#Factory sweeping Sydney

[sydneyflooring95-blog]

Why Timber Flooring in Sydney Remains a Preferred Choice for Homeowners

Timber flooring in Sydney remains a top selection for renovating or building new homes. With its natural beauty, durability, and adaptability to various design styles, timber flooring suits historic and contemporary apartments. Whether you live in a Federation-era terrace house in Paddington, a modern unit in Surry Hills, or a suburban home in Ryde, timber flooring contributes to a sense of warmth and sophistication.

What Are the Benefits of Choosing Timber Flooring?

Timber offers advantages that make it a go-to option for many Sydney homeowners:

Timeless Appeal: Unlike trend-driven materials, timber flooring retains its attractiveness across decades.

Durability and Resilience Solid and engineered wood floors withstand daily wear when properly maintained.

Thermal Comfort: Natural insulating properties keep feet warm in winter and cool in summer.

Health Benefits: Unlike carpets, sealed timber floors do not trap allergens, improving indoor air quality.

Increased Property Value: High-quality timber flooring is a premium feature, enhancing resale potential.

These benefits make it a wise investment beyond just aesthetics.

What Types of Timber Flooring Are Available?

Sydney residents have access to a broad selection of timber flooring options:

Solid Timber Made from a single piece of wood, ideal for sanding and refinishing multiple times.

Engineered Timber: Constructed from multiple layers, designed for greater stability in changing climates.

Hardwood Species: Spotted gum, blackbutt, and ironbark are common choices due to their strength and availability.

Softwood Options: Less common in Sydney but sometimes chosen for budget-friendly flooring solutions.

Reclaimed Wood: Adds character and sustainability, often sourced from old barns, factories, or demolished homes.

Each type offers different performance traits and visual effects.

How Does Sydney’s Climate Influence Timber Flooring Choices?

The city’s varied weather conditions impact flooring performance:

Humidity Fluctuations: Coastal proximity and inland variations affect the expansion and contraction of wood.

Temperature Changes: Seasonal shifts influence how flooring reacts, making engineered timber a safer choice in some cases.

Ventilation and Airflow: Older homes may require additional climate control to prevent moisture-related damage.

Sunlight Exposure Direct sunlight can cause fading, so UV-resistant finishes or window films help preserve colour.

Salt Air and Coastal Conditions: Properties near beaches benefit from treated or engineered flooring that resists warping.

Understanding these factors ensures long-term satisfaction with timber flooring.

What Should You Consider Before Installation?

Several factors influence the success of a timber flooring project:

Subfloor Condition: Must be flat, dry, and structurally sound to avoid future issues like creaking or buckling.

Room Functionality High-traffic areas may benefit from harder timber species and scratch-resistant finishes.

Budget Planning: Solid timber is more expensive than engineered options, though both offer long-term value.

Installation Method: Choose between nailed, glued, or floating installation based on subfloor type and space constraints.

Environmental Impact Look for sustainably sourced timber certified by organisations like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Proper preparation leads to a smoother installation process.

How to Maintain Timber Floors in Sydney Homes?

Ongoing care ensures that timber flooring stays in excellent condition:

Daily Cleaning: Regular sweeping removes dust and grit that can scratch the surface.

Occasional Damp Mopping Use only slightly damp mops with approved cleaners to avoid moisture damage.

Protective Measures: Area rugs in high-traffic zones and felt pads under furniture reduce wear and scratches.

UV Protection: Blinds or curtains help limit sun exposure, which causes discolouration over time.

Refinishing When Needed: Every few years, depending on usage, a fresh coat of oil or lacquer restores shine and protection.

Well-maintained timber floors remain beautiful for decades.

Final Thoughts

Timber flooring in Sydney is a preferred choice for homeowners who value aesthetics and practicality. Whether restoring original floors in heritage homes or installing new surfaces in modern developments, choosing the right timber, finish, and installation method ensures lasting results. As interior trends shift toward natural materials and sustainability, timber flooring remains a timeless and valuable addition to Sydney homes.

[createdworldchori]

Here are some of the top tourist attractions in Mahabaleshwar, grouped for easy planning:

You can find some of tourist places in mahabaleshwar for your next trip

Viewpoints & Natural Vistas

Wilson Point (Sunrise Point) – The highest point (~1,439 m) offering breathtaking sunrises and panoramic hill views .

Arthur’s Seat – Known as the “Queen of Viewpoints,” famed for sweeping valley views and the quirky floating-rock effect .

Elephant’s Head Point – A dramatic rock promontory resembling an elephant; ideal for sunrise or sunset .

Lodwick (Sydney) Point – Great vistas and a memorial pole to General Lodwick; offers views of Pratapgad Fort

Parsi Point – A forest‑fringed perch with Dhom Dam and Krishna Valley views; camel rides available .

Connaught Peak – Trek-friendly spot overlooking Venna Lake and Krishna Valley .

