#Energy saving glass Northern beaches

[screendoor-s]

Screen Doors in Brookvale: Enhancing Comfort and Security

Brookvale, nestled in Sydney's Northern Beaches region, is known for its picturesque landscapes and laid-back lifestyle. As residents of this vibrant suburb enjoy the beauty of nature, they also seek ways to enhance the comfort and security of their homes. Screen doors are a popular choice for homeowners in Brookvale, offering a practical solution for enjoying fresh air while keeping insects and intruders at bay. Let's explore the benefits and options of screen doors in Brookvale and how they contribute to the livability of homes in this idyllic community.

1. Types of Screen Doors

Screen doors come in various styles and materials to suit different preferences and architectural styles. In Brookvale, homeowners can choose from a range of screen door options, including:

Sliding Screen Doors: Ideal for patio or balcony entrances, sliding screen doors offer ease of use and seamless integration with existing sliding glass doors. They allow homeowners in Brookvale to enjoy unobstructed views while providing ventilation and insect protection.

Hinged Screen Doors: Hinged screen doors are a classic choice for front or back entrances in Brookvale homes. They swing open on hinges, allowing for easy access and airflow while keeping bugs and debris out. Hinged screen doors come in single or double door configurations to accommodate different entryways.

Retractable Screen Doors: Retractable screen doors are a versatile option for homeowners in Brookvale who want the flexibility to open or close their screen doors as needed. These doors feature a retractable mesh panel that can be pulled across the doorway when desired and retracted into a discreet housing when not in use.

Security Screen Doors: For added peace of mind, security screen doors provide enhanced protection against intruders while still allowing airflow and visibility. These doors feature reinforced frames and mesh screens that are resistant to forced entry, making them an excellent choice for homes in Brookvale concerned about security.

2. Benefits of Screen Doors

Screen doors offer a range of benefits that make them a valuable addition to homes in Brookvale:

Insect Protection: With Brookvale's warm climate and lush greenery, insects can be a nuisance for homeowners. Screen doors provide an effective barrier against mosquitoes, flies, and other pests, allowing residents to enjoy fresh air without the hassle of bugs.

Improved Ventilation: Screen doors allow for increased airflow throughout the home, promoting natural ventilation and reducing the need for artificial cooling systems. This helps create a comfortable indoor environment while saving energy and reducing utility costs for homeowners in Brookvale.

Enhanced Security: In addition to insect protection, screen doors can also enhance the security of homes in Brookvale. Security screen doors provide an additional layer of defence against intruders, deterring break-ins and protecting valuable belongings and loved ones.

Increased Natural Light: By allowing natural light to filter into the home, screen doors help brighten indoor spaces and create a more inviting atmosphere. This can improve mood and productivity for residents of Brookvale, enhancing their overall quality of life.

3. Customization and Style

Screen doors can be customised to complement the aesthetic of any home in Brookvale. Homeowners can choose from a variety of frame finishes, mesh options, and hardware accessories to create a screen door that matches their architectural style and personal preferences. Whether it's a sleek modern design or a classic traditional look, screen doors can be tailored to enhance the curb appeal and value of homes in Brookvale.

4. Professional Installation and Maintenance

To ensure optimal performance and longevity, it's important to have screen doors professionally installed and maintained. Screen door installation experts in Brookvale can accurately measure door openings, recommend the appropriate screen door type, and install the door securely for reliable operation. Regular maintenance, such as cleaning the screens and lubricating hinges, can help extend the life of screen doors and keep them operating smoothly for years to come.

Conclusion

In conclusion, screen doors are a practical and versatile solution for homeowners in Brookvale seeking to enhance comfort, security, and style in their homes. With a variety of options available, including sliding, hinged, retractable, and security screen doors, residents can find the perfect screen door to suit their needs and preferences. By enjoying insect protection, improved ventilation, enhanced security, and increased natural light, homeowners in Brookvale can make the most of their indoor-outdoor living experience while adding value to their homes. With professional installation and maintenance, screen doors can provide years of reliable performance and enjoyment for residents of this beautiful suburb in Sydney's Northern Beaches.

[lesbianlemoncakes]

Daensa WIP for SapphicSansaFest

A little while back I was writing a Daensa Beauty and the Beast AU. Since it’s sapphicsansafest, I decided to post it. 

Sublime. Simply sublime. This cacophony of a woman, of scales and soft curls crashing together like plates of the earth, creating a tall, jagged mountain topped with snow that looks soft enough to sleep on. Sublime, like the vast darkness of space, sprinkled with stars, and planets, and moons- millions of lifetimes away, yet sparkling all the same. Sublime, like moonlight dancing atop the swirling waters of the sea, dark and terrible, ready to kill anything that dares go near. Sublime, like the faces bleeding tears in the trees of the Godswood, like the bold red leaves against the summer’s frost. Sublime, like heaven and hell meeting at last, like glowing angel wings looking down upon a never ending world of fire and screams. Simply sublime. 

This woman is a beast, Sansa thought, with dark scales, pointed teeth, sharp talons, and a jagged spine. Yet her eyes are lavender, like the pretty little flowers in the glass gardens, and her hair is the color of frosting on lemon cakes. There was something delicate about her face, her plump lips and soft jawline, that reminded her of maidens fair in all the songs she holds so dear. That delicacy was harshened, however, by an anger that turned sweet lavender and lemon cakes to bitter poison.

“Take me instead,” Sansa said, her voice, her body, and her mind as fragile as porcelain, her hands shaking as she desperately held onto what little of her father she could reach.

For a second, that furious face disappeared and unveiled what Sansa unusuredly assumed was shock.

 “You,” For the first time since she had arrived, Sansa felt the woman’s eyes look at her- truly look at her- and it felt as if Sansa’s entire being had been suddenly lit ablaze “You would take his place?”

Sansa took a deep breath, and, with the smallest nod of her head, said “Yes.”

“No!” Sansa felt her father’s hand suddenly seize her, as if she were about to fall and clutching her shoulder was the only way to save her from certain death “Sansa, I- you don’t-”

By now, Sansa had turned her head to look at her father. Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North, the man with tired eyes and a face more stoic and unmovable than any of the statues in the crypts. The Lord of Winterfell, who had fought in two wars, and who carried the sword of his ancestors, a fearsome blade heavier than the weight of those he had lost. Her father, who had  lost both of his parents, his brother, and his sister in such rapid succession, and had never once broken down in front of their immortalized stone figures. At least, not once that he had ever let his children see. The look he gave her now sent chills down Sansa’s spine.

He took a deep breath “Sansa, please, don’t do this.” The hand that had held her so tightly now let go, and softly cupped her face “I would rather spend a thousand lifetimes in a dungeon than see you in here for even a moment.”

Sansa closed her eyes, her only protection from a river or tears, and snuggled her head against her father’s hand. She could feel so many calluses now pressed against her cheek, and flecks of dirt rubbing off onto her skin. But the touch was so gentle, so warm against the cold air that Sansa did not mind.

“But father you are needed,” Sansa said, quiet so that only he could hear “So many people look to you for leadership and guidance. So many people will suffer from your absence.”

Sansa’s eyes flicked open to see her father looking at her, his eyes glancing at each of her small features, as if he were trying to memorize them. His hand reached for her hair, and he ran his fingers through it. Sansa remembered her mother once saying how much he loved her hai.

“My sweet girl,” He took a labored breath “I love you.”

Visions of a future flashed by in Sansa’s mind. She saw herself returning to the beach, and the anger, betrayal, and despair on Arya’s face at the loss of their father. She saw Lady Catelyn, sitting alone in the Lord’s Chambers, heavy bags under her eyes and tears on her cheeks, unable to muster the energy to wipe them away. She saw Robb, a heavy cloak on his shoulders and Ice in his hand, turning to look at a room full of northern lords, all vowing to join him in battle. She saw Bran, sweet Bran who dreamed of knighthood, trying to enter the fray in any way he could, and little Rickon running around the castle, frantically searching for his father and brothers, who may never return.

“I love you,” Sansa whispered back.

“Enough of this!” The woman yelled, her shouts cutting through the air like knives “Make your choice: who will stay?”

Sansa saw her father open his mouth to speak, and before he could say anything, quickly declared “I will stay!”

“Done.” There was a pause as she turned towards the only exit, and subsequently shouted in a foreign tongue.

[garkomedia1]

The 10 Most Eco-Friendly Luxury Hotels for Earth Day – Robb Report

With constant news of a climate in peril, some of the world’s most luxurious properties are joining the green revolution with a variety of inventive techniques. Many hotels are making a start with simple methods such as switching plastic straws for the paper variety, and providing guests with drinking water from reusable glass bottles, however, we’ve found a few resorts around the globe that don’t think that’s nearly enough.

From anti-poaching initiatives in South Africa and coral-reef restoration projects in Mexico, to solar panels in the Maldives that help offset the equivalent of hundreds of flights per year, these 10 resorts are going above and beyond in an effort to make every day Earth Day.

  Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Baa Atoll, Maldives

Considering it’s set in the aquamarine waters of the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has an added level of environmental responsibility—one which it takes very seriously. So seriously in fact that the resort recently installed 3,105 solar panels on the rooftops of its staff village, making it one of the country’s largest resort-based solar installations. The perennial sunshine bathing the island nation means the panels will help power the resort’s guest rooms and electric golf carts, and amounts to an annual savings of 300,000 liters of diesel and 800 tons of CO2—the equivalent of 544 flights between London and the Maldivian capital of Malé each year.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru  Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

The Datai Langkawi is surrounded by the ancient gnarled trees, hanging vines and canopies of a 10-million-year-old rainforest. With that kind of natural environment to protect, it’s clear why the resort’s 2018 renovation, led by architect Kerry Hill and interior designer Didier Lefort of DL2A, focused heavily on sustainability. The new on-site nature center is run by a team of dedicated naturalists and marine biologists who not only lead workshops and nature walks for guests, but have launched the “Fish for The Future” program, creating artificial reefs that provide a sustainable ecosystem for local fisheries.

The Data Langkawi’s “Fish for The Future” program  Photo: Eric Martin/Le Figaro Magazine/2019

Trisara, Phuket, Thailand

Named for a Sanskrit word that means “the garden in the third heaven,” Trisara is practically nirvana—and not only for its striking infinity pool villas, white-sand beach and emerald hillside location. Its high-concept restaurant PRU, presided over by chef Jim Ophorst, was bestowed with Phuket’s first Michelin star in 2018, and is a promised land for eco-conscious foodies. All ingredients on the six- or eight-course rotating menu are sourced entirely from within Thailand, and mainly from Trisara’s very own four-acre organic farm, which uses natural pesticide alternatives and compost from the restaurant’s leftovers.

A pool villa at Trisara  Photo: Courtesy of Trisara

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Giving back to the local community is paramount to the ethos of Fairmont Mayakoba, even if that community is one of the world’s largest aggregate collections of whale sharks whose home is the Mesoamerican Reef offshore from the hotel’s dazzling stretch of sugary beach. In partnership with Oceanus AC, a Mexican organization focused on coral reef reforestation, the resort is allowing guests to get involved in the combat against coral bleaching and loss of marine habitats by participating in coral reef reforestation and adoption programs.

Fairmont Mayakoba  Photo: Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

Amanzoe, Porto Heli, Greece

Melding with the ancient land, culture and people of the Peloponnese is the concept behind Amanzoe, Aman’s Porto Heli resort that resembles a modern Grecian temple. With a belief that supporting the local community promotes true sustainability for the area, the property (which is a Robb Report Best of the Best winner) runs a multitude of waste-reduction initiatives, including one that donates used guest slippers, worn staff uniforms, bed linens and room curtains to the KESO Institute, which teaches unemployed women how to sew. The donations are then artfully transformed into new items, thus create jobs for the women, and importantly, keeping the old textiles from ending up in a landfill.

