text:
European air space control: crisis management is no solution
IAG CEO Willie Walsh told the Airlines for Europe summit in Mar-2019 that European ATC is "inefficient and starved of proper resources and staffing". Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi has characterised European air traffic control as "bleeding from every wound" and he does not expect much improvement this summer after a spike in delays last year.
Also speaking at the A4E event, EUROCONTROL head Eamonn Brennan said that air traffic capacity in Europe has a long history of being saved by crises, which relieved pressure by lowering demand each time capacity appeared no longer able to cope. He highlighted the current pressures on air traffic management capacity by saying "unless something big happens, this time we're heading for the wall".
Europe's air space management challenges include both strategic considerations of the capacity needed to meet ever growing demand and the constraints on growth resulting from operational issues such as air traffic control strikes.
The consequences of the mismatch between demand and air space capacity are significant. Not only does this lead to growing en route delays to flights (a much bigger source of delay than airport delays), but it also makes a significant contribution to unnecessary emissions of carbon dioxide.
En route delays in Europe more than doubled in 2018 and will grow further, as the daily number of flights is forecast to grow by 15k in 2024.
En route delays to fights are nearly three times greater than airport delays.
European air space capacity suffers from a number of inefficiencies, although 2018 delays could have been even worse without some mitigation measures put in place.
En route delays in Europe more than doubled in 2018 and will grow further
In 2018 the airspace over member countries of Network Manager EUROCONTROL accommodated a record 11 million flights, an increase of 3.8% year-on-year.
Shockingly, en route delays more than doubled from 2017 to 19.1 million minutes in 2018 – an increase of 105%.
On average, there were 1.73 minutes of en route delays per flight in 2018, compared with a Single European Sky performance target of 0.5 minutes.
Factoring in all causes of flight delays (i.e. not just en route delays), EUROCONTROL models predict that in the summer season total network delays will jump from 12 minutes per flight to 20 minutes per flight in 2040.
Daily number of flights to grow by 15k in 2024
EUROCONTROL forecasts that the number of flights will increase to 16.2 million in 2040 under its central scenario.
Relative to 2017, the number of flights in 2024 is forecast to be 53% higher, or an average of 1.9% pa. This means an additional 15k flights per day. The greatest additional numbers of flights are forecast in Turkey, Germany, France and the UK (see chart below).
Additional daily flights by country, 2040 versus 2017
Source: EUROCONTROL.
Although the average growth rate of 1.9% pa is slower than in the 20 years from 1998 to 2008, when the number of flights doubled (average growth of 3.5% pa), it will increase the pressure on European air traffic management (ATM) capacity.
EUROCONTROL's modelling includes four growth scenarios.
Its most likely scenario, dubbed 'Regulation and Growth', with 16.2 million flights in 2040, is based on moderate growth regulated to reconcile demand with environmental sustainability factors.
Its higher growth scenario, 'Global Growth', involves faster growth to 19.5 million flights in 2040 with technology mitigating the sustainability challenges.
Its 'Happy Localism' scenario has Europe increasingly looking inwards for trade and travel, reaching 14.9 million flights in 2040.
The 'Fragmenting World' scenario models increased tensions and reduced globalisation and reaches only 11.9 million flights in 2040.
En route delays are much greater than airport delays
The spike in delays in 2018 is a stark illustration of how heavy this pressure has already become. In fact, the system has been close to the Single European Sky delay target of 0.5 minutes per flight only once in the past decade.
In 2013 the average for en route delays was 0.53 minutes per flight, following a significant cut in this figure from 2.02 minutes in 2010. However, this has grown in every year since 2013 (see chart below).
In addition to en route delays, airport delays also make a significant contribution to flight hold-ups. Average airport delays also reached a low in 2013, when they were 0.39 minutes per flight. This has risen since then, but 2018's figure of 0.60 minutes per flight was actually the third successive year of decline in this figure.
Moreover, en route delays were almost three times the average airport delay. Airport infrastructure is certainly an important factor in overall aviation capacity constraints, but ATM capacity issues have become a bigger source of flight delays.
Average delay per flight, 2009-2018
Air space capacity is not meeting demand due to inefficiencies
The sharp increase in en route delays since 2013 has been the result of the opening of fewer sectors than planned, so that delivered ATM capacity has not matched the average growth in flights of 3% pa.
This has been a function of a range of factors, including recruitment, unexpected changes in demand and the sometimes suboptimal deployment of staff. The impact was compounded by a lack of effective mitigation action in some area control centres. Moreover, weather and strikes by air traffic control (ATC) staff have been bigger causes of network disruption since 2013.
The European ATM system managed by EUROCONTROL includes 65 area control centres, all with different levels of productivity.
Airspace sector efficiency is restricted by national borders, with minimal positive contribution from the functional airspace blocks that were designed to dissolve national borders within each block. Moreover, technological development has been slow and EU finding has not been well targeted.
2018 delays could have been even worse
EUROCONTROL, as Network Manager, adopted some mitigation measures from late 2017 in cooperation with national Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). These included rerouting flights into airspace with some capacity and required increased levels of cooperation not seen previously, involving the network manager, ANSPs and aircraft operators.
According to EUROCONTROL, such measures saved more than five million minutes of delay, so the 2018 figure of 19.1 million could have been significantly worse. EUROCONTROL expects similar measures, together with improvements based on analysis of their impact last year, to be employed again in summer 2019.
In addition, ANSPs are implementing recruitment and training plans, but it will take at least three years from the start of recruitment to validation, so that this action will not be fully effective before 2021 or 2022.
EUROCONTROL has a short term plan for 2019-2020
More specifically, EUROCONTROL has a short term action plan for 2019-2020 to mitigate capacity shortages and to add the potential creation of incremental capacity. Airlines and ANSPs cooperated with the Network Manager to launch the plan.
Measures in the EUROCONTROL plan for 2019 include reroutings, new procedures for the management of en route weather, harmonised Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) procedures, better decision making to optimise air traffic flow management (ATFM) regulations, addressing structural airspace bottlenecks (2019/2020) and the preparation of a six year Network Operations Plan 2019-2024.
Concerning the constraints on growth caused by air traffic control strikes, there is a clear need for measures to limit and mitigate the impact of such industrial action.
For example, Airlines for Europe has proposed measures such as a commitment to go to third party arbitration prior to calling a strike, and greater certainty over alternative air space provision in the event of a strike.
Longer term solutions require greater cross-border cooperation
Looking further ahead, solutions will come from a multilateral, collaborative approach involving cooperation between states and air navigation service providers. There will also need to be faster and more flexible processes to recruit and train air traffic controllers.
The European Commission has commissioned an airspace architecture study from the SESAR Joint Undertaking to propose an architecture to ensure efficient, safe and seamless accommodation of all air traffic by 2035.
In addition, the use of new technology and techniques to optimise air space configuration is increasing the effective capacity of air traffic management. In Europe, this means continuing to drive through the initiatives undertaken within the Single European Sky project.
There are strong incentives to solve Europe's air space problems
The growing flight delays caused by the shortfall in air space capacity in Europe provides a strong incentive for all involved to work together to alleviate the problems.
In 2018 334 million passengers were affected by delays and cancellations, according to EUROCONTROL. If unchecked, delays could have a negative impact on demand for air travel – for example, if increased delays make a weekend trip unattractive.
In addition, environmental imperatives add further motivation for Europe's aviation industry to find solutions.
According to easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren, analysis of the LCC's 10 busiest routes showed that flying direct and at optimal vertical flight trajectories would lead to an 18% carbon emissions reduction.
As noted by Lufthansa Group CEO, the environmental concerns should ensure that solving Europe's ATC challenges becomes a higher priority for politicians.
A system that relies on a crisis to lower demand and alleviate a capacity crunch is unsustainable.
Political will, underpinned by priorities determined by the electorate, will be the most important factor in solving Europe's air space capacity problems.
See related report: The challenges of aviation growth: get better at self promotion


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The Deluxe 5 stars beach front resort offers spacious modern stylish rooms. All rooms are air-conditioned and come with balcony or terrace overlooking a garden, pool or sea view. It also includes a seating area with a satellite LCD TV and a private bathroom fitted with a bathtub or shower.
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Guests can enjoy free access to water park as well as relaxation and body treatment in the spa and fitness center which includes a sauna, massage, steam bath and a built-in outdoor hot tub. Wide selection of recreation facilities available as diving, sailing, biking, tennis, volleyball, billiards and ping pong.
The 24-hour reception staff can arrange airport shuttles on request to Hurghada Airport, a 20-minute drive away. Parking is available free of charge.


