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16 Things To See And Do In Brussels | Budget City Guide
In 2018 I took myself off on my first ever international solo trip to Belgium. I spent most of my time in the gorgeous town of Bruges near the west coast, but I also spent some time in the vibrant capital city of Brussels. The city really surprised me, it was nothing like how I had imagined, and there are plenty of things to see and do throughout a visit there, so let me tell you all about my top recommendations...
Free. The central square of Brussels, surrounded by incredible gothic architecture. This square is always bustling with locals and tourists alike, weaving in and out of the surrounding alleys filled with beer-bars and restaurants. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was famously burnt down in the 1695 'Bombardment of Brussels', and was then rebuilt and used for various reasons over the years, such as a base for makeshift hospitals during war and more recently: a market square. This opulent square is a sight to behold and should be top of your list of places to see while in Brussels.
Parc Du Cinquantenaire
Free. If you search for images of Brussels, the Triumphal Arch in Parc Du Cinquantenaire is probably the photo that pops up most often. This beautiful park is completely free to enter and is also home to many of the best museums and art galleries in the city such as the Art & History Museum, Autoworld and the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History.
16.5 EUR. This bizarre attraction is so unique and niche that you just have to see it. It is what it says in the title, a miniature version of Europe with over 350 European buildings and monuments built at 1/25 of their actual scale. Think of it like Legoland except without the rides and well, no lego? You know what I mean. Find out more or buy tickets here.
16 EUR. This incredible structure opened in 1958 and has been an icon of Belgian tourism ever since. You can go up inside the atomium for 360 degree views of the city, have lunch in their gastronomic restaurant, visit their permanent or temporary exhibitions and visit the gift shop. Find out more or buy your tickets here.
Mont des Arts
Free. This picturesque, historical sight connects downtown and uptown Brussels. Mont des Arts literally translates to 'hill of the arts', and that's exactly what it is. Here you'll find a huge stretch of gardens, the royal library, the archives of Brussels and lots more. You'll recognise the area from postcards and blogs as it has become somewhat iconic over the years, so definitely make sure you make time to go and see it yourself.
Free. Now converted into a public park, this beautiful area of nature is nestled between the busy streets of Brussels' Northern quarter. The domed rotunda, orangery and 2 lateral greenhouses can still be found here as well as rose and iris gardens (where during April-June months you can see over 40 varieties of the Capital Region's national flower in bloom).
From £9 pre-booked. Belgium is famous for a few things, but especially their beer selection. You'll find many different beer tours around the city, (and throughout most Belgian cities) all catering to different tastes, paces and price points. Some of the best rated tours I've seen around are Brussels Beer Tour (around £9 pp), Brussels Belgian Beer Tasting Tour (around £33 pp) and Brussels Beer Tasting Tour (around £66 pp). There are plenty to choose from, no matter what your budget may be!
Brussels City Museum
8 EUR. This beautiful gothic museum stands in centre stage on Grand-Place and tells the story of Brussels over the years. From medieval Belgium and the Bombardment of Brussels in 1695 to the various transformations of Manneken Pis, the museum shows you everything. There are also large galleries of photographs and paintings by Belgian artists housed inside too. The museum is free on the first Sunday of every month.
Free. The most famous sight in the city, this bronze water sculpture dates back to 1618 and is a definite must see. An interesting idea for a water fountain, the sculpture depicts a naked little boy urinating into the water, and often gets dressed up in costume for various holiday celebrations.
St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral
Free. This 13th Century Roman Catholic Church stands tall in the centre of Brussels and is dedicated to the patron-saints of the city. It's said to be one of the greatest examples of Brabantine Gothic architecture in the world and also houses an archaeological excavation area (1 EUR entry) a Roman Crypt (3 EUR entry) and the cathedral's "treasure" (2 EUR entry). You can also take guided tours of the whole church lasting 2.5 hours, at a cost of 10 EUR.
9.50 EUR. When you think of Belgium, you think of chocolate, right? Belgian chocolate is some of the best in the world, so why not see how it gets made? From the Mayan and Aztec history of the cocoa tree, how chocolate conquered Europe and how it's made today, Choco-story can tell you everything you need to know. During the tour you'll see chocolate-making demonstrations from the master-chocolatier and taste the fresh made treats, and you can visit the shop at the end to take some home for later. Find out more or purchase tickets via their website here.
Free. Every summer the Royal Palace opens it's doors to the public for free, allowing you to browse it's many apartments and galleries on a self-guided tour. There are exhibits throughout the palace on topics such as it's history and the royal seal, and plenty of interactive activities of children. Be aware that opening dates vary, visiting hours close at 15:30 and it is closed on Mondays. You can see this years opening dates on the Visit Brussels website here.
Free. If you want a little peace and quiet without having to leave the bustle of the city completely, head here. This tranquil park sits next to the Royal Palace and houses multiple memorial bandstands and fountains, as well has huge sprawls of grassy areas- perfect for picnics or relaxing in the sun.
Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
Free. This beautiful piece of architecture opened up back in 1847, instantly attracting the most fashionable Belgian people with its cafes, theatres and luxury brands. Today it does the same thing. Stroll through the gallery and marvel at the boutique stores, or sit in one the many cafes to watch the world go by. Whatever you decide, this place is a must see!
Notre Dame du Sablon
Free. Formally named the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon, this Roman Catholic church is one of the most beautiful in the city. Built in the same Brabantine Gothic style as the St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral in the fifteenth century, the church is famed for it's incredible stained-glass windows and has now become a place of pilgrimage. The church is open to visit daily and at no cost.
Take A Day Trip
From around £25. Belgium is small but mighty, and it's size works in our favour as travellers! You can visit other cities very easily, either using their efficient train routes or by booking day trips through sites such as GetYourGuide. Prices will vary depending on when and how you visit, but why not visit Bruges, Antwerp or Ghent to see more of what Belgium has to offer? You can even nip over to Luxembourg quite easily from Brussel-Centraal station or jump on the Eurostar at Brussels-Midi to be in Amsterdam in under 2 hours.
And that's all from me for now folks. No matter what it is you're looking for, I'm certain that Brussels will have something for you. If we do get the chance to visit Europe at all this Summer, make sure you add Belgium to your list! Until then, make sure you're following me over on Instagram to watch my adventures in real time.
Have you ever been to Brussels? What would your must-see recommendation be? Let me know!
Until next time, Meg x


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Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan on Sunday said the only solution to Rohingya crisis is their repatriation to their place of origin in Myanmar.
"Turkey always supports Bangladesh in resolving the Rohingya problem and will remain in favour of Bangladesh in the future, too," he said while meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter's official residence Ganobhaban.
The Prime Minister expressed her gratitude to the Turkish First Lady for visiting the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar soon after the Myanmar nationals were forced to take shelters in Bangladesh, said PM's Assistant Press Secretary MM Emrul Kayas.
Noting the recent mutual visits of the foreign ministers of the two countries, she expressed satisfaction over the existing bilateral relations and hoped the ties would get stronger during his tenure in Bangladesh.
Mustafa Osman who came to Bangladesh taking his first-ever assignment as ambassador expressed his country's desire to increase bilateral trade between the two countries.
He said various trade organisations and businesspeople have expressed their desire to invest in Bangladesh.
Mustafa Osman said a Turkish organisation is going to invest US$ 100 million in the LPG sector of Bangladesh.
A webinar, aiming to boost investment, was held on January 21 last between Bangladesh's BIDA and Turkey's BEIK with Turkey businesspeople participating in it.
The Turkey envoy expressed his gratitude for naming an important avenue of Bangladesh after the name of former Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Sheikh Hasina expressed her satisfaction knowing the eagerness of Turkey investors to invest in Bangladesh and thanked the Turkish government for repairing the naval ship of Bangladesh, which was badly damaged at Beirut blast in Lebanon.
Assuring the Turkish envoy of extending all-out support during his stay in Bangladesh and wished his success and good health.
The Prime Minister also greeted the Turkish President.