Amanzoe  Photo: Courtesy of Man

Tortuga Bay Hotel, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Tortuga Bay Hotel set within the Puntacana Resort & Club is famed for soft sand, lapping turquoise waters and jaunty yellow villas with interiors designed by the late Oscar de La Renta. But the complex is also making waves in the area of sustainability. The Puntacana Resort & Club’s not-for-profit foundation has embarked on multiple ambitious environmental projects to reduce their footprint, including a zero-waste program that vastly reduces items being sent to landfills, expanding its wastewater treatment plant which returns 100 percent of the water to irrigation purposes. In 2018, the resort also opened the Caribbean’s first Center for Marine Innovation.

Tortuga Bay Hotel  Photo: Courtesy of Tortuga Bay Hotel

Thanda Safari, South Africa

Set 160 miles north of the South African city of Durban, Thanda safari lodge sits on a 34,600-acre Big Five private game reserve with a luxury tented camp, bush suites, and a massive private villa complete with a helipad. The lodge takes its name from the language of the local Zulu people—thanda means “love,” and that’s just what the property is showing South Africa’s population of rhinos. In collaboration with Project Rhino KZN, an organization dedicated to anti-poaching and conservation programs, Thanda lets guests participate in the Thanda Safaris Ulwazi Research & Volunteer Program, which tracks and darts rhinos for identification purposes before releasing them back into their habitat. Since it’s launch, the program has been successful in saving dozens of rhinos from poaching.

Tracking and darting rhinos with Thanda Safaris.  Photo: Christian Sperka

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi, Finland

Finland was recently named the world’s happiest country according to the 2019 World Happiness Report, an accolade it has won for two years running. A connection with nature is claimed to be the reason behind this high-level cheer, a statement the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel embodies daily. The Northern Lights are a frequent visitor aglow eerily above the streamlined, geometric glass-and-wood houses, all constructed of sustainable Finnish wood that the property contributes to maintaining by planting 5,000 to 10,000 new seedlings per year in the surrounding forest.

Arctic TreeHouse  Photo: Courtesy of Arctic TreeHouse

Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Opened in fall 2018, the goal of the new Six Senses Uluwatu is to blend entirely within the natural surroundings of Bali’s southwest coast. This paragon of sustainable architecture was built on land carved from a sea-hugging limestone cliff, and then entirely reconstructed in a futuristic design using the same limestone. All resort furniture was sourced from sustainable wood found within local regions of Bali. Water also plays a leading role in the hotel’s ambiance, and the water features that permeate the resort grounds are fed by a mix of rainwater catchment and resort wastewater treated at the on-site water treatment plant.

Six Senses Uluwatu  Photo: Courtesy of Six Senses

andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana

Resorts set in the most remote locations are often champions of sustainability, not only from a desire to do right by the planet, but also out of sheer necessity. AndBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is no exception. Bordering the vast Moremi Game Reserve, the lodge uses 63 percent renewable energy from an on-site solar plant. Perishable products that must be flown in from elsewhere are transported in specially designed, reusable cooling containers, eliminating the use of the single-use plastics and Styrofoam often used in food freight. Additionally, plans for 2020 include installing a bottling plant to eliminate 100 percent of plastic water bottles.

A game drive at andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.  Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://hashtaghighways.com/2019/04/20/the-10-most-eco-friendly-luxury-hotels-for-earth-day-robb-report/

[electricadrianaaa-blog]

Checklist: The most important backpack stuff

You want to go backpacking, but what do you take with you? During your backpack trip you need other things than when you go on a sun holiday or city trip. How about a sleeping bag or a tent? Regardless of whether you travel for a few weeks or longer, with our tips and this backpack checklist you will have everything you need during your trip.

For the first time backpacking you need to do quite a lot of shopping. The advantage is that you can use these backpacks with every new trip. This way you don't have to worry about walking in your shoes the second time you bring them with you. Which gear you need is partly determined by your destination, but there are a number of things you need all over the world.

The most important backpack items

1. Identification and travel documents We don't have to tell you to bring your passport. A bank card is also essential, and a credit card can also be very useful. Don't forget to bring your driving licence and possibly an international driving licence. Other important travel documents are vaccination certificates, travel insurance documents, visas and your medical passport - you can request these from the GGD or your doctor. The most important documents can be conveniently stored in a travel wallet.

2. Luggage organizers and labels for your luggage With luggage organizers you can divide everything you take with you into handy bags or cases. Not only can you organize clothing, but also accessories such as toiletries and possibly the accessories of your camera. Luggage tags are not only useful during a flight or train ride, but also to recognize your backpack when it lies between several backpacks in a hostel.

3. Tent A tent is not only your bedroom during nights in the wilderness, it is also a piece of protection against the elements. Many backpackers set out with a two-person tent for that extra bit of space. These tents usually weigh between 1 and 2.5 kilos, but there are models that are even lighter. If you decide to travel from hostel to hostel, you could also backpack without a tent.

4. Backpack and daypack Backpacking is not called backpacking for nothing - you go out with a backpack. Just like tents, backpacks vary from very light to heavier sturdy models that allow you to comfortably carry more kilos. Don't forget to bring a 'daypack': a smaller backpack with the most important stuff for that day. So you don't have to carry your entire backpack with every activity.

5. Sleeping bag Your sleep is extremely important if you want to resume your journey fresh and fruity the next day. A good sleeping bag is probably the most expensive thing you buy for your trip, but if used properly it can last for years. Sleeping bags come in many shapes and sizes. From soft plush for cold regions like Scandinavia to a lightweight summer duvet for warm climates like South America. You can also buy a slim sleeping bag or a spacious sleeping bag. Our tip: don't save on your sleeping bag!

6. Sleeping mat After choosing your sleeping bag, it is to choose a sleeping mat. A sleeping mat is mainly meant to prevent your body from coming into contact with the cold ground. How well insulated a sleeping mat is is expressed in R, which stands for thermal resistance. The higher the R value, the more insulation the sleeping mat offers.

7. Jacket and possibly raincoat A good coat is indispensable during your trip. In warm climates, a light jacket can be enough to protect you from the weather and dirt. In colder climates, a good jacket is even more important. Unless you go backpacking through the desert, a raincoat is also an important piece of clothing to take along. Even if no rain is predicted, there is no harm in bringing at least a waterproof poncho. If you're going to spend a long time in heavy weather, a hard shell jacket can be a smart choice. These are made to protect you from severe weather like storms for a longer period of time. For most backpackers, however, a softshell jacket offers enough protection.

8. Walking shoes Bring good walking shoes and don't forget to walk in a few weeks before departure. Are you planning on walking a lot in a warm climate? Then you can also consider a pair of sturdy slippers such as Birkenstocks. They won't replace your walking shoes, but it can be very nice to let your feet air without bothering your feet or back.

9. Pocket knife A good pocket knife is indispensable during backpacking. So you always have a serrated knife, nail scissors, bottle opener and much more within reach!

10. Garbage bag One of the best tips we've ever had: take a garbage bag with you. A garbage bag takes up almost no space, and always comes in handy. You can use it to sit on when the ground is wet or to store wet clothes.

11. Sunglasses Sunglasses come in handy in every climate. Make sure you bring good sunglasses with UV protection, so that the eyes and skin around your eyes do not get irritated if you spend a longer period of time in the bright sun. Also bring a sturdy storage bag, so your sunglasses won't be damaged if they're wandering around somewhere in your backpack.

12. Sunscreen and aftersun In warmer climates, sunburn and aftersun are essential. If too much skin is burnt, it can make you sick, and if it burns heavily, even blisters can appear on the skin. Instead of aftersun, you can also use a wet cloth to cool the skin when burned.

13. Neck cushion Especially if you get on the plane several times a month during your trip, a nap can be a good way to shorten the journey. Domestic flights in countries like Australia can just take a few hours. There is also a chance that you will have to bridge a night during your outward or return journey. A neck cushion is not a luxury if you want to sleep in a hare while flying!

14. Health kit Think of a first aid kit, which you can supplement with a strip of paracetamol and diarrhoea inhibitors. Don't forget to bring anti-mosquito spray or pest repellent. To prevent dehydration in case of diarrhoea or nausea, you may want to take ORS with you. With this you can quickly fill a lack of water, sugars and salt.

15. Toiletries Besides a well-equipped first aid kit, the standard toiletries are also a must during your backpack trip. Think of a (new) toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shower gel, body wipes and hand-disinfectant. Tweezers can also be very useful if they are not on your Swiss pocket knife. Don't forget to bring a sturdy toiletry bag to store everything. Do you wear lenses or glasses? To be on the safe side, bring along reserves

16. Cap In many places in the world it can cool down considerably at night. A hat can be very comfortable while sitting under a clear starry sky around a campfire. If you quickly get cold hands or travel to a colder climate, gloves are also indispensable.

17. World plug, socket and power bank By bringing a world plug and socket, you can charge all your devices with one world plug. You simply plug your devices into the Dutch socket, which you can power anywhere in the world thanks to a world plug. Are you away from a power outlet for a longer period of time? Then take a power bank with you on a trip!

18. Camera During your trip you want to capture the most beautiful beaches and places of course. Nowadays we all have a camera with us on our smartphone. Whether you need a camera depends mainly on the quality of your smartphone camera and how important it is to you. Even the most expensive smartphones can't compete with the sharpness and clarity of even a simple compact camera, but it's an extra accessory to take with you.

A single camera is usually better at taking pictures in dark environments. Are you going to a region with clear skies and lots of sunlight? Then a smartphone camera is a great way to take photos for a photo book. Do you also want to take photos in the evening or capture the northern lights on the sensitive image? Then a separate camera may be worth considering.

19. Cooker Whether you need cooking utensils depends very much on your way of travelling. For example, if you travel from hostel to hostel in Southeast Asia, you can go to cheap local eateries where you can eat well. If you go backpacking in Scandinavia, a camping stove can be indispensable. These vary from small compact for a quick snack (some weigh less than 2 grams) to robust and powerful for a whole meal. Important considerations are the type of edge fabric and the design of the cooker.

Think carefully about what you are going to prepare on the way. Will you only use it for quick meals and alternate with local eateries? Do you want to be able to make coffee on the go? You can eat warm meals directly from the packaging, but for ingredients you need a pan again. Make sure you buy it separately or it's an all-in-one system. Don't forget to bring a lighter and cutlery!

20. Snacks Meals are important, but snacks are just as important! During a trip in the jungle a biscuit or cracker can give you just that little bit of energy to get through the afternoon in a good mood. Because it is dried, it can also be kept for a very long time. Make sure you don't take too salty cookies, because that only makes you thirsty. Fortunately, healthy snacks have become more and more popular in recent years, so there is plenty of choice for a delicious snack during your trip.

21. Water bottle and water filter Water is essential during your trip or activity. You can bring a traditional drinking bottle, but there are also special bottles with hoses with which you can drink while walking. Make sure that your plastic water bottle is BPA-free and that thermos are made of stainless steel. By taking a water filter with you, you will always have clean drinking water nearby. Especially in areas where animal or human waste is dumped in nature, a water filter is not an unnecessary luxury. There are water filters that work with gravity, but there are also handy press filters with which you can quickly fill a bottle.

22. Headlight The latest and our favorite accessory is a headlamp. If you ever forget it, it won't happen to you a second time. When exploring caves or going on nightly trips, a strong headlamp is no luxury. Most backpackers, however, only need a simple headlamp of a few tens. Before buying, look at the number of lumens, (the amount of light the lamp can generate) and the battery life. Don't forget to bring extra batteries!

Other stuff

These are the most important things to take along, but of course there are plenty of other things you can take along. Think of a good book or headphones for music, but also lip balm if you quickly suffer from dry lips. Depending on how active you are during your adventure, you can also bring a hiking shirt, hiking pants and light jacket on long treks. In areas with little or no range, it can be useful to bring a compass or GPS for easy navigation. If you like to walk, a mini folding seat can also be a great accessory to take with you. It weighs almost nothing and is often so compact that it won't bother you if it hangs on your backpack or daypack. After a long walk to the top of that beautiful hill, the whole group will be jealous of your seat, while they have to sit with their backs in the wet grass.

