
The Good News About Trump's Very Bad Environmental Speech by Jill Richardson (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
30 years after Tiananmen Square, the U.S. is still trying to destabilize China by Max Parry (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Surviving Vietnam, Listing America and Jeffrey Epstein's Bestest Friends by Linh Dinh (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Alberta Government Declares War On Environmentalists by The Real News Network (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Kamala Harris Has a Distinguished Career of Serving Injustice by Marjorie Cohn (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Hurricane Barry Proves Terrorist Threat Is A Hoax by Paul Craig Roberts (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
U.N. Report Condemns Torture of Assange by Robert Scheer (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Da Glitch by shad williams (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
We Need to Stop Believing in "Belief" by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Iran Should Never Trust a US Promise Again; nor should anybody else! by David William Pear (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Why Are Anti-Migrant Arguments In The E.U., U.S. Pure Hypocrisy? by Andre Vltchek (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Winning My Heart and Mind while Bringing Consciousness to Politics by Daniel Geery (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
"Then They Came For the Immigrants"" And We Need To Say HELL NO! by Revolution Newspaper (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
As Possible ICE Raids Loom Again, Here Are Our Rights by Ted Millar (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
The Straightest Path to Racial Equality Is Through the One Percent by Bernie Sanders (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Dangerous liaisons: Fox News teams up with Russian agents to undermine democracy by Eric Boehlert (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Billionaires, Vanity and Modern Democracy -- Cheeseburgers, Women and Golf by Arshad M Khan (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Generals, Ambassadors, National Security Experts, Church Leaders and Women Nobel Peace Laureates Say "No War On Iran!" by Ann Wright (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Climate change by Gary Lindorff (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Top Five Trump Officials who Resigned because of Shocking Scandals by Juan Cole (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
"Whorehouse in the Judicial Appointment Committee" in Israel by Joseph Zernik (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
As the American Empire Collapses, It Could Launch WW 3 by Rainer Shea (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Sanctions on Khamenei? Ending the myth of the 'Millionaire Mullah' (Part 3/3) by Ramin Mazaheri (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Global meet underlines country-level progress on sustainable development by Citizen News Service - CNS (With membership, you can see # of pageviews)
Classics of Liberal Thinking
Progressive Radio Links
OpEdNews Home Page
Copyright © 2002-2019, OpEdNews


Dieser Titel ist kostenlos im Open Access erhältlich unter https://www.bibb.de/veroeffentlichungen/de/ oder kostenpflichtig als Print-Ausgabe hier im Shop.
Anke Bahl is a senior researcher at the division "Competence Development" at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Bonn, Germany.
Agnes Dietzen is a senior researcher and head of the research division "Competence Development" at the Federal Institute of Vocational Training and Education (BIBB), Bonn, Germany.


At the top edge of Joshua Tree National Park and skirting the edge of the Mojave Desert is a place called Wonder Valley. In 1938, the U.S. Congress put forward the Small Tract Act, encouraging homesteaders — mostly World War I servicemen — to lease five-acre federal land parcels to convert to private ownership if they built structures, businesses or recreational facilities there. By the '50s, thousands of cabins had been built but, after infrastructure like roads, water, power and schools failed to appear, were later abandoned. Riding a diurnal temperature variation of 30 degrees and barely crosshatched with a handful of roads, in the space of twenty years the valley returned to a nearly blank canvas.
How wonderful. The fight against rejection may be futile so start your own.
The only rejection to worry about is your own, toward yourself! I just recently, have loosened the tight rein on my own expectations towards art making. We all should revert to the fun and absorption that was experienced as children. Make art, anyway you please, and just have Fun!
I so agree. There are so many of us creative people now…why compete and make life miserable? Have fun…sell some, give some! I relate to Sara's comments, because we have a special place in Eastport, Maine…far off the beaten track.
Joshua Tree and the Mojave Desert are special places for me. We have homes in Las Vegas and southwestern Utah, and most creativity comes in our Utah home and a small studio in Kayenta, a community built for artists. Such a wonderful story for all of us who thrive in the empty spaces that allow art to flow.
I'm there! Doing an artist interpretive program at Joshua Tree next week. The desert calms the mind and challenges the body. Serene, dry, dusty, hot. Thank you for writing about this special place that is one of my artistic homes.
How about a little more info on this place. I am sure there are more than a few who are interested. Even they never make it there they can dream.
It's easy to find lots of information and photos — just google "The Glass Outhouse Gallery".
My friend has built two places there for his sister who lives in L.A. Wonderful getaways in Wonder Valley.
The Amalfi Coast, a World heritage site, and one of the most spectacular vistas to be found in Italy. Stay at our four-star hotel on the waterfront of Amalfi; all rooms with private bath and with Mediterranean Sea views. Elevator available. Small groups or painters with guests. Paint in Amalfi, Ravello, Positano, and Capri. Work in oils or other media; beginners to advanced welcome. Demos and individual instruction. Breakfast each day along with 2 lunches & 5 dinners.
See www.SamDAmbruoso.com for further details.


The first European Geographies of Sexualities (EGSC) conference took place in Brussels (2011) and it was also the first time when we learned that this conference is, in fact, global having its name derived from the place of where it is organized and not by or for whom. The second conference took place in Lisbon (2013), third in Rome (2015), and fourth in Barcelona (2017).
Based on collective agreement by members of the international scientific committee in Barcelona, the fifth conference is going to be organized in Prague where our aim is to continue with the dynamic, diverse and international development of research that intersects not only with sexuality and gender but also with other axes of human difference. Our conference invites scholars, professionals, and activists who work across multiple scholarly disciplines or geographical contexts. We hope to create a respectful space for open debate and discussion.
The conference will take place in the main building of the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague.
More about the venue and the city of Prague here.
It is too early, the conference program will be announced during the later phase of the conference preparations.
The exact program will be announced later.
When ready, it will be available for download here.
TRANSNATIONAL GEOGRAPHIES OF OPPOSITION TO SEXUALITY STUDIES, GENDER, AND WOMEN'S AND LGBT RIGHTS: HEGEMONY OR HORIZONTAL COLLABORATION ON THE RIGHT?
The 5th European Geographies of Sexualities Conference (EGSC) has been co-funded by the Space, Sexualities and Queer Research Group (SSQRG www.ssqrg.rgs.org) of the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (RGS-IBG).


text:
New York legislators have come to terms on an agreement in the budget that would ban single-use plastic bags throughout the state. Spectrum News Photo
6 Things to Know About New York's Plastic Bag Ban
By Nick Reisman New York State
PUBLISHED 9:33 AM ET Mar. 29, 2019 PUBLISHED 9:33 AM EDT Mar. 29, 2019
New York lawmakers and Governor Andrew Cuomo have agreed to a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags and a fee on the use of paper bags. Here's what you need to know about the deal in the state budget.
When does this ban take effect?
The ban will take effect in about 11 months, March 1 of next year. This will presumably give retailers and shoppers enough time to shift away from plastic bags and begin to offer and use bags that are considered multiple use.
Are any plastic bags exempt?
Yes. Budget language made public Thursday evening shows a number of plastic bag ban exemptions, including bags used to contain uncooked meat or fish; bags used to package bulk items like fruit, vegetables, grains or candy; bags used to deliver newspapers to subscribers; and bags used in bulk at the point of sale.
Trash bags are also exempt, as are food storage and garment bags. The plastic carryout bags used by a restaurant or pub, as well as bags used to carry prescription drugs, will not be covered by the new law.
What is the fee for paper bags?
Shoppers will be charged $0.05 for each paper bag they use. Out of that, $0.03 will be put toward the state's Environmental Protection Fund. The remaining $0.02 will go toward a local government.
Can the fee be avoided?
In part, yes. A local government, such as a county government, must affirmatively opt in to receive the revenue from the fee. People who receive support from the supplemental nutritional assistance program, or SNAP, are also exempt from the fee — an attempt to satisfy concerns that the fee is considered a "regressive" tax.
What kind of bags can be used?
The budget defines reusable bags as those that are "made of cloth or other machine washable fabric that has handles" or a "durable bag with handles that is specifically designed and manufactured for multiple reuse."
Environmental groups have long pushed for a ban on single-use plastic bags, worried that their proliferation is contributing to water and ground pollution as well as choking marine wildlife. Several local governments have moved in recent years to ban plastic bags and install a fee on paper bag usage. New York City attempted a plastic bag fee that state lawmakers and the governor ultimately reversed. Cuomo later created a commission to determine the best method for addressing the issue statewide.


Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word: Exposure Skate Contest On EspnW.
Exposure Skate Contest On EspnW.
We are super stoked to see Exposure Skate featured on espnW today! The lead pic is of our awesome team rider Minna Stess, and we loved seeing our rad little friend Quinne Daniels repping our line as well! More great action photos of Jordyn Barratt by Dan Sparagna and another rad shot by Ian Logan of Australia's Sari Simpson are included in the piece.


Does Winstrol Stanozolol ship internationally? Yes, Winstrol Stanozolol offer worldwide shipping including South Africa. Free shipping can be applied for some countries.
Stanozolol, generally sold under the name Winstrol (oral) and Winstrol Depot (intramuscular), is a synthetic anabolic steroidderived from dihydrotestosterone. It was established by Winthrop Laboratories (Sterling Medication) in 1962, and has actually been accepted by theFDA for human use. Unlike many injectable anabolic steroids, stanozolol is not esterified and is offered as an liquid suspension, or in oral tablet form. The medicine has a high oral bioavailability, as a result of a C17 α-alkylation which allows the bodily hormone to endure first-pass liver metabolism when ingested. It is as a result of this that stanozolol is likewise marketed in tablet type.
Winsol from CrazyBulk is a risk-free as well as lawful alternative to Stanozolol, the steroid made use of by body builders as well as athletes worldwide for a really titanic performance. Suitable for both men and women; use it during cutting cycles to keep lean, quality muscle and to sculpt the best seaside physique.
If you have chosen that you are going to buy a Winstrol Stanozolol, I would advise you purchase from the official supplier. Personally, I have actually done simply that, and have actually discovered the buying process safe, experienced and with a great level of customer support.
I make certain there are a great deal of men who choose to keep their Stanozolol Tablets items to themselves. It's not usually something you speak about with everyone. The official supplier has a full privacy disclosure meaning, your individual payment and identity details are not shown everyone.
Client service is great. If you have any problems with your Winsol, just email them initially. I got a reaction in hours. You can constantly get in touch with the numbers offered.
Why You Should Buy Stanozolol Tablets Online from South Africa?
Buying Stanozolol Tablets online is the most useful thing to do, and not just for choice, or perhaps to get a much better price. You can always make more cash, it is not finite. What is finite is just how much time you have. You can't make more time. By purchasing your Stanozolol Tablets online, you will conserve time, money, and get higher quality Winstrol Stanozolol to you than you might ever discover anywhere else. Why buy an inferior item since some shop down the road sells it? It simply does not make sense anymore, when so many options are readily available, only a few clicks away.
Can You Tell Me Where to Discover Stanozolol Alternative for Sale in South Africa?
If you have a prescription, you can buy Winstrol Stanozolol for sale at nearly any drug store in South Africa. In some countries where it is not controlled, you can buy it lawfully over-the-counter without a prescription. Many people prefer to buy Stanozolol Tablets online instead of from street vendors. Before doing so, make certain that you make the effort to read some evaluations. This way, you can ensure that you get a quality item at a reasonable price.
When under the result of this supplement, a person not only really feels stronger however he additionally feels in a much better state of mind considering that this supplement elevates the mood. The body feels harder, as well as the individual feels himself obtaining speed in all the job he does. To clarify how it works, we will need to go into the chemistry behind the supplement however to place it just, CrazyBulk Winidrol is the supreme finest alternative Winstrol (Stanozolol), except for that it is legal. The benefits and also effects of Winidrol coincide ones as Winstrol. The only distinction is that Winidrol by Crazy Bulk has been examined in the facility, as well as there is clinical researches offer that verify that it is not damaging and does not contain any sort of prohibited component.
If you are an professional athlete or are training to be one, then you should remember that CrazyBulk Winidrol should be your front runner. Several believe that Winstrol is unlawful due to the outcome it produces which is a wonderful strength as well as outstanding performance, but it has actually been ensured that it is safe.
You do not have to stress over the water retention issue that generally hinders the decrease of fat in the body. This supplement aids you in lowering the degree of general fats in the body. This aids to promote the cutting cycles to ensure that your body sustains the lean muscular tissue mass that aids the physical body to appear bulky and also strong.
The most reliable prescribed is to take one tablet 3 times in a day daily. Take the pill with every meal, even on the days that you do not work out. When you do the exercise, take the pill at least half an hour prior to you visit the health club. For long-term outcomes, use the pill for a minimum of 2 months. You could alter your dosage considering that the pill is not unsafe, but for maximum outcomes, it is a lot better if you follow this referral.
Conclusively, according to client testimonials and experiences of various other customers, this supplement is much advised. There is no damage and attempting this one out and noting its result because at the end of the day, what concerns is that Crazy Bulk Winidrol has all the benefits of Winstrol yet is simply approved by the regulation.
To end it, it is safe to state that winstrol Steroids provides you the authorization of taking pleasure in the ripped physical body you consistently wanted. To even more verify its effectiveness, you ought to also know that this is produced and dispersed by one of one of the most prominent brand names in the body building sector which is Crazy Bulk. Hence, enjoy creating your preferred body with this supplement!
Winstrol Stanozolol Shipping to South Africa?


Want to work with a group of competent, ambitious people creating something you can be proud of? If so, we'd like to hear from you.
At Searchdaimon the way from an idea to implementation is short. Your ideas and input matters. Our work environment is fast-paced, demanding, and highly productive. We all readily take on responsibilities and want to get things done. We value competence, flexibility, energy, willingness to learn, and ability to work at any level of detail and scope.
With offices in Oslo (sales) and Trondheim (RnD), we are always looking for self-starting, driven individuals to join the team. If you excel in creative problem-solving, enjoy pushing technology's limits and want to make a difference, Searchdaimon AS is the right place for you.


This March 13-19, 2015, Attitudes Apparel will have "Seven Days Super Sale" and they will give everything half the price (50% OFF) on all corporate wear like long sleeves, polo shirts, blazers, collared shirts, blouses, pants, skirts, neck-tie and many more.
Attitudes Apparel is a retail and manufacturer of garments for different ready to wear fashion. They are known for their expertise in making corporate wear and accessories for men and women. For more than 25 years in the business they still continue to provide high quality of garments for corporate wear.
They are also having an expansion and building up of new stores where they can cater lifestyle apparel with the new store named "Lifestyle by Attitudes." As of writing this post, they have branches at Riverbanks Mall Marikina, Magic Mall Urdaneta and soon to open to different other locations nationwide.