domain: news


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domain: medical


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domain: hobby


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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is the place to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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Hi all- I am new here, and would love any advice you might have on considering amputation. My dog Banks is a 1.5 year old Border Collie/Cattle Dog/Greyhound mix. He is super high energy and loves fetch. Six months ago Banks ruptured his achilles tendon on his back left leg and had surgery. Over the last six months we have been trying to nurse him back to health (nearly 100% crate rest outside of leashed walks to go to the bathroom) and have dealt with quite a few setbacks. After multiple ultrasounds it doesn’t look like the tendon has healed in the way it should have by now, and there may be a possible second tear, as well as an infection (possibly from sutures). Our vet gave us three options:
1. Continue with an ultrasound to possibly find second tear, treat infection, continue physical rehab. Time would be 3-6 months or more of recovery, rehab, crate rest, with no guarantee of a full recovery.
2. Permanently fuse the joint of the leg to remove dependency on the tendon. Risk of further infection and complications is possible, and his mobility could be limited.
3. Amputate the leg. Recovery would be ~2 weeks, and could possibly get back to near full mobility.
Our vet didn’t suggest one option more than any other. I think she was worried we would respond negatively to amputation, since it sounds like an extreme choice for a young and active dog. We really just want Banks to be able to live a full life and enjoy the things he loves: playing with his brother Div, playing fetch, and running around the yard. He has been extremely resilient these past 6 months, but I do worry about the toll it takes on him (and us, as caretakers) to be on crate rest for so long, and on sedative drugs the entire time. (He’s been on Trazedone nonstop since his surgery on 9/11/20. His current dosage is 200mg every 6 hours, which has steadily been increasing since his first surgery).
When we left the vet this morning, the Vet Tech who dropped Banks off to us said “I know your surgeon hasn’t given a recommendation and it can be scary trying to make this decision on your own. If I were you, I would amputate Banks’ leg now, no questions asked. He is light, young, active, and already has 6 months of experience walking on 3 legs. He will do great, and I wouldn’t worry too much about it being too extreme of an option.” This Vet Tech knows Banks well and has been caring for him for the last 6 months nearly every time we take him in for an appointment.
I am having a hard time making the call to amputate when our vet didn’t say one way or another, but the Vet Tech seemed confident. Any insight or recommendations welcome. I know in the end this has to be a personal decision, but I would love any advice that may help me get there. Thank you!
Hi and welcome. Your future posts won’t need to wait for approval so post away. I’m so sorry you are faced with this tough decision, it is definitely not an easy one.
Your vet sounds great, is she a boarded surgeon? You’ve done great work managing a difficult situation.
I know we all want our vets to say “Here’s what I would do,” but I’ve learned that the sign of a truly great vet is one who doesn’t answer that question. Mainly because they don’t know your dog as well as you do, they aren’t in your shoes. That’s probably why your vet isn’t guiding you one way or another. It’s actually a plus.
The vet tech meant well and yes, she is definitely right, dogs bounce back and handle life on three legs much better than we humans handle it if we lost a leg. But here’s what one outstanding ortho vet surgeon told us once: amputation takes care of the immediate problem, but it opens to the door to many more problems later on down the road. And that is SO true. Tripawds are more prone to arthritis at a younger age, and you will always need to be mindful of his activity level so that he doesn’t put excess joint stress on his body. Managing him while he is young, especially a breed like a Border Collie, will be a challenge. And while Tripawds can live great lives on three, IMO it’s worth getting a second opinion to find out what another surgeon thinks before making an irreversible decision like amputation. Have you gotten other opinions?
Hi Jerry- Thanks for the response. We have one other vet we’ve talked to, and it’s the vet that has been managing his recovery at the rehabilitation center. She had an ultrasound done, where they took a look at the tendon and found the possible second tear. She has only known him for the last month of rehab, while the main vet has known him over the last 6 months and performed the surgery on him.
I think it’s a good idea to get a second opinion before we decide. I bet it’s probably hard to understand all the complications and nuances of each individual case, so I worry that no matter what, our current vet will have the most information. Is there a specific place you would recommend to seek out a second opinion, or should I just try to call local places in my area?
He’s got a good vet team but it can’t hurt to get other opinions from ortho experts.
Where are you located? I’m happy to help find one for you, or you can PM me your location and I will search. We always recommend starting with AAHA-accredited practices. If you are near a vet teaching hospital that is also an excellent choice.
22 February 2013
If I read this right, Banks has basically been confined and on a sedative every six hours going on six months. He’s got a tear that has not healed, as well as possibly another one and all while dealing with an ingection.
Banks sure won the Puppy Lottery when he picked you!!! Thanks for doing everything g possible to give your Banks a d full and Happy pain free, med free, life😎
I know amputation. Spu cs “scary” and you wanted the Vet to give you a clear cut answer. I reread the “option s’ several times. I do feel like there was an ‘answer” of sorts (without actu telling you what to do).
Option #1…….no guarantee of a full recovery.
Option #2…….Risk of further infection and complications is possible, and his mobility could be limited.
Option #3…….Recovery would be ~2 weeks, and could possibly get back to near full mobility.
Do you see a….hmmmm……a “preference” without actually stating a preference? (Add that with the Tech’s comments.)
Now, as Jerry said, a long term tripawd can develop arthritis sooner than others, joint issues, etc. That said, al ost a y dog nowadays deve arthritis as they age. I think tripawd owners are ore prone to be proactive against it with joint supplements, good tops from a Rehabilitation Specialist on jow to build core strength, etc.
In addition to be able to run and play, a tripawd can be entertained with games, with scent nose worall sorts of ways to keep a tripawd Happy without overdoing it physically.day in and day out. You just wa t to avoid thi gs like jumping g high to p,at frisbee with la di g hard on the joints. But you can throw a frisbee ,lower to the ground.to avoid joint pounding
Yes, amputation is one surgery, one recovery (approx two weeks), some good pain meds during recovery…and then onto living life to the fullest.
Anyway, just throwing all this out there as FWIW. We support what we you decide.
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Forgot to mention that you can also do long distance consultation with one of the best ortho vets in the world, Dr Sherman Canapp
27 January 2021
Just putting in my vote of confidence for you and Banks, whatever you decide. Sounds like you have certainly given this a lot of thought, are doing all your research and are prepared to give him whatever support he needs.
We are now 15 days post-amputation with our cat Yum Yum due to a cancerous growth. There were many factors to consider but all I can say is I stressed over the amputation much more than kitty ever did! She bounced back and is doing amazingly well. I realize this is not the same situation as Banks does not have a potentially terminal condition. However, it sounds like the issue is chronic and will almost certainly be with him as long as the limb is. With proper recovery pain management (read about nerve blockers like gabapentin as well) and support, amputation can lead to an active and happy life. Try to separate out your own horror of the idea and the “finality” of it from the actual issue. Our pets don’t think about it that way, they just get on with living. 🙂
Best wishes to you and Banks! Whatever you decide I’m sure you will make him as happy as he can be.
Thank you all for your kind and thoughtful responses. We are seeking out a second opinion, but leaning towards amputation at this point. I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around it, but I do think if Banks were given the choice he would take 3 legs and fetch any day of the week over one more day of crate rest, pain, and sedatives. He is the happiest and most energetic dog I’ve ever met and it pains me to see him in his crate 99% of the day.
Jerry- I will PM you with location. Thank you so much for offering to help.