[australianservices1]

Sydney Removalist Checklist – What you need to know

Is there such a thing as stress-free moving? Many people dread moving to a new place as things are lost or damaged during transport and their lives are disrupted for at least a week. At Happy Moving, we guarantee that moving to a new home can be an exciting experience if you use the services of a reliable Sydney removalist.

However, a stress-free moving can happen only when the person relocating does their homework and takes care of a few important aspects. Even if you hire North Shore removals to assist you, there will still be a few problems to solve. Keep on reading for our comprehensive removalist checklist so you reach your new home relaxed and with all your glasses intact.

Moving house checklist

o   Set a moving budget

There are several expenses when moving your belongings from one place to another: packages, transport, and storage. It doesn’t seem like much, but when you start the process, all kinds of unexpected costs come up, such as making repairs, renting a storage unit, renting vans, food, gas, and hiring movers. Quality packing materials can cost quite a lot and without them you risk damaging your goods.

One way to cut on relocation costs is getting rid of unwanted or useless things, so you don’t waste resources on moving stuff you no longer need. Start the moving process by selling or donating things and what cannot be used anymore should go to the recycle or garbage bin.

Once you have a budget, start saving so you have the necessary amount by the time you move.

o   Set a date for the move

Whether you call friends to help you out or you use North Shore removals services, you need to know the date of the move precisely. If you decide to book a Northern Beaches removalist, you will need to book at it least 3 weeks in advance, as good removalists are often busy well in advance.

Knowing the date of the move also enables you to take a day or two off from work so you minimise the impact of relocation on your performance and productivity at work.

o   Find a reputable removalist

The process of picking a removalist can be tricky, therefore it is best to choose a company with a good reputation and one that also provides service to a broad range of areas.

The dangers of hiring an unreliable removalist go further more than having a couple of family heirlooms broken or lost. There are cases of people who have lost all their possessions because their removalist somehow ‘misplaced’ them.

A Northern Beaches removalist you can trust that Happy Moving, a careful, quick, and affordable service is fully insured, provides the best value for money, and has uniformed and friendly staff. We proudly complete our work in accordance with NSW and Australian Fair Trading Act legislation.

Reasons to choose us for a happy new beginning include:

·        Public liability which covers personal injury or property damage that a third party suffers as a result of our business activities;

·        Transit insurance covers the value of goods in transit in case of any damage including loading and unloading;

·        Worker’s compensation insurance covers our workers in the event of them suffering a work-related injury or illness.

·        Staff that is friendly and polite and has the ability to think logically to solve any problems, such as taking off doors if needed, doing balcony lifts, or using tools to dismantle and reassemble furniture.

 o   Choose the right moving package

No move is like another. This is why different packages are available, depending on your needs and the size of your home.

Happy Moving offers four packages for Sydney removals:

§  1 man + 1 van – ideal for a few items

§  2 men + 1 truck – ideal for 1-2 bedroom moves

§  2 men + 1 big truck – ideal for 3-5 bedroom moves

§  Extra removalist pack to get the move done quickly

All packages are free from hidden fees and our staff is at your disposal for a minimum of 2 hours.

o   Pack items that are not essential way ahead of time

Some examples of items you can pack and move early are outdoor items, camping equipment, stuff stored in your attic, and so on. Doing all this in time will save you a great deal of grief on moving day – after all, you can do without your skis for a month, right?

o   Update your address and consider redirecting your mail

Moving to a new place does not mean that you just sleep somewhere else; there are lots of services that depend on your address, such as regular deliveries. Make sure you place all your new orders with the new delivery address and cancel any regular deliveries to your old address.

o   Arrange for school transfers

If you have children, arrange their school or kindergarten transfers months before moving house. You need to advise their school of your move, so all their records are transferred to their new school.

o   Prepare your old property turnover

Make sure you haven’t forgotten anything at your old place and hire a cleaning service to put the house in order right after you leave it. This can help you get your deposit money back, not to mention that turning a house over in good condition is a matter of common sense.

Consume perishables left in your fridge or pantry during the last few days of staying at your old home. Turn off your fridge and defrost it if necessary. Before leaving, lock all the doors and windows of the house and turn off your hot water system.

o   Make your new place inhabitable

A couple of days before moving have groceries to be delivered to your new home and organise the connection of energy and other services at your new place. Schedule the internet and home phone services to be activated at your new property to minimise down time.

o   Create a furniture floor plan

You don’t have to be there every minute and tell your removalist where to put each piece of furniture. Come up with a furniture floor plan for your new house in time so you make furniture placement on moving day easier. Take room measurements and check if your furniture fits. This will also give you enough time to replace furniture that doesn’t fit into your new configuration.

o   Use colour codes for your boxes

Assign a different colour for each room by labelling corresponding boxes with a different coloured sticker. This will allow you to identify what needs to go where very quickly. Another trick is taking pictures of box contents right before closing them so you don’t need to jog your memory about what’s where. Take pictures of everything that needs to be put back in function, such as the back of your TV, so you remember, for instance, where all those wires need to go.

o   Get help for moving day

If you use the services of Eastern suburb removals, you won’t need the help of friends to transport your belongings from your old to your new home. On another page, do make arrangements for children and pets for the day of the move if necessary. Having kids and your furry friends around on moving day doesn’t help and is stressful for the little ones.

o   Keep all your essentials in one place

You don’t want to reach your new place and not be able to find your toothbrush because  your bathroom belongings aren’t being delivered next day. Pack a few items you cannot do without, just as if you were going on a short trip.  Consider keys, water, credit cards, medication, charger, clothes, toiletries, toilet paper and toys. This will make your first night at the new home a lot more comfortable.

Prepare a survival kit at your new home, including cold beverages, tea, coffee, and snacks to keep your energy up. There are things that not even the best Eastern suburb Removals Company can do for you, so make sure you take care of your most basic needs.

o   Being ready for last minute expenses

Make sure you have plenty of cash ready in case unexpected expenses pop up at the last minute and don’t forget to have a snack handy for the kids, or a bottle of water.

o   Go slowly

Moving day is tricky business and no matter how much you want it you can’t get it all done in one day, even if you call to the services of an Inner West removalist. This is why you need to prepare in advance as much as you can and have realistic expectations of how much you can get done by the first night. You will need several days to get everything out of the boxes and in its right place.

Of course, this is not everything that you need for a proper and stress-free moving house checklist, but these tips represent a helpful start. A good Sydney removalist will make your move a lot easier and minimise the amount of disruption associated with moving house. Contact Happy Moving to benefit from a high standard of service so you reach your new home relaxed, on time, and with all your belongings in perfect condition.

[newstfionline]

Monday, May 24, 2021

Coming population decline (NYT) Maternity wards are shuttering in Italy. Ghost cities are appearing in China. Hundreds of thousands of properties in Germany have been leveled and the land turned into parks. The world’s demographics are changing, pushing toward more deaths than births. Though some countries’ populations continue to grow, fertility rates are falling nearly everywhere else. Demographers now predict that toward the middle of this century, the global population will enter a sustained decline for the first time.

New COVID-19 cases plummet to lowest levels since last June (AP) New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism. As cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily dropped this week, pre-pandemic life in America has largely resumed. Hugs and unmasked crowds returned to the White House, a Mardi Gras-style parade marched through Alabama’s port city of Mobile, and even states that have stuck to pandemic-related restrictions readied to drop them. As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this week, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020. The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552—a rate not seen since July last year. It’s a dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a devastating crescendo in January.

An IRS refund logjam (WSJ) Taxpayers are encountering unprecedented delays getting refunds, said Laura Saunders at The Wall Street Journal. “A host of problems rooted in the COVID-19 pandemic” has led to a severe backlog at the Internal Revenue Service. The agency is “reviewing about 16 million 2020 returns, mostly because of tax changes last year and in March,” while simultaneously gearing up “to send checks to millions of families” who qualify for upfront child tax credits this summer. Having to delay two annual filing deadlines last year, apply new tax-law changes, and “coordinate 470 million stimulus payments” hasn’t made the IRS’s job easier. Fortunately, the agency will pay 3 percent interest on “most tax refunds issued after April 15,” as long as the return was filed by May 17.

Leaving home: West Virginia population drop is largest in US (AP) After her company told employees in 2017 to start working remotely, customer service representative Haley Miller decided to break from her lifelong home of West Virginia. The beaches of St. Petersburg, Florida, provide a far different view than the mountains of her native state. She is not alone. According to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau, West Virginia lost a higher percentage of its residents than any other state in the nation. From 2010 to 2020, the population dropped 3.2%, or about 59,000 people. Reasons for leaving vary, but common themes emerge: a lack of opportunity or low pay; not enough to do; a political climate that some find oppressive, and poor cellphone and internet service. About 16% of West Virginia’s residents live in poverty, surpassed only by Arkansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Italian cable car plunges to the ground, killing at least 14 (AP) A cable car taking visitors to a mountaintop view of some of northern Italy’s most picturesque lakes plummeted to the ground Sunday and then tumbled down the slope, killing 14 people. The lone survivor, a young child, was hospitalized in serious condition with broken bones, authorities said. Six of the dead were Israeli citizens, including a family of four who lived in Italy, the Israeli foreign ministry said. It wasn’t clear if the other couple was related. The mayor of Stresa, where the incident occurred, said it appeared that a cable broke, sending the car careening until it hit a pylon and then fell to the ground. At that point, the car overturned “two or three times before hitting some trees,” said Mayor Marcella Severino. The car was believed to have fallen around 15 meters (50 feet), according to Italian media. Sunday’s tragedy appeared to be Italy’s worst cable car disaster since 1998 when a low-flying U.S. military jet cut through the cable of a ski lift in Cavalese, in the Dolomites, killing 20 people.

Croatia ready to welcome foreign tourists, hoping they come ROVINJ, Croatia (AP)—Sun loungers are out, beach bars are open and rave music is pumping. Hotels and restaurants are greeting visitors hoping to get a head start on summer after more than a year of coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions. Croatia has widely reopened its stunning Adriatic coastline for foreign tourists, becoming one of the first European countries to drop most of its pandemic measures. Now, the ability of people to go there depends on each country’s travel rules. The mood is relaxed in the Istria region, the northernmost part of the Croatian coast famous for its pebble beaches, thick pine forests, wine and delicacies such as truffles, olive oil, goat cheese and prosciutto. Hardy anyone wears masks on the streets or in restaurants in the picturesque town of Rovinj. Still-standing limits on indoor dining and rules requiring a set amount of distance between tables are rarely observed. “People are fed up with lockdowns,” said Nikola Sandic, a waiter at a seafood restaurant located in a small boat harbor. “They have a glass of wine, watch the sea, and that’s all they need.”

Belarus opposition figure detained when flight diverted (AP) A prominent opponent of Belarus’ authoritarian president was arrested Sunday after the airliner in which he was traveling was diverted to the country after a bomb threat, in what the opposition is calling a hijacking operation by the government. The Ryanair plane was carrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich and traveling from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania. Deputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich said the plane’s crew made the decision to land in Minsk, but Ryanair said in a statement that Belarusian air traffic control instructed the plane to divert to the capital. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Pratasevich was arrested at the airport. Pratasevich is a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app’s Nexta channel, which Belarus last year declared as extremist after it was used to help organize major protests against Lukashenko. Pratasevich, who had fled the country for Poland, faces charges that could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

In the Russian Arctic, the First Stirrings of a Very Cold War (NYT) Chunky green trucks carry Bastion anti-ship missiles that can be prepared for launch in just five minutes. A barracks building, sealed off from the elements like a space station, accommodates 150 or so soldiers. And a new runway can handle fighter jets, two of which recently buzzed the North Pole. Franz Josef Land, a jumble of glacier-covered islands in the Arctic Ocean named after an Austro-Hungarian emperor, was until a few years ago mostly uninhabited, home to polar bears, walruses, sea birds and little else. But thanks to a warming climate, all that is changing, and quickly. Nowhere on Earth has climate change been so pronounced as in the polar regions. The warming has led to drastic reductions in sea ice, opening up the Arctic to ships during the summer months and exposing Russia to new security threats. As the sea ice melts, Russia is deploying ever more soldiers and equipment to the Far North, becoming essentially the first military to act on the strategic implications of climate change for the region in what some have called the beginnings of a Very Cold War. The Arctic ocean has lost nearly a million square miles of ice and is expected to be mostly ice-free in the summertime, including at the North Pole, by around the middle of the century. “In a sense, Russia is acquiring new external borders that need to be protected from potential aggressors,” the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a Berlin-based think tank, wrote of Russia’s problem of disappearing ice.