Table Land – Asia’s second‑largest plateau; ideal for walking and wildlife spotting .

Waterfalls & Lakes

Venna Lake – A peaceful man‑made lake for boating, horse‑riding, and lakeside snacks .

Lingmala Waterfall – A spectacular ~500–600 ft waterfall, best visited post‑monsoon; accessible via a short trek .

Dhobi Waterfall – A quieter scenic cascade close to Lodwick and Elphinstone viewpoints .

History & Culture

Pratapgad Fort – A significant hill fort built in 1656 by Shivaji Maharaj; site of the famed Afzal Khan encounter .

Mahabaleshwar Temple – Dedicated to Lord Shiva, famed for its rudraksha‑shaped linga .

Rajpuri Caves – Ancient sacred caves with shrines to Lord Kartikeya and Ghatjal Devi .

Raj Bhavan – The Maharashtra Governor’s colonial‑era summer residence known as “The Terraces”.

Morarji Castle – A British‑style colonial mansion where Gandhi once stayed .

Agricultural Attractions & Entertainment

Mapro Garden – Famous for strawberries; offers jams, shakes, factory tours, a café, a nursery, and a play area .

Strawberry Farms – Wander through local farms, especially during harvest, and sample fresh fruit & pick‑your‑own .

Velocity Entertainmentz – A family amusement park featuring go‑karting, zip‑lining, bumper cars, and more.

Wildlife & Nature Watch

Babington Point – A serene spot ideal for bird‑watching in lush surroundings .

Suggested Itinerary (1‑2 Days)

Early Morning: Start with sunrise at Wilson Point.

Mid‑Morning: Visit Arthur’s Seat → Elephant’s Head → Lodwick/Parsi Point.

Lunch Break: Enjoy at Mapro Garden, and sample strawberries.

Afternoon: Explore Venna Lake → take a boat ride and stroll.

Post‑Lunch Adventure: Trek to Lingmala or Dhobi waterfalls.

Evening: Check out Raj Bhavan or Morarji Castle, then catch the sunset at Connaught or Table Land.

Full‑Day Option: Add Pratapgad Fort + Rajpuri Caves mid‑itinerary, possibly booking a guide.

Let me know if you want details on how to get around, stay options, or seasonal insights!

Here we had discussed about mahabaleshwar places to visit for your stay

[gsbondcleaningsydney]

Office Cleaning Sydney: We Keep Your Office Shining Forever

Gs Office Cleaning Sydney is well-known for its cleaning services: we do office cleaning, industrial cleaning and warehouse cleaning. We have built an outstanding reputation over the years as we service our clients on a regular basis. Our service may be booked instantly through a phone call; call us for an appointment.

The Psychology: Why A Clean Office Is Important

We believe that a clean office boosts the morale of its employees and increases their physical activity so they work better. Our service is thus of financial benefit to the employer as he is able to get more value for his money.

At Office Cleaning Sydney we are also aware that a dirty, cluttered office is contrary to the work ethic and employees do not function well under such circumstances. Moreover, a lack of cleanliness in the workplace also creates a poor impression in the minds of business associates, partners and clients. It is, therefore, bad for business and for this reason, we encourage you to book our service. We recognize that a tidy desk is essential and we also provide office maintenance in conjunction with our cleaning service.

Highly Skilled Workers

Gs Office Cleaning Sydney has workers who are highly trained and skilled in their profession. They are knowledgeable about modern methods of cleaning and use the latest tools. They carry their own cleaning kits containing professional-grade materials, including mops and detergents. They bring to the job their experience and expertise and do a very thorough job of cleaning your office.

Environment-Friendly

Office Cleaning Sydney is an environment-conscious and socially responsible service. We are committed to the welfare of the community and to the preservation of the planet. For this reason, we use only green products in our cleaning solutions which are non-toxic and cause no damage to the office or the immediate environment.

Flexible Schedule

Office Cleaning Sydney understands the demands of business and offers flexible cleaning schedules that seek to minimize the disruptions to business operations caused by inconvenient timings. Whatever the preference of the customer, whether he would like daily, weekly or customized cleanings, Office Cleaning Sydney will meet that specific requirement.

A Total Cleaning Service

Office Cleaning Sydney offers a complete cleaning job which covers all the items in the office. The upholstery is cleaned to provide for comfort and style in the office. The carpet is cleaned through dry cleaning, shampooing or steam cleaning depending on the wishes of the customer. The curtains are also rinsed and the windows are washed to provide a view from the office that is not marred by stains.

Reasonable Prices

Office Cleaning Sydney provides a service that is reasonably priced to meet the needs of the average Australian. Recognizing the expense of maintaining and running an office, we strive to make our cleaning service within reach of every office owner in the city of Sydney.

Transparency Of Service

Office Cleaning Sydney offers a service that is not only affordable but also transparent. The customer is kept in the loop throughout and is periodically informed of the progress of the cleaning. Moreover, the workers are police-verified and fully insured against the risk of damage to the expensive office equipment. The office owner is thus saved tension and worry and has a relaxed cleaning experience.