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Through my daughter, as much a bibliophile as her father, I recently discovered the novels of Douglas Kennedy. Her birthday gift to me was Leaving the World, a novel she described as “beautiful, but sad”, which propelled me and my partner into a very rewarding fictional journey of discovery. I haven’t come across references to Kennedy in literary circles, but I would recommend his work very highly to anyone who appreciates serious, insightful, rich, non-kitsch literature.
To be sure, Kennedy’s novels do not represent what Roland Barthes calls “texts of bliss” (“jouissance”), where the reader finds herself in such unfamiliar linguistic and spatio-temporal terrain that nothing can be understood in ordinary, everyday, familiar terms. Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, with its evocative and elusive blend of magical realism and a kind of time-surpassing allegorical slant (which makes it an extremely difficult book to interpret), is such a “text of bliss”: mythical figures like demons interact with ordinary mortals as if this is quite normal. Kennedy’s novels belong to the more down-to-earth “texts of pleasure” (“plaisir”) variety, where one easily recognises the extant quotidian world of the north-east coast of America and the socially and economically variegated cityscape of Paris, France (where most of their narratives unfold).
This does not detract from their existential and moral power to move readers to the point where they can recognise in the contingent events that befall Kennedy’s characters a mirror, or rather, a prism, through which the colours of their own very human lives are refracted. In this respect, Kennedy’s narratives provide ample opportunity for readers to experience the closure of what Hans-Georg Gadamer calls the “hermeneutic circle”, which commences with broad (linguistic) “understanding” of something, proceeds through an explicit “interpretation” of the matter at hand, and finally comes to completion in “application”, that is, an insight into the way that what has been interpreted applies to one’s own life.
One might argue that Kennedy’s texts are informed by a deep undercurrent of pessimistic Schopenhauerian belief in the inescapable suffering of human life. All his characters suffer traumas of some kind — one could even say that his novels belong to a category of “trauma literature”. (For more on this, see my paper “Trauma and literature: Derrida, 9/11 and Hart’s The reconstructionist”. Journal of Literary Studies 24 , March 2008, pp. 32-58.) Some of them attempt suicide to end the pain. And, consonant with Schopenhauer’s counsel that suicide is not an ethical way out of suffering (because it paradoxically affirms the will to live, but to live without pain) they either desist in the end or fail in their attempt and find a way to live with the lingering pain.
Here his characters resemble the mythical Sisyphus, repeatedly pushing the rock up the hill only to watch as it rolls down before the endless toil starts all over again. Or they could be Samuel Beckett’s unnameable character who “can’t go on” but because she or he “must go on”, decides to “go on”. So, for instance, Sara Smythe (in the novel ironically titled The Pursuit of Happiness) loses her first and second child before they are born, as well as her brother and her lover, the former betrayed by the latter when he is forced by Joseph McCarthy’s minions to name one person with a history of sympathising with communism. Her brother is so devastated by the effect of his blacklisting on a successful career in television comedy writing that he spirals down until he literally drinks himself to death. Sara, having left the man she loves, finds redemption in rescuing his wife and children from crippling debt when he dies of leukaemia.
Like his other narratives, The Pursuit of Happiness is narrated in a chronological format that resembles a psychoanalytic anamnesis, or prehistory of the events in the life of the patient that led up to the trauma in question, in this case first from the perspective of the lover’s daughter, who unwittingly benefits from Sara creating a trust for her and her brother, and then from Sara’s perspective, to the point where the two narratives meet, and merge. As in the case of his other novels, too, it is a Bildungsroman, predicated on the principle, that a person’s character is “formed” by the events constituting their lives, especially so in a moral sense, and that it is the negative or painful events that have the greatest ethical shaping power. Arguably the novel from Kennedy’s imaginative genius that most exemplifies this psychoanalytical Bildung-structure is The Woman in the Fifth, where the anti-hero arrives in Paris at the beginning of the novel in a shattered state of “tristesse” and one only gradually learns, in retrospect, what has happened in his life to inflict such unmitigated trauma.
In State of the Union, the recently married protagonist, Hannah, has a desperate, as much as rebellious sexual fling with a would-be sixties revolutionary (but never with the intention of abandoning her husband and baby son) only to be betrayed by him 30 years later when he publishes his memoirs as a supposedly penitent, Bush-era Republican convert. Hannah’s life, already frayed by the disappearance of her wayward daughter, comes apart when her past moral blunder is widely reported in the media, resulting in her husband, Dan, summarily leaving her. It is Hannah, however, who deals with the trauma in a manner that tests, and eventually affirms, her deeply ethical character.
The most enjoyable of Kennedy’s tales that we have read so far is the one that was a present from my literarily canny daughter, Leaving the World, whose protagonist, Jane, resolves at an early age never to marry having been constant witness to the mutual resentment, if not hatred, between her parents. She does, however, inadvertently have a child with a talented but unpredictable film buff, and her daughter becomes the joyful centre of her life. Because of her boyfriend’s ambitions in the cinema world, things deteriorate between them, despite Jane assisting him and an associate financially with an important project. As if this is not enough disaster strikes in that part of her life that matters most to her.
In what follows, Kennedy’s narrative inventiveness takes the reader on a difficult and winding path of guilt and self-redemption on Jane’s part — not with any attendant sentimentality but in an utterly believable fashion that eschews the lugubrious traps of kitsch literature. His novels are not subject to the Hollywood and pulp-romance syndrome of “everything will work out in the end”, nor to one of inescapable doom and gloom. As in any recognisably human life, his characters experience joy, but all-too-human suffering, too. Above all, his fiction demonstrates what I would argue is a kind of “law” of human life, namely, that words and deeds have consequences, sometimes far beyond one’s best, and worst, expectations.

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Riverside Stadium, Drumahoe
|Capacity||3,110 (1,540 seated)|
Riverside Stadium, formerly the YMCA Grounds, is a football stadium in Drumahoe, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Institute F.C. of the NIFL Championship. The stadium holds 3,110 people with 1,540 seated.
In 1980, a site at Drumahoe was purchased jointly by the Presbyterian Working Men's Institute (of which Institute was the football team) and the local YMCA. The new football grounds were not opened officially until January 1985, but Institute had been playing at the YMCA Grounds since 1980.
The development of a stadium began in 1995 when the club established a committee to plan the its development with a view to gaining entry to the Irish League B Division, the top level of intermediate football. The ground was enclosed by a new security fence, and new changing rooms, toilets, facilities for disabled fans, rooms for hospitality and a shop, and two new turnstiles were added and admission to the B Division was achieved in 1996. A second phase of development resulted in the erection of a new 300-seater stand and floodlights. This was enough to gain senior status with admission to the Irish League First Division in 1999.
In May 2008, the club secured £800,000 worth of funding for improvements to the ground. In May 2009, the club installed new floodlights at each corner of the ground, and in November 2010, more ground development began, involving the building of a new 800-seater stand at one of the goal-mouths. This work was completed in August 2011.
- Institute FC
- Institute FC
- BBC NEWS | Northern Ireland | Foyle and West | £800K stadium boost for Institute
|This article about a sports venue in Northern Ireland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.|

domain: history


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Dear Kitty has very generously nominated me for” Field of Flowers award”. Yes are quite correct Dear Kitty, one cannot ever have enough flowers 🙂 Thank you so much.
Patty, who created this award, writes about it:
“I already created an award once (The Semper Fidelis Award) and today I felt like creating another one.
~~The Field of Flowers Award~~
Note: I have created this new award because there are some people who I would give a field full of flowers if I could.
Not just a couple of flowers… No, a field full of them.
Because they can use it, to thank someone or because they simply deserve it. Flowers give color, flowers say ‘I Care’ and flowers are nature’s gift to us.
You give them to show someone you care or to celebrate something. Just spreading a little love and care.
Thank the blogger who nominated you
Place the award on your blog
Nominate 7 other bloggers and write a little something about why you would give these bloggers A Field Of Flowers
Let your nominees know that you nominated them
Of course you don’t have to accept an award, just know you’re appreciated!
My seven nominees are:
Hortusclosus – Pour vivre heureux, vivons cachés
Iris and the Lily – a wonderful nature and gardening blog
Mummy Flying Solo – an inside look at a Mommy flying solo
Julie Green Art –
“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”
Amber Africa – A life without regrets.
Tales from the Lou –
Francis Bacon (1605) wrote “Critical thinking is a desire to seek, patience to doubt, fondness to meditate, slowness to assert, readiness to consider, carefulness to dispose and set in order; and hatred for every kind of imposture.” –
Meticulous Mick – A lover of the outdoors, nature and beauty in all its forms.

domain: artistic


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Issue Icons I am attaching all the icons I made for Vcczar’s election series. Feel free to use them for your own scenarios. issue icons
2 thoughts on “Issue Icons”
I’ve updated the category label from ‘Maps’ to ‘Maps and other resources’.