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Q: How to combine Observables which depends each other and get an object that contain a value from each? I´m learning RxJava and a would like to know how to resolve this problem:
I´m using Twitch API, and a would like to get the streams, and for each stream get its game, and save in an object finally and show it.
This is my code:
twitchAPI.getStreamsObservable(TwitchAPI.CLIENT_ID)
                .flatMap(twitchStreams -> Observable.fromIterable(twitchStreams.getStreamList()))
                .filter(Stream -> Stream.getViewerCount() > 10000)
.subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
                .observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
                .subscribe(stream -> {
                    StreamMostViewed streamMostViewed = new StreamMostViewed();
                    streamMostViewed.setStreamName(stream.getTitle());
                    twitchAPI.getGame(stream.getGameId(), TwitchAPI.CLIENT_ID)
                            .subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
                            .observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
                            .subscribe(game -> {
                                streamMostViewed.setGameName(game.getName());
                                view.showStream(streamMostViewed);
                            });
                });

The problem is that in first place, it gets all streams, and then, gets the games, but all of them are null...
My other solution was:
twitchAPI.getStreamsObservable(TwitchAPI.CLIENT_ID)
                .flatMap(twitchStreams -> Observable.fromIterable(twitchStreams.getStreamList()))
                .filter(Stream -> Stream.getViewerCount() > 10000)
 .flatMap(stream -> twitchAPI.getGame(stream.getGameId(),TwitchAPI.CLIENT_ID))
                .subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
                .observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
                .subscribe(game -> {
                    game.getName();
//How could I get the stream object??
                });

But in the subscribe I don´t know how get the stream object, for save in a object and show it.
Thank you!!

A: The most elegant way would be to "split" the stream into two.
streams = twitchAPI.getStreamsObservable(TwitchAPI.CLIENT_ID)
            .flatMap(twitchStreams -> Observable.fromIterable(twitchStreams.getStreamList()))
            .filter(Stream -> Stream.getViewerCount() > 10000)
            .replay()
            .autoConnect(2);

First subscription:
streams.subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
        .observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
        .subscribe(stream -> {
            // handle `stream`
        });

Second subscription.
streams.flatMap(stream -> twitchAPI.getGame(stream.getGameId(),TwitchAPI.CLIENT_ID))
        .subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
        .observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
        .subscribe(game -> {
            // do something with the `game`
        });