Industrial Cleaning

In addition to cleaning the workplace, Office Cleaning Sydney performs other types of cleaning including industrial cleaning. Industrial cleaning is defined as the deep cleaning and maintenance of any industrial premises. Industrial cleaning involves deep cleaning, sweeping, industrial scrubbing and high pressure cleaning in accordance with factory-specific needs. This kind of cleaning requires modern, high pressure equipment and advanced know how in order to cope with this technology-driven procedure.

Warehouse Cleaning

We provide a wide range of Office Cleaning Sydney services for factories, industries and warehouses. Our cleaning service leaves businesses free to concentrate on their main work. Our outstanding reputation built up painstakingly over the years enables us to service many customers.

Prioritize Customer Satisfaction

At Gs Bond Cleaning Sydney we take pride in our reliability and commitment to customer satisfaction. We realize the importance of a clean office for business and we seek to maintain the highest corporate standards of cleanliness. If the customer is not satisfied with our cleaning job, we come back to do a reclean within 2-4 days. Customer satisfaction is guaranteed in our service.

A Trusted Partner Of Business

Gs Bond Cleaning Sydney is the trusted partner of business in its dedication to excellence as it seeks to create a spotless office for the achievement of corporate goals. Our performance has won us high approval ratings and created a base of satisfied clients who consistently give us good reviews and come back to us for their cleaning requirements. We service our clients on a regular basis and have built an impeccable reputation which has made us a premier office cleaning service in the city of Sydney.

Quality House Cleaning in Sydney

[snbcleaning]

Industrial Cleaning Services

When it comes to cleaning industrial spaces, you want a company that has the experience to handle the job quickly and correctly. They can help you reduce downtime by sanitizing all surfaces, including hard-to-reach areas and equipment.

They also provide mold remediation, high-pressure cleaning and pest control services. These services are critical for businesses that produce sensitive products, such as hospitals and pharmaceutical factories.

Tank Cleaning

One of the more important services offered by industrial cleaning companies is tank cleaning. These tanks can hold all kinds of materials and chemicals, from oil to sludge, paint and even food. Without cleaning, a tank can quickly turn into a dangerous hazard. Keeping your tanks clean ensures greater safety standards at your facility and reduces the amount of time you'd spend on unscheduled maintenance.

Tanks need to be cleaned on a schedule to prevent sludge buildup and other problems, like corrosion that can eat away at the tank walls. In addition, if you have an inspection coming up by industrial testing agencies or internal maintenance personnel, the tanks need to be empty and clean before technicians can enter.

When looking for a tank cleaner, make sure they are OSHA certified to work in confined spaces. Also, ask for proof of workers' compensation insurance and general liability insurance. They should be able to provide you with copies of these documents upon request.

Storm Drain Cleaning

Keeping your storm drain lines clean is the most cost-effective way to prevent flooding and damage to property. The high capacity lines that run between catch basins and drains are prone to clogging due to leaves, twigs, dirt, debris, pet waste, garbage and other materials. These clogs can cause the water level to rise and flood parking lots or sidewalks, which can lead to structural damage and public health risks.

Often, the most obvious sign that a storm drain is clogged is the appearance of rising water when it rains. However, it is also possible for clogs to form in less obvious ways. If the drains are prone to collecting litter, or have a history of getting clogged, you should increase their cleaning frequency.

You can help reduce the frequency of storm drain maintenance by sweeping up leaves and twigs, and keeping trash away from the area. It is also a good idea to trim nearby trees so that dead branches don’t fall into the storm drains and create blockages.

Floor Cleaning

Unlike general cleaning services, industrial cleaning services specialize in heavyduty projects that need special tools and attention. This can include power washing and disinfection of concrete surfaces, exhaust duct cleaning, and decontamination services for manufacturing spaces that require a high level of cleanliness.

Warehouse floors can build up chemicals, spills, waste, debris and other materials that a standard janitorial service cannot remove. In addition, they can perform power vacuuming with specialized equipment to get into corners and other areas that are not accessible with traditional cleaning methods.

Professional industrial cleaners treat hygiene standards as seriously as the industrial companies themselves do. They understand that a misstep by their team could lead to lost productivity and product quality. As such, they train their workers to follow specific procedures for handling high-touch areas and other factors that may pose a risk during cleaning processes. This helps prevent contamination and ensures that the facility is sanitized properly to meet CDC recommendations during COVID-19.

General Cleaning

In industrial environments, the work area should be clean and sanitized to keep employees focused on their jobs. Regular cleaning removes dust, debris and other contaminants that can disrupt workflow. It also prevents odors that can cause employees to become distracted while working.

industrial cleaning Sydney services often include the disinfection of high-touch areas, pressure washing and exhaust system cleaning, cleaning windows and other hardto-reach places, sanitizing industrial carpets, servicing warehouse floors and keeping up with general maintenance to reduce equipment wear and tear. Some industrial cleaning companies even offer hazardous waste removal.