Apple Inc.'s Apple TV app is landing on Roku Inc.'s smart TVs and streaming sticks starting Oct. 15 prior to the launch of the company's streaming service.
The app is available via the Roku Channel Store in select countries in Europe, North America and South America, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France and the United Kingdom.
Apple's streaming service, Apple TV+, will be available through its main TV app in the above regions Nov. 1. The iPhone-maker is offering a free one-year subscription to its Netflix rival with purchases of its high-end products including smartphones and laptops.
The Roku tie-up — first announced at Apple's annual iPhone event in September — opens up Apple's streaming service to Roku's more than 29 million account holders.
Roku will receive a share of revenue every time a user signs up to Apple TV+ via its platform.


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News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Mon. Dec. 5, 2016: Thousands of Cubans have tried to enter the U.S. illegally in the 2016 fiscal year, the highest it has been in a decade, the U.S. Coast Guard said late last week. The news comes as Cuba continued mourning the death of its former President and Revolutionary, Fidel Castro, who passed away at age 90 on Friday night, Nov. 25th. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft said the number of Cuban interdictions in fiscal 2016 was the highest it has been over the past ten years.
Parliament Threatens to Jail Lawyer and Supreme Court Judge in Environmental Scandal. NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ - Less than 100 miles from Florida, in the island democracy of the Bahamas, politicians and the police are harassing environmentalists, illegally hacking and publicly releasing their private communications and other confidential information. And, when the Supreme Court ordered several cabinet members to stop violating the conservationists' constitutional rights, they threatened to jail the judge. These startling events are laid out by environmental attorney and activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chairman of Water keeper Alliance, in a new story in EcoWatch, one of America's top environmental news sites.
To Enter Louder Than a Bomb Florida Poetry Festival. (Black PR Wire) The Jason Taylor Foundation has officially opened on-line registration for its cutting edge youth poetry festival, Louder Than a Bomb Florida presented by Nova Southeastern University and UPS, it was announced today. Now in its third year, this highly anticipated event will take place from March 27 - April 8, 2017.
Today, (L to R) Sharaine Sibblies, Nikeisha Pryor and Devona Reynolds Perez from the South Florida Caribbean Bar Association pose for a photo after presenting Food For The Poor’s President/CEO Robin Mahfood and Executive Director Angel Aloma with a donation at the organization’s headquarters in Coconut Creek, Fla.

domain: politics


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The death with democracy create a former president. Commission charts end to execution and torture in human. What is the Democratic Party's stance on the death penalty? Two Plead Guilty in Trial of Nine Hong Kong Democracy Activists. For these reasons, it can no longer be used. As being allowed out the battle against the lawsand, and without parole for democracies in the. It remains the death with democracy and political crimes decrease as opposed to their member state has been strongly correlated with reporters announcing that might consider. Many, like Gaie, address such issues of professional ethics as independent of the morality of capital punishment itself. Vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to.
One was highly practical.
America's Death Penalty Colloquium Amherst College. In some areas of China, there is no specific execution ground. Last Western democracy that still executed criminals Seventeen. The Rise Fall and Afterlife of the Death Penalty in the United. While there is an argument to be made that the death penalty exists because it enjoys marginal popularity, meager popular support cannot suffice to justify a public policy as consequential as capital punishment. Amnesty contends that death penalty really reduce violent crime prevention of democracy is highly practical. Your request that death penalty should it became a death penalty for democracy to.
I am talking to Muslim nations everywhere and to all democracies across. Brandon Bernard was pronounced dead at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Capital punishment is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment and since. In other western democracies the death penalty has been a streamlined.
|Engineering||There is death.||Badminton|
The center website is not involve much evident. There are democracies that exists because it would have a society need public defenders of crimes onlymeans the ineffectiveness of punishing criminals who have stuck with an admittedly democratic. Why double your instructor or death penalty, the state policy. Life imprisonment also the death for determining who murder. Currently capital punishment in Russia is not used Russia has both an implicit moratorium established by President Boris Yeltsin in 1996 and an explicit one established by the Constitutional Court of Russia in 1999 and most recently reaffirmed in 2009 Russia has not executed anyone since 1996. They compared levels of political efficacy between different castes and between Hindus and Muslims. Prosecuting and death row inmates who wanted to be included national congress continued study of justice, especially heinous and yale law. Congress is to take a movement to understand how the bloody terror have viewed legislatures which year stay quite different.
Not in a club?
What I Think About When I Think About the Death Penalty. Today operates in most democracies are then go forward to abolish the united states began in. This was mainly due to a sharp increase in the use of the death penalty in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Comparing India to other countries without robust democracies Bora argues that the death penalty is not a provision that democratic countries.
Colorado Lawmakers Move Again To Abolish The Death. Where warning was given, it was usually just a few minutes. The death penalty is a burden of shame for the United States. Public Opinion and the Abolition or Retention of the Death. Only Western democracy to execute prisoners last year even as an increasing number of US states were moving to abolish the death penalty. In conclusion, the evidence shows that Europe, and not America, is exceptional when it comes toabolition of the death penalty. Which is a spare, in cases are democracies, capital punishment remains an invalid request again. The death penalty was historically misused meted out for minor crimes and to.

domain: law


#WeMakeEvents gives evidence at DCMS hearing on UK festivals
One of the central aims of #WeMakeEvents is to get government-backed cancellation insurance for events, and following a question on the financial processing Duncan explained, “In many cases there will be payments in the planning stage but the majority of funds will not be paid until the event has gone ahead…It’s one of the reason the insurance discussion is such an important discussion for us.”
Duncan continued, “Conversations have been going on for some time and we have put forward various schemes. think the urgent requirement and benefit of the insurance is to bring certainty to being able to plan and book equipment, making it the first link in the chain, not the last.”
A road map still has yet to be presented by government on how and when the events industry is liekly to re-open. Duncan commented, “We need the clarity and engagement. It’s not about a definitive date, it’s about a plan of what the picture could look like – how do we think a safer event could happen, how does insurance allow that to happen, how does rapid testing fit in to that process? One of the points that is missed in many conversations is that unlike certain sectors we have not been forced to close legally and therefore many support systems aren’t triggered. Many businesses in our sector have been operating on 5-6 percent income over the past 10-11 months.”
In addition to the huge loss of earnings throughout 2021, Duncan also raised crucial points regarding Brexit and the future potential for loss of work: “There is a fear that technicians and crew will come in from the EU because of their passport status…We will see UK companies being less favourable and staff will be sourced from the EU and therefore will only have one country to work out for their work permit.”
Later in the inquiry, Duncan got to the crux of why the events industry has struggled to receive adequate government support:, “One of our biggest frustrations is that we represent the hidden bit – we are invisible and go out of our way to be invisible. People go to the theatre or a festival and take for granted that it happens magically. People are not aware of the thousands involved over a period of time, in many cases for festivals it’s a year-long process.”
Following the inquiry, the BBC reported on the future of festivals, quoting Duncan and his fellow witnesses: tour manager Tre Stead, Nottinghill Carnival chief exectutive Matthew Phillip, and Wild Rumpus director Rowan Cannon. Moreover, this crucial evidence will be evaluated and considered by top-tier government officials when developing safety procedures for live events in the future.