Tapio Wirkkala was a leading Finnish designer active in the Fifties; we love his poetic works and research on the qualities of laminated wood. We had that in mind when we envisioned the Vanessa table: the organic base shape, resembling the wings of a butterfly could be made from multilayered wood. The colours and veneers of different wood species are an important value of the material, both to touch and see, so we felt we had to underline the mix of species in the layers. We used the alternation of wood species also to mark the ovoidal section and make the woodden volume visible. It was our mind to invite the user to feel the tactile aspect with its eyes even before touching the smooth shape of the base. A trasparent glass top was the best to appreciate such base. It was a path of trial and error to get to the right mix of wood and layer thicknesses so that the stability, the design and the cost of the table would be right. We were worried that the machinery work to make each "wing" was too long, but we had a very good cooperation with Bonaldo's technical department to reduce it. We knew Vanessa was not a simple product, both from the manufacturing and from the customer's point of view: it has a strong personality and is meant for strong personalities.


text:
Henning Baunbæk Dyremose (født 22. december 1945 i Holstebro, søn af Kristian Sivert Dyremose født 10. januar 1901 og Erna Kirstine Karsgaard Baunbæk født 9. marts 1907) er en forhenværende dansk konservativ politiker og minister, forhenværende administrerende direktør og bestyrelsesformand i TDC. Han er far til Charlotte Dyremose, der ligeledes er konservativ politiker.

Familie
Henning Dyremose blev født i Holstebro som sjette barn i en arbejderfamilie, hans forældre og storebror meldte sig under besættelsen ind i det danske nazist parti DNSAP, familiemedlemmerne står opført i Bovrup-Kartoteket, faren stod ligeledes opført i Det sorte Kartotek, der var en fortegnelse over ca. 20.000 personer, hvis bankkonti efter krigen blev spærret af Nationalbanken. I 1963 blev han student fra Struer Statsgymnasium og umiddelbart efter fulgte et år på high school i Washington, USA.

Under studierne til civilingeniør (kemi) ved DTH giftede han sig – med kongebrev, idet han ikke var fyldt 21 – i 1966 med Elly, med hvem han i 1977 fik datteren Charlotte Dyremose. Under studierne, som afsluttedes i 1969, ernærede han sig som bartender på Dyrehavsbakken.

Første fuldtidsjob blev som konsulent i IKO-Konsulent A/S, hvor Dyremose blev i tre år til 1973. Imens blev der tid til at gennemføre HD-uddannelsen i organisation. Herefter fulgte to job i Novo Nordisk-koncernen, først som chef for økonomi- og planlægningsstaben i Novo Industri A/S (til 1983) og herefter som marketingdirektør i Novo Enzymdivision frem til 1986.

Politisk karriere
I 1979 valgtes Dyremose til Folketinget for Det Konservative Folkeparti, hvor han i 1982-83 blev ordfører. Forløbet ledte til to ministerperioder:
 1986-1989 som arbejdsminister i regeringerne Poul Schlüter I, II og III.
 1989-1993 som finansminister i regeringerne Poul Schlüter III og IV.
Ved regeringens fald efter Tamilsagen nævntes Dyremose i nogle døgn som statsministerkandidat, men de Radikale ville ikke lade en borgerlig regering fortsætte, og han blev i stedet atter ordfører. Efter ni måneders konkurrence med Hans Engell om magten i folketingsgruppen trak Dyremose sig ud af politik.

Erhvervskarriere
Første job efter det politiske forløb blev som administrerende direktør i trækoncernen Dalhoff Larsen og Horneman A/S, hvor han blev i fem år.

I 1998 hentedes Dyremose til Tele Danmark – nu TDC – hvor opgaven var at omstille den et halvt år tidligere privatiserede koncern til markedsvilkår, således at den ville kunne klare sig i et liberaliseret telemarked. Opgaven har sammen med senere omstillinger været barsk med flere fyringsrunder. Efter et stormfuldt forår 2006 hvor kapitalfonden NTC opkøbte majoriteten af TDC's aktier med det erklærede formål at afnotere selskabet fra børsen, fratrådte Dyremose i juni 2006 stillingen som administrerende direktør for at blive bestyrelsesformand i TDC frem til 2008.

Henning Dyremose blev i den forbindelse genstand for en diskussion i medierne. Han fik ved sin fratræden som chef en bonus på 36 millioner kr. med op til 15 mill. kr. ekstra i forhold til selskabets samlede økonomi. Medieomtalen i sommeren 2006 blev et vendepunkt i Henning Dyremoses ellers succesfulde karriere, da han gang på gang havde understreget, at han absolut ingen planer havde om at trække sig fra TDC.

Siden 2005 Dyremose været formand for interesseorganisationen Dansk Industri, hvor han siden 1998 har været medlem af hovedbestyrelsen. Dyremose er desuden formand for Danmarks Eksportråd siden maj 2004.

Hæder
Dyremose blev 28. oktober 1987 tildelt ordenen kommandør af Dannebrogordenen.

I 2005 blev han kåret til prisen som Årets leder, der uddeles af organisationen Lederne.

Referencer

Eksterne henvisninger
 Den amerikanske drøm i pæredansk udgave, portræt af Leif Beck Fallesen i Dagbladet Børsen 21. december 2005 s. 34.
 http://danmark.dk

Finansministre fra Danmark
Beskæftigelsesministre fra Danmark
Tidligere folketingsmedlemmer fra Det Konservative Folkeparti
Danske ministre fra Det Konservative Folkeparti
Erhvervsfolk fra Danmark
Kommandører af Dannebrog
Personer i Kraks Blå Bog
TDC
Personer fra Holstebro
Civilingeniører fra Danmark

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Custom «Fallacies» Essay Paper
Custom «Fallacies» Essay Paper essay
In any conversational or speech event, a lot of fallacies present themselves. The speakers might not be aware of the usage of these fallacies, but the fallacies appear even in some areas that are not anticipated. In as much as fallacies are said to affect a person's speech negatively, some fallacies contribute to the rapport between the speaker and listener; they help the speaker connect well with the audience, and this contributes to a better reception and retention of the message.
Glen's Explication of Mitt Romney's Speech
In this show, Glen Beck explains Mitt Romney's speech and various fallacious statements are evident. First, Glen starts by asking a question that he answers himself. He assumes that people will have the same opinion as himself, and he proceeds to negate the question he asks about Romney's speech being the best. This fallacy is called Begging the question; this is because the speaker, Glen, assumes that people have the same opinion on Romney's speech. All people do not have the same opinion, and Glen is wrong.
Glen Beck also engages in another fallacy known as Ad verecundium. This fallacy appeals to a greater power to drive people to believe or find credibility in a certain view. In this show, Glen appeals to a supernatural power, Jesus, to convince people that Mitt Romney has the American answer.
Glen also involves Ad hominem, a fallacy that tends to look at the personality of someone rather than the speech, in this show. He diverts from the topic, and he starts to give some personal views on the candidate.
Glen also uses Ad populum to appeal to the people on the best candidate to vote in the elections. This fallacy appeals to the masses where the views of the majority are respected. Glen wishes to make the few undecided people to choose the contender with the most support.
In this show, Glen also invokes another fallacy, Either or, and he gives some few things that are likely to happen. For instance, he explains that people can either take Mitt Romney as a man with a very big dream, or they can see him as an unrealistic man.
The other fallacy used in this show is Non sequitur. This fallacy is evident because Glen moves from one topic to another, and at some point, he leaves the listeners to make conclusions on the issues discusses. This fallacy gives mixed feelings, and the audience feels compelled to think more about the ideas under discussion.
Fallacies in the O'Reilly Factor
In this interview, O'Reilly and Charles discuss Mitt Romney's debate, and they assume that Romney made a mistake by not mentioning some things. They engage in a fallacy, Slippery Slope; they assume that people will see the mistake and fail to vote for Mitt; the two believe that that mistake will affect Mitt.
O'Reilly also uses many of the fallacies discussed above, and in all instances, these fallacies match, in usage, the fallacies above. This shows that fallacies are internationally used by most people, and people might not be aware of this since they appear mostly in the analytical stage.
The other three fallacies, Post-hoc (ergo propter hoc), Red Herring and Straw Man are not evident in these shows since the three fallacies appear, mostly, in personal conversations. These fallacies appear in cases where people linger on personal matters, and this differs in these shows. However, the three fallacies can be used in such instances as when a person involved, directly, is being interviewed. In such cases, personal reactions are probable, and the speaker can engage in the three fallacies.
Steve Jobs: The Power of Leadership
The Cornerstone Speech
George Castriot, Surnamed Scanderbeg, King of Albania
Who is Responsible for Oedipus' Tragedy
Roman Villas
The Yellow Wallpaper and Sister Carrie
Edward P Jones
Case Scenario of Castle's Family Restaurant
A Request for Proposal