Accidents in industrial settings are common, and when they happen, chemicals can leak, spill and contaminate surfaces. A good industrial cleaning service will be ready to respond quickly and safely to these emergencies. They can help contain the contamination, minimize risk to workers and the environment and restore a safe operation as soon as possible. In addition, a qualified industrial cleaning company should be familiar with all relevant environmental and safety protocols and guidelines.

[warnerpoul]

Shining Benefits of Polished Concrete.

For a long time, people have recognized concrete as a superior building material due to its longevity and adaptability. Its original application was in places where durability was prioritized over decoration, such as warehouses and factories. Now that concrete polishing methods have improved, however, this sturdy material is being used in residential and commercial settings for both its aesthetic appeal and practical advantages.

Longevity and strength

Polished concrete is extremely long-lasting and can take on the abuse of strong foot traffic, heavy machinery, and even industrial use. Concrete Grinding Sydney is preferred by a lot of people. Polishing not only improves the surface's aesthetics, but also makes it more dense, stain-, water-, and abrasion-resistant. Given that they may last for decades, polished concrete floors are an economical option.

Simple to maintain

Polished concrete floors require far less upkeep than other flooring options, such as hardwood or carpet. Concrete Grinding Near Me has been outstanding. It's great for those who suffer from allergies since it doesn't collect dust, grime, or other allergens and is simple to keep clean. A polished concrete floor just requires routine sweeping and the occasional damp mopping to keep it looking brand new.

Safe for the Environment

Polished concrete is a sustainable flooring choice. It makes do with what's already there, so there's no need to put down tiles or carpet. Concrete Polishing Sydney is indeed the best. In addition, there is no hazardous waste produced, and the reduced maintenance needs mean less cleaning chemicals are needed, making this a sustainable option for anyone concerned about the environment.

Quality of Indoor Air Has Improved

Polished concrete floors, as was previously said, do not serve as a breeding ground for allergies, mold, or mildew. You can always find a good Concrete Polishing Company. This makes them a great option for places where air quality is a major concern, such as classrooms, hospitals, and private residences. The lack of volatile organic compound (VOC) releasing components also helps create a healthier home and workplace.

Modularity Choices

Polished concrete may be altered in a wide variety of ways to meet the needs of designers and homeowners with varying tastes. Concrete Polishing Contractor Near Me has helped out a lot of people. Gloss, aggregate exposure, and artistic features like stains, dyes, and stenciled motifs are all options for creating a one-of-a-kind aesthetic. Because of its adaptability, it may be used in a variety of settings, including homes and businesses.

Improved Reflectivity

The reflectivity of a room may be greatly increased by polishing the concrete flooring. Because of this, not only does the space get brighter, but it may also require less energy-consuming artificial lighting. Enhancing safety in commercial and industrial situations through increased light reflectance.

Polished concrete floors are in demand because of their durability, aesthetic value, and eco-friendliness, qualities that were once considered mutually exclusive. The advantages of concrete polishing make it a strong contender among flooring solutions for any type of commercial building renovation. Because of its attractive look, low upkeep needs, and eco-friendliness, polished concrete is quickly becoming a popular flooring option.

[allareass]

Why Property Maintenance Is Essential

Property maintenance is an essential part of owning a home or business. Not only does it protect the value and function of your property, but it also reduces the risk of unexpected issues.

Regularly cleaning gutters, lawn care, and filter replacements are just some of the many tasks that can be scheduled. Other common commercial maintenance activities include inspecting for damage, painting, and upkeep of common areas. To know more about Regular Maintenance Services Sydney, visit the All Areas website or call 1300659609.

Performing regular inspections and maintaining a checklist of assets can help prevent costly repairs in the future. Moreover, it can also reduce the amount of time equipment spends out of service as repairs are made.

Using preventive maintenance strategies lays the foundation for successful facility management. It keeps equipment running smoothly, maintains a high level of safety for staff, and decreases operational disruptions.

Preventive maintenance services range from calendar-based, schedule-driven work to a combination of preventive maintenance with continuous condition monitoring. The latter involves analyzing data from sensors to determine when an asset may be at risk of failure or reaching the end of its life cycle.

For example, a professional property maintenance company can identify signs of moisture and mildew on outdoor surfaces and repair them before they become a health and safety issue. They can also clean and maintain clogged gutters to prevent water damage and rust on metal surfaces. They can even conduct electrical inspections to ensure your home is safe and up to code.

The diverse climate and bustling urban landscape of Sydney pose unique challenges for building management. However, effective strategies can maximize operations and ensure the comfort, safety, and value of residential and commercial properties. These include prioritizing regular maintenance, establishing sustainable practices, enhancing security measures, and leveraging professional services.

All Areas offers a comprehensive maintenance service that is designed to help you keep your property in great shape. Our planned maintenance programmes will address any issues before they turn into a crisis, saving you money and reducing the number of reactive call outs.