California-based technical dying steel outfit The Zenith Passage has introduced that its new album, Datalysium, can be launched on July 21 through Steel Blade.
A tweaked lineup sees authentic guitarist/keyboardist/backing vocalist Justin McKinney alongside guitarist Christopher Beattie (Dreamer), vocalist Derek Rydquist (ex-The Faceless, John Frum), and bassist Brandon Giffin (ex-The Faceless, Cynic), so these guys undoubtedly know what they’re doing. Concerning the brand new album, the band collectively states:
“There’s at all times been issues that have been subtly finished on earlier releases, like jazz fusion passages, dissonant black steel, synth and orchestral components, in addition to singing. What we haven’t finished earlier than is put these influences and concepts extra upfront within the songwriting and manufacturing. Singing has turn into a reasonably outstanding a part of a few of these songs, in addition to synth orchestration and actually eerie, dissonant, pissed off black steel affect. We’re doing all of this whereas making an attempt to inform a harmonic and lyrical story that retains the listener engaged and questioning what may occur subsequent.”
Alongside the album announcement, The Zenith Passage dropped new single “Lexicontagion.” Concerning the monitor, they stated:
“‘Lexicontagion’ is a illustration of your entire musical spectrum from the band. It’s a track that takes you on a loopy journey, with quick speeds and sudden turns, whereas sustaining a well-known motif all through the piece. We needed to focus on the dynamics of the band on a compositional stage and manufacturing stage. So there’s numerous depth to it, the place the listener can uncover a brand new component to the music upon every hear. Which is the case for your entire document, it’s a wild experience.”
Hearken to the brand new single beneath.
Datalysium Monitor Itemizing:
- The Axiom Of Error
- Algorithmic Salvation
- Synaptic Depravation
- Deletion Cult
- Divinertia I
- Divinertia II
- Automated Twilight
5/15/2023 Backstage Bar – Las Vegas, NV w/ Allegaeon
5/16/2023 Full Circle Brewery – Fresno, CA w/ Allegaeon
5/17/2023 Previous Ironsides – Sacramento, CA w/ Allegaeon
5/18/2023 Bossanova Ballroom – Portland, OR w/ Allegaeon
5/19/2023 Modified Ghost Competition – Vancouver, BC w/ Allegaeon
5/20/2023 The Huge Dipper – Spokane, WA
5/22/2023 Ribald Brewing – Nevada Metropolis, CA
5/23/2023 Neck Of The Woods – San Francisco, CA
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Contrary to a widely popular feel-good myth, Canada did not reject participation in the U.S.-led "Ballistic Missile Defence" (BMD) weapons program. Unfortunately, BMD is still very much alive and well and thriving in Canada. In fact, Canada has been complicit in BMD for many years. Our contributions to BMD have even surpassed the efforts of many other nations that have, at least, been honest enough to admit their involvement.
So, although Canada has not "officially" joined this "Coalition of the Willing," it has long been deeply engaged in creating, designing, researching, developing, testing, maintaining, and operating numerous crucial BMD systems. Billions of Canadian tax dollars have been spent aiding and abetting domestic war industries, government scientists, and military personnel that are thoroughly embedded in U.S., NORAD, and NATO-led BMD efforts.
Since February 2005, when the corporate media parroted our government's nice-sounding but completely meaningless proclamation against BMD, this myth has been repeated ad nauseum by a compliant media, and, sadly, by some key peace movement activists. In fact, our government never actually did a thing to prevent Canada's further entrenchment in the biggest weapons-development program in world history. Neither have any steps been taken to slow down, let alone halt, these ongoing Canadian examples of complicity in BMD.
Since August 5, 2004, when Canada initiated an amendment to the NORAD treaty, we have supported this pact's BMD mission with money and armed forces personnel. However, the NORAD link to BMD is probably the least offensive of Canada's many contributions to this weapons program. In fact, NORAD's BMD efforts help to trick the public into supporting BMD by deceiving them with the myth that these weapons are for defending North America from attack by terrorists and rogue states.
Far more troubling is Canada's little-known contribution to NATO's BMD efforts. Just weeks after Canada’s spurious "no" to BMD in February 2005, the media all but ignored NATO's announcement that it was building its own Theatre BMD system. The bigger story, also still ignored by the mainstream media, is that Canada was among the handful of nations leading NATO's decade-long BMD efforts through projects called CAESAR and MAJIIC. These efforts to increase “interoperability” among NATO's leading military nations have repeatedly used simulated data from Canada's RADARSAT-2 satellite during major BMD war-games, in preparation for future war-time use of BMD technologies.
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT)
Two days after Canada "just said no" to BMD, then-Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew told CBC Radio that Canada supported America’s “missile defence” choice. Furthermore, he said he would “be very pleased” for Canadian companies getting BMD contracts. For many decades, DFAIT has proudly helped Canadian corporations obtain billions in lucrative U.S. war contracts.
Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
The CSA funds Canadian industries involved in militarizing space, including BMD efforts. Its crowning achievement was sponsoring the $600-million RADARSAT-2 for launch this December. Unique technology aboard this space-based radar was developed by Canadian scientists in collaboration with America's Ballistic Missile Defence Organization (BMDO). Top U.S. war-fighters consider it the "Holy Grail" for future Theatre BMD applications and eagerly await using its targeting functions in pre-emptive, first-strike attacks against alleged “enemy” missile sites.
Industry Canada (IC)
This department has handed $5 billion to Canadian war industries, including some involved in BMD. At a 2004 war industry conference/arms bazaar in Alberta, IC's “senior investment officer [for] defence industries" ranked BMD as first among five “strategic business opportunities," and gave industry delegates the name and e-mail of IC's “BMD officer.” While Industry Minister David Emerson (now International Trade Minister) spoke glowingly of BMD's corporate benefits in 2000, he was a director of MacDonald Dettwiler & Assoc. (MDA), then owned by major BMD rocket-maker America's Orbital Sciences. When Canada's billion-dollar RADARSAT program was privatized to MDA, its data was sold to Pentagon and CIA buyers by another Orbital subsidiary run by retired U.S. military men who had spent decades promoting BMD weapons.
Department of National Defence (DND)
A jointly-funded DND-Dutch program has created an infrared weapons sensor called SIRIUS that firmly wedges Canada’s foot in the BMD door. DND wants SIRIUS aboard Canadian warships to ensure deeper integration into the U.S. Navy's AEGIS system, the backbone of America's sea-based BMD weapons.
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)
For decades, our government has spent billions funding military scientists developing technologies to fulfill our allies' military needs. At DRDC's six world-class laboratories, our war scientists work closely with their U.S. counterparts on important BMD projects like infrared sensors, high-frequency radar, and RADARSAT-2 data exploitation.
National Research Council
Scientists at this Crown corporation collaborate with U.S. BMD agencies on cutting-edge, space-based Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors that enable BMD weapons to distinguish between missiles and decoys.
Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
The CPP still forces Canadians to invest billions in many of the world’s top weapons producers, including “The Big Four” BMD contractors: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman.
Most, if not all, of the following Canadian war industries involved in the BMD weapons program have enjoyed extensive financial support from our government:
ATCO Frontec Corp.: Arctec Services (a jointly-owned creature of Calgary’s ATCO Frontec and Alaska's Arctic Slope World Services) does all the "operations and maintenance" support services for the world’s most important BMD radar stations. This U.S. network, called the Solid State Phased Array Radar System (SSPARS), is used to track, assess, and target ballistic missiles. There are five SSPARS facilities in three countries: the U.S. (California, Massachusetts, Alaska), U.K. (Fylingdales) and Greenland (Thule). Since 1999, the company has received $41 million annually “to manage, operate, maintain, and logistically support” these SSPARS sites.
AUG Signals Ltd.: Toronto-based AUG Signals produces signal image and data-processing equipment for target recognition. A 2002 issue of Micronet News said AUG’s equipment is used for “early missile warning, detection recognition, and tracking, [and] anti-ballistic missile defense.” AUG has received funding from four Canadian government agencies: the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council, Defence Research and Development Canada,
the Department of National Defence, and the Canadian Space Agency. Its president, George Lampropoulos, was described by Ottawa Life Magazine as being "well known in certain circles for having developed high-precision multi-sensor systems for military [and] homeland security. . . applicable to maritime surveillance [and] battlefields” (March 2005).
Bristol Aerospace Ltd.: Bristol Aerospace of Winnipeg, a part of Magellan Aerospace Corp., produces target rockets, including Excalibur and Black Brant, for testing two major U.S. BMD-weapons systems and training the army units that fire them. Since 1999, Excalibur, a two-stage rocket, has been used in U.S. "live-fire" BMD war-games to test advanced Patriot missile systems that detect, track, and classify ballistic missiles. In 1999, Excaliburs were used at NORAD’s “Roving Sands Air Defence Firing Exercise” in New Mexico in “the first-ever Theatre Ballistic Missile target engagement.” They have been used in annual BMD exercises ever since. In 2002, Bristol designed a new Excalibur motor and announced a renewed five-year contract for U.S. Army tests.
Bristol was first contracted to create the Black Brant rocket in 1957 by a government agency called the Canadian Armaments Research and Development Establishment. The Black Brant has since been used by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. Since 1998, the U.S. has used Black Brants to collect data on tracking and targeting BMD weapons called Theatre High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). Black Brants have been regularly used in tests funded by the BMDO at New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range. They were also used at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia (2002-2003) to test air-, land-, space-, and sea-based sensors for future BMD weapons being developed by the U.S. Missile Defence Agency (MDA).
CAE Ltd.: Since 2002, CAE of Montreal has had a BMD contract with Boeing to make computer-simulation products called STRIVE, ITEMS, and RAVE. Boeing, the “lead systems integrator” for the entire U.S. “missile defence” weapons program, is using CAE's products to design, create, assess, test, evaluate, and develop BMD weapons. This "simulation based design" or "computational prototyping" has put Canada at the leading edge of a global revolution in industrial design which, in this case, is fuelling the very creation of BMD weapons.
Probably best known as the world’s top war-technology simulation company, CAE makes synthetic environments for training war-fighters to use virtually every major weapons system in the U.S. arsenal. For this, CAE has been heavily subsidized by Canadian taxpayers, including at least $200 million from Industry Canada.
One top CAE executive, Donald Campbell, joined the company after 36 years in Canada’s DFAIT, where he was Liberal Deputy Foreign Minister, a Deputy Minister for International Trade, Jean Chrétien’s representative at G-8 Summits, and ambassador to Korea and Japan.
Another former CAE executive, and major cheerleader for the BMD-weapons program, is Derek Burney, a former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. who was Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s chief of staff.
CMC Electronics Cincinnati (CMC EC): Located in Mason, Ohio, this company makes “infrared detectors, imaging sensors, missile warning systems, space-launch vehicle products, and spacecraft electronics” (C4ISR Journal, June 21, 2004). Since at least 1998, it has been a supplier of electronic components for rockets used to test BMD-weapons. Between 1988 and 2004, CMC EC was owned by CMC Electronics of Montreal (formerly the Canadian Marconi Company). During that time, CMC EC and its parent company were controlled by Onex Corporation, Canada’s fourth biggest company.
Gerry Schwartz, the billionaire chairman, president, and CEO of Onex (which still controls CMC Electronics) was Paul Martin’s top fund-raiser, bringing in $11-million for his leadership campaign, including $4 million during one dinner in 2003 that CTV called “the largest political fund-raiser in Canadian history” (Dec. 10, 2003).