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Dinner Dates: Onfim (12th – 13th century CE)
February 27, 2018 / passtheflamingo	/ 2 Comments
"I am a wild beast."
~ The label of Onfim's self-portrait (ca. 1220 CE)
Through simple lines and geometric shapes, the artist explores realities and possibilities, the mundane and the fantastical. In one drawing, seven children stand in line, holding hands. In another, knights on horseback trample fallen bodies, brandishing swords and spears. One self-portrait depicts the artist as a fire-breathing chimera. Another shows a mounted warrior driving a spear into an enemy half his size. The victor is labelled "Onfim."
These are the doodles of a creative child, made on the backs and in the margins of his schoolwork eight hundred years ago.
WHO HE WAS
Onfim was born in the late 12th or early 13th century in the city of Novgorod in northwestern Russia. At the time of Onfim's birth, Novgorod had been an independent democratic city-state for about a hundred years. The Republic of Novgorod would survive and prosper for several more centuries, growing so much in power, wealth and prestige that its proud residents referred to their city as though it were a person: "His Majesty, Lord Novgorod the Great." Veliky Novgorod (Great Novgorod) is still the city's official name in Russia.
Lord Novgorod the Great had an unusually high level of literacy for the period, at least partly due to a free and accessible source of paper: the region's abundant birch trees. Novgorodians used them as living memo pads, peeling off the papery bark and writing messages on it. Called beresty, these birch-bark notes were discarded after use, at which point many would be preserved by the unique mixture of clay and bacteria in the local soil. Since 1950, over 1100 beresty have been discovered in Novgorod, and more get dug up every year. Written in a Slavic vernacular called Old Novgorodian that is distinct from the literary language of the time, beresty offer a glimpse at everyday life in Medieval Russia. They are not political discourses or religious texts but shopping lists, love-notes, invitations, and even children's drawings. That's where Onfim comes in.
At the time Onfim made his drawings, he is estimated to have been six or seven years old. It's possible he never survived to adulthood, like some 30-50% of Medieval children. But assuming he did survive–what then? If these discarded drawings could be shown to the grown-up Onfim, he probably wouldn't remember making them. He might even be embarrassed to know that out of everything he did and created during his lifetime, history remembers him as a little boy who zoned out during class. Onfim might have become almost anyone, but here are the details we know for certain about his life:
Images of Onfim's drawings from Wikimedia Commons.
He was raised Christian. Aside from copying out the alphabet, his schoolwork includes quotations from the Book of Psalms and snatches of prayer, such as "Lord, help your servant Onfim."
He had a family. He drew and labelled his mother and father alongside two children chasing each other around a tree, perhaps himself and a sibling. Another drawing of a child next to an adult, both figures dressed for war, may depict Onfim's fantasy of becoming a warrior like his dad.
He had a male friend or sibling named Danilo. The self-portrait of Onfim as a beast carries a sign in its claws that says Poklon ot Onfima ko Danile, "Greetings from Onfim to Danilo." It might have been a gift, or even a note passed during class.
HOW HE ATE
The earliest Russian cookbook dates to 1547, centuries after Onfim, but we have a general idea of the diet of a Medieval Russian peasant. Onfim's family dinners would have been hearty, uncomplicated and mostly vegetarian. Cows provided dairy, while foraged berries and mushrooms supplemented home-grown vegetables and grain. Turnip and cabbage were important crops, as was kasha or buckwheat, a botanical weirdo of a plant dubbed a "pseudocereal" because it has grain-like seeds but is not a true grain. Novgorod is a lakeside city, and fish was another important food source, especially on days of religious abstention from meat. The church calendar set the rhythm of Onfim's diet, with some form of fasting practiced more than 60% of the year.
In the Russian Orthodox calendar it's currently the middle of the Great Lent, the longest and strictest fasting period, when followers abstain totally from animal products, olive oil and wine. Kasha porridge is traditionally seasoned with butter, but I left it unseasoned to reflect the Lenten fast.
The Lord is a giant who stands at the edge of the waters, towering over the birch trees. Like the giants in Grandmother's stories; like Novgorod the Great. He wears a helmet and carries a sword, a real one like Father's that Onfim is not allowed to touch. Knights and heroes and Father blur together in Onfim's mind into one figure, larger than life.
Today, Onfim used a big stick to draw him in the snow by the lakeshore: the great man, the god-city-father, resplendent in armor. But before he finished, Danilo came and found him, and they broke the stick into two swords and became Ilya Muromets dueling the sorcerer Koschei until it was time for dinner.
When Father has finished the prayer, they begin to eat. There are still four weeks of fasting ahead, and Onfim is growing impatient. Curling his fingers into claws under the table, he decides to become an animal to help himself finish the meal. Beasts gobbled their feed and didn't miss the taste of butter, or caviar, or berries with fresh cream. The steam rising from his porridge mingles with Onfim's memory of exhaling vapor in the snow. He is awash in the breath of dragons.
I am a wild beast, he thinks. He can see it so clearly! He will have to draw it later.
Another of Onfim's self-portraits. He is also known by the Latinized name Anthemius of Novgorod, which makes him sound like a wise philosopher monk instead of a doodling seven year-old.
Dinner Date: Artemidora (90s CE)
November 6, 2017 November 28, 2017 / passtheflamingo	/ 2 Comments
"Artemidora, daughter of Harpokras, died untimely, aged 27. Farewell."
~ Funerary inscription of Artemidora, 90s CE
The first thing I always notice about her is her hair. It's a distinctive fusion of two styles: the mountain of coils bound with gold is purely Egyptian, but her fringe of curls is borrowed from the Flavian ladies of Rome. She wears more gold on her wrists, ears, and fingers and around her neck, which shows the first folds of age. Her skin is coppery, her eyebrows thick and sloping, her eyes wide. Her face is frozen in the beginnings of a hesitant smile, but not the cryptic "Archaic smile" of the oldest Greek art. It is the smile of someone who has just taken the hand of the psychopomp, jackal-headed Anubis or winged Hermes, ready to lead them to the next world. Frightened, but hopeful; happy to be going, but a little nervous all the same. Her name was Artemidora, Gift-of-Artemis. Today, you can find her sarcophagus in New York City, in the Met's Egyptian galleries. But near the end of the first century, she lived in the Egyptian city of Cusae and was buried in the nearby necropolis of Meir. She lived. She died. She ate.
What can we say with certainty about Artemidora's life?
We know from the splendor of her coffin that she was wealthy. Her father Harpokras must have been a local aristocrat and an important person in his community. In keeping with contemporary custom, she was probably married at the onset of puberty to a man older than her, perhaps by as much as ten or fifteen years. Likely her husband was as noble as her father. They may even have had the same father, as sibling marriage was not uncommon for upperclass Egyptians, even those of Greco-Roman extraction (the first Greek pharaoh to adopt this local custom was given the mocking moniker of Philadelphus, Sibling-Lover, by other Greeks).
Artemidora, side view. All photos are my own.
Egypt, long a multicultural society, was particularly so by the end of the first century. By then, it had been a province of Rome for one hundred and thirty years and ruled by a Greek elite for two centuries before that. Artemidora was part of that elite, whose culture and ancestry were a unique fusion of Egyptian, Greek and Roman. Not only her hairstyle but her clothing and the style of her coffin display a blend of these influences. She was adorned with icons of Egyptian deities but named after a Greek goddess.
For most of Artemidora's lifetime, Rome was ruled by the increasingly draconian Emperor Domitian, who tried to purge subversive influence by expelling Rome's philosophers. Hated by the Senate in his final years, Domitian was assassinated in a political coup in the year 96. All eyes were on Rome in Artemidora's time, and she and her family surely had their own opinions on the Emperor's paranoid antics. Perhaps they whispered about the tragic scandal that marred Domitian's private life: the extramarital affair he conducted with his own niece Julia Flavia, whose sudden death, some said, resulted from a forced abortion. This story has an eerie 20th-century parallel in the relationship between Hitler and his niece Geli Raubal, who would also die young under suspicious circumstances.
Artemidora died at 27 (as did Julia Flavia). By the time they reached that age, most first-century women had experienced pregnancy and motherhood, and many had experienced losing a child. In the Roman world, half of all children died before the age of ten, a quarter of them before age one. Birth was dangerous for mother and baby alike, and Artemidora might have died in childbirth, or from illness or accident. However she died, her "untimely" passing was mourned by her family and celebrated with creation; in this case, the creation of art in her likeness. In the spirit of this tradition, the following meal is dedicated to the memory of Artemidora, gone before her time, in another time. χαῖρε!
HOW SHE ATE
Artemidora's cuisine, like so much else about her, was likely a mixture of Greek, Roman and Egyptian elements. How much came from what culture is difficult to say with certainty. It might have varied from meal to meal, and depending on who was working in the kitchen and whether there were guests in the home. Amongst the three cultures there were broad culinary similarities, but many differences, including in how food was served and eaten. Romans and Greeks had food brought by servants to a communal table, but Egyptians had servants carry trays of food around the room and offer them to guests, cocktail hour-style. Roman men and women dined together. Greek women dined separately, after the men. Egyptian men and women dined together but were seated separately.
We know that the Greeks who settled in Egypt did not wholly give up their native diet. In the Deipnosophistae, an important text on Ancient Greek cuisine, the Greco-Egyptian author describes a feast served in his hometown that has no Egyptian features whatsoever: a simple, hearty meal of pork and vegetables on top of bread, with wine to drink. Pork was unpopular with native Egyptians, but their cuisine made full use of the region's native flora and fauna, from tiger nuts and papyrus shoots to Nile tilapia and Egyptian goose. Artemidora might have enjoyed Egyptian delicacies like hedgehog, which was baked in a crust of clay so that the spines would come off when the clay was cracked open, or chickens hatched in specially-designed ancient incubators. Her family's wealth would have enabled them to acquire ingredients out of the reach of most Egyptians, such as red meat, imported dried spices and Greek wine. They may have joined other Greek aristocrats in spurning local beer as the drink of peasants and farmers. Egypt was the breadbasket of the Roman Empire, and Artemidora probably enjoyed wheat bread, from flour milled as white as was possible in her time.
Not pictured (mercifully?): the author eating this meal ancient style, with no utensils and using the bread as a napkin.
For my own dinner for Artemidora, I chose to start the meal with a salad of romaine lettuce dressed with olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, coriander, cumin and rue; a mixture of ingredients popular with Greeks, Egyptians and both. While bitter lettuces had been known in Egypt since ancient times, eating the greens as a starter course was first popularized there by Greeks and Romans during the reign of Domitian; i.e., Artemidora's lifetime. The main course is roast loin of pork in a nod to Greek tastes, but basted with an Egyptian-style sauce of honey, vinegar and spices, including fragrant fenugreek and tart, lemony sumac. The siton, the grain backbone of a Greek meal, is white wheat bread, sourdough in imitation of many ancient breads. I enjoyed it as Artemidora would have done; with my fingers, and wine.
The lady Gift-of-Artemis reclines at a banquet in her finest jewels. Her eyes are blackened with kohl past her eyelids, and her coiled wig drips perfume. Beneath draperies and wreaths of flowers, the men and women of Cusae dine together, in the Roman style. She speaks to them in Greek, but calls to a servant in Coptic for more wine.
Servers circulate around the room in the Egyptian style, offering different delicacies on trays. A young man brings a dish before her; sliced pork in a reddish sauce. Artemidora smiles, inhaling the scent of honey and spices. Delicately, her henna-dyed fingers lift a slice of meat to her painted mouth. She chews, swallows, sips wine from the refilled glass at her side.
"Agathós esti," she mutters with a smile. "It's good!"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Prosperity Update 1
Prosperity Update 1 https://safeorscam.net/wp-content/themes/sos/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 Adam Adam https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/02d799d887d9138b874a845dd420ddcb?s=96&d=blank&r=g January 18, 2019 September 22, 2021
Investors who purchased apartments in the Prosperity tower blocks at Bentley Court and Parkwood Court in Keighley, West Yorkshire are now receiving contracts from the UK law firm leading the recovery action.
In total more than 70 investors have requested contracts.
There are already several culpable parties against whom action can be taken for their roles in facilitating, establishing, promoting, operating or participating in this flawed Prosperity scheme, with at least two further parties still under investigation.
Investors, who have recently been informed of substantial hikes in ground rents (which is a scam in itself) and in service management fees, have now been told that one of the tower blocks needs a complete overhaul of its fire management system in order to comply with the advice of West Yorkshire Fire Services. This is little over one year after they were informed that their apartments were complete, had been fully inspected and signed off by the developer's appointed firm as meeting specifications. Clearly this latest news casts doubt over the parties who signed off on the apartments.
The more one looks into this investment product the more concerning it becomes. This was not just one rogue company ripping off investors. It appears to have been a conspiracy between a number of organisations to mislead investors.
To read the previous blog on Prosperity click here .
To visit the recently published website for Prosperity investors please click this link. This site will be kept up to date via the blog page.
ALB Investments
Allchurch
Incommunities
Jonathan Billingham
Lamont Estates
Let Me Property
Prosperity Wealth
Prosperity Developments
Prosperity – Update 2
Busy Start
OurSpace Website
European Property Coin – 4


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CIS is a critical component to success.
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PLACE MONTRÉAL TRUST DOES ITS PART FOR THE ENVIRONMENT!
Did you know that Place Montréal Trust is a BOMA BESt 4 certified building, an important classification in the industry? BOMA BESt Level 4 certification is for buildings that meet all of the BOMA Go Green Best Practices and achieve 90% + on the Go Green Plus assessment. In 2017, Place Montreal Trust was awarded the BOMA Québec Environment Award and the BOMA Canada's National Earth Awards for the retail property category.
In 2015, Place Montréal Trust was also recognized under the ICI ON RECYCLE! Program, by RECYC-QUÉBEC, and was awarded the Level 3 Performance Certification (bronze level). This performance level acknowledges establishments that achieve an overall recovery rate of 70% or more for the reuse, recycle and recovery of waste materials. Buildings at those levels of certification have higher performance and demonstrate excellence in management and have typically been managing with energy and environmental performance in mind for several years.
Our efforts focus mainly on recycling and energy management. Our recovery rate for the year of 2016 was of 75%, a considerable percentage. From cardboard and paper recovery, plastic, glass and metal to wood pallets, cooking oil, light bulbs, pens and compost, Place Montréal Trust is doing its part for the environment!
Did you know that you can take your rechargeable batteries to La Source so they can be recycled? Or your discarded old-fashioned glasses to Lenscrafters? It's never too late to get started!
Nautilus Plus, sneakers week: recovery of used sneakers, once a year.
In terms of energy management, Place Montréal Trust has been implementing for several years now a number of different techniques to reduce our water and electricity consumption. We continue to modernize our equipment to not only contribute to the environment, but also to ensure our clients' comfort.