More than 125,000 Myanmar teachers suspended for opposing coup (Reuters) More than 125,000 school teachers in Myanmar have been suspended by the military authorities for joining a civil disobedience movement to oppose the military coup in February, an official of the Myanmar Teachers’ Federation said. The suspensions have come days before the start of a new school year, which some teachers and parents are boycotting as part of the campaign that has paralysed the country since the coup cut short a decade of democratic reforms. Myanmar had 430,000 school teachers according to the most recent data, from two years ago. The disruption at schools echoes that in the health sector and across government and private business since the Southeast Asian country was plunged into chaos by the coup and the arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Around 19,500 university staff have also been suspended, according to the teachers’ group.

Iran says inspectors may no longer get nuclear sites images (AP) Iran’s parliament speaker said Sunday that international inspectors may no longer access surveillance images of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites, escalating tensions amid diplomatic efforts in Vienna to save Tehran’s atomic accord with world powers. The comments by Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, aired by state TV, further underscored the narrowing window for the U.S. and others to reach terms with Iran. The Islamic Republic is already enriching and stockpiling uranium at levels far beyond those allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal. “Regarding this, and based on the expiration of the three-month deadline, definitely the International Atomic Energy Agency will not have the right to access images from May 22,” Qalibaf said. May 22 was Saturday.

Life Under Occupation: The Misery at the Heart of the Conflict (NYT) Muhammad Sandouka built his home in the shadow of the Temple Mount before his second son, now 15, was born. They demolished it together, after Israeli authorities decided that razing it would improve views of the Old City for tourists. Mr. Sandouka, 42, a countertop installer, had been at work when an inspector confronted his wife with two options: Tear the house down, or the government would not only level it but also bill the Sandoukas $10,000 for its expenses. Such is life for Palestinians living under Israel’s occupation: always dreading the knock at the front door. The looming removal of six Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem set off a round of protests that helped ignite the latest war between Israel and Gaza. But to the roughly three million Palestinians living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war and has controlled through decades of failed peace talks, the story was exceptional only because it attracted an international spotlight. Even in supposedly quiet periods, when the world is not paying attention, Palestinians from all walks of life routinely experience exasperating impossibilities and petty humiliations, bureaucratic controls that force agonizing choices, and the fragility and cruelty of life under military rule, now in its second half-century.

[scrap-bin]

I am currently laying in bed, buried under 155 pounds of fluff.

Which means that yesterday was our last day in California, and now I'm on the hide-a-bed in my brother's house, with two very large, attention seeking dogs, one of whom is mostly fluff.

Look at these adorable dorks, I love them so.

Anyways, yesterday, last day of vacation. I am so freaking tired. In part because of the waves, but also because of this tiny problem we had over the weekend. She was four years old, and had no concept of "I want to sleep in, STOP JUMPING ON MY BACK". Tiny cousins, ya'll.

And poor Thorin, she's really good with small children, which means my cousin LOVED her, and she fell victim to being the first to be woken up every day this weekend. I only gained the attention when Thorin was finally out of bed. And I know this because I have numerous texts from Thorin that just read "I am so. sorry."

Sunday afternoon we took my grandmother and my tiny cousin (who sleeps non-stop in the car so she's fully charged to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting public when we finally park) to Newport Beach for a whale watching tour. Traffic was a nightmare. We kind of forgot it was Sunday, which meant an unimaginable amount of people, and lead to almost an hour of driving up and down and around looking for parking. Thank goodness I can paralell park (THANK YOU, STREET PARKING FOR COLLEGE). But the tour itself was nice. We only saw a small handful of dolphins, but honestly, I just like the boat rides, I don't care if you see anything, that's just an added bonus. And it was a very nice boat ride.

Save for the run in with a less than considerate, not-so-rare-anymore 'ocean skunk'.

Not these. These are not ocean skunks, these are sea lions, and they're adorable and lazy.

Afterwards, we walked the pier to see some of the shops. It smelled like funnel cake and corn dogs over salt water, and we passed shop after shop filled to the brim with the same t-shirts. One shop yielded more interesting things; model ships, glass floats, and all manner of dangling sea shell and driftwood hangers. Thorin found a nice glass float and driftwood hanger with a whale carved into it, and I found a tourist's trinket I never thought I'd see in California. Last I checked, there were no moose in California. I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but even then, this is a tiny little ocean souvenir store in a harbor at a tourist beach, why sell moose stuff here??

Seriously, I should have bought the thing. My head said do it, but my wallet threatened to leave me if I so much as looked in its general direction.

Monday, I took Thorin back to Dana Point to go tide pooling. It was AAAAAWESOOOOOOOME.  We saw several starfish, a small green crab with dark stripes, and literal ARMY of hermit crabs. We hiked along the pools up to the sea caves, and I continued rebelling against the wearing of shoes until I stepped on a rock covered in dried out barnacles and gave my foot a nice new groove it didn't need. Nothing major, but I put my shoes back for a grand total of twenty minutes to keep it out of the sand. And then I took them off again and waded in the water and stepped on a sharp shell, so clearly I didn't learn anything from the experience. And bonus points; I earned myself a seriously awful sunburn across both of my feet. The kind of sunburn that hurts even just from the pressure of walking through water.

I just really like walking in bare feet, and I'm very stubborn about that.

Spontaneous photo of me not paying attention courtesy of Thorin.

After that we hit the Candy Baron in Laguna Beach, which was deliciously awesome, before heading home to make dinner for the family as a thank you. We made Chicken Pontevedra, which is likely my new favorite style of chicken, it's just delicious. And there's roasted garlic involved, which is a dangerous ingredient, I mean, I'll just sit there and eat it and forget I actually need it for cooking.

Thorin made some killer Alubias Verdes con Ajo, and I fried potatoes, which was about the least fancy thing we did, and there was bread, and apples, and cheese......Drunken Goat cheese, I could eat an entire wedge myself. Mmmm-MM!

This morning, after stuffing everything we had accumulated back into a suitcase, only to realize it would never close again and yanking it back out to redistribute between TWO suitcases, we limped down to the beach for one last run of ocean time. It was nice, the water was low and silty but really warm. I found what appeared to be the stinger from a stingray?? I'll get back to you on that, I can't think of anything else it could be but we're also still not completely convinced yet. And while the water was murky and my incessant fear of being in water I can't see in was starting to kick in, keeping me only knee deep, Thorin waded out up past her waist. She was rewarded for her bravery by spotting a wild ray cruising around her in the water, probably on its way to somewhere with less foot traffic. We may have been the only two there, but we have big feet.

We also found a live snail, that got flung on shore by the waves right under my foot. We took a picture, and returned him to the water, as far out past the surf as I was willing to go. Hopefully he managed to get deeper instead of coming on shore again.

We high-tailed it just before the beach started to fill. What had been empty when we arrived was suddenly filled with about ten families, and we had to be dry and clean for our flight. Mutti was gracious enough to drive to the airport, which was nice cause we were both falling asleep. I blame the waves, a full week of being in the waves, we are completely spent of energy. I could sleep all day tomorrow, if we didn't have to drive home from Denver.

Of course, coming INTO Denver, and home to my brother's, we found everything covered in this fresh blanket of white nonsense. Thankfully it was mostly melted by this morning, but oh my god, it was EVERYWHERE. And I was wearing sandals. Not smart.

Anyways, I suppose that's the end of my vacation nonsense! It was fun! I think Thorin thoroughly enjoyed Southern California, and we'll have to go back so we can hit some of the things we couldn't afford to do this time. But I'd also like to visit central and northern California some time. I've never been above San Francisco, to my knowledge, and I REALLY want to take Thorin to see Hearst's Castle, among many many other things....There's just a lot to do out there. But sadly, for now, it's a two hour drive home and back to cleaning. Hopefully our hiking trails and the lake will be accessible soon.

Cheers, friends!

[ashtoedsros]

treasure at tampines condo

"Green' Construction in the beach areas of Costa Rica is a doubly demanding task as the weather conditions reach two extremes for a considerable period of time depending on what part of the country you are in. In the dry tropical rain forest in the Province of Guanacaste Costa Rica the rainy season and the dry season are on full throttle roughly half the year each. The green minded builder must plan for 6 months of torrential rain and high humidity, but must also keep an eye open for 6 months of almost desert like conditions of high heat and little to no moisture. In Central Valley and Caribbean locations moisture is a year round issue. Fortunately many techniques used for cooling in a hot climate also apply to humid conditions. Natural ventilation is the key.

The most important phase of any green project in Costa Rica is planning and education. It is imperative to understand the local conditions one will face and equally important to study local materials and resources close at hand. Remember, transport and material construction uses energy so we might as well begin this journey attempting to save energy here. Also remember that being socially conscious means thinking of the local environment. Use local craftsmen and local fabricators whenever possible, you will not only be supporting the local economy which has positive social treasure at tampines contact  and environmental benefits, you are conserving energy in the transport and manufacture of the materials used for your home and enriching the local community. Fortunately for the person contemplating such an adventure a lot of groundwork has been laid and we are here to lend a few tips and some creative and interesting ideas on how to plan execute and ultimately enjoy an eco sustainable project and existence in Costa Rica.

Starting at the architectural and planning stage is crucial to success. Get to know the Costa rican natural environment, understand prevailing breezes, suns position through the yearly cycle, and attempt to use any natural shade to help cool your home. Get to know your local materials and resources. What is available in Costa Rica? What materials are least impactful to the environment? Are recycled materials available here?

Cooling your home.

Setting up as many windows as possible is the best way to ensure cross breezes and good ventilation. This also doubles as a protection from mold and mildew and as a cooling method during the dry season. Knowing where the breezes are coming from can make a big difference. Large windows with screen coverings to allow air but to protect from bugs need not be terribly expensive but can be crucial aid in drying and cooling your home without large carbon footprint devices such as air conditioning and de-humidifiers. Designing the interior with high white ceilings contributes greatly to airiness and ventilation. Awnings over windows are helpful in blocking the heat from direct sunlight. One should consider a wrap around patio on the south, east, and west facing sides of the house. This not only protects the interior from the sun it also provides a wonderful living area with less material and less expense. Remember heavy walls that are effective in northern climates and which absorb and then radiate heat back out at night are not as effective in Costa Rica because the temperature does not drop very much at night in the tropics.

Local and recycled materials:

A keen eye to the environment and a study of local materials both manufactured and natural goes a long way in Costa Rica. One of the best all around materials that satisfies the requirements of being beautiful, strong, versatile, and easily replenished in nature is bamboo. Bamboo is plentiful in Costa Rica and is easily replenished in the natural environment. Bamboo has evolved in to many amazing products. Not only is it capable of being used for eye appealing structural support it is also being used to create beautiful flooring products and finishing material in a wide variety of forms. The uses of bamboo are seemingly endless; From rugs to fencing, thatch to garden borders, beautiful furniture and artistic accents, bamboo is a wonderful tool as it grows very rapidly in Costa Rica and is extremely durable.

The use of wood harvested in Costa Rica has become somewhat complicated in recent years due to legislation prohibiting the harvesting of native tree species. The construction and furniture industries demand has become dominated by non native hardwoods cultivated in Costa Rica. Melina has become the predominant non-native wood in Costa Rica - with a 35% market share, followed by 19% for Laurel, 16% for Pine, and 16% for teak. The increase in demand for non-native species, primarily Melina, to supply national and international lumber markets has been established and is growing. Melina is a fast growing, strong, light-colored, even-grained wood that is naturally insect resistant, easy to work, and which accepts stains and finishes well.