We can also offer oil and chemical spill response maintenance. This includes storing, servicing and maintaining the National Plan equipment stockpiles of Tier 2 and 3 Oil Spill Response Equipment in Townsville, Brisbane, Sydney, and Dampier. Our team of qualified and experienced technicians are fully licensed, insured, and up to date with all Sydney regulations, so you can rest assured that your property is in good hands.

A well-maintained building or apartment complex makes a good impression on visitors. It also increases the value of the property and helps attract tenants or buyers. Curb appeal services include painting, landscaping, and cleaning. Professional strata painters Sydney ensure that your building’s exterior looks attractive and attracts customers.

Regular maintenance helps identify and address minor issues before they become significant problems that require costly repairs. In addition to saving money, these services can help reduce the risk of property damage and prevent safety hazards.

Commercial and industrial properties often have multiple air conditioning systems that need routine servicing. Regular maintenance includes a visual inspection of the storage tank and anode, a CCTV drain survey and drain cleaning, and testing of the hot water system storage and delivery temperatures and operating pressures. It also includes a complete clean and service of the air conditioning unit. This is a great way to keep your air conditioning working efficiently and to extend its lifespan.

In the long run, property maintenance helps minimise the need for costly refurbishments or repairs. It also ensures that a property maintains its quality and value, which can be helpful for when the property is eventually sold.

Many maintenance tasks, such as cleaning gutters, tending gardens or replacing filters are within the skill set of most homeowners and tenants. By performing these maintenance tasks on a regular basis, a home or business owner can save money by not having to pay for a professional service. To know more about Regular Maintenance Services Sydney, visit the All Areas website or call 1300659609.

Similarly, commercial maintenance reduces energy costs by keeping equipment running at optimal levels. Additionally, implementing routine preventative maintenance can prolong the life of expensive assets like air conditioning systems. This can be especially beneficial for businesses that use air conditioning extensively or for longer periods of time. Regular maintenance can also help minimise the cost of refrigerant recharges, which are typically cheaper than replacing an entire system. This can also reduce the need for emergency repair services, which can be extremely costly.

[horrorkingdom]

The Satellite Images

A friend of mine showed me how to use Google Maps. I'm sure you've seen it. It lets you use satellite images to look at locations all over the world. A few years ago, I was in a car accident. Since then, I really don't leave the house that often. It's difficult, and the idea of a seeing a car drive by me makes me feel lightheaded. I was fascinated by the fact that I could see all over the world, almost like being there. I could virtually walk down the streets, and it almost felt like I was really there.

I became instantly hooked. It gave me a real eye on the world. I could go to almost any major city, and I did. I'd seen streets in China, Japan, Germany, and England... so many places. I'd even gone to tourist attractions like the Great Barrier Reef and Dracula's castle.

My favorite was to go to random places in major cities and see how many people and animals I could find. The faces of the people were always blurred to protect their privacy, but it was still enjoyable to see them out there, enjoying their life, walking like it was no big deal.

"She must have good taste," I laughed.

I zoomed in closer and noticed the grey bag she carried on a grey and purple shoulder strap. She was walking in a relaxed manner, one hand trailing the wall beside her. I bet if I could have seen her face, I would see that she was smiling. I began to feel a little sad. I let my hands fall onto the arms of my wheelchair and looked at her for a minute more. I wished that I could be there, walking so carefree with her. That wouldn't happen though, until I died. I was stuck in this chair. I sighed and zoomed out of Tokyo. Enough of this for tonight. I turned off the computer and went to bed.

—

I got up early and decided to look around Paris. Paris was always fun. I liked the look of the city, with all of the old, beautiful buildings and so many people to watch. I randomly zoomed to an area and saw a street, lined with old brick buildings, a few small shops, and an old tan brick church. Ahead was an intersection, and dozens of people walked by. A balding businessman walked quickly past, looking back at an old woman, hair covered with a scarf, carrying a large purse. A curvy woman in black pants that were too tight stared into a store window, and two women led a group of small children around a corner.

I spun the view around a few more times, and then saw something peculiar. Sitting on the bench at the bus stop, were two people. One of them was a young woman with her feet stuck in front of her in a relaxed manner. She was wearing a pair of red sneakers, like my own. I was startled for a moment; as I noticed the black pants, white t-shirt, and black hooded jacket. Her dark brown hair was tied loosely behind her head. A grey bag sat on the bench beside her, the shoulder strap hooked over her shoulder.

"This is crazy," I thought. "It can't possibly be the same woman. This is a different country, different continent even. How could it be her?"

This was stupid. It wasn't as if these were live photographs. They were taken ahead of time and then stored. It's not like she was in two places at once. She could just be a traveler. Besides, without seeing her face, it was impossible to tell it was the same person. Brown hair was probably the most common hair color in the world. Those red sneakers were something I purchased online. I'm sure a million other people did too. I shook my head and went to fix some lunch.