Since 1983, Contractors, Architects, and Do-it-yourselfers just like you have trusted and put their loyalty in Deco Truss® as your #1 Truss and Material Supplier. Currently supplying materials throughout South Florida, the Florida Keys/Key West, Florida's West Coast and The Caribbean. DecoTruss®' dedication to Employee's, Customers and Suppliers ensures that you receive the finest quality and services at the best possible price.
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The quality and integrity of the data is critical, which is why it is imperative that we have a strong team of specialists in place to input, process and review continuously throughout the lifetime of the project. This process begins at site level, be it through the NVQ Level 2 qualified Lead Drillers inputting their logs in digital format using tablets equipped with the latest industry software, or a Land Surveyor collating as-built locations over a challenging site. All data collated in the field is further checked and verified by a strong, experienced team of specialists, ranging from experienced Administrators right through to Chartered Engineers and Geologists with a wealth of industry experience.
Our Soils and Rock Testing Laboratory uses a well recognised Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) which complements and integrates impeccably with our chosen Geotechnical Data Management System. The benefit of this is seamless importing of data files from both field and laboratory into a single database, where it can then be interrogated, checked and verified before issue to the Client.
Results of our ground investigation contracts may be presented as either Factual, or Interpretative reports with recommendations relating to both geotechnical and/or environmental considerations. Standard protocol dictates that the report dataset is also presented electronically in the form of AGS data for integration with BIM.
Both Factual and Interpretative Reports will contain description of work carried out, geotechnical logs, drawings and laboratory testing results, records from any monitoring where commissioned, in-situ test results, and so forth. Interpretative Reports will include discussions on geotechnical and environmental parameters, and provide recommendations for construction.
Ultimately, our reports must fulfil the design brief for which we have been contracted, and as such, we will liaise closely with the Client or their designated Representative, throughout the course of the contract to ensure that the report suitably addresses their needs. Clear, concise and regular communication throughout the lifetime of the project ensures no stone is left unturned (so to speak).


With today's advancements in modern dentistry, we can restore your smile with solutions that are natural-looking, comfortable and highly durable. In fact, Red Oak Family Dentistry is proud to offer the leading options in teeth replacement, including dentures, partials and dental implants. If you have missing teeth, we encourage you to seek tooth replacement sooner rather than later. Replacing your missing teeth not only improves your smile appearance, but it also protects your oral health and helps to prevent bone loss.
While your teeth were designed to last a lifetime, not everyone has the privilege of avoiding tooth loss. Factors ranging from severe decay and infection to dental injury and medical conditions can cause patients to lose their natural teeth. Fortunately, there are a variety of solutions for those that need to replace missing teeth, whether it is a single tooth or a full mouth reconstruction!
Dr. Do offers the most proven denture systems available as well as complete implants dentistry to ensure patients have access to solutions that replicate their natural teeth better than ever before. Our restorative dental services allow you to eat, chew and speak with confidence once again. Rest assured that our dental team will work hard to help you make the best decision regarding your prosthetic teeth as it relates to your clinical needs, personal preferences and budget demands.
Need help financing your restorative dental treatment? We've got countless ways to protect your wallet, including extended payment plans, in-house plans and pre-payment discounts. Remember that your smile is always worth the investment.
Contact Red Oak Family Dentistry today to schedule a consultation regarding our restorative dentistry options.


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Gonzalez Law CALIFORNIA LABOR LAW - CALIFORNIA EMPLOYMENT LAW
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits an employer from discriminating against any employee because of that employee's National Origin. Because there is rarely "smoking gun" evidence of racial discrimination, circumstantial evidence will usually suffice. An inference of discrimination is usually raised by showing that the employee;
Belongs to a protected class (i.e., comes from a country different from that of the Company's management or the majority of workers).
Was subjected to an adverse employment action (like termination, demotion, suspension).
Similarly situated employees outside the protected class were treated differently and more favorably.
In addition to raising an inference of discrimination in the manner set forth above, an employee may do so via statistical evidence, comparative evidence, or direct evidence. Direct evidence, such as discriminatory comments made by the decisionmaker, is often the most persuasive.
However, in larger companies, it may be possible to use statistical analysis to demonstrate that the employer systematically discriminates against a particular group of people of a national origin in hiring, promotions and terminations. Such evidence would raise an inference that the action taken against a particular employee of that national origin was also infected by animus or prejudice. Comparative evidence also raises an inference of discrimination by showing that different rules and standards were applied for persons of different national origin.
Because discrimination cases usually turn on specific facts, and there is usually a 1-year time limit for filing, it is important to consult with an attorney as soon as possible after a potentially discriminatory action has been taken.
DISCLAIMER: This website is intended to provide general information only. Nothing contained in this article, or on this website, is intended to provide legal advice. By using this website you acknowledge and agree that you have not formed an attorney-client relationship with Gonzalez Law and will not not rely on any information contained on this website without personally speaking with one of our attorneys. You further understand and acknowledge that Gonzalez Law strongly encourages anyone who believes they may have a claim to communicate directly with a lawyer, whether from Gonzalez Law or any other firm.
MEDICAL & SICK LEAVE
RELIGION DISCRIMINATION


A large number of controversial and important items relative to the upcoming election were released Friday. Almost all of them dealt with the corruption, double-dealing, and dishonesty of Hillary Clinton. But one of them was the inflammatory video of Donald Trump discussing his views on women as objects of sexual prey. The mainstream media has largely ignored the lion's share of the releases (dealing with Hillary) to focus on the 11-year-old, three-minute-long video of Donald Trump expressing a lowbrow, Neanderthalic attitude toward women, when he was recorded on a live mike without his knowledge.
Make no mistake: What Trump said on the video is lewd and ugly. If you plan to watch the video (embedded below), be warned that — while the video does not show anything graphic — it does contain offensive and morally repugnant language. He speaks candidly of what can only be described as the sexually predatory behavior of forcing himself — uninvited — upon women because, as he put it, "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything." In the video, Trump can be heard describing his attempts to seduce a married woman. He also discusses kissing and inappropriately touching women without asking or waiting to know whether it is welcomed.
Warning! This video contains graphic language of a disturbing sexual nature.
After the video became public, Trump released a video apology on Twitter (see below), saying: "I've said and done things I regret. And the words released today on this more than a decade-old video are one of them. Anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize." He also said he had "changed" and pledged "to be a better man tomorrow." And he added: "I've said some foolish things, but there's a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women, and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed, and intimidated his victims."
But how about Trump's own actions? Trump limited his video apology to the words he used, yet those words describe his own abuse of women — actions that Trump did not apologize for. Are we to believe that he was simply engaging in locker-room-type bravado in his recorded words, and did not actually do or attempt to do what he said?
The video immediately became a major campaign issue when it was released Friday. However, while the mainstream media pounced on this story, the same media sources have been largely silent about the many documents WikiLeaks released the same day that reflect badly on Hillary Clinton.
As The New American reported last week, WikiLeaks' Julian Assange promised to release a new batch of leaked documents each week for 10 weeks, descibing the troves of documents as "significant material on war, arms, oil, Google, the election and mass surveillance" that show "interesting features of U.S. power factions and how they operate." The documents released Friday comprised the first batch of this material.
Apart from the fact that the State Department was one of just nine agencies involved in CFIUS [Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States], it is also true that within the State Department, the CFIUS approval process historically does not trigger the personal involvement of the Secretary of State. The State Department's principal representative to CFIUS was the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs. During the time period in question, that position was held by Jose Fernandez. As you are aware, Mr Fernandez has personally attested that "Secretary Clinton never intervened with me on any CFIUS matter.
Yet the mainstream media has largely ignored the above revelations about Hillary Clinton while focusing on the video recording of Trump's lewd and crude remarks. Certainly the latter reflects on the character of a presidential candidate — an issue voters should be concerned about. But the former reflects not only on the charater of someone who aspires to hold the highest office in the land but also on her willingness to endanger national security to advance her own personal interests. Shouldn't the troves of doucments released by WikiLeaks be at least as newsworthy as the release of the Trump video?