Recently the use of renovated containers has become a popular use of recycled materials. This Tamarindo Costa Rica home pictured above is a wonderful example of two containers braced by bamboo support beams. The light color and high ceilings contributes to a sense of airiness and space.

In part 2 of this series we will be focusing on efficient lighting strategies including strategic placement of glass blocks and lighting wiring and placement. In addition we will discuss solar power ideas as well as waste and heat management strategies.

Rebecca was born in Chicago, grew up in Buffalo, NY and graduated from Arizona State University. Rebecca is fluent in Spanish, thanks to her mother who is "Tica"; she also studied Spanish in Costa Rica before college. Rebecca is a Licensed Real Estate Agent (Florida, USA), International Investor, and legal Permanent Resident of Costa Rica. After selling millions of dollars in real estate and becoming a successful real estate investor in Florida, she has now relocated to Costa Rica to continue practicing her love for real estate sales/ investing and to be closer to her family. She worked as a successful agent with Remax in Costa Rica before starting her own Real Estate firm alongside her husband Keith Clower Becky and Keith live near Playa Conchal with their two young sons Kian (2.8 years) and Elijah (6 months).

[butterflyinthewell]

* * * * IMPORTANT PSA * * * *  Drowning doesn’t look like the movies at all.

It’s summer on the northern hemisphere, which means people are going to beaches, rivers, lakes, pools and water parks. That means people are at risk of drowning. Hollywood has given us a false impression of what drowning actually looks like, and it costs lives. 

Drowning is not splashing and screaming for help. It is silent, undramatic and over in seconds. 

Below is video footage of an actual near drowning that illustrates how undramatic it is. People swim right by the drowning boy and have no idea he’s drowning. This is real and in real time.

The little boy in the video survived. Many children don’t.

* * * * ~ TW: Actual near-drowning footage. ~ * * * *

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoN5N3tLvnM

An adult swimmer engaging in the instinctive drowning response during an active drowning may struggle for 30 to 60 seconds before they submerge and don’t come up. A child may only last 20 seconds before they go under and stay there. 

Small children struggle less before they submerge for the last time.

What does the instinctive drowning response look like?

Splashing, if there is any, is minimal.

A drowning person’s body is vertical in the water. 

Their face is tilted up towards the sky and their mouth is usually open. 

You may only see their face barely poking above the surface as they try to keep their mouth out of the water. 

Their face or mouth may bob up and down repeatedly on the surface, then they start to submerge completely and resurface over and over. 

Their eyes are often closed, but look glassy and unfocused if they’re open. 

They might have a panicked look on their face.

Their hair may be slicked down on their face, and they aren’t trying to brush it back or aside. 

Their arms may be stretched out to the sides as if they’re trying to leverage themselves out of the water.

They might look like they’re climbing an invisible ladder or doggy paddling, but they aren’t moving in any direction. 

(Exception: If there is a current, it may pull them along. They will still be vertical with their head tilted back and bobbing up and down.) 

Drowning happens partly due to physics and partly due to biology. Human noses have nostrils pointing downward. If you put an open, empty glass in water, the air will stay trapped in it until you tip it and let the air bubble escape. 

A person who is drowning instinctively tilts their head back to keep their mouth out of the water, and it’s like tilting the glass when they start to submerge. Water gets into their nose, goes down their throat and causes spasms in the larynx as the airway tries to protect itself. Imagine how hard it is to get a good breath to cough when you choke while taking a drink of something. It’s the same spasm, except a drowning person can’t clear their airway. 

A drowning person can’t breathe enough to call out or reach for help. They are using all their body’s energy to stay above water and breathe.

It may look like they’re playing around. 

They aren’t. 

They are dying.

Losing consciousness in drowning is a cumulative effect, not something that happens after they’re under for x amount of time.

A drowning person can’t get enough oxygen because of the spasm in their larynx. Their struggle uses more oxygen than they’re getting, carbon dioxide builds up and they can’t stay conscious. 

A cessation of struggle and the final submerging means consciousness may have been lost or is being lost. The person might jerk around underwater-- this is likely convulsions from the lack of oxygen. The spasm keeping the larynx shut relaxes and lets water into the lungs (wet drowning) or it may stay shut and the person suffocates that way (dry drowning). 

The person may sink completely if water is going into their lungs. They’ll usually survive if they’re rescued right as they reach this point, but the longer they’re down, the smaller their chances of survival.

Even people who swim well will go into the instinctive drowning response if they end up in trouble in the water. Somebody knocked off a boogie board or getting a leg cramp can go into distress very quickly and easily. 

It’s called the instinctive drowning response for a reason. It’s reflexive, not a choice. 

Sometimes asking a swimmer who appears to be in trouble if they’re okay can make all the difference. If they can’t respond to you because they’re so focused on staying above water, they’re probably in trouble.

Always swim with a buddy. If you’re watching kids at a pool, put your book or phone away and watch them. Don’t use your ears to rely on screams for help or splashing sounds because it will not happen unless somebody else sees the drowning and yells to alert others, and by then it may be too late.

If your kid is loud in the pool and they get quiet, it may be because they’re drowning and need help. Parents have literally watched their children drown, and people will swim right past a drowning person without realizing it because they don’t know what real drowning looks like. You can thank Hollywood for that.

Here is video footage fishermen caught of a raccoon drowning in a river. 

Watch how fast it happens. 

That could be your two year old right next to you.

* * * TW Actual animal drowning footage. The raccoon did not survive. (Poor baby... ). * * *

Go to 1:27 if the video doesn’t automatically put you there.

https://youtu.be/ieXHUnK6uhA?t=98 

The raccoon steps off a ledge, is surprised to hit deep water and gets dragged along by the current. It sounds like the fisherman tried to catch the animal with his fishing line, but wasn’t successful. 

Animals have the same instinctive drowning response that humans do; head back, a panicked face bobbing in the water, little to no splashing. I’m showing this to illustrate the instinctive part and how fast it happens.

Lifeguards are trained to look for the instinctive drowning response, but it pays if you know the signs, too, because that knowledge will save someone’s life.

~* Please reblog this to spread drowning awareness and save a life. *~

[ariel-herman]

Frost Methane is targeting arctic methane release to avert climate catastrophism.

  It’s a sunny morning in Alameda, California. Olya Irzak and Ethan Caleff carry the white octagon draped with seaweed over their heads, up the path towards the USS Hornet Naval Museum. The prototype is a white tarp bound to a PVC octagonal frame, and the seaweed is from their initial launch from the beach into a strong headwind. Olya flashes a wicked smile as they march to the pier opposite the USS Hornet where a small, retired Icelandic ferry called the Maritol is moored. From their micro puffies, sports glasses and sharp jogging shoes, they look like happy campers toting a tent to another site. Olya and Ethan walk the prototype to the edge of the pier. On three, they drop the 8’ diameter prototype over the pier into the San Francisco Bay behind the Maritol.

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Unfortunate for us, the human race cannot simply move campsites at this stage of our development. Global warming has caused thawing in the Arctic Circle, releasing stored methane from the bottoms of over 150,000 previously frozen lakes. If CO2 is a single-walled tent in direct sunlight, methane (which is 28 times more insulating than CO2) is the rain fly sweltering the inhabitants alive. The mid-range and long term effects were reiterated in this report, which was subsequently declared false by the Trump Administration, highlighting the need for stronger political will to address the climate crisis. In a short few decades, climate refugees are all but certain. According to a World Health Organization report from earlier this year, millions of lives are at stake.

And so, Olya Irzak, Ethan Chaleff and Laughlin Baker are launching Frost Methane to mitigate climate change by capturing arctic methane and igniting it before it hits the atmosphere.

  Creating a Team and a Technology

The ferry’s rear loading hatch is open to the bay and the team is sorting through equipment. The interior of the ferry is something straight out of a Neal Stephensen novel. Where commuters once parked is an electronics shop with hundreds of parts in numerous drawers. In the very back is an extemporaneously decorated lounging area with bits of bedding and tapestry beneath a ramada. There are stations with optical equipment and soldering guns beneath the oceanic viewing ports, and the chandelier is some kind of geodesic with every point connecting to every point across the interior.

Olya suits up in her neoprene as Ethan and Laughlin motor the zodiac beyond the stern of the Maritol to scout the deployment. The team attaches milk jugs for positive buoyancy and free weights for negative buoyancy to control ascent and descent. Their prototype is shaped like a patio umbrella with vacuum hose in the center. The hose leads to a 4″ cylinder where the electronics will be housed at the water’s surface.

Water gently laps against the hull of the quiet ship. The team co-directs the slow descent of the white tarp into the emerald green waters of the San Francisco Bay. The vacuum hose noodles from the middle of the baggy tarp, extending out to a methane collector and ignition unit. It is designed to be deployed concavely over a methane breach in an arctic lake. The collector will communicate through satellites, reporting on the amount of methane captured and ignited. Carefully, the team ascends the device, and lugs the components to the loading bay.

The entire time, I have listened to them communicate to enable the best ideas to be found by solution-based thinking. Today was a relatively problem free, but success is still far away. The following week, the team will attempt a second deployment. This time they must attempt to assemble on the water. They will need to know how to launch the disassembled device from two kayaks and a dingy at their test site near Kotzebue, Alaska.

Laughlin and the USS Hornet. Alameda, California.

Frost Energies. Circa 2018. Alameda, California.

Olya and Ethan. Alameda, California.

Sunlight ripples off the water beneath the flight deck of the USS Hornet. The flags of the USS Hornet lift to an urgent whip. On the pier, the octagonal white tarp catches the wind in long swells, simultaneously rising and falling like sand dunes crawling across the deserts. Olya, Ethan and Laughlin assemble the prototype as tourists enter the decommissioned aircraft carrier.

Olya walks over to Ethan and Laughlin toiling over the flapping corner, “What can I do to not be useless?” she asks. They ziptie the white tarp to the frame. Ethan inserts the exit port at the center, securing it with blue duct tape and more zipties. They origami the now 35’ diameter prototype into a bundle and descend into the Maritol.

On the water, the stronger current and high wind create issues for the team. Connecting the elbow joints proves difficult at this scale. Components begin to sink before they are connected. The entire rig is pushed against the pier as the two boats manipulate the piping and tarps.

The team moves quickly to even out the descent. Their hands become cold in the extended deployment. With so much at stake, there is nothing as reassuring as strong teamwork in the face of small details, all of which the team addresses with support and deference to the best ideas being offered up. They are even kind enough to let me unprofessionally chime in. My specialty, really. The desire to feel helpful is difficult to resist.

Second prototype deployment. The team folds the tarp for deployment from the Maritol. The wind makes this task a bit unruly. Alameda, California.

The team descending into the Maritol with the folded gear. Alameda, California.

Beginning deployment. Alameda, California.

The larger design created difficulties for the team. As the tarp was opened, it began to sink under its own weight. The team is shown here working quickly connect the PVC frame and buoyancy control devices. Alameda, California.

The evening light diffuses in the San Francisco fog. Shadows soften and disappear. Today was a success, in the sense that redesigns were identified and protocols were reality tested. In two weeks, the prototype will be on its way north of Fairbanks for testing in far colder conditions.

Olya gets out of the kayak and goes below deck to change. “Evaporative drying is a bitch,” she says with a smile, shivering in her wet suit. The team breaks down the components and debrief over a spread of Thai food. None of them eat meat for carbon and health reasons. They sequence their experiences, creating an education for themselves based on what went wrong. Their chemistry is easier for me to appreciate than the technical aspects of their discussion. Ethan feels organically like a big brother, Laughlin like the negotiator middle sibling, and Olya the silly younger sister; with the addition of professional respect as peers. They agree to scale down the prototype for the field test in Kotzebue, Alaska.