When I got back online, I decided to look at Berlin. I picked a random street, as usual. It looked pretty empty. There were brick buildings lining the streets, looking more like factories than anything else. There were also empty lots, full of long grass and piled gravel. There wasn't much to see at all, really. There was a line of motorbikes and a car with two German flags sticking up from it. After more searching, I found one kid. He looked like he was dressed for school, a jacket thrown over his bag. He was intently looking at some kind of mobile device. I was disappointed. I started to leave, but then I caught something out of the corner of my eye. I turned the view, and there they were. Those damned red sneakers.

She was standing on a street corner, next to some kind of signpost. She had a hand on the post, looking down the street, as if waiting to cross the street. I stared, in shock. How could she be there too? Even if she was traveling, there's no way I would find her every time. Even finding her in Paris would have been one heck of a coincidence, but this? This was crazy. Was this some kind of joke? Had Google decided to play a prank on its users that used their product so much? It would have been a great joke...

I did a quick search, looking for a note about a woman that shows up like Waldo. There was nothing. I looked through articles on strange things you can see on Google Maps, but none of them mentioned the woman that travels the world with you. This was crazy. Had my self-imposed isolation driven me mad? Had I become so lonely that I created a hallucination for myself?

Leaving the Berlin image on my screen, I sent a text message to a friend, asking him to look at the locations. I asked him if he saw the same woman. Then I waited, hands sweating, heart thumping in my chest. I jumped when my phone beeped with a return text message, ten minutes later.

The text read, "I see the lady you're talking about in Berlin. I didn't see her in Paris or Tokyo. Is this some kind of game, or what? Are you okay?"

I didn't respond, instead returning to the locations in Tokyo and Paris. There she was. She was there, but it was different. She no longer sat on the bus-stop bench, in Paris. She was standing in front of it, looking for something in her bag. In Tokyo, she was blocks away, squatting down to pet that calico cat. I shivered. Who was she? What was happening?

I switched the map to Brussels. It was another city street. It was lined with old looking buildings, with shops on the ground level, and what I guessed was apartments above. I quickly scanned the streets. They were empty, other than a stocky woman in a bright blue sweater. I did a second sweep. She wasn't there. I sighed in relief. I couldn't believe I was getting so worked up about this.

It was nothing but a coinci-- I stopped, my eyes frozen on the screen. There was a building at the point of a fork in the road, white with a black-ironwork-framed balcony jutting from the second floor. I hadn't seen her, as I had been looking at the sidewalks. There she stood, standing on the balcony, her head tilted in the direction of the camera, almost like she was coyly looking toward me. My breath caught in my throat.

I switched to Sydney. She was leaning against the wall, inside the doorway of a bright blue Carricks Pharmacy building. London showed her getting ready to step onto a red double-decker bus, her head turned to look over her shoulder. She was everywhere I looked. She stood on a brick sidewalk on a bridge in Venice, she walked across a yellow barred crosswalk in Zurich; and in Hong Kong, and she stood between a Wing Lung Bank and a McDonald's adjusting the strap on her bag. In each picture, she came closer and closer to looking directly at me with her blurred out face.

My heart felt like a terrified bird, slamming around inside my chest. I couldn't catch my breath. I wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't call the police. Should I send screenshots to Google?

I clenched my fists tightly and closed my eyes. Who was she? Was she following me? Was I following her? I wish I could see the expression on her face, know what she saw when she looked back at me. I wanted to get out of the chair and run. Why is it that the only thing that made me feel free again, was the thing that made me feel even more trapped? I had to know.

I typed in the name of my town and zoomed into a random street. It was a couple of miles from my house; the gates to the city park were shown in the clarity of daylight, despite it being night here. There she was. There... There she was. She was only a few miles from my house, standing under the ironwork arch that stated the name of the park. She looked directly at the camera, directly at me. I felt like I might throw up. She was near me, and she was watching me. She was coming for me. What did she want?

I typed in the name of the apartment complex where I live. I could see the outside of the building. The parking lot was full of cars, and there were a few blurred out children on the playground. I searched everywhere for her. She wasn't in the parking lot or on the sidewalks, not hiding between the buildings or standing in the playground. I even scanned each of the cars, behind the bushes, and each of the blurred windows. She wasn't there. I curled tightly around myself and lay my head down on the desk.

This place was safe. I didn't leave the apartment anyway. I would never use Google Maps again. I would never see her again. She could stay at the park for all I cared. I smiled to myself and was surprised to find a tear slipping down my face.

"I'm safe," I said to myself in a whisper. It felt good to hear it out loud. "I'm safe."

As I said it, there was a knock at the door. A chill ran down my spine. I had a camera hooked to my computer that showed who was at the front door, which made it easier for me, with my mobility issues. I slowly reached for the control to show myself who was outside, but my hand trembled furiously. As I touched the control, I realized my mistake. The last of Google's images that I'd seen had only shown the outside of the building. Just the outside.