Jersey's government has introduced a bill requiring businesses that operate on the island to be able to demonstrate adequate economic substance, as it aims to avoid the EU's blacklist of uncooperative tax jurisdictions.
The bill has been designed to address concerns of the EU Code of Conduct Group on Business Taxation about the need for relevant businesses to demonstrate adequate economic activity.
Jersey was placed on the EU's so called 'grey list', which means while it has been deemed a cooperative jurisdiction, it will have to demonstrate that it has addressed certain concerns surrounding tax matters, in this case with regard to having 'real economic activity' before December 2018.
Senator Ian Gorst lodged the bill, 'Taxation Companies Economic Substance Law' for debate by the Jersey States Assembly at its sitting on December 4, 2018.
Law firm Ogier stated that the law tests that companies are carrying on "relevant activities" to demonstrate that they are "directed and managed" in Jersey, and that their "core income generating activities" take place in Jersey.
"I am delighted that Jersey is the first jurisdiction to lodge new legislation to meet the concerns on economic substance expressed by the EU Code of Conduct Group on Business Taxation," said Gorst.
Other domiciles that have been required by the EU to demonstrate economic substance include Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Isle of Man. All of these jurisdictions have agreed to modify their tax regimes to comply with the rules set by the EU Code of Conduct Group, lest they be deemed a non-cooperative jurisdiction and placed on the blacklist.


Clerkenwell by Q Apartments is a true London landmark, enjoying a prominent location, ideally positioned in the heart of Clerkenwell area between the City, Kings Cross, Farringdon and Barbican. You will also be within a short walking distance of a wide range of local amenities and shops in this delightful district. The location is one of the most sought after for corporate accommodation in London, the one, two and three-bedroom apartments are fully furnished, providing a fully equipped kitchen fitted with the latest high-tech appliances as well as under floor heating. All this and more is what makes Clerkenwell apartments the perfect accommodation for your trip to London.


As the most populous city in the entire world, Shanghai boasts its status as being China's key commercial and financial central hub. At Transglobal Express, we cater to the high demand for parcel delivery to Shanghai, offering an impressive coverage of the flourishing city through a range of outstanding couriers at fantastically cheap rates.
At Transglobal Express, we have managed to secure the lowest rates possible with leading carriers, such as DHL, UPS and TNT. When you book with Transglobal, you can expect top quality services from world renown parcel delivery companies at just a fraction of the price.
Start by getting yourself a free, no-obligation quote today - use our simple, easy-to-use online quotation form to view the extensive range of services we provide. Simply enter the weight, in kilograms, and size, in centimetres to compare the prices we have on offer.
We aim to provide a high quality service for your parcel delivery to Shanghai, as well as being able to offer equally fantastic solutions for your parcel delivery to Beijing, or China in general. At Transglobal Express, we offer fantastic low rates whilst also providing outstanding customer care.
At Transglobal Express, we offer fantastic rates for sending documents from the UK to Shanghai. Arranging to send your documents to Shanghai has been made simple with Transglobal Express. Similarly to our parcel delivery services, we offer speedy services at exceptionally low prices. Remember - documents are not subject to customs clearance, making your delivery to Shanghai efficient and hassle-free.
If your documents weigh no more than 1kg, and can fit comfortably into a UPS branded envelope - dimensions of 335x240mm - then our UPS Envelope service is perfect for you. Our UPS Envelope service offers quick deliveries at a great price. This is the ideal service if you are looking for a low cost solution for sending documents to Shanghai.
Despite its 5,600 mile distance from the UK, transit times for parcel delivery to Shanghai are surprisingly quick and speedy. Sending a parcel to the Chinese city can take as little as 2 working days on an express service, with UPS for example, while a more economical service, such as with TNT, can take longer at 7 working days.
While we are able to provide an estimate for when your parcel should expect to arrive in Shanghai, it is highly advisable to refer to our Transit Time calculator feature to gain a more accurate transit time. Our Transit Time feature will take into consideration your UK collection post code and the post code of your delivery address in Shanghai to calculate a more precise transit time for you.
As your shipment will be travelling outside of the EU, it is important to be aware that your parcels will be subject to clearance by Chinese customs upon arrival into the country. Whether this process is familiar to you or not, at Transglobal, we ensure that you are fully equipped with the relevant documentation that you will need to ensure your parcel delivery to Shanghai is as smooth as possible.
Your shipment will be required to be accompanied by a customs invoice - this is simply a document that details the contents and value of the goods you are shipping to Shanghai. This is a mandatory piece of documentation and you will be required to print four copies of this. Once your booking with us is complete, you customs invoice is generated automatically for you. Your driver will accept these from you upon collection of your shipment, with it being used to calculate any necessary customs charges.
At Transglobal Express, we are able to advise what are considered dangerous, hazardous and prohibited items that cannot be sent through our carrier networks. However, it is important to recognise that China itself will also have its own country specific restrictions. For example, you may find that items such as cosmetics and some pharmaceutical products may require special licenses to accompany them, while baby milk powder, for example, is only accepted into China in certain quantities and of a certain value. For the most up-to-date information, we would highly recommend to contact the relevant Chinese authorities prior to shipping your goods to Shanghai.


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Which of the following is the actual meaning of Defaunation?
: to remove a fauna from : remove the intestinal protozoans of (termites)
What does Overarchingly mean?
1. Forming an arch overhead or above: overarching branches. 2. Encompassing, extensive, or general: an overarching principle; an overarching theme. o′ver·arch′ing·ly adv.
What does Pleasureful mean?
: full of pleasure : delightful, pleasing language study afforded pleasureful relaxation— H. R. Warfel.
What does Vesicate mean?
verb (used with object), ves·i·cat·ed, ves·i·cat·ing. to raise vesicles or blisters on; blister.
How can we prevent defaunation?
In situ conservation measures—including the creation and management of protected areas, increasing connectivity between wildlife populations, and reduction of the impacts of predation and hunting—can achieve some success where the amount of habitat remaining is sufficient for viable populations (6).
What is meant by overreach?
transitive verb. 1 : to reach above or beyond : overtop. 2 : to defeat (oneself) by seeking to do or gain too much. 3 : to get the better of especially in dealing and bargaining and typically by unscrupulous or crafty methods.
What is pleasure example?
Pleasure is defined as to please or gratify someone. An example of pleasure is to cook someone a very special meal. Pleasure means the state of being pleased, delighted or gratified. An example of pleasure is enjoying reading books.
What's the meaning of it's my pleasure?
—used as a response to someone who has thanked one for doing something to say that one was happy to do it "Thanks for your help." "(It was) My pleasure."
What is VESIcare used for?
Solifenacin (VESIcare) is used to treat overactive bladder (a condition in which the bladder muscles contract uncontrollably and cause frequent urination, urgent need to urinate, and inability to control urination).
Which is the best definition of the word defaunate?
Definition of defaunate. : to remove a fauna from : remove the intestinal protozoans of (termites)
When did the concept of defaunation come about?
Defaunation effects were first implied at the Symposium of Plant-Animal Interactions at the University of Campinas, Brazil in 1988 in the context of Neotropical forests. Since then, the term has gained broader usage in conservation biology as a global phenomenon.
Is there a second warning to humanity about defaunation?
In November 2017, over 15,000 scientists around the world issued a second warning to humanity, which, among other things, urged for the development and implementation of policies to halt "defaunation, the poaching crisis, and the exploitation and trade of threatened species ."
What kind of animals are affected by defaunation?
As large-bodied vertebrates are increasingly lost from seed-dispersal networks, small-bodied seed dispersers (i.e. bats, birds, dung beetles) and seed predators (i.e. rodents) are affected. Defaunation leads to reduced species diversity.
What is logical science?
Cause and Effect Essay is Clarification of Each Drawback


Duckworth AR and Wolff CWW (2007) Bath sponge aquaculture in Torres Strait, Australia: effect of explant size, farming method and the environment on culture success. Aquaculture. 271: 188-195.
Global demand for bath sponges far exceeds supply and cannot be met by harvesting natural populations, Aquaculture is considered the only method that could supply sufficient and sustainable quantities of bath sponges and it may also be a suitable industry for remote coastal communities such as in Torres Strait, Australia. A series of farming experiments were done in Torres Strait using the common bath sponge Coscinoderma sp. to establish commercially viable culture procedures. The first experiment compared several farming methods and found that mesh panels promoted greatest sponge growth and survival, probably because they cause minimal tissue damage. Using mesh panels, a subsequent experiment examined the importance of farming site and season of transplant. Sponge growth and survival were similar between the three fanning sites, while growth was highest for explants transplanted at the end of winter. These explants doubled in size on average in 6 months. The final experiment examined the optimal explant size to transplant and found that "medium sized" explants (similar to 100 cm(3)) have good growth and survival, and permit high explant production from a given amount of sponge biomass. This study has identified good fanning procedures, and coupled with the high growth rates of Coscinoderma sp., it suggests that bath sponge aquaculture in Torres Strait will be a viable industry. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