text:
Q: Which Cocoa class method formats [NSDate date] data into a sortable sequence key text string? I needed a date stamp that would be suitable for inclusion in a sequence key to be an argument for sorting a text file of dated records. I studied the Apple documentation and searched the internet and couldn't find a reference that actually met my criteria: a string formatted as

YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS GMT

with the hours expressed in 24-hour (military) format. So I had to code my own date stamp formatting method as shown.
Inline comments helped at breakpoints in debugging the intricate C code, used for its low overhead. These comments include the datetime string produced by [dateFormatter stringFromDate:date], and a representation of the development of the desired date stamp format. The comments with the caret ^ point to the current position of the scanning index.
NSMutableString * sortableMilitaryDateTimeStamp()
{
    NSString * datetime;
    NSDate   * date;
    NSMutableString * sortableDate;
    int  d, sln, s, hr, x;
    char c;
    char inpbuffer[24]; char * src = (char *) &inpbuffer;
    char dstbuffer[] = "....-..-.. ..:..:.. ...";
    char * dst = (char *) &dstbuffer;

    date = [NSDate date];
    NSDateFormatter * dateFormatter = [[NSDateFormatter alloc] init];
    [dateFormatter setDateStyle:NSDateFormatterLongStyle];
    [dateFormatter setTimeStyle:NSDateFormatterLongStyle];
    [dateFormatter setTimeZone:[NSTimeZone timeZoneForSecondsFromGMT:0]];
    datetime = [dateFormatter stringFromDate:date];

    sfrsTMC(src,datetime.UTF8String,24); //copies datetime text to the C string

// "June 2, 2018 at 3:04:46 PM GMT"  to become  "2018-06-02 15:04:46 GMT"
//  ^
// "....-..-.....:..:......"
    sln = strlen(src);
    d = 0;
    for (s = 0; (s <= sln) && (src[s] != ' '); s++) ;
    c = src[0];
    dst[5] = '0';
    x = src[2];
    switch (c) {
    case 'J':
        if (src[1] == 'a') dst[6] = '1';
        else
        if (x == 'l') dst[6] = '7';
        else
        if (x == 'n') dst[6] = '6';
        break;
    case 'F':
        src[6] = '2';
        break;
    case 'M':
        if (x == 'r') dst[6] = '3';
        else
        if (x == 'y') dst[6] = '5';
        break;
    case 'A':
        if (src[1] == 'p') dst[6] = '4';
        else
        if (src[1] == 'u') dst[6] = '8';
        break;
    case 'S':
       dst[6] = '9';
        break;
    case 'O':
        dst[6] = '1'; dst[6] = '0';
        break;
    case 'N':
         dst[6] = '1'; dst[6] = '1';
        break;
    case 'D':
        dst[6] = '1'; dst[6] = '2';
        break;
    }
// June 2, 2018 at 3:04:46 PM GMT  to  2018-06-02 15:04:46 GMT
//     ^
// "....-06-.. ..:..:.. ..."
    if (src[s+2] = ',') {
        dst[8] = '0';
        dst[9] = src[++s]; }
    else {
        dst[8] = src[++s];
        dst[9] = src[++s];
    }
    s += 3;
// June 2, 2018 at 3:04:46 PM GMT  to  2018-06-02 15:04:46 GMT
//         ^
// "....-06-02 ..:..:.. ..."
    d = 0;
    for (x = 0; x < 4; x++) dst[d++] = src[s++];
    s += 4;
// June 2, 2018 at 3:04:46 PM GMT  to  2018-06-02 15:04:46 GMT
//                 ^
// "2018-06-02 ..:..:.. ..."
    if (src[s+1] == ':') {
        dst[11] = '0';
        hr = src[s] - '0';
        dst[12] = src[s++]; }
    else {
        hr = src[s] - '0';
        dst[11] = src[s++];
        hr = (hr * 10) + src[s] - '0';
        dst[12] = src[s++];
    }
// "2018-06-02 03:..:.. ..."
// June 2, 2018 at 3:04:46 PM GMT  to  2018-06-02 15:04:46 GMT
//                  ^
    d = 13;
    for (x = 0; x < 7; x++) dst[d++] = src[s++];
// "2018-06-02 03:04:46 ..."
// June 2, 2018 at 3:04:46 PM GMT  to  2018-06-02 15:04:46 GMT
//                         ^
    if (src[s] == 'P') {
        hr += 12;
        dst[11] = (int) (hr / 10) + '0';
        dst[12] = (hr % 10) + '0';
    }
    s += 3;
// "2018-06-02 15:04:46 ..."
// June 2, 2018 at 3:04:46 PM GMT  to  2018-06-02 15:04:46 GMT
//                            ^
    d = 20;
    for (x = 0; x < 4; x++) dst[d++] = src[s++];
// "2018-06-02 15:04:46 GMT"

    sortableDate = @(dst).mutableCopy;
    return sortableDate;
}

Believe it or not, this works. However I can't help thinking I've done something stupid by failing to find a method supported by some native Cocoa class method. I suspect there must be something that could convert the [NSDate date] information directly.
Please, how could I do something more appropriate? Any constructive criticism will be appreciated.