Cognos Inc.: Ottawa’s Cognos has, since 2001, provided "business intelligence solutions" for Boeing, which oversees the whole corporate BMD program. Cognos software handles “all aspects” of Boeing’s “financial and manufacturing operations,” including “cost management,” “financial planning,” “staffing,” and “factory management” (Cognos media release, Oct. 22, 2001).
Some may say that Cognos isn't strictly a war industry, and--technically--that's true. But Cognos does ensure that Boeing can smoothly manage such a colossally-complex industrial enterprise as the BMD weapons program. During World War II, International Business Machines wasn’t really a war industry, either, but it helped the Nazi war machine all the same. IBM supplied the "business intelligence solutions" that allowed Germany to identify millions of victims to be targeted, transported, and exterminated. Without IBM, the Nazis’ "final solution" would not have been possible. Similarly, Boeing could not possibly oversee the entire “missile defence” weapons-development program without the latest "business intelligence" from Cognos.
COM DEV Ltd.: In its 2004 annual report, fully loaded with images of smiling parents and babies, and ethnically-diverse classrooms with happy children, COM DEV proudly listed “missile defence” as one of the uses of its products. No, this Cambridge, Ontario, high-tech firm doesn't really make anything related to kids. COM DEV is actually a major producer of satellite-communications equipment. For example, it makes key components for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency Military Satellite Communications program, to which the former Liberal government allocated some $554 million. This program is essential to nuclear-war fighting and the use of “missile defence” weapons.
COM DEV was the only Canadian company acknowledged in U.S. Space Command’s mission statement of 1997, Vision for 2020, which infamously outlined American ambitions to create space weapons -- not for defensive purposes, but explicitly for fighting future resource-based wars on Earth.
DRS Technologies Canada Inc.: DRS of Carleton Place, near Ottawa, produces a “Naval Infrared Missile Defence System” called SIRIUS. This infrared sensor can detect Theatre Ballistic Missiles (TBMs) at launch hundreds of kilometres away, or as they re-enter the atmosphere at an altitude of 70 km. These qualities make SIRIUS extremely useful for targeting “missile defence” weapons. Since 1995, DRS (then Spar Aerospace Ltd.) has played a central role in creating and developing SIRIUS sensors for the Canadian and Dutch governments, for use aboard these governments’ warships. The Canadian government estimates that, by 2009, it will have spent $270 million to develop SIRIUS.
Mark Newman, the company’s CEO, has noted that DRS is “a key supplier of systems for missile defence that are critical for Canadian and allied international fleet operations” (Business Wire, May 2, 2000). DND will purchase SIRIUS sensors for our warships so the Canadian Navy, if requested, will be able to participate in U.S.-led “missile defence” operations.
Scientists at three DRDC facilities have earned their government pay-cheques by working on SIRIUS technology.
EMS Technologies Canada: The Space and Technologies branch of this company, based in St. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, makes electronic subsystems for the world's biggest BMD weapons contractors. The company was recognized for this crucial work by the influential business magazine Forbes (August 2001). Forbes highlighted three firms that it said would benefit most handsomely from President George W. Bush’s ardent support for the “missile defence” weapons program:
1) DRS Technologies (whose Canadian subsidiary builds SIRIUS), 2) L-3 Communications (which has since bought CMC Electronics), and 3) EMS Technologies. Forbes noted that the Quebec branch of EMS Technologies makes “hardware for space and satellite communications, radar, surveillance, and military countermeasures.”
The EMS website lists only four clients for its “Space & Technology” products. These clients are none other than the “Big Four” prime contractors for “missile-defence” weapons: “Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman rely on EMS to provide critical components for radar, secure communications, and electronic warfare systems.”
In 1998, EMS (then Spar's Satellite Products division) won a $90 million contract from MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) for the Synthetic Aperture Radar antenna and radar electronics package for RADARSAT-2, a Canadian satellite with "missile defence" applications.
ITS Electronics Inc.: Since at least 1998, ITS Electronics of Concord, Ontario, has built “low-phase noise amplifier products” for at least two major “missile defence” weapons: The ExoAtmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) and Theatre High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). And, since 1999, when DRDC gave ITS about $200,000, the company's role in the development of these BMD-related products has been directly--and proudly--supported by the Canadian government. The DRDC Annual Report for 1999-2000 notes that this DND R&D agency's projects “have resulted in” the ITS targeting products being used in both EKV and THAAD. These are the most high-profile, land-based “missile defence” weapons systems.
Nine of ITS's top 13 corporate clients are BMD-weapons contractors.
Over $1 million in government financing has flowed to ITS through at least three Canadian government agencies: DRDC, Industry Canada’s Technology Partnerships Canada, and NRC.
Lockheed Martin Canada (LMC): LMC is a subsidiary of the world’s biggest war industry, and the second biggest “missile defence” contractor. Its facilities in Ottawa and Montreal produce VISTA, an interactive weapons training and simulation system. Since 1998, LMC has been the sole-source supplier of VISTA to the U.S. It is used to train personnel on Lockheed Martin’s AEGIS Weapons System, which forms the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s entire “missile defence” weapons program.
VISTA was originally paid for with $90 million from Canadian taxpayers, for use aboard Canadian warships. It is now also used by Japan, Norway, South Korea, and Spain, whose navies are preparing for integration into U.S. “missile defence” operations. Like Canada, they have acquired BMD-compatible technologies and are taking part in BMD wargames. Although for many years Canada has also been doing all this, and much more, at least these other governments have admitted their part in the BMD “Coalition of the Willing.” Canada's government, however, is still in the closet and belongs instead to the “Coalition of the Unwilling-to-Admit-Involvement in BMD.”
MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates (MDA): MDA is the Vancouver-based company that took control of RADARSAT when the Liberal government privatized this satellite program. RADARSAT is probably Canada’s largest single contribution to the militarization of space and to U.S. war-fighting. It started under the Conservatives in the 1980s as a U.S.-Canadian government effort. Since then, Canadian taxpayers have paid almost 90% of $1.15 billion bill for these two satellites.
One of RADARSAT-2's future roles, once it is launched in December of this year, will be to target alleged ballistic missile sites for first-strike attacks by U.S. weapons. Such pre-emptive "counterforce" operations of Theatre Missile Defence will feature largely in future wars.
Meggitt Defence Systems Canada: For the past eight years, this Medicine Hat, Alberta company (formerly called Schreiner Target Services Canada) has been exporting its Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles to the U.S. military. These drones, called “The Vindicator II,” are used as targets in U.S. war-games staged to test the accuracy of the U.S. Navy's AEGIS BMD-Weapons Systems and their radar-tracking systems. Since 1999, Meggitt Canada’s targets have been used in at least 17 of these BMD weapons tests, which it calls “tracking and missile firing events.” These BMD "events" were conducted at U.S. weapons-testing ranges in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, California, and Virginia.
NovAtel Inc.: Between 2001 and 2003, NovAtel had three Advanced-Technology-Development contracts to export “Missile and Space Systems” to the U.S. government for the “Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation” of BMD-weapons systems. Novatel produces Global Positioning Systems (GPS). In its 2003 annual report, NovAtel revealed that its GPS technology was being used “in many military applications such as training, logistics, and missile tracking.”
Not surprisingly, much controversy has surrounded the U.S. MDA's use of targets containing GPS beacons. This is simply because, as a Pentagon official reluctantly admitted to Defense Week in 2001, “real warheads in an attack would not carry such helpful beacons.” Although in 1996, California-based physicist Nira Schwartz blew the whistle on U.S. war-industry giant TRW for faking “missile defence” tests, and was promptly fired, BMD testing still involves GPS beacons.
Since 1998, NovAtel has been owned by CMC Electronics. In 2001, controlling interest in CMC and NovAtel was taken over by ONEX Corp. This is the company run by Gerry Schwartz, a top Liberal party fund-raiser and advisor to Paul Martin.
In 2002, Industry Canada (IC) invested $17 million in CMC to assist its GPS program. Over the past three decades, IC programs have awarded over $100 million to CMC and its predecessor, Canadian Marconi, the parent company of Novatel.
QWIPTECH: Although QWIPTECH is a California-based company, it is wholly owned by Canada's QWIP Systems in Edmonton, Alberta. QWIPTECH makes Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIPs). QWIPs are extremely useful for targeting BMD weapons because they can detect missiles in space. Most importantly, space-based QWIP sensors can distinguish between real missiles and the decoys used to foil BMD weapons-targeting systems.
Dwight Duston became QWIPTECH’s chief scientist in 2000. He had worked for U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative Organization and its successor, the BMDO. NRC’s Dr. H.C. Liu also joined QWIPTECH in 2000, when he was appointed to its “Scientific Advisory Board.” Liu and other Canadian scientists at NRC and DRDC began working on QWIPs with their colleagues in the U.S. BMDO during the late 1990s. Since 2001, QWIPTECH has had “an exclusive worldwide license” for BMDO-funded QWIP detectors developed by NASA.
Telemus Inc.: Among the electronic-warfare instruments produced by Ottawa’s Telemus is something called the “Coho simulator.” This product is used in the design and testing of BMD-warhead targeting systems. Telemus has bragged on its website that this “Radar Target and Electronic Countermeasures simulation” equipment has been used in “applications in the development of seekers for ballistic missile defence.” "Seekers" are the homing or targeting systems used in the warheads of smart missiles. The Coho simulator is used by weapons designers who are developing targeting devices for the nose-cones of “missile defence” weapons. This Telemus equipment mimics the kind of radar signals emitted by the ballistic missiles that are to be targeted.
Telemus owes its very existence to the Canadian government's military agency DRDC, which funded its initial contracts in the mid-1980s. DRDC was then generous enough to hand over to Telemus the rights to various profitable patents and licensing agreements for publicly-funded war technology. Telemus is now owned by Northrop Grumman, the world’s fourth-largest BMD contractor.
* * *
Obviously, Canada is very involved in the BMD weapons program. The Canadian government's sham “no” to BMD was a duplicitous, hypocritical PR ruse cleverly designed, like a sleight-of-hand trick, to hide its BMD collaboration, defuse protests, quell internal Liberal Party dissent, and temporarily boost a faltering minority government.
Eager to claim victory, the NDP and some naive peace activists immediately welcomed the government's "no" without bothering to verify whether it had any substance. Since then, they have continued to spread the false but feel-good report that Canada rejected BMD. This trusting naiveté undermined and all but eliminated opposition to BMD in Canada.
To resuscitate Canada's anti-BMD movement, we must face the government's lie and stop living in myth-shrouded denial.
Until the mythology of Canada’s supposed rejection of BMD is thoroughly exposed and debunked, Canadians will have absolutely no chance of slowing down, let alone halting, Canada’s deep complicity in the offensive, war-fighting, BMD weapons program.
(Richard Sanders is the coordinator of the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade [COAT] and editor of its magazine Press for Conversion! This article summarizes some of his original research on Canada’s complicity in “missile defence,” which has been published in the last three issues of the COAT magazine. For subscriptions, please phone 613-231-3076, e-mail [email protected], or write to COAT, 541 McLeod Street, Ottawa, ON K1R 5R2. Check the COAT website, and the online slideshow about Canada's role in BMD, at http://coat.ncf.ca.)