I looked at the screen and saw a woman in a white t-shirt, black pants, black hooded jacket; and carrying a grey bag with a purple and grey striped shoulder strap. Of course, there were those red sneakers. She looked directly at the camera, her face still a complete blur. As I tried to stifle a scream, she raised a hand and knocked loudly on my front door.

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Troubling FBI surveillance (Foreign Policy) An FBI report obtained by Yahoo News reveals that state and local law enforcement agencies are collecting private information of individuals already on the FBI’s terror watch list, despite a federal judge ruling in September that the list violates basic constitutional protections. The size of the watch list has ballooned to over 1.1 million people since it was created in 2003, leading to accusations that some--or most--people on it are not involved in terrorism at all. The FBI report suggests that officials have simply found a workaround to continue collecting data.

British Airways flight from New York to London in under 5 hours, an unofficial record (Washington Post) Four hours and 56 minutes. That’s all the time it took for British Airways Flight 112 to fly from New York’s JFK International Airport to London Heathrow early Sunday. A rip-roaring jet stream at more than 260 mph turbocharged the trans-Atlantic British Airways flight, which departed New York at 6:20 p.m. and landed in London at 4:43 a.m. Sunday, nearly two hours ahead of schedule. As it shot across the Atlantic, the Boeing 747-400 jet reached a top ground speed of 825 mph.

Heavy Rains, Floods, Mudslides Paralyze Parts of Sao Paulo (AP) Heavy rains in Sao Paulo brought Brazil’s most populous city nearly to a halt on Monday with floods, mudslides and enormous traffic jams.

What Happened in Ireland’s Elections? (Foreign Policy) Ireland’s left-wing nationalist Sinn Fein party has demanded to be part of the next government after initial vote counts showed it winning 24.5 percent of first-preference votes in Saturday’s elections--more than any other party, including the dominant centrist parties Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. On Sunday, Sinn Fein party leader Mary Lou McDonald called the results a “revolution” and pledged to seek a coalition government. “This is no longer a two-party system,” she said. Vote counts are still underway, but Saturday’s elections have thrown Ireland into political turmoil, with no party winning anything close to a majority. Long held back by its past links to the paramilitary Irish Republican Army (IRA), Sinn Fein is now poised to be a key part of negotiations to form a coalition. Exit polls show that Sinn Fein had a surge in support among younger voters concerned about lagging public services, housing, and infrastructure.

Scotland is taking steps toward independence vote: Sturgeon (Reuters) Scotland is already taking steps to hold a referendum on independence and believes it is a matter of when rather than if the country separates from the rest of Britain, Scotland’s First Minister said on Monday.

Europe’s Winter Storm Sweeps Into Austria With Heavy Winds (AP) Fallen trees blocked roads and train tracks in southern Germany and Austria on Tuesday after a storm with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains battered northern Europe for days, killing at least seven people and causing severe travel disruptions.

Coronavirus tops SARS death toll (Foreign Policy) The official number of people who have died in China from the new coronavirus outbreak reached 1,000, surpassing the death toll of the SARS epidemic in 2002-3. Officials have confirmed more than 43,000 cases of the virus globally, with most in China. People across China are returning to work after the extended Lunar New Year holiday, though many schools and offices remain closed, with employees working from home.

Cambodia PM Says Country ‘Will Not Bow Down’ a Day Before EU Trade Decision (Reuters) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was defiant on Tuesday, a day before the European Union is to decide whether to end the country’s special trade preferences over human rights concerns, saying the nation “will not bow down” to foreign demands.

Philippines Notifies US of Intent to End Major Security Pact (AP) The Philippines notified the United States on Tuesday it intended to end a major security pact allowing American forces to train in the country in the most serious threat to their treaty alliance under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Downpour in Australia (Reuters) A four-day downpour across Australia’s east coast has brought relief after months of devastating bushfires and years of drought, but also widespread storm damage and forecasts of more wild weather to come. The weekend drenching represented the biggest sustained run of rainfall in Sydney and surrounding areas for 30 years, dousing some bushfires and replenishing depleted dams across New South Wales, the country’s most populous state.

Supply and demand (Foreign Policy) Iran’s relations with the United States and Israel aren’t exactly on the best of terms these days. For one factory in Iran, that means business is booming. The factory produces American and Israeli flags--so demonstrators at pro-government rallies can burn them. “In recent years, the production of the U.S. flags has been tripled,” the factory owner said. “What eventually happens to my products is on its end user.”

Syrian Government Seizes Aleppo Highway for First Time Since 2012: Monitor (Reuters) Syrian government forces seized control of the entire length of the main Aleppo-Damascus highway on Tuesday for the first time since 2012, after driving rebels from their last foothold on the road, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Nearly 700,000 Syrians displaced by government offensive since early December: U.N. (Reuters) Nearly 700,000 civilians have been displaced by a renewed Russian-backed Syrian government offensive against the rebel-held northwest since early December, including nearly 100,000 in the last week alone, the United Nations said on Monday.