A: Here are the requirements for invoking the formatting procedure:
NSMutableString * sortableDate;
NSDate * date = [NSDate date];
sortableDate = makeSortableDateTimeStamp(date);

And here's the formatting procedure:
NSMutableString * makeSortableDateTimeStamp (NSDate * date)
{
    NSMutableString * datetime;
    NSDateFormatter * dateFormatter = [[NSDateFormatter alloc] init];
    [dateFormatter setTimeZone:[NSTimeZone timeZoneForSecondsFromGMT:0]];
    [dateFormatter setDateFormat:@"yyyy'-'MM'-'dd' 'HH':'mm':'ss' 'zzz"];
    datetime = [dateFormatter stringFromDate:date].mutableCopy;
    return datetime;
}

The coding for the setDataFormat: string is specified in:

http://www.unicode.org/reports/tr35/tr35-25.html#Date_Format_Patterns

There are several similar unicode.org/reports covering various versions of development. I chose this one because it was indicated for use with my version of macOS and Xcode.
Thanks again to Willeke for such generous and astute advice.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The GLE-Class can get expensive in a hurry. We'd opt for the more efficient turbodiesel powertrain before adding on many goodies.
The M-Class gets a new lease on luxury-crossover life as the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class—and it's joined by a swoopy new Coupe variant.
With the introduction of the GLE Coupe, the GLE-Class is now more closely aligned with the X5 and X6. The GLE-Class has a revised instrument-panel design, new trims, and some new exterior details, including a front-end design that corresponds closely with the direction of other new models from the brand. Features and options have also been revamped, and a new plug-in hybrid model joins the lineup, along with finessed, high-performance Mercedes-Benz GLE (and GLE Coupe) 63 AMG and GLE63 S AMG models.
Most utility vehicles will be labeled with GL plus the letter of the Mercedes sedan that's closest in size—thus GLE, for the vehicle that's been known as the M-Class or ML. The BlueTec label is replaced for diesels with a "d," while Hybrid models get an "h"—and plug-in hybrids, an "e." All of those letters come into play with the new GLE-Class, which comes not just in both body styles, but with a range of powertrains that stretches from a turbodiesel inline-4, a plug-in hybrid, a twin-turbo V-6, and a storming turbocharged V-8 AMG edition.
Across the board, the GLE-Class gets more emphatic front-end styling, as well as larger wheels and metal side steps, and LED lighting. The new front-end appearance has a more drawn-back air dam, chunkier grille, and sculpted fenders, and it carries into all the new GLE models, not just the GLE Coupe. Cabin appointments in the GLE have received a modest refresh as well, to take on all the infotainment elements familiar from the C-, E- and S-Class models. New trim options include carbon fiber and new woodgrain finishes, while the center console houses the COMAND controller and touchpad. A large display screen sits proud atop the center stack, a Matterhorn of mobile connectivity.
The GLE-Class lineup offers some of what's familiar, as well as a step or two in a sportier and a greener direction. The lineup includes a turbodiesel based on the current E-Class powertrain: it's a 2.1-liter inline-4 rated at 201 horsepower dubbed the GLE300d. There's also the normally aspirated GLE350 (3.5-liter V-6, 302 hp, rear- or all-wheel drive), and the all-wheel-drive GLE400 (3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6, 329 hp). All of these mainstream GLE models get a 7-speed automatic.
A plug-in hybrid GLE550e mates a 329-hp, direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 with a hybrid module of 114 hp net output, for a total output of 436 hp and up to 19 miles of electric driving. The plug-in GLE also has four driving modes ranging between all-electric and hybrid, as well as battery-saving and charging modes. Recharging its 8.8-kwh battery on a 220-volt charger takes about two hours.
The 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 in the Mercedes-Benz GLE63 AMG, offered in an additional S trim, is rated at 550 hp or 577 hp, and comes with the 7-seed automatic. Acceleration to 60 mph happens in as few as 4.2 seconds, and top speed is set at 155 mph.
In the GLE Coupe, there are only two powertrains earmarked for the U.S. The Mercedes-Benz GLE450 4Matic wagon has a twin-turbo V-6 and is rated at 362 hp and 384 lb-ft, with a 9-speed automatic. A Mercedes-Benz GLE63 AMG S Coupe 4Matic has specs like those of the wagon-back GLE, with 20-inch wheels standard.
In the GLE, Individual, Comfort, Slippery, and Sport drive modes are configured for the best traction in that given situation, with modes now controlling chassis, steering, powertrain, and suspension settings, as well as engine sounds. Performance-oriented AMG models add a Sport+ mode, while other versions with an off-road package get an Offroad+ package along with a reduction gear and locking differential, as well as an extended-range air suspension with maximum ground clearance of up to 11 inches and fording depth of 23 inches. The Mercedes 4Matic system will again provide an even torque distribution of 50/50 between the front and rear axles (the AMG version has a rear-biased 40/60 setup), or nearly all torque to the wheels that can use it best for traction. Tow ratings are as high as 7,700 pounds.
Six-cylinder GLEs roll on steel springs with conventional dampers, while top models offer Mercedes-Benz's first suspension in a utility vehicle to combine air springs with continuous damping (the Airmatic and Active Damping systems will be an option on the V-6 GLE). Active anti-roll bars are also available; they're standard on AMG models. Ride quality in all of these models is excellent—with quite a difference between Comfort and Sport modes.
This year's cabin refresh hasn't significantly changed interior space or functionality. As you might expect in a Mercedes-Benz, the GLE has excellent seats—well-contoured and soft, yet all-day supportive. Mercedes made considerable advances in refinement and materials with its sedans in recent years; and with the last full redesign it brought many of those improvements to the M-Class. There's space for taller adults in the second row, too, although getting three across isn't completely comfortable. You can, however, adjust the rear seatbacks, and even with them up and in place there's more than 36 cubic feet of cargo space behind them.
The new GLE Coupe models offer a sportier, more low-slung look, thanks to their downward-arcing roofline; but you'll pay a bit of a price in practicality. Coupe models still manage to deliver decent practicality in terms of leg room and ease of entry, although it's deficient in head room—to the degree that 6-footers on up will find their head making contact with the (already carved-out) headliner. Across the whole lineup, the ride is quiet and refined, although engine noise, even in its quieter Comfort mode, might be too ever-present for some drivers of twin-turbo GLE450 V-6 models.
The M-Class's strong reputation and active-safety features carry over into the GLE-Class, with some new ones as well. Active cruise control with steering assist is available, as well as blind-spot monitors and lane-keeping assist. The ML's excellent ratings by the IIHS have carried over to the GLE—including a Top Safety Pick award—but the NHTSA's ratings have yet to be restated.
Some new features have been announced for the GLE. A Comfort package includes a power tailgate, soft-closing doors, and a rearview camera. a Parking package gets surround-view cameras and parking assist. An AMG Line appearance package puts on 20-inch wheels and MB-Tex upholstery, with Nappa leather an option; a Night package blacks out much of the trim and fits 20-inch black gloss wheels.
Finally, the new GLE can be outfitted with COMAND infotainment and connectivity, displayed on an 8.0-inch screen. Harman Kardon and Bang & Olufsen audio systems are on the list, as is a rear-seat DVD entertainment system. AMG editions get their own content, including aluminum trim, perforated sport seats, an AMG steering wheel, and AMG badging and trim.
The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE has an updated cabin and sportier details throughout—as well as a sportier GLE Coupe variant.
The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class gets a new name, but design-wise, the core models in this lineup carry over with a refresh that brings it all in line with the latest design direction of the brand.
In the scope of this mid-size SUV's trajectory, the GLE is a minor mid-cycle evolution of the existing look of the M-Class that's been around since the 2012 model year.
In the current generation, Mercedes-Benz brought a far more refined look and feel to this rugged utility vehicle, including a wider, more road-oriented stance and somewhat more car-like look.
On the outside, the changes to the GLE-Class are most noticeable from the front, where the GLE gets more emphatic front-end styling. The new front-end appearance has a more drawn-back air dam, chunkier grille, and sculpted fenders, and it carries into all the new GLE models, not just the GLE Coupe.
The GLE Coupe is the new model in the lineup, and a dramatically different interpretation of what a mid-size utility can be. While the "coupe" label might be a little bit misleading, the GLE Coupe has a roofline that, instead of extending mostly level to behind the rear seats, follows what looks like the arc of a French Curve to the rear of the car, where there's a lipped spoiler built into the hatchback. Side-body styling near the rear of the vehicle is softer and more organic to match; but what it all adds up to is equal parts chunky five-door fastback and very low-set SUV.
Across all of these models, Mercedes has introduced a more rounded yet more imposing grille and airdam design. From the side, larger wheels and metal side steps help bring the GLE a dressed-up look, while LED lighting establishes a modern look.
As for standard GLE-Class models, they're just a bit generic in back, but handsome and more formal. All models get rectangular exhaust outlets and lower rear details that amp up the look somewhat.
Inside, the GLE-Class models haven't changed radically, but they get a series of details that helps align these SUV models with recently redesigned models like the new S-Class and C-Class sedans—as well as the smaller CLA and GLA models. Freestanding infotainment screens, revamped sport seats, and newly styled, somewhat smaller steering wheels all help establish a somewhat sportier ambiance for the lineup.
The center console houses the COMAND controller with the touchpad fitted above in an optimum ergonomic position, and the trim options include carbon fiber, wood and synthetic leather.
The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class spans a wide range of performance setups—including new GLE Coupe models and the riotous ML63 AMG—and most of them deliver exactly what they promise.
The GLE-Class lineup offers some of what's familiar, as well as a step or two in a sportier and a greener direction. Meanwhile—at least for now—the new 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe is offered only in some of the highest-performance versions of the lineup.
In the GLE-Class, the lineup includes a turbodiesel based on the current E-Class powertrain: it's a 2.1-liter 4-cylinder rated at 201 horsepower dubbed GLE300d. Acceleration from 0-60 mph is estimated at 8.9 seconds. It's not as smooth-sounding as some might expect from a Mercedes-Benz, but if wafting up to speed easily (without downshifts) on the highway, cruising effortlessly near triple digits, and getting fuel mileage that won't place a frown on the faces of your more earth conscious friends are all priorities, you'll find this model the best fit, too.
The other base engine is a gasoline V-6 engine—the brand's latest 3.5-liter, 60-degree V-6, which we think is one of the best V-6 luxury engines. It's rated at 302 hp and 275 pound-feet of torque, and while there's no turbo here, this engine has a nice, even powerband that makes it feel sprightly from a standing start or when pressed to pull off a quick pass.
In all of the normal GLE models, there's a 7-speed automatic transmission. The V-6 works especially well in concert with the 7-speed automatic transmission and sings all the way up the rev range with no rough edges.
All-wheel-drive GLE400 (3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6) 4Matic models deliver 329 hp and can accelerate to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds.
The 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 in the Mercedes-Benz GLE63 AMG, offered in an additional S trim, is rated at 550 hp or 577 hp, and comes with the 7-speed automatic. Acceleration to 60 mph happens in as few as 4.2 seconds, and top speed is set at 155 mph. While it's not quite as outrageous as the X5 M in terms of seat-of-the-pants thrills, it offers an experience that may push your buttons more often in straight-line performance situations.
In the GLE Coupe, there are only two powertrains earmarked for the U.S. The Mercedes-Benz GLE450 AMG 4Matic Coupe has a twin-turbo V-6 and is rated at 362 hp and 384 lb-ft, with the new 9-speed automatic, which we found to perform flawlessly. A Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE63 S Coupe 4Matic has specs like those of the wagon-back GLE, moving back to a 7-speed automatic, and with 20-inch wheels standard.