  Perseverance and Lost Permafrost

The effects of climate change are already here. Two years ago, the Mendocino Complex Fire destroyed 459,123 acres of woodland in Northern California. The next year, we saw the deadliest yet with the Camp Fire, where 86 people lost their lives and 18,804 structures were destroyed. The cause is thought to be a combination of human intrusion into woodland areas as well as a 3° Fahrenheit increase in California over the past century. My home, Sonoma County, is already redrawing topo maps to account for the potential rise in sea level.

Firefighters back burn the forest east of Kenwood, California, in order to stop the Tubbs Fire, October 2017. Sonoma County, California.

The trip to the Arctic Circle taught the team what the field conditions would require. Unable to attend due to a wedding at Burning Man (my own, alas), the team agrees to make daily logs of their experimental deployment in Alaska. Olya and Laughlin spend many hours debugging the electronics. Ethan punch-drunkenly reports the daily toils and the numerous obstacles. In areal footage, the team demonstrates the collapsing of the shoreline due to the loss of permafrost.

It is a bewildering sensation coming back from your own high-carbon footprint wedding to the video logs of three scientists in the Alaskan bush, explaining how microvolts fried  the iridium modem (but they had a backup!) in their save-the-world prototype, not to mention the meta-encounter with a reporter from the Washington Post doing a story on this very subject. Do follow that link for a professional summation of this topic.

Each log entry reminds me how frustrating these small steps can be. No matter how good a collaborator you are, camping food is always bad. And although a persevering attitude is important in the creation of reliable technology, don’t forget to bring a shotgun in case a bear decides to attack your only computer scientist, too.

Everyone seemed tired yet optimistic by the end of their trip to Kotzebue. Their last video correspondence was from a bar in Seward, Alaska. Everyone agreed it was more work than they’d expected. The asymmetry of the tarp caused the gas to collate unevenly and escape out the sides rather than at the port in the middle. As Ethan put it, it was not a #success. His tarp design needs to be more conical, and Laughlin’s electronics and batteries could be lighter. The team was able to measure the flow rate and uplink to the satellite, which was a huge bit of progress and not to be understated.

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Frost Methane is drawing nearer to a design that could be part of a global solution to climate change. According to a critical report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the UN’s body for assessing science related to climate change) we have 12 years left to avert global disaster. In the back of our minds is the same understanding – The time to triage climate change, like cancer, is before it metastases.

Frost Methane could be among many future companies that can curb greenhouse gas emissions — provided an economic incentive, such as a carbon tax, is available. In a comforting display of rational self-interest, a hedge fund representing 32 trillion in global investments demanded governments do more to mitigate the global rise in temperatures by implementing carbon taxes, among other measures. For every ton of methane eliminated, Frost Methane could be paid from these carbon tax revenues. Such potential revenues are essential to incentivize broader investment in climate change mitigation.

For Olya, hacking the problem is their first goal. Frost Methane’s priority is rapid deployment to avert an increase in global temperatures. For them, the business side seems to be a means to an end more than anything else.

  Update: This article was written almost a year ago. With the confluences of seasonal flooding in and new babies in the author’s hometown, it was not edited and published until August 2019. Since then, Frost Methane has made significant progress in their organization and refinement of the technology underpinning this critically necessary advancement in planetary stewardship. A potential followup article will address those updates.

A Startup to Save All Startups Frost Methane is targeting arctic methane release to avert climate catastrophism. It’s a sunny morning in Alameda, California.

[ask-broppy-lovechild-blog]

True Colors

Inspired by: @ask-artsy-oncie​, @tisbubb​, and @dawnbuneary​ (Love your content guys)

I didn’t call it “True Colors” because of the song, but because imma try to focus on making it about not hiding your real personality. The first three chapters are mainly fluff, but the next ones will actually get a story going.

P.S  So sorry for the bad grammar, I…I wont promise but understand that this is my first Broppy Fanfic. So it might not be as good as others you’ve read. Anyways, enjoy!

“Branch had a dream that he proposed, and became King Branch instead of Prince Branch. And Poppy had the exact same dream.“ ~Previously

It’s been days since Poppy became queen, waiting patiently for the day where her happiness will grow x1000 more than it already is. That special day. However, Poppy needs to stop focusing on the future and worry more about the present.

Being Queen of a species that mainly does parties and celebrate sounds fun and easy, but really, it’s hard. The only reason for this is that a lot of her subjects are carefree and don’t really care about a lot of important matters; even when they know it’s life threatening, they take a lot of things for granted and don’t listen. At least she has Branch who would listen and understand her words; always there to help her when she’s having trouble.

Spring: the season after winter and before summer, in which vegetation begins to appear, in the northern hemisphere from March to May and in the southern hemisphere from September to November. It was a cool season, a season that causes most allergies, a season that generations are born with most animals, the season where some breeding happens. Trolls breeding cycle are different than most animals. Female Trolls go in heat in spring, where the air is clear and can usually send a heat scent across the land. Meanwhile, the birth of most Trolls take place during fall, where the Trolls have a lot of resources and items to make a comfortable place for their pod. This is also where the Troll tree gets its nutrients from the dead plants, as it doesn’t take life from the living ones; making the pods growing rate much faster.

(A/N: Don’t quote me on this, this is not cannon. This is just for this story as far as I’m aware of :3)

This was Poppy’s first season, but she hasn’t gone in heat yet. Unlike most female Trolls, she can control her heat. She takes her heat a week back, trying to gain very little attention as possible for this week, wanting to get things done before worrying about breeding. She had to reschedule the two meetings she missed, going to there now. Branch isn’t really affected by the heat of other female Trolls. After being gray for more than 10 years and being isolated from everyone else, he’s learned how to control his desires very well. He hasn’t gotten any reason to mate with anyone…..yet.

"Hey guys” she panted, “I made it on time this time! So what’s going on outside these walls?” She questioned, sitting down to gain a bit energy.

“Well, we have new predators to watch out for, first off” Said the tiny yellow Troll, known as Smidge. She pointed to the crows and birds that loomed over, who can easily snatch a troll.

“I’ll have I talk to Gristle about that later today….anything else?” She asked the Snack Pack.

“We’ve spotted faint….how could we say this-” Satin said, getting finished by her sister, “-….structures far north….” they said as they showed her the Troll sized telescope the Bergens installed for them. There was a very small sky scraper with other faint and blurry buildings.

“We can check it out later. If there is other life, like, other Bergens or Trolls, then we can introduce ourselves!” She stated, kinda excited by finding others to be friends with.

“Poppy, we’ve also spotted new plants for food in the forest besides ours.” Guy Diamond stated, pointing to the forest with all the vegetation for the Trolls  and animals for the Bergens.

“I will take note of that!” She said, smiling proudly. She seems to be in a better mood today, maybe it’s the season. Winter was pretty stressful for her, as that was when she started to take the Queen role.

“Due to the predators, we should make a safe passage for the Bergens and Trolls so they can leave the walls and venture forth without fear” DJ Suki says, fiddling with her headphones.

“I should also talk about that with Gristle” she said, taking a mental note of all of this.

“I don’t have anything to report, Mr. Dinkles has really been distracting me”  Biggie said, “and Cooper didn’t come yet”.

“Okay, well, when he does, tell me. I have to get back the the kids” She said and started to walk back.

“One more thing, Poppy” DJ said, walking to her pink friend.

“What is it DJ?” Poppy asked, turning to her.

She whispers to her, “just don’t be too loud tonight.” She said, and starts to walk away.

“What do you mean?” Poppy asked, tilting her head. The only response she got was a wink. She sat there for a good while and thought……..and when she finally got it……..she ran home, blushing furiously.

Once she got past the crowd of happy and some grey Trolls, she made it home to the safety of the bunker. After the event where everyone turned grey, there has been more grey Trolls. But it’s considered normal now, more Trolls are becoming a bit more emotional; but we’re all Trolls and Bergens, you have the right to express your feelings. A lot of males found out to not let gender stereotypes control their life.

“Poppy? Are you okay?” Branch asked his slightly darker female as he looked up from his book that he was reading. She was pink before, and now she’s red?

“N-Not now, Branch.” She said, looking in her pile of things that she never decided to put away, as they’re still in their boxes.

“How did the ‘meeting’ go?” He asked her, putting his book and reading glasses away neatly.

She smiled at the question, “Very well! I was there on time!” She answered him happily, walking toward him after finding the activity she needed.

He picks her up and nuzzled her neck affectionately. She loved the small affection he’d give her before she had to leave him again, “that’s exciting. I’m glad you’re getting in the grove of things!” He said in a kinda praising voice.

“Thank you!” She said as he puts her slowly and gently down.

“Okay, have a good day, Poppy. Love you” he said, giving her a quick peck on her lips.

“Love you too, Branch” she said, and pecks his lips back. Then she waved and left.

Branch has been planning his proposal, as he has all the valuable items; he just needs the right place and time. The only troll who knows this is Suki; someone who he can trust. Suki has mentioned a party, as he is still getting used to parties, but he just doesn’t like a loud one; but he quiet and slow ones are boring as well.

So they had to scratch that idea off the list. Then she suggested something romantic, like, the place where they first started dating. But then it would be crowded cause that’s literally in front of the Troll Tree. So they had to scratch that idea off the list. But he came to a conclusion that he wants to introduce a very special poem he made long ago to her.

He’s always showed her poems to make her relax, but this one was very special. Furthermore, he has decided to make it by the far beach. He only knows this cause he used to go out and take himself when he was grey; going far to find food and healthy water for himself. He wants to show her the soft and warm sand with the cold and sometimes warm ocean water. “Yes, that’ll work!” Branch mentally told himself.

He was gonna do it when the sun is setting, making it a beautiful scenery. He had everything figured out, and now he needs bathing suits for the two. If he knows the Troll village well, he knows two fashionista sisters who can get the job done of making clothes. Satin and Chenille.

He quickly went over to their pod, not bothering to knock. The two were making clothing for a Troll, and it looked more like a blue robe. If he was gonna propose to her, it would be when she’s not working as much as she is. Which means he’d have to propose……..TOMORROW!!

“H-Hey! Excuse me! It’s an emergency! Satin and Chenille!” Branch screamed as he ran in, interrupting them.

“Yes-” Satin started, “-Branch?” Chenille finished.

“I need two bathing suits! One Poppy size and the other my size!” He said, showing that he was in a rush.

“Two bathing suits, coming right up!” The twins said together as they ran to get started. They know how big Poppy is, and they’re measuring Branch for his height.

While they were doing that, Branch was mentally planning his proposal. He knows about Poppy being able to back her heat up by a week, so that gives him a lot of time before she gets any desires. He wants then had to sneak away, before anyone noticed they where gone. After all of his thoughts, he noticed they finished and they gave it to him for free, since he’s the Prince.

“Thank you!” He said as he ran home, holding the clothing close to him. He ran so fast, he could very faintly hear a “You’re welcome” after 5 seconds.

He gathered all of his items, hiding them in his backpack that he used when he went to help Poppy save her friends. He looked at the time, and knew she was coming home now. He patiently waited for her on the couch, not a second later and she bursts in. He stands and follows her into the room, knowing her stress.

Today was the day Branch would finally propose to his one and only love, Poppy. He went over to her, as she just finished her work early. She stretched and yawned, turning to her partner with a soft smile.

“Hey Poppy, I uh, wanna show you something” he said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Oh really?” She said as she stands and leans against Branch for support.

“Yah, come on. I can carry you if you want” he said, wrapping his hands around her small waist as she laid her tiny hands onto his wide and thick shoulders.

“Please.” She said as she looked up at him. He picks her up, holding her outer thighs at first and then holding under them. She holds onto his neck for support.

He managed to sneak away from everyone and go far past the walls to the beach. Poppy didn’t notice at first, but then covered her eyes and puts her down.

“Ready?” He said quietly and softly, before removing his hands and she couldn’t believe what she saw.

The water met the land, and the land was unusually gravelly and….soft. It was actually cold, but not too cold. It was a nice white color at night, and the soil ran through her tiny pink toes.