There are tons of apps available for playing Blackjack, both on Android as well as iOS's App Store. But very few of these apps provide any fun, really. Most of them are poorly designed and in the end simply feel like waste of storage on your phone. You should not get disappointed; there are still many good and fun promising Blackjack apps available for download. Following are the finest and the most trusted apps for playing this fine game on Android smartphones as well as iPhones.
Real Blackjack has been designed to give the player a real casual feel. This app is suited for both beginners as well as advanced players. The game in itself is quite entertaining (and easy to learn for first timers). There is also help available so that you can understand the odds involved. The help part is so well designed and extensive that you can even find a basic card counting guide in it. Even though advanced players would not feel the need for such an extensively documented help guide, it is welcomed for those who play the game as new users, as it works like a crash course in Blackjack.
Most of the reviewers feel that this is not the best looking app for playing Blackjack and perhaps they are right too. So why is it even on this list? The plus of this app does not lie in its looks but in the fact that it provides a more balanced approach when it comes to odds. The app offers the players two different modes. You can either play for free or if you wish you can upgrade to the pro version.
The basic free version of the app offers a simple and basic Blackjack game. The pro version on the other hand offers the players with exceptional features such as the "Cheat Mode" and the "X-Ray". Card Counting and Expected Value also features in the pro version of this app. The Cheat Mode allows the deck to be stacked in the favour of the player whereas the X-Ray mode allows the player to have a sneak look at the dealer's whole card.
This is easily the best app available on the App Store for playing Blackjack. As the name of the app suggests, it allows the player to play up to three hands simultaneously. Designed on one of the best game engines available for mobile gaming and graphics, this app offers a very realistic gameplay. Unlike many other apps available on the Android market, this app comes for a premium, therefore it is not free – but rest assured that your money will be well spent on this purchase. In almost every review by the top game reviewing sites, this app has come on the top.
Unlike the app reviewed above, Blackjack 88 is free for all. It is available for both iPad users and iPhone users. The strength of this app lies in its interface. It seems as if the designers of this app wanted it to feel welcoming for beginners. The interface is lovely and really easy to use. The app is well designed and provides a solid gameplay. Even though the app itself is free, you might have to make some chip purchases in the game. It allows you to play on multiple devices. Just log in with the same account on any Apple device and you will be able to play the game exactly where you left it the last time!