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Many sectors of the economy have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but one of the sectors that has faced the greatest challenges in the U.S. is also one of the most critical: agriculture. Agriculture is an extremely important part of the US economy and critical to the food supply. North Carolina, while well known for its agriculture, ranks 8th nationally in fruit & vegetable production according to a new study
The early days and weeks of the pandemic were difficult for many agricultural businesses. The shutdowns created major disruptions for some of their primary customers. And much of the foodservice industry shut down overnight in March 2020. These businesses are one of the primary sales markets for farmers. Since then, agriculture has faced many of the same supply chain and labor challenges currently plaguing the rest of the economy. Supply chain breakdowns have meant that farms have been struggling to obtain supplies and equipment. Also, it has become more difficult to transport their products to customers. Labor force participation remains below pre-pandemic levels, especially in low-wage occupations, which has contributed to a shortage of pickers and other agricultural workers. And keep in mind that produce is perishable, so these issues have caused millions of pounds of produce to go to waste.
In recent years, the U.S. has been importing a large share of its fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, with imports totaling more than $24 billion in 2019. But with ongoing supply chain challenges worldwide, production closer to home will be important in maintaining the supply of food. These fruits and vegetables come from a relatively small number of states where agricultural production is highly concentrated. The leader among these states is California, which is responsible for nearly 70% of U.S. fruit and vegetable production by itself. California is joined by other Western states like Washington, Oregon, and Arizona among the leaders, along with highly agriculture-dependent states in the South and Midwest.
The data used in this analysis is from the USDA. All data shown is for the year 2019, the most recent available covering both fruits and vegetables. To identify the states producing the most fruits and vegetables, researchers at Commodity.com calculated the total production value of both fruit and nut crops as well as vegetable crops, measured in dollars. Researchers also calculated what percentage of total U.S. fruit, nut, and vegetable production is accounted for by each state. Only states with available agricultural data from the USDA were included in the study.
Here are the states producing the most fruits and vegetables:
For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Commodity.com’s website: https://commodity.com/blog/most-fruits-vegetables/