“I-I want to touch the water!” She said like a child, running to the ocean water, but Branch stops her.

“Ah-Ah-Ah! You need to wear this first.” Branch said, showing the bathing suits the twins made it him.

She looked at them and takes hers. She knows how to wear one, she has one. But that one is way too small, since it’s been a good while since the last time they had a pool party. She went behind a tall enough rock to change, and so did Branch. She came out in her one piece, which was simply blue, with green at the bottom, flower designs separating the two colors like her casual wear.  Branch had simple Green trunks, with no really special design. He didn’t want anything fancy.

“Now?!” She said, very excited to jump into the natural ocean water before her.

“Yes” he answered as he followed his excited queen into the warm water.

She giggled and splashed; the sunset looming over, turning the water into orange and yellow color. Poppy loved the beach, as he could see her excitement. Now, it was the time for him to say the words.

“H-Hey Poppy, I have to tell you something” he said, as she approached him. Her wet feet was making the sand stick to the bottom of her feet and in between her toes. Her body was soaking, and she shakes the water out of her hair like a dog.

“What is it, Branch?” She asked, going to her bigger partner.

“Well….I want to read you something” he starts, and goes into his backpack, and take out his poem

“Oh! A poem!” She said as she sat Chris -cross-applesauce in the sand, acting like a child getting read a story.

“I’ve never imagined that there can be this day” He started, “A day that love will find its way. Out of my heart and into your soul. These feelings I have are beyond my control. All my life I have waited patiently. For a goddess like you, so beautiful, so lovely. Words can’t express the way I feel. These feelings towards you are all for real. You are the reason why I go on. Eternity can’t separate this special bond. This heart of mine is reserved for you. Forever it is yours, this love is true. I’ll be your first and you’ll be my last. My world, my everything, till my time has past. I will always love you until the end of time, my love, my queen, my valentine.” He finished and he was blushing, as he had a smile on his face and looked at her.

She was blushing, and wide-eyed, “Branch….that was so……sweet!” She said as she kisses him, he kisses back with a huge smile on his face.

“And one last thing…” he said and looked in his backpack, and took out the case.

“My queen, my love, my one and only…will you make me the happiest Troll alive, and marry me?” He said, getting on one knee and opening the box with the choker in it. Trolls don’t wear rings, since they can get easily lost like that. However, of you wear a choker, it shows that you’re engaged/married. Since it’ll be harder I loose it like that.

Poppy went wide-eyed, and almost cried tears of joy. She hugs him tightly, and kisses him passionately. The two lips touched, it was weirdly the best kiss they probably ever had. Once they separated, he puts the diamond chocked around his fiancée’s neck. The two shared a tender a nuzzle, and then changed into their regular clothes before going home.

One week after, and after a long and heated session at the royal bunker, Poppy went back to work. But after weeks, they did notice Poppy’s behavior and figure. See, it takes a very long time for Trolls to birth their young because it takes awhile for a baby to develop in a seed—Simple. You can tell when one is close to birthing day, by the size of their stomachs.

They usually have a small bump that’s barley noticeable during spring. Then they grow a medium sized baby bump during the summer; finalizing with them having a huge baby bump durning the fall. After awhile, more and more pregnant Trolls are seen. Due to this, Parties aren’t as wild as they normally are.

During the fall, Poppy had a stomach the size of an overgrown acorn. Though, it only takes about two weeks for the pods to develop and grow, just to get the baby out. Poppy was asleep with Branch, when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach and shot right up. This jump scares Branch into waking himself.

“A-Are to okay?!” He said, looking at her as she held her stomach.

“NO!” She said in pain as she was grunting in groaning; Branch started to panic.

“Uh, u-uh, UH!” He said, unsure what to do. Then he got an idea.

“You’re in labor?!” He said, sitting up and getting out of bed.

“I-I think so!” She said, sweating.

He went to get her the needed items to not have her pass out, (or possibly die).

After that long and stressful session, Poppy was tired and ready to pass out. He held a rainbow seed, knowing that it’s gonna be a rainbow Troll like it’s mother and father. But the colors went along with the colors blue, purple, and pink. Branches seed ran with blue, green, and purple. And Poppy’s ran with red and different shades of pink.

“Are you…okay?” He said, and held the seed gently, walking over to his tired partner.

“Yah *Pant*” she was extremely tired.

“Let’s plant it tomorrow” he said, and he puts the seed in a soft and gentle blanket,

She nods and passes out, as he cleans her up and changes the sheets. He makes the place comfortable to where they’re gonna plant it with the resources around. Branch worked all night to make it perfect.

Poppy awoke, sore from last night, and went to go find her fiancé. She found him in the living room, asleep on the couch. She giggles quietly and softly placed a kiss on his cheek, before shaking him awake.

“Branch? Branch? Branch? Branch? Branch? Bran–” She said, calling his name over and over until he awoke and interrupted her.

“I’m up, I’m up.” He said, sitting up and stretching with a yawn.

“Ready to plant our seed?” He said, smiling at her, small black bags under his eyes.

“Are you tired?” She said, looking at him.

“Yes, but come on. A Troll seed can’t last long without the nutrients from the tree” he said and stands, as she holds their seed.

Branch shows her the small and comfortable patch he made for the pod. She smiled at the decorations and planted it in the middle of it.

“What are we gonna name it when it’s born?” Branched asked her, looking at her smiling face.

“Well, I have the names Twig and Iris” she answered and looked at him.

“So Twig is it’s a boy and Iris if it’s a girl?” He questioned.

“No, both names are gender-neutral. Twig can be a boy or girl name. Iris is used for a lot of girls, but I consider it as a name for both genders. So yes, I would name my son, Iris.” She explained to him, and he was actually happy that she was thinking of names and not something dumb or uncreative.

“I had the names Rosie, Pollen, Flower, and Roots, Twig, and Leaf” he said, looking back at her.

“But I do like the name Iris” he finished and held her close.

“Well, let’s see what gender it becomes.” She said, looking as the ground grows a bit. They can see a tiny bulb on the ground. The upcoming parents smile at their creation.

Chapter 2.

[aritheru]

CLIMATE CHANGE

Europe Is Warming Even Faster Than Climate Models Predicted

George Dvorsky

Yesterday 4:55pm

Satellite data of heat energy emitted from Europe on July 25, 2019, showing the current summer’s highest extremes.Image: ESA

Over the past seven decades, the number of extreme heat days in Europe has steadily increased, while the number of extreme cold days has decreased, according to new research. Alarmingly, this trend is happening at rates faster than those proposed by climate models.

For most Europeans, this new study will hardly come as a surprise. This summer, for example, temperatures in southern France reached a record 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit), with similar temperature extremes happening at other locations on the continent.

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Indeed, Europe is getting progressively hotter, and the data bears this out. What’s disturbing, however, and as new research published today in Geophysical Research Letters points out, this warming trend is occurring faster than the projections churned out by most European climate models. And as the new paper also notes, the observed increases in temperatures “cannot be explained by internal variability.” In other words, this warming trend is the result of human-caused climate change.

Ruth Lorenz, the lead author of the new study and a climate scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, and her colleagues analyzed temperature extremes in Europe from 1950 to 2018. On average, the number of days with extreme heat across Europe more than tripled during the timeframe analyzed, while the temperature of heat extremes went up 2.3 degrees Celsius (4.14 degrees Fahrenheit) on average.

Meanwhile, days featuring extreme cold temperatures are now on the decline, decreasing twofold or threefold depending on the location. Temperatures during extreme cold days have gone up by more than 3 degrees C (5.4 degrees F), according to the new study.

Daily maximum temperature (left) and daily minimum temperature (right) mean trends for weather across Europe. The map divides Europe into three regions, Northern Europe (NEU), Central Europe (CEU), and the Mediterranean (MED).Image: Lorenz et al/Geophysical Research Letters/AGU.

Climate scientists have already shown that Europe is getting warmer, but the new study was an effort to test the reliability of local climate models by cross-referencing local observational data. For the analysis, Lorenz and her colleagues analyzed the top 1 percent of the warmest and highest humidity extremes, along with the top 1 percent of the cold extremes during the same time period. Data for the study was gathered from around 4,000 weather stations across Europe.

“We looked further at the hottest day or coldest night per year, so for each year we looked for the maximum/minimum value and how these changed over time,” said Lorenz in an AGU press release.

It’s important to point out that differences in warming trends were observed across Europe, the result of local conditions, but the overall warming trend was indisputable.

“Hot extremes have warmed at 94% of all [European Climate Assessment & Dataset (ECA&D)] stations with significant trends at 60% and a median warming of 0.33 [degrees C] per decade or 2.3 [degrees F] over the period 1950–2018 across all stations in Europe,” the authors wrote in the study.

Overlaying this data with European climate models, namely EURO-CORDEX Regional Climate Models, the researchers noticed some discrepancies.

“We further demonstrate that the majority of EURO‐CORDEX [Regional Climate Models], which have not been evaluated regarding trends in temperature extremes, tend to underestimate the intensification of hot extremes,” while at the same time overestimating the warming of extreme cold temperatures, wrote the authors.

Maarten van Aalst, director of Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and a professor at the University of Twente, said the trend toward heat waves carries massive humanitarian implications.

“Heatwaves are a silent killer; while for many people a heatwave just means a few hot days in the office, or even a nice day at the beach, heat is literally life-threatening to vulnerable groups like the elderly and chronically ill,” van Aalst told Earther. “Contrary to, for instance, storms and floods, these casualties usually do not even make the news. We only see them later in the statistics... no death certificate says ‘heat wave’ as the cause of death, even if the heat is actually a key factor in mortality.”

As an example, van Aalst pointed to the July heat wave in the Netherlands, which caused 400 “excess” deaths, according to the national statistics office. If there were 400 deaths on account of flooding, he said, there would be a “national outcry.”

On a positive note, much can be done to mitigate the risks of extreme heat. Recently, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies issued a comprehensive guidebook to help city officials prepare for heat waves.

“Of course we need to address the root causes of climate change, but also create livable cities with urban green space, and houses adapted to the heat,” van Aalst told Earther. “But even on the shortest timescales, simple actions can make all the difference. Just asking an elderly neighbor if they’ve had their six glasses of water can literally save lives.

[garkodigitalmedia]

The 10 Most Eco-Friendly Luxury Hotels for Earth Day – Robb Report

With constant news of a climate in peril, some of the world’s most luxurious properties are joining the green revolution with a variety of inventive techniques. Many hotels are making a start with simple methods such as switching plastic straws for the paper variety, and providing guests with drinking water from reusable glass bottles, however, we’ve found a few resorts around the globe that don’t think that’s nearly enough.

From anti-poaching initiatives in South Africa and coral-reef restoration projects in Mexico, to solar panels in the Maldives that help offset the equivalent of hundreds of flights per year, these 10 resorts are going above and beyond in an effort to make every day Earth Day.

  Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Baa Atoll, Maldives

Considering it’s set in the aquamarine waters of the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has an added level of environmental responsibility—one which it takes very seriously. So seriously in fact that the resort recently installed 3,105 solar panels on the rooftops of its staff village, making it one of the country’s largest resort-based solar installations. The perennial sunshine bathing the island nation means the panels will help power the resort’s guest rooms and electric golf carts, and amounts to an annual savings of 300,000 liters of diesel and 800 tons of CO2—the equivalent of 544 flights between London and the Maldivian capital of Malé each year.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru  Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

The Datai Langkawi is surrounded by the ancient gnarled trees, hanging vines and canopies of a 10-million-year-old rainforest. With that kind of natural environment to protect, it’s clear why the resort’s 2018 renovation, led by architect Kerry Hill and interior designer Didier Lefort of DL2A, focused heavily on sustainability. The new on-site nature center is run by a team of dedicated naturalists and marine biologists who not only lead workshops and nature walks for guests, but have launched the “Fish for The Future” program, creating artificial reefs that provide a sustainable ecosystem for local fisheries.