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We Bought A Graveyard
Posted by Madd_Fictional on July 30, 2018
I opened the apartment door performing my famous grocery juggling act, organic cotton bags of the heavier items in each hand with two more sacks containing lighter stuff dangling off my wrists. I could have pulled out the shopping cart and saved myself the hassle of lugging the load from the supermarket, true, but the building's elevator was on the fritz yet again and I didn't relish the thought of pulling my arms out of their sockets by dragging the cart up seven flights of stairs one agonizingly slow step at a time. Slamming the front door shut with my heel, I went to the kitchen and flicked the light switch with my nose—and nearly dropped the bags.
There was someone standing in the kitchen.
My husband was at work and Katy was watching my daughter so the apartment was supposed to be empty but there this stranger stood. Terror trapped the scream in my throat and locked my legs rigid. I walked in on a robbery and now there was a very distinct possibility that I was going to die. And even if the burglar didn't kill me, I wouldn't be able to identify him. I was born with a visual processing disorder where I wasn't able to differentiate between certain shapes, letters, small details and facial features. Therapy helped me learn a unique way of processing visual information so it was manageable except during anxiety attacks or when I encountered a sudden visual shock.
The man in my kitchen–I assumed it was a man because the blob was taller and broader than me–appeared to me as nothing more than a silhouette, a thing that didn't compute, that didn't make sense because he wasn't supposed to be here. Still rooted to the spot, unable to move, I tried to calm myself, to focus, so that if I managed to survive I could give the police some sort of description.
And slowly I began assembling and rearranging bits of visual fragments. It was a man. His back was to me. He was standing in front of the under-cabinet mounted microwave, his hands picking at something that sounded like plastic. Then the puzzle pieces fit into place and I knew this man by his brown comb-over with its deep part, the slump of his shoulders in the navy pea coat.
"Caleb! Oh, my friggin' God! What the hell are you doing lurking in the kitchen in the dark like that? You almost scared the living daylights out of me!" The tension flooded from my body and I was suddenly aware of the weight of the groceries that nearly slipped from my hands as I stumbled to set them on the kitchen table.
"I thought you were a burglar about to kill me or something! What are you doing here? Why aren't you at work?" I demanded.
"Sorry about that, babe, I should have called," Caleb said. He was about to put a small bag of pork pot stickers in the microwave but set the plastic pouch back on the counter. He didn't turn around.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
"I have to tell you something," he said and I didn't like the sound of his voice.
"What something and why won't you turn around and look at me?" I asked but my heart was hammering in my chest because all I could imagine was that he was going to admit he was cheating on me. All those long hours when he was supposed to be at work–
"It's about the job."
It almost didn't register because I was preparing myself for the worst. When it finally sank in I let out a sigh of relief but caught myself. "Did you get fired?" That was something that absolutely positively could not happen now, not with Elizangela going back to school next month.
"Worse than that, I'm afraid."
"What's worse than getting fired?" I asked. After being frightened half to death, the needle on my patience gauge was swiftly approaching the big red E.
"I got–" Caleb swung around and smiled that fantastic smile of his, the one that made the butterflies flutter in my stomach. "Promoted!"
I could feel my eyes going wide. "No friggin' way!"
"Yes friggin' way," said Caleb and he was on me before I knew it, sweeping me off my feet in that wonderfully secure bear hug of his. "And it comes with a hefty, hefty, hefty salary bump!"
I went rigid in his arms. "Wait a minute. Three hefties? Either you're exaggerating or that's a lot of money. Don't get me wrong, honey, I'm not saying you don't work hard and deserve every penny of it but what's the catch?"
Caleb set me down gently. "It isn't like that, babe, there's no catch. Not really."
"I knew it. Spill."
"Built into the pay raise is an insane relocation fee–"
"Relocation?"
Caleb nodded and continued, "If I can manage to move house and start work by the fifteenth."
"The fifteenth? That's only a week away!"
"I know but we've always been the #ChallengeAccepted type," he smiled again but I wasn't having any of it this go-round.
"Relocate to where?"
"Fort Wayne, Indiana," he said under his breath.
"Who-what-where? What the hell is in Fort Wayne, Indiana?"
"I'm sure there's plenty of stuff but the biggest attraction is the relocation fee could cover the cost of our first house. Our. First. House. Our dollar would go a long way and we could spend more of it on Liza to make sure she gets the best of everything, things we can't afford to give her in New York. Where is she, by the way?"
"With my sister, it's easier to do the shopping with her preoccupied." Elizangela was at the Ooo, Mommy, can we please get this? stage in her development which was okay for the leisurely stroll through shops but not so great on the money-is-tight necessity runs.
I looked at him for a long moment. He'd have had to know about this for a while now but he kept it from me even though we made a no-secrets pact and if I brought this up he'd hand me some line about not wanting to jinx the promotion and I'd be upset but I'd know he was telling the truth because he was a big believer in the almighty jinx.
My first instinct was to say no, to fight him tooth and nail, all because he hadn't consulted me on this enormously life-changing decision. But that would have been petty. Yeah, my feelings were hurt but it would be our first house, something we'd been talking about for years. And a better life for our daughter? I'd be a heinous-monster-worst-mother-on-the-planet if I didn't set my wounded pride aside and at least consider it. So, I did.
"Okay?" he asked.
"Okay, let's do it," I shrugged.
"Are you serious? I can tell my boss yes?"
"You didn't accept it already?"
"Of course not, not without checking with you first."
I gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning in to whisper in his ear, "You big, stupid idiot! I love you, sometimes, you know that?"
Thanks to the internet, finding a house, even one that was seven hundred and forty-seven miles driving distance away was a piece of cake. The hardest part? Ignoring the common sense warnings from our parents and friends who thought our decision was rash, something we'd done because we were bored. But in the end, it was our choice to make and if they still hadn't liked it after we explained the situation to them, they could just go ahead and lump it.
Online, we managed to locate a real estate agent who understood our situation and was willing to work with us in finding a fixer-upper in our price range, getting the house appraised and coordinating the paperwork so we could close the sale in five days, skipping the entire mortgage credit process by paying in cash.
Elizangela was the biggest shock in the relocating process. I'd have bet my eyeteeth that she would have kicked up a storm having to leave Queens and all her friends behind but Caleb cleverly presented the idea using Duck Tales, her favorite tv show, as an analogy.
"We might solve a mystery?" Elizangela asked, face full of childish hope.
"Or rewrite history," Caleb answered and joined her in singing the show's catchy theme song.
And like that, our daughter was sold on the idea and helped pack all her things with nary a complaint. My only complaint? We decided it was cheaper to drive, though it added five hours or so to the trip which Caleb and I took turns behind the wheel of the rental so there was no problem there, it was Elizangela singing the once adorable but now monotonous Duck Tales theme song on a loop for most of the time she was awake that began grating on my nerves.
Our new home pretty much matched the virtual tour we took on the realtor's website. It was indeed a fixer-upper and would probably take the better part of a year before all the repairs could be completed. The outside was another story entirely. The front lawn was a respectable size, enough for me to create a nice vegetable garden, but the backyard was massive and overgrown to the point I thought we'd have to buy a couple of machetes, like in those old safari films, to hack the tall grass down to a mowable size. The plan was to tame the savage land and maybe build a grilling deck for our eventual summer barbeques and a playset for Elizangela to go on her Duck Tales adventures in and maybe entice some of the neighborhood kids to come over so she could make some new friends. Those plans all changed the moment we came across the graveyard.
I was on Caleb the moment he stepped into the house after work. "Do you want to know why this house was so cheap?"
"It's a fixer-upper," he answered, confused and a little more than slightly uncomfortable at the proximity of my face to his own. "We both knew that going into this. Why is it a big deal all of a sudden?"
"It's not the repairs, Caleb Allen Mitchell," I whisper-screamed. Even though I was on the verge of hysteria I was mindful not to upset Elizangela who was upstairs playing in her room. "It's the friggin graveyard sitting smack dab in the middle of our backyard!"
"Graveyard? Did the previous owner bury a pet or something?"
"Pet? There are twelve graves with headstones out back! That's not a memorial for poor, dead Fluffy, it's a creepy-as-hell-honest-to-goodness graveyard!"
"Okay, calm down. Let me check it out," he said trying not to sound skeptical and doing a lousy job at it.
I marched–it was more of an angry stomp-walk that seemed to me at the time to be childish but I couldn't help myself–him down the foyer, past the living room, through the kitchen and flung the back door wide.
"Tell me I'm overreacting," I said gesturing at the tombstones.
Caleb trudged over the carpet of tall grass that I spent the better part of the day attacking with the weed wacker and knelt beside the closest headstone.
"These are pretty old," he said, running his over the cracked surface of the crumbling stone. "The inscriptions aren't even legible anymore, most likely due to acid rain which means they're probably made of calcite."
"How do you know so much about headstones?"
"My dad," Caleb answered. "My gran died when I was little and I was terrified of the cemetery when we buried her so my dad took me on walking tours of graveyards and told me the truth about what happens when we die and why funerals were important. Sometimes we'd just marvel at the tombstone designs and he could tell what they were made from just by looking at them. Some fathers and sons had sports, me and my dad had graveyards. That may seem pretty morbid to you, but those were some of the best memories of my dad. It was just the guys and he would talk to me like a man."
"I think it's kind of sweet in a weird way," I said and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, Dad's always been pretty unconventional," Caleb patted my hand, stood and dug the cellphone from his pocket. He made several calls, the first being to the realtor who sold us the house. I had to admit, he was good deal calmer and damn sure more polite than I would have been had the roles been reversed.
"No, this is not a crank call," Caleb said into the phone. "Yes, there are twelve headstones. No, they're really old, the information on them has been worn. No, I have not dug them up to confirm the existence of dead bodies. How do I know it is a graveyard? The headstones I just mentioned are giving me a strong indication that someone interred their dead beneath them. I can snap a couple of pics and send them to you if you'd like."
Believe it or not, he had to repeat those answers several times to several different departments and organizations and what we learned was there was not going to be a swift resolution to our problem.
First, we had to contact the Historic Preservation Office to see if the land our house was built on was a former cemetery. Luckily for us, it wasn't. Nor was there a family plot permit on record with the town Zoning Commission or approval from the state Department of Health.
We were informed there was a possibility the gravestones had been discarded. As creepy as it sounded, some people saw the value of the stones as building materials, but our stones–I didn't like the fact that Caleb acknowledged ownership when speaking on the phone or that I had come to refer to them in the same manner–were out in the open and not used as part of our house's foundation. The other suggestion offered was the previous owners might have thought they made for cool conversation pieces during backyard barbeques. Since the only way we could have verified this was to dig up one the graves ourselves–and there was no way in hell we were going to do that–we contacted the police.
To make a long story short, let's just say the grave markers weren't for show. Each stone did indeed contain a coffin in which were human remains. When the medical examiners arrived with the local tv station reporters and camera crew, our internet-folly-first-house became a tabloid story and possible crime scene.
A forensic anthropologist was brought in to examine the human remains to establish the identity, or if that was not possible, at least the age, sex, number of individuals present, and other facts. Once it was established that the remains were not part of a crime scene they were turned over to a local cemetery for reburial.
Then we were contacted by the Registrar of Cemeteries and told about the Funeral Burial and Cremations Services Act, which made it our responsibility to fix the problem. Because some grieving or possibly idiotic person choose to bury their dead in the backyard and the realtors hadn't bothered to check the tall grass behind the house, we had to foot the bill for either reinterring at another site or cremating the remains–hell, let's just call them what they were, bones–at a price tag that ranged between $500 and $1,000 per body.
That was when I went lawyer shopping, even though the realtor assured us, "The situation can be worked out amicably." Amicably meant they might accept partial financial responsibility for a clerical oversight. My aim was to make them pay entirely for their screw up with a little extra for the obvious emotional distress. I played that distress up on camera the day I discovered a newspaper reporter lurking outside my daughter's school waiting to ambush the both of us for an interview.
During the entire ordeal, Elizangela was grace under fire. She got that from her dad. She was full of questions, though, and we answered them as truthfully as we could. The graveyard forced us to introduce the concept of death sooner than we wanted to and she struggled with the same concepts I struggled with when my parents had the talk with me.
"Death is permanent," Caleb said. "Do you know what permanent means?"
Elizangela shook her head and her bangs danced in front of her eyes.
"It means forever, honey," I said, taking her tiny hand in mine. "It means once you die, you go away and never come back."
"You mean move? Like we did from our old home to our new home?"
Calen shook his head slowly. "No, Liza, when a person dies, that means their body stops working. Their heart doesn't beat anymore, they don't need to eat or sleep, and they don't feel any pain ever again. They leave their body because they don't need it anymore."
"But that's other people, not us, right?" Elizangela asked.
What followed was a very long, extremely exhausting everything that is alive eventually dies conversation that ended with our baby saying, "Oh." No tears, no hysterics, no subsequent nightmares or follow up questions. Just, "Oh."
After a month or so of avoiding the backyard after the police concluded their business and things in the neighborhood began returning to normal, Caleb and I revisited plans to spruce up the area behind the house. The first order of business was filling in the former graves.
The problem was they wouldn't stay filled.
The dirt shoveled into the holes the day before appeared by the graves the very next day. Not all the dirt, mind you, but enough to make noticeable piles. I didn't want to worry Caleb about it, he had too much on his plate as it was with the new position and following up on our lawsuit with the realtor and tracking down the previous owners of the house, so I shoveled the dirt back in and never mentioned a word to my husband. But the following morning, sure as bread fell butter-side down, there the dirt would be in neat little piles.
We had gotten to know all our neighbors pretty well, especially after the tv news coverage put our area in the spotlight longer than most of the residents were comfortable with, but the neighbors to our immediate left, Hannelore and Sean Bogatz were two of the kindest people that ever set foot on God's green earth. I spotted Hannelore–Hannie, to her friends–one morning when we were both retrieving the morning paper from our front lawns. During casual conversation, I mentioned the grave issue.
"It just boggles the mind why anyone would sneak onto our property and dig up the graves after we fill them? I'd write it off as an animal or something but the dirt is always piled up so neatly."
"Well," Hannie shrugged. "It could be kids up to a little mischief they consider to be fun or funny and if you're leaning toward that way of thinking, I'd take a good look at those Woods boys, always up to no good. Sean and I had a run in with them a little while back that ended the moment we spoke to their parents. Strict as Irish priests in the seminary, Michael and Ella are."
I had half a mind to pay Michael and Ella Woods a visit but what would that accomplish, accusing their sons with no real evidence? Which meant I needed to gather some. So, later on, after I put the day's affairs in order, I took a midday nap before I needed to pick Elizangela from school and while she was up in her room, I quickly refilled the holes in the backyard–more scraping dirt into the open former graves that shoveling.
It was hard concentrating on conversations during dinner and the board game during family time because I wanted nothing more than to go out back and patrol the yard. But that had to wait until Elizangela had been put to bed and Caleb's deep breathing turned into a light snore.
Sliding out of bed slowly and lifting my smartphone off the nightstand, I stepped as silent as I could manage, trying to remember where the creaking boards were located on the hardwood floor, and crept out of the bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen.
The casement window gave me the perfect vantage point to see out over the entire garden and one of the backless saddle stools we used for the kitchen island was the perfect sitting height for me to rest my elbows on the counter beside the sink. Earlier today I downloaded a night vision app–that was actually capable of capturing images at night, not the fake ones that simply inverted daylight images with a green overlay–on my phone in preparation for the stakeout. Not only was I determined to catch the culprit, I was also willing to sit up all night if need be.
I activated the night vision and turned the phone's camera lens slowly, sweeping the yard. There was movement! Not a body, but dirt flying out of the hole nearest the house! I hopped off the stool, made a beeline to the kitchen door that led to the backyard–and it was unlocked? Had Caleb missed it when he made his nightly rounds securing the windows and doors? It hadn't seemed likely. We were both native New Yorkers, Caleb represented Queens and I was raised out in Brooklyn, just like the lyrics of that LL Cool J song, and we never went to bed without making sure the house was secured.
Never mind, I would deal with that later. Now, I was racing across the cool grass and ignoring the pain in the soles of my feet as I pushed pebbles and pointy stones into the earth, on my way to gather evidence I could show Michael and Ella about their boys.
I stopped at the edge of the hole and snapped a picture. "I've got you now, you little shi–" It wasn't the Woods boys.
Elizangela knelt in the center of the hole, nightgown pulled up above her knees, dirt cupped in her small hands.
"Liza, why are you playing in the–" I nearly said grave but caught myself and changed it to, "hole? It's the middle of the night, honey!" Elizangela became upset and started to cry. Was it because I startled her, or made her feel she had been caught doing a bad thing?
I climbed into the (grave) hole and wrapped my arms around my daughter. I held her in silence until sobs waned to tears that quieted down to the occasional shudder.
"It's okay, sweetheart. I just want to know what you're doing and why you felt you had to sneak around at nighttime instead of just telling me?"
I thought Elizangela was so distraught that she couldn't answer my question but after a long silence, she said, "Because you and Daddy said we shouldn't tell secrets."
"Secrets? Whose secrets are you keeping? Did your daddy tell you a secret?" I became suddenly afraid of what her answer might be, but she shook her head.
"I can't tell you. I'm so sorry, Mommy," Elizangela paused and asked, "Do you still love me?"
I was floored by the question. I cupped her small face in my hands and wanted desperately to say something definitive, something that would stick within her always so she never felt the need to ask that question ever again.
"Of course I do," I answered. "I'll always love you, Liza, no matter what." And I meant it but it came out too quickly, sounded too rehearsed, too much like a pat answer.
"Maybe," Elizangela started, careful not to look at me. "Maybe it'd be okay to tell if I asked them."
I was about to ask her who they were but she began talking out loud in a funny voice, one I would never have recognized as coming from my daughter. At first, I thought she was talking to herself then I realized she was asking questions to the dirt walls surrounding us, reasoning with them, before she made her request.
My daughter smiled, finally making eye contact. "They said okay."
"Who said–" I started and then a door opened in my vision, a door that has been hidden in plain sight, most likely for the entirety of my life. A door that could have been responsible for my visual processing disorder. From the doorway emerged ghosts of all ages shapes and sizes. Some of the older spirits carried the essences of babies that perhaps weren't alive long enough to develop physical bodies.
They spoke to me but not in words. Images flooded my mind, of light and darkness, of peace and violence, each of them a history being forced into my mind, faster and faster until they became a subliminal blur.
Out the corner of my eye, I saw black ink bleed from the grave walls and swirl around me and I was suddenly caught up in a tornado of black. I lost sight of Elizangela and tried to call out to her but my jaw was clamped tight as if it had been wired shut. Electrical pulses shot through my body and deadened my nerve endings. I couldn't catch my breath as my vision started to slowly fade out.
I found myself in that ethereal realm that occupied the space between dreaming and consciousness and in that space I wasn't me. Though I couldn't see myself, I knew that I was in another body, or better yet, bodies, twelve to be exact. The same as the number of graves. I was in twelve different places as twelve different people living twelve different lives at the same time. The histories that had been forced upon me moments? days? years? ago now made sense. I understood these people. I knew who they were, knew their struggles, their loves, their pain, their inevitable fates and more to the point, I knew their names.
The information burned itself into my memory as I lost my footing in the intangible nirvana and slipped toward the harsh reality of the waking world. When I came to my senses, my head was resting on my daughter's lap and she was stroking my hair the very same way I'd done to her so many times before.
"It's only like that the first time, Mommy," she said, smiling in that way that always reminded me of Caleb.
I sat up in the grave. There was no escaping the cold that seeped into my bones and settled in the marrow. Everything felt wrong, not just the cold. There were foreign sounds in my head, voices that weren't my own, too loud, too busy when all I wanted was a bit of silence, some time to sort things out. And there would be time but it would come later.
I focused on Elizangela with a desperation I hadn't felt since the day she was born, when I was afraid I knew nothing about being a mother. But my daughter's eyes were calm and wise. Without saying a word, she told me she knew.
And now I knew, too. The bodies belonged here, it was their land first. They needed to be returned, needed to have their grave markers restored with their names and information to mark their forgotten existence on the planet. Once that was done, they could finally move on.
Now all I had to do was convince Caleb which meant I'd have to give my father-in-law a call for some pointers.
©2018 Rhyan Scorpio-Rhys
This entry was posted in @Madd_Fictional, Enter The Reading Room, Madd Fiction Both Sciencey and Speculative, Uncategorized and tagged creative writing, graveyard, horror, rhyan scorpio-rhys, short story, speculative fiction, spirits, undead. Bookmark the permalink.
The Best Debts Often Go Unpaid (Part 1)
Apache Chola 1 – The Big Ask (Zami y Xio)