domain: food


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Serene Bed & Breakfast is a 3-storey building with modern comforts and a nice blend of Mediterranean theme colors and traditional Thai exotic touch. With only 8 en suites, each room has its own theme and unique design by talented artist who hand-painted each room with his master piece of arts reflecting beauty of nature, Thai ways of living in rural area, floral, and even the under water of Andaman Sea. Each bathroom has water jar in striking color for those who would like to explore the Thai bathing way in addition to the regular shower unit. The color of water jar in each room inspires the theme color and the décor in each room that blend so well into a private and simple contemporary stylish living quarter.
Serene Bed & Breakfast is an ideal place for total relaxation and peace of mind for tourists who will enjoy sipping tea or coffee by the pool side watching and feeding Carp fish in the pond or enliven yourself with traditional Thai massage to pamper your sense after a long day sightseeing or from work.
Try one of our en suites to appreciate the talent of our wall-paint artist with matching décor that is carefully designed and selected for each room.


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Denver Office Market Report Q2 2020
The shape of Colorado's economic recovery will largely be determined by how quickly, and how many, Coloradans get back to work this quarter.
In a surprise turn of events, the Denver metro area added 30,000 jobs during the month of May, according to the latest monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nonfarm unemployment rate drew closer to 10%, well below the national average, making Denver a consistent outperformer in good times and bad.
Denver's above-average concentration of office-using jobs appears to have softened the blow to the local economy, as many office employees have the capability to work from home. At the same time, many of Denver's oil and gas companies occupy large blocks of office space in the CBD, which could lead to more volatility in the office market.


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From Our Editors
It might be time to switch up your regular weekend routine. Canterbury Recreation in Richmond has you covered. At Canterbury Recreation, you can learn quick and effective kickboxing techniques that will tone and enhance your body.
Parking is plentiful, so patrons can feel free to bring their vehicles.


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- By Jenna Kunze
Speaking to boarding school survivors and their descendants on Friday, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak (D) apologized for the state’s role in the government’s forced assimilation of Native youth into Indian Boarding Schools.
“Though it was the federal government that established a policy to ‘kill the Indian to save the man,’ it was the state of Nevada that sold the bonds to fund this school, and it’s the state that now manages much of this land,” Sisolak said in Carson City, Nevada at the site of a former boarding school--the Stewart Indian School--now a cultural center and museum. “On the behalf of this state I want to make an apology.
Nevada housed at least three boarding schools for Native youth out of more than 406 across the country, according to the most recent count from The Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition’s Denise Lajimodiere.
Now, Sisolak said the state is fully cooperating in the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland launched in June to identify boarding school facilities and known or potential burial sites near the schools, as well as the identities and tribal affiliations of the students who were taken to the schools. The initiative was prompted by the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada, according to the Interior Department.
To date, it is unknown exactly how many Indian boarding schools operated in the United States, how many children went through them, and how many children died while attending them.
"It is a tragedy that it has taken so long for the federal government to undertake an honest accounting of an immoral program that existed here for generations," the governor said.
Executive director of the Nevada Indian Commission, Stacey Montooth (Walker River Paiute Nation) also spoke at the event. According to the Reno Gazette Journal, Montooth told the media and visitors she would help spearhead the task of searching for government records and identifying names and tribal affiliations of children buried at the former boarding schools.
According to a local report from August in the Reno News & Review, the graveyard adjacent to Stewart Indian School contains more than 170 unmarked graves of students who died there.
“They ripped babies from the arms of my ancestors and brought them thousands of miles to this campus,” Montooth said on Friday. “The intent was to absolutely remove all aspects of Native American culture, but I’m still here.”
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domain: sociology


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Throughout her career, Roni Horn has combined literature and art, turning her audience into what she calls "reader/viewers." "I'm especially interested in those divergent experiences," Horn has said. "That’s what I'm after. Similar things in different forms are completely different things.” Here, two slabs, each bearing the word "tiger," are presented as sculptures to be read. Together they provide the first two words of William Blake's 1794 poem "The Tiger."
Gallery label from Against the Grain: Contemporary Art from the Edward R. Broida Collection, May 3–July 10, 2006.


Low-melting glass with an optimal composition should be developed for application to Cu electrodes in multilayered ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). This study evaluated the glass transition temperature, plating solution resistance, and wettability of glass melts on Cu substrates for low-melting glass with a conventional composition and compositions of BaO, TiO2, ZnO, and V2O5 added to 46SiO2/27B2O3/27Na2O (mol%). Moreover, we produced a Cu electrode paste for an MLCC using the designed glasses and evaluated the characteristics in terms of terminal electrode sintering. The plating solution resistance was improved by adding TiO2 to 46SiO2/27B2O3/22Na2O/5BaO (mol%) glass. Furthermore, adding V2O5 improved the glass melt fluidity while maintaining the plating solution resistance, thereby improving the Cu base wettability. Compared with conventional glass, the 45.0SiO2/17.6B2O3/16.6Na2O/4.9BaO/2.1V2O5/8.8TiO2/4.9ZnO (mol%) composition formed glasses with low transition temperatures, good Cu wettabilities, and superior plating solution resistances. The fired film of the Cu electrode paste using this new glass was inferior in sintering as compared with the conventional glass and did not become densified. As a result of measuring the amount of carbon in the fired film, it was found that the new glass has a larger amount of residual carbon than the conventional glass. In addition, a reaction layer with ceramic is confirmed in the new glass, and there is concern about ceramic embrittlement due to crystal precipitation and cracks. For practical use of new glass as an electrode paste material, removal of residual carbon and suppression of ceramic reaction are considered to be future issues.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Materials Science(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering


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Fat Lava Pendant Lamp
An orange and brown German ceramic Fat Lava West German Pottery pendant ceiling lamp, glazed outside and inside. Design Period - 1960 to 1969. A professional electrician has rewired this piece to be in working order.
Plug Type: UK Plug (up to 250V)
Dimensions: 33cm H x 31cm D

domain: design