The Mercedes 4Matic system again provides an even torque distribution of 50/50 between the front and rear axles (the AMG version has a rear-biased 40/60 setup), or nearly all torque to the wheels that can use it best for traction. Tow ratings have been as high as 7,700 pounds—a figure that, while not yet finalized for the new models, we expect to see carried over.
Separately, there's a plug-in hybrid GLE550e model that mates a 329-hp, direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 with a hybrid module of 114 hp net output, for a total output of 436 hp and up to 19 miles of pure electric driving. The plug-in GLE also has four driving modes ranging between all-electric and hybrid, as well as battery-saving and charging modes. Recharging its 8.8-kwh battery on a 220-volt charger takes about two hours.
While the GLE550e offers fast and strong performance, its powertrain doesn't feel quite as perfectly coordinated as the rest of the lineup. While it can deliver a system torque of 479 lb-ft, you'll need to switch the controller over to the Sport setting to make the best of it.
Based on rather brief first-drive opportunities, we've found that the GLE still manages to perform remarkably well on the road, considering its rugged ability set. Six-cylinder GLEs will roll on steel springs with conventional dampers, while top models offer Mercedes-Benz's first suspension in a utility vehicle to combine air springs with continuous damping (the Airmatic and Active Damping systems will be an option on the V-6 GLE). Active anti-roll bars are also available; they're standard on the AMG models, which offer even more impressive roadholding albeit with some apparent sacrifice in ride (it's simply busier, with more tramlining and less-relaxed straight-line stability).
In the GLE, Individual, Comfort, Slippery, Sport and Sport+ modes are configured for the best traction in that given situation, with modes now controlling chassis, steering, powertrain, and suspension settings, as well as engine sounds. Steering tends to involve more small adjustments than we'd like in Comfort mode, while Sport mode actually feels settled and more relaxed.
Performance-oriented AMG models add a Sport+ mode, while other versions with an off-road package—not popular, by any means, but still available—get an Offroad+ package along with a reduction gear and locking differential, as well as an extended-range air suspension with maximum ground clearance of up to 11 inches and fording depth of 23 inches.
The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class leaves the third row to the larger upcoming GLS crossover and packs in the luxury ambiance—but the second row in Coupes isn't quite a prime comfort zone.
Inside, the GLE-Class' accommodations haven't changed much versus last year's M-Class—which is a good thing. The 2016 GLE-Class is a luxury vehicle above all else, and materials, ride quality and comfort are superb across the board.
This year's cabin refresh hasn't significantly changed interior space or functionality. As you might expect in a Mercedes-Benz, the GLE has excellent seats—well-contoured and soft, yet all-day supportive. Mercedes made considerable advances in refinement and materials with its sedans in recent years; and with the last full redesign it brought many of those improvements to the M-Class.
GLE450 AMG models and GLE Coupe models get more aggressively bolstered seats, while full-fledged AMG sport seats keep you even more snugly in place in Mercedes-Benz GLE63 AMG models.
There's space for taller adults in the second row, too, although getting three across isn't completely comfortable. You can, however, adjust the rear seatbacks, and even with them up and in place there's more than 36 cubic feet of cargo space behind them.
Tight, quiet, and isolated are key descriptors of the way the GLE rides—although there are a few exceptions. The standard suspension provides good comfort but also responds well when you push it in corners. There's a rather wide difference between modes with the available air suspension and adaptive damping system. Although Comfort provides more of a traditional luxury-car ride, Sport allows a crisper feel at turn-in, with only a slight bit more harshness.
The new GLE Coupe models offer a sportier, more low-slung look, thanks to their downward-arcing roofline; but you'll pay a bit of a price in practicality. Coupe models still manage to deliver decent practicality in terms of legroom and ease of entry, although it's deficient in head room—to the degree that 6-footers on up will find their head making contact with the (already carved-out) headliner.
That said, the GLE offers nearly as much cargo versatility, as we see it. Unless you plan to stack cargo at the far rear of the vehicle—where it would impair visibility anyway—you're really not giving up much functionality, as GLE Coupe models still offer a pretty low, long, and wide flat cargo floor.
Thanks to much-improved aerodynamics with the GLE—and a spoiler at the trailing edge of the roof—the interior is noticeably quieter than prior versions, as well as most other utility vehicles with this kind of profile. The level of engine noise in steady-state cruising is, however, higher than some luxury buyers will want—especially in GLE450 models.
The GLE-Class has a number of standout active-safety features, and its predecessor, the M-Class, has had top-tier crash-test ratings.
The predecessor to the GLE-Class was the Mercedes M-Class—and like most Mercedes-Benz products, the M-Class had a very strong safety record for years, with technologies and design going above and beyond federal requirements.
Federal officials haven't yet rated the GLE-Class, but they gave the M-Class last year its top five-star rating, with five stars in two categories and four stars in the rollover test.
The GLE-Class carried top "Good" ratings in all crash-test categories from the IIHS and has earned a Top Safety Pick designation by the agency. The GLE-Class lacks advanced front crash mitigation technology, which puts it behind some others in the class including the Acura MDX and Volvo XC90.
The GLE-Class packs a few active safety features though. Attention Assist, which keeps tabs on driving style to help identify the signs of drowsy driving—triggering a coffee-cup icon and some warning beeps—is a standard feature on all GLE-Class models. The available Distronic Plus adaptive radar-based cruise control is one of the most sophisticated and unobtrusive systems of its kind on any vehicle—capable of coming to a full stop with traffic and restarting, and potentially reducing fatigue. Forward collision warnings, lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitors all provide the sort of alerts that might make a split-second difference in accident avoidance.There's also a frontal collision prevention function, which uses radar to warn the driver if they're approaching a vehicle too quickly and can ready full braking power from the moment when the driver hits the pedal.
The GLE-Class also features a full complement of air bags, including driver and passenger front and side airbags, curtain air bags for both rows, and a driver's knee air bag. A rearview camera is optional, as is the surround-view camera system, which shows an overhead view of what's around the vehicle for true parking ease.
Mercedes-Benz allows you to add as much additional luxury and tech items as you want—at a corresponding premium.
The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class offers a wide array of models, from the efficiency-minded GLE300d to the extravagant, uproarious GLE63 AMG. The range in starting prices of those respective models—between $52,025 to $108,025—serves to demonstrate that these models cover some very different expectations of luxury.
Across the GLE and GLE Coupe lineup, these models can be equipped the kinds of options found in the brand's flagship S-Class sedan. And depending on which of the option boxes you check, the GLE can offer an experience that ranges from refined and well-equipped to downright luxurious.
Even the standard of equipment on entry models is rather extensive, however. All models include power heated front seats, auto-dimming mirrors, a power steering column, keyless ignition, a new larger color display, Dynamic Select modes, and a power liftgate. Some of those items are a step up in rival models. MB-Tex vinyl seating surfaces are standard on most models, with leather as an option.
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe models are a huge step up, pricing-wise, and they only come equipped in GLE450 AMG 4Matic and GLE63 S 4Matic trims for the U.S., but the standard-equipment list is superb, with a Sports Direct-Steer system, Airmatic air suspension with continuously variable damping, the Active Curve System with active roll stabilization, Magic Vision Control, Collision Prevention Assist Plus, AMG sport seats, and a Nappa leather three-spoke steering wheel.
the GLE63 AMG editions get their own content, including aluminum trim, aggressively bolstered, perforated sport seats, an AMG steering wheel, and AMG badging and trim.
The new GLE can be outfitted with COMAND infotainment and connectivity, displayed on an 8.0-inch screen. Harman Kardon and Bang & Olufsen audio systems are on the list, as is a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.
New additions to the GLE lineup—versus what's been offered before on the ML—include a Comfort package includes a power tailgate, soft-closing doors, and a rearview camera. a Parking package gets surround-view cameras and parking assist. An AMG Line appearance package puts on 20-inch wheels and MB-Tex upholstery, with Nappa leather an option; a Night Package blacks out much of the trim and fits 20-inch black gloss wheels.
Other features that are available include ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, soft-close doors, a panorama sunroof, heated/cooled cupholders, and satellite radio. A Premium 1 Package now brings navigation with map upgrades for three years, plus other things such as a rearview camera system, a lane-tracking package, and Keyless Go.
There's also an Advanced Park Assist system, which helps steer the vehicle back into a parallel-parking space as the driver controls the accelerator and brakes.
An Off-Road Package remains available on the GLE-Class models—although not on the GLE Coupe—and it includes a host of serious upgrades that increase this model's trail ability and toughness. Mercedes-Benz says that a very small percentage of U.S. buyers opt for this package, though.
Although it has been continuously refined over the years, we're still not all that enthused about M-B's COMAND screen-based interface, which includes a rotary/button controller, placed just ahead of the driver's right-hand armrest—as well as a corresponding capacitive pad that will allow you to trace letter in some instances.
Mercedes uses the system instead of a touchscreen in the belief that it's less distracting than poking at a display, which we generally agree with. But there's simply too much looking at the screen required—even once you begin to remember the menu system.
The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class adds a plug-in hybrid, but the most fuel-efficient engine for us may be the turbodiesel GLE300d.
The 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE lineup has significantly changed, yet its EPA ratings follow closely the model it was derived from, which was last year's M-Class. The addition of a plug-in hybrid and a diesel version offers good options for "green" buyers looking to purchase an SUV.
The base, GLE350—with a 3.5-liter V-6 mated to a 7-speed automatic—boasts 18 mpg city, 24 highway, 20 combined, which is similar to last year's ML350. Adding all-wheel drive (AWD), which Mercedes-Benz calls "4Matic," drops those figures to 17/22/19 mpg.
The efficiency leader will be the diesel-powered models, starting with the AWD-only GLE300d 4Matic, which is rated at 22/29/24 mpg.
A GLE550e 4Matic plug-in hybrid model will join the lineup this year, and its combination of 329-hp V-6 and 114-hp electric motor system add up to a system output of 436 hp and 479 pound-feet of torque. We expect this model's city and highway ratings to both land in the low-to-mid 20s, and while it won't be as solid of an efficiency pick as the diesel for highway driving, its 19 miles of all-electric driving should make it the smart pick of the lineup for those who mostly make short trips around town.
Finally, there's the Mercedes-AMG GLE63 and GLE63 S. Those models manage 13/17/15 mpg, according to the EPA.
This year's Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe models—only offered in twin-turbo gasoline V-6 and V-8 versions for now—will likely factor in close to their GLE counterparts.
Not much to say, it's a MB.
The Three Pointed Star is still Shining Brightly!
It doesn't pretend to be a sports car!
Not quite as comfy as the ML I had before.
Do not like the black interior that came with the saddle color interior. Di not like the black grillwork on the front. Do not like the sport package. I miss my 2013 ML!
Looking for a different year of the Mercedes-Benz GLE Class?