text:
Clyfford Still 1944-N No. 2 1944
MoMA, Floor 4, 403 The David Geffen Galleries
Painting 1944-N is a powerful early example of Still's mature style. The surface is a black impasto, enlivened with knife marks. A jagged red line cuts high on the canvas, and is intersected by two vertical, irregular, pointed shapes before plunging downward to the bottom edge. The size of paintings like this one, its largely empty expanse, and the lightning-bolt quality of Still's line have led some to see in his work a vision of the broad spaces of the Western prairies, where he grew up. But he himself believed that such associations only diminished his work.
Still commanded a new kind of abstraction, free from decipherable symbols. The tarry surface of Painting 1944-N concentrates attention on itself, denying the illusion of depth, and the intensely saturated hue carries emotional force without relying on associative imagery. More programmatically than any of the other Abstract Expressionists, Still consciously tried to erase any traces of modern European art from his painting, and to develop a new art appropriate to the New World. "Pigment on canvas," he believed, "has a way of initiating conventional reactions. . . . Behind these reactions is a body of history matured into dogma, authority, tradition. The totalitarian hegemony of this tradition I despise, its presumptions I reject."
Publication excerpt from The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA Highlights, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, revised 2004, originally published 1999, p. 193.
8' 8 1/4" x 7' 3 1/4" (264.5 x 221.4 cm)
The Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection
Clyfford Still has 3 works online.
There are 2,397 paintings online.
We have identified these works in the following photos from our exhibition history.
Permanent Collection Mar 29, 1972–Apr 21, 1980
Selections from the Permanent Collection: Painting and Sculpture May 17, 1984–Aug 4, 1992 1 other work identified
Selections from the Permanent Collection of Painting and Sculpture Jul 1, 1993
Painting & Sculpture II Nov 20, 2004–Aug 5, 2015 3 other works identified
Abstract Expressionist New York Oct 3, 2010–Apr 25, 2011
403: Action Painting I Ongoing 3 other works identified
How we identified these works
In 2018–19, MoMA collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab on a project using machine learning to identify artworks in installation photos. That project has concluded, and works are now being identified by MoMA staff.
If you notice an error, please contact us at [email protected].


Kelli's creativity amazes and delights me.
Kelli's creativity amazes and delights me. She always manages to understand and represent our marketing needs with sensitivity and skill. I feel attendance at our programs has increased due to her artistic treatment of our sensitive subjects. In addition she is prompt, patient and flexible in regard to deadlines, negotiations and changes.