The Data Langkawi’s “Fish for The Future” program  Photo: Eric Martin/Le Figaro Magazine/2019

Trisara, Phuket, Thailand

Named for a Sanskrit word that means “the garden in the third heaven,” Trisara is practically nirvana—and not only for its striking infinity pool villas, white-sand beach and emerald hillside location. Its high-concept restaurant PRU, presided over by chef Jim Ophorst, was bestowed with Phuket’s first Michelin star in 2018, and is a promised land for eco-conscious foodies. All ingredients on the six- or eight-course rotating menu are sourced entirely from within Thailand, and mainly from Trisara’s very own four-acre organic farm, which uses natural pesticide alternatives and compost from the restaurant’s leftovers.

A pool villa at Trisara  Photo: Courtesy of Trisara

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Giving back to the local community is paramount to the ethos of Fairmont Mayakoba, even if that community is one of the world’s largest aggregate collections of whale sharks whose home is the Mesoamerican Reef offshore from the hotel’s dazzling stretch of sugary beach. In partnership with Oceanus AC, a Mexican organization focused on coral reef reforestation, the resort is allowing guests to get involved in the combat against coral bleaching and loss of marine habitats by participating in coral reef reforestation and adoption programs.

Fairmont Mayakoba  Photo: Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

Amanzoe, Porto Heli, Greece

Melding with the ancient land, culture and people of the Peloponnese is the concept behind Amanzoe, Aman’s Porto Heli resort that resembles a modern Grecian temple. With a belief that supporting the local community promotes true sustainability for the area, the property (which is a Robb Report Best of the Best winner) runs a multitude of waste-reduction initiatives, including one that donates used guest slippers, worn staff uniforms, bed linens and room curtains to the KESO Institute, which teaches unemployed women how to sew. The donations are then artfully transformed into new items, thus create jobs for the women, and importantly, keeping the old textiles from ending up in a landfill.

Amanzoe  Photo: Courtesy of Man

Tortuga Bay Hotel, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Tortuga Bay Hotel set within the Puntacana Resort & Club is famed for soft sand, lapping turquoise waters and jaunty yellow villas with interiors designed by the late Oscar de La Renta. But the complex is also making waves in the area of sustainability. The Puntacana Resort & Club’s not-for-profit foundation has embarked on multiple ambitious environmental projects to reduce their footprint, including a zero-waste program that vastly reduces items being sent to landfills, expanding its wastewater treatment plant which returns 100 percent of the water to irrigation purposes. In 2018, the resort also opened the Caribbean’s first Center for Marine Innovation.

Tortuga Bay Hotel  Photo: Courtesy of Tortuga Bay Hotel

Thanda Safari, South Africa

Set 160 miles north of the South African city of Durban, Thanda safari lodge sits on a 34,600-acre Big Five private game reserve with a luxury tented camp, bush suites, and a massive private villa complete with a helipad. The lodge takes its name from the language of the local Zulu people—thanda means “love,” and that’s just what the property is showing South Africa’s population of rhinos. In collaboration with Project Rhino KZN, an organization dedicated to anti-poaching and conservation programs, Thanda lets guests participate in the Thanda Safaris Ulwazi Research & Volunteer Program, which tracks and darts rhinos for identification purposes before releasing them back into their habitat. Since it’s launch, the program has been successful in saving dozens of rhinos from poaching.

Tracking and darting rhinos with Thanda Safaris.  Photo: Christian Sperka

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi, Finland

Finland was recently named the world’s happiest country according to the 2019 World Happiness Report, an accolade it has won for two years running. A connection with nature is claimed to be the reason behind this high-level cheer, a statement the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel embodies daily. The Northern Lights are a frequent visitor aglow eerily above the streamlined, geometric glass-and-wood houses, all constructed of sustainable Finnish wood that the property contributes to maintaining by planting 5,000 to 10,000 new seedlings per year in the surrounding forest.

Arctic TreeHouse  Photo: Courtesy of Arctic TreeHouse

Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Opened in fall 2018, the goal of the new Six Senses Uluwatu is to blend entirely within the natural surroundings of Bali’s southwest coast. This paragon of sustainable architecture was built on land carved from a sea-hugging limestone cliff, and then entirely reconstructed in a futuristic design using the same limestone. All resort furniture was sourced from sustainable wood found within local regions of Bali. Water also plays a leading role in the hotel’s ambiance, and the water features that permeate the resort grounds are fed by a mix of rainwater catchment and resort wastewater treated at the on-site water treatment plant.

Six Senses Uluwatu  Photo: Courtesy of Six Senses

andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana

Resorts set in the most remote locations are often champions of sustainability, not only from a desire to do right by the planet, but also out of sheer necessity. AndBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is no exception. Bordering the vast Moremi Game Reserve, the lodge uses 63 percent renewable energy from an on-site solar plant. Perishable products that must be flown in from elsewhere are transported in specially designed, reusable cooling containers, eliminating the use of the single-use plastics and Styrofoam often used in food freight. Additionally, plans for 2020 include installing a bottling plant to eliminate 100 percent of plastic water bottles.

A game drive at andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.  Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://hashtaghighways.com/2019/04/20/the-10-most-eco-friendly-luxury-hotels-for-earth-day-robb-report/

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The 10 Most Eco-Friendly Luxury Hotels for Earth Day – Robb Report

With constant news of a climate in peril, some of the world’s most luxurious properties are joining the green revolution with a variety of inventive techniques. Many hotels are making a start with simple methods such as switching plastic straws for the paper variety, and providing guests with drinking water from reusable glass bottles, however, we’ve found a few resorts around the globe that don’t think that’s nearly enough.

From anti-poaching initiatives in South Africa and coral-reef restoration projects in Mexico, to solar panels in the Maldives that help offset the equivalent of hundreds of flights per year, these 10 resorts are going above and beyond in an effort to make every day Earth Day.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Baa Atoll, Maldives

Considering it’s set in the aquamarine waters of the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has an added level of environmental responsibility—one which it takes very seriously. So seriously in fact that the resort recently installed 3,105 solar panels on the rooftops of its staff village, making it one of the country’s largest resort-based solar installations. The perennial sunshine bathing the island nation means the panels will help power the resort’s guest rooms and electric golf carts, and amounts to an annual savings of 300,000 liters of diesel and 800 tons of CO2—the equivalent of 544 flights between London and the Maldivian capital of Malé each year.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru  Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

The Datai Langkawi is surrounded by the ancient gnarled trees, hanging vines and canopies of a 10-million-year-old rainforest. With that kind of natural environment to protect, it’s clear why the resort’s 2018 renovation, led by architect Kerry Hill and interior designer Didier Lefort of DL2A, focused heavily on sustainability. The new on-site nature center is run by a team of dedicated naturalists and marine biologists who not only lead workshops and nature walks for guests, but have launched the “Fish for The Future” program, creating artificial reefs that provide a sustainable ecosystem for local fisheries.

The Data Langkawi’s “Fish for The Future” program  Photo: Eric Martin/Le Figaro Magazine/2019

Trisara, Phuket, Thailand

Named for a Sanskrit word that means “the garden in the third heaven,” Trisara is practically nirvana—and not only for its striking infinity pool villas, white-sand beach and emerald hillside location. Its high-concept restaurant PRU, presided over by chef Jim Ophorst, was bestowed with Phuket’s first Michelin star in 2018, and is a promised land for eco-conscious foodies. All ingredients on the six- or eight-course rotating menu are sourced entirely from within Thailand, and mainly from Trisara’s very own four-acre organic farm, which uses natural pesticide alternatives and compost from the restaurant’s leftovers.

A pool villa at Trisara  Photo: Courtesy of Trisara

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Giving back to the local community is paramount to the ethos of Fairmont Mayakoba, even if that community is one of the world’s largest aggregate collections of whale sharks whose home is the Mesoamerican Reef offshore from the hotel’s dazzling stretch of sugary beach. In partnership with Oceanus AC, a Mexican organization focused on coral reef reforestation, the resort is allowing guests to get involved in the combat against coral bleaching and loss of marine habitats by participating in coral reef reforestation and adoption programs.

Fairmont Mayakoba  Photo: Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

Amanzoe, Porto Heli, Greece

Melding with the ancient land, culture and people of the Peloponnese is the concept behind Amanzoe, Aman’s Porto Heli resort that resembles a modern Grecian temple. With a belief that supporting the local community promotes true sustainability for the area, the property (which is a Robb Report Best of the Best winner) runs a multitude of waste-reduction initiatives, including one that donates used guest slippers, worn staff uniforms, bed linens and room curtains to the KESO Institute, which teaches unemployed women how to sew. The donations are then artfully transformed into new items, thus create jobs for the women, and importantly, keeping the old textiles from ending up in a landfill.

Amanzoe  Photo: Courtesy of Man

Tortuga Bay Hotel, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Tortuga Bay Hotel set within the Puntacana Resort & Club is famed for soft sand, lapping turquoise waters and jaunty yellow villas with interiors designed by the late Oscar de La Renta. But the complex is also making waves in the area of sustainability. The Puntacana Resort & Club’s not-for-profit foundation has embarked on multiple ambitious environmental projects to reduce their footprint, including a zero-waste program that vastly reduces items being sent to landfills, expanding its wastewater treatment plant which returns 100 percent of the water to irrigation purposes. In 2018, the resort also opened the Caribbean’s first Center for Marine Innovation.

Tortuga Bay Hotel  Photo: Courtesy of Tortuga Bay Hotel

Thanda Safari, South Africa

Set 160 miles north of the South African city of Durban, Thanda safari lodge sits on a 34,600-acre Big Five private game reserve with a luxury tented camp, bush suites, and a massive private villa complete with a helipad. The lodge takes its name from the language of the local Zulu people—thanda means “love,” and that’s just what the property is showing South Africa’s population of rhinos. In collaboration with Project Rhino KZN, an organization dedicated to anti-poaching and conservation programs, Thanda lets guests participate in the Thanda Safaris Ulwazi Research & Volunteer Program, which tracks and darts rhinos for identification purposes before releasing them back into their habitat. Since it’s launch, the program has been successful in saving dozens of rhinos from poaching.

Tracking and darting rhinos with Thanda Safaris.  Photo: Christian Sperka

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi, Finland

Finland was recently named the world’s happiest country according to the 2019 World Happiness Report, an accolade it has won for two years running. A connection with nature is claimed to be the reason behind this high-level cheer, a statement the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel embodies daily. The Northern Lights are a frequent visitor aglow eerily above the streamlined, geometric glass-and-wood houses, all constructed of sustainable Finnish wood that the property contributes to maintaining by planting 5,000 to 10,000 new seedlings per year in the surrounding forest.

Arctic TreeHouse  Photo: Courtesy of Arctic TreeHouse

Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Opened in fall 2018, the goal of the new Six Senses Uluwatu is to blend entirely within the natural surroundings of Bali’s southwest coast. This paragon of sustainable architecture was built on land carved from a sea-hugging limestone cliff, and then entirely reconstructed in a futuristic design using the same limestone. All resort furniture was sourced from sustainable wood found within local regions of Bali. Water also plays a leading role in the hotel’s ambiance, and the water features that permeate the resort grounds are fed by a mix of rainwater catchment and resort wastewater treated at the on-site water treatment plant.

Six Senses Uluwatu  Photo: Courtesy of Six Senses

andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana

Resorts set in the most remote locations are often champions of sustainability, not only from a desire to do right by the planet, but also out of sheer necessity. AndBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is no exception. Bordering the vast Moremi Game Reserve, the lodge uses 63 percent renewable energy from an on-site solar plant. Perishable products that must be flown in from elsewhere are transported in specially designed, reusable cooling containers, eliminating the use of the single-use plastics and Styrofoam often used in food freight. Additionally, plans for 2020 include installing a bottling plant to eliminate 100 percent of plastic water bottles.

A game drive at andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.  Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://hashtaghighways.com/2019/04/20/the-10-most-eco-friendly-luxury-hotels-for-earth-day-robb-report/ from Garko Media https://garkomedia1.tumblr.com/post/184329005129