text:
15 49.0138 8.38624 both 0 bullet 0 4000 1 0 horizontal https://www.messynessychic.com 300 4000
Don't Be A Tourist
My Secret Paris
Off-Beat & Little Known
Paris Like a Local
Unique Hotels
Inspiration Vault
Art & Design Awesomeness
Desirable Digs
Indie Shopper
Movie / Music / Book Junkie
People / Icons / Muses
Teeny Tiny Stuff
Comedic Therapy
Fashion for Dummies
Foodaholics anonymous
How to start a subculture
Internet Scrapbook
Forget Paris
Obscure history
Destination Directory A-Z
Weekend & City Guides
Paris Restaurant Guide
New York Restaurant Guide
KEYHOLDER LOGIN
Cabinet of Chic Curiosities
The Party Castle Forgotten in the Jungle for Half a Century
By MessyNessy
© Lesley Malone
There are some places in the world that make you weak at the knees with nostalgia and Paronella Castle is one of them.
It was the impossible dream of an ambitious Spanish immigrant who sailed to Australia in 1913 to make a life for himself and his fiancé waiting back home. José Paronella worked for over a decade worlds away from his homeland, first as a labourer cutting sugar cane, and then slowly building his wealth, buying, improving and selling cane farms. In his first years of travelling around Queensland, he discovered a virgin forest land alongside a waterfall and knew at first sight that he would one day call it his home. Over a century later, the ruins of his incredible story remain in the jungle…
© Pbkwee
© AustravelPhotography
© SYL
© Stan Paczkowski
After 11 years away making his fortune, in 1924, Paronella returned to Spain to claim his bride, only to find that Matilda had married another. But don't feel too sorry for him because José married her adventurous younger sister, Margarita, and in 1925, he happily sailed back with her to Australia on a honeymoon voyage. In 1929, the couple purchased 13 acres of jungle along the Mena Creek for £120.
They spent the next 10 years building their Spanish castle in the wild with their bare hands, but not with the intent to keep it hidden all to themselves. The Paronellas wanted to share their dream castle with the public and built it with the enjoyment of visitors in mind. After constructing a modest house on site for themselves, they began work on the castle using old salvaged railway tracks to reinforce the concrete, which they covered with plaster, leaving behind their own fingerprints in the walls.
In 1935, as promised, the park officially opened to the public, complete with a movie theatre, dancehall, tennis courts, refreshment stands, a collector's museum, tea gardens, swimming pool, a playground and 7,000 exotic trees individually planted by José.
José and Margarita Paronella
Everyone was invited to Paronella park and the hospitable couple organised weekend movie nights for the public and hired live bands to entertain in the dance hall which featured the giant equivalent of an early 1930s disco ball, covered in 1270 tiny mirrors. It was the perfect family day out and the ideal location for weddings and society gatherings of the day.
One fateful day in 1946 however, the jungle turned on the castle when a mass of giant logs swept through the area during the wet season, pushing through the creek and destroying the refreshment areas, the theatre and severely damaging the region's first hydro electric plant José had built in 1933 to power the park.
But José and his wife didn't give up there. They repaired, rebuilt and replanted and were open for business again within 6 months, with newly added fountains.
© Robert Astley
Sadly, only two years later, José died of cancer, leaving his wife, son and daughter to keep the park alive. But nature had other ideas.
Over the years, the site was a frequent victim of floods and cyclones which meant constant renovation work and countless dollars to keep the park going. When only the Paronella grandchildren were left to carry the load, José's dream was sold in 1977 and within two years, a great fire took its turn on the castle, leaving only the walls standing in the thick of the jungle.
One of the old refreshment stands (c) Weekend Notes
For many years, nature reclaimed the property and Paronella was all but a lost park until 1993, when Mark and Judy Evans rediscovered the castle and became its new owners with a vision to revive José's impossible dream.
© Gabrielle Samson
There had already been another damaging cyclone in 1986, a flood hit one year after the Evans bought it and two more cyclones came in 2006 and 2011. Like the pioneering couple before them however, Mark and Judy have persevered through the setbacks, working with descendants of the Paronella family to uncover the secrets of the park.
Their goal was not to recreate exactly what José had built in the 1930s, but to preserve both his and nature's work of art. With small, gradual restoration and preservation projects, they've uncovered paths, identified wildlife planted by José nearly a century ago, restored his hydro turbine at a cost of $450,000 and created a museum in José's original family home. For their efforts, they've received ecotourism awards and are beginning to see the fruits of their labour.
© Ross Private
The unique location is once again open to visitors, offering storytelling tours and night time experiences to see the park lit up at night (courtesy of that restored generator). You can wander the ruins, feed the fish at the bottom of the waterfall by the moss-covered picnic tables and even stay overnight in one of the park's six cabins. There's also a small café and the possibility to tie the knot at this fairytale castle in the jungle.
© Jrvl
The impossible dream continues at Paronella Park.
Photos via Paronella Park unless indicated otherwise
The Ghosts of Contadora Island, Panama's Forgotten Pearl
Inside the Castle in the Middle of the Death Valley Desert
The Mythical Indigenous Australians Guarding their Rainforest
The Queen has an Eye-Watering Collection of Miniature Things
Winter is Coming, so please enjoy this Insane 1980s Book of Knitted Sweaters
Unlock the Vault
LUCKY DIP ARTICLE
13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCCXI)
ABOUT NESSY
Mum & Dad named me Vanessa, but you can call me Nessy.
messynessychic
The only Paris Fashion Week catwalk you need an in
WE DELIVER !
Enter your email and I'll send you my latest stories. and only that. and love of course!
Le Press Page
2019 - 13 THINGS LTD. All rights reserved.


We see modest upside to the trade-weighted dollar today mainly stemming from anticipated softness in the European FX segment (vs USD) in response to a likely dovish tone from the European Central Bank. With the US government shutdown continuing, economic data is not being released, which is keeping the dollar insulated from domestic drivers for now.
The main focus of the day is the ECB meeting. While no imminent change in the ECB's stance is expected, we expect President Mario Draghi to be moderately dovish given the long stream of soft eurozone data. This contrasts with the rather optimistic ECB staff forecast from the December meeting (we see the 2019 growth forecast of 1.7% year-on-year as too optimistic). As per our ECB Preview, the ECB may signal its willingness to conduct new longer-term liquidity operations (for example, by announcing that the Council has tasked the relevant committees to look into ways to tackle possible liquidity shortages and to investigate the impact from the negative deposit rate on banks). We thus look for modest downside to EUR/USD, with the cross likely testing the 1.1310 level. In the central and eastern European space, a signal from a Czech National Bank board member yesterday that the bank is likely to keep rates on hold at the February meeting suggests fairly limited upside to the overbought koruna, with EUR/CZK likely staying above 25.70.
Sterling continues to push ahead in response to the decreasing odds of an imminent hard Brexit scenario, as MP Yvette Cooper's proposal to extend Article 50 in the case of no agreement on the deal in Parliament, gains traction. This is likely to keep sterling supported ahead of the vote next Tuesday, with EUR/GBP likely moving below 0.8700 (particularly if President Draghi sends a dovish message today).
Although widely expected to stay on hold today, the Norges Bank is likely to keep its forward rate guidance for an upcoming hike in March unchanged. As per our Norges Bank preview, growing doubts about the global hiking cycle are likely to be offset by solid domestic momentum and a weaker Norwegian krone (vs the central bank's own forecast). With the market only pricing in a 20% probability of a March hike, today's NB message should be positive for the currency, with EUR/NOK likely testing the 9.70 horizontal support level.


DRIVING SCHOOL We are committed to providing graduate students with the confidence, knowledge, and hands-on experience necessary to become employed as entry level tractor-trailer drivers. In addition we are committed to fully service our relationships with State and Federal government entities, such as Job Services and Vocational Rehabilitation, by placing their students in a quality training program, yielding gainful employment at the outset of program completion. THE TRAINING PROGRAM Our training program consists of 4 weeks of intensive CDL classroom and driver training. Upon successful completion of our course, we put you in direct connection with employers. Contact us to find out what we can do for you, or download our detailed class information today.