Palestinians mobilize against Trump’s Mideast peace plan (Foreign Policy) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks before the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, hoping to build opposition against Trump’s Middle East peace plan. Some countries are already feeling the pressure from Washington: Last Thursday, Tunisia abruptly fired its ambassador to the United Nations after he led negotiations on a Palestinian draft resolution declaring the peace plan in breach of international law.

[rjzimmerman]

Some newer ideas being implemented in Australia that are described in this New York Times story:

Make roads from plastic bags and glass.

Sixteen miles north of Melbourne, there is a road paved with the equivalent of 200,000 plastic bags, 63,000 glass bottles and waste toner from 4,500 printer cartridges. It is the first road in the world made of Reconophalt, a combination of recycled materials and asphalt.

Build small, portable recycling factories.

Factories that reprocess materials like plastic, glass and paper are usually large, expensive operations that produce one or a few recycled products. But researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney are exploring the possibility of “microfactories”: small, modular machines that can be used together in various combinations to create new materials.

Turn disposable cups into sturdy materials.

Disposable coffee cups might seem recyclable, but most are lined with a fine film of plastic that makes them very difficult and expensive to reprocess. The cups can, however, be mixed with recycled plastic to make various other products, including outdoor benches, vegetable garden planter boxes, coat hangers and even reusable coffee cups.

Collect street sweepings and reuse them.

Imagine if the rocks, cans, wrappers and other trash swept from the streets could be sorted, separated and reused. In fact, those items can be sorted in a “detritus processing facility.” After Sydney’s street sweepers collect the city’s trash, some is taken to a 24-hour processor, where organic and nonorganic materials are separated. Some of this matter, like rocks, might be used to construct roads, while plastics, for example, are sold to recycling facilities.

Convert household waste into electricity.

Facilities that can incinerate unrecyclable scraps and convert them into electricity have only recently gained traction in Australia, but in Sweden, for example, waste-to-energy plants have been so effective that the country has begun importing other countries’ trash. This approach has its critics: Environmental advocates say the facilities pollute air and waterways, and waste managers warn that the method might discourage other forms of recycling. But proponents say the waste-to-energy technique reduces the use of fossil fuels and cuts potential greenhouse gas emissions from decomposing waste.

[sometimesrosy]

Into Eden, chapt 2: Actually Some Sort of Princess

Into Eden

rosymamacita

Chapter 2 read on AO3

Bellamy was a mail-order bride. It was ridiculous and desperate. But he had no reason to stay on his dirt colony and this would get him to Eden.

Now he was married to this golden princess, Clarke Griffin. And she was so rich it made his head spin. He wanted to take advantage of it all. This money that was now technically his, of a sort, because it never had been fair the way the rich always got everything and people like him got nothing. So he could right? It would be fair.

But Clarke seemed sort of desperate herself. Clarke seemed sort of sad. Dammit if she weren't all sorts of earnest and honest and he kind of liked her.

“A state room,” Bellamy said. He stood in the middle of the spacious cabin on their luxury space liner, and spun slowly in a circle. There was a tiny chandelier like he’d seen in the history vids, fabric curtains on the portholes which actually looked out into space. They had a room where they could watch the stars. Actually watch the stars. Through an actual plas glass window. What kind of… a window. In a private room. And then to top it off, it was decorated with some sort of planet side pretension. With actual shimmery cloth curtains. And wood trim.

He dropped his duffel and went up to the window. There were the stars all right. To be honest, he was not impressed. He touched the trim and knocked on it. “That’s wood.” He looked back at Clarke Griffin.

Clarke Griffin-Blake. His WIFE.

She looked over. “Wow,” she said.

“Wood. Like from a tree. Inside of a space ship.” Nobody could afford to decorate their ships with wood unless they were ridiculously wealthy and had credits to burn.

She nodded like she had no idea what he was getting at.

He chuckled and looked back at the room. His stateroom for his trip to Eden colony where he would start his new life with his new wife, who’d ordered him from the black-market. He knew she must have had money to be able to afford all this, or connections or something, but he was not expecting this level of luxury. “You’re actually some sort of princess, aren’t you?”

She looked at him shocked, hurt almost, and for a minute, he felt bad.

“Lucky me. Marrying into royalty.” Marrying into. Being bought and paid for. Same difference, right?

She raised her chin slightly.

She really was privileged. He knew he should have expected it. “It must be nice to just, you know, throw some money around make things happen and get to enjoy a life like this.” He smirked at her as she glared, knowing even while he was doing it that he was provoking her and not really knowing why. Just that she was so pretty and golden and rich and he was leaving his dingy life behind and he felt totally out of his element. “So I guess, what I mean to say is thanks for the life of luxury, princess.” He flopped down on the couch with the brocade embroidery. Shit this place was high class. And put his boots up on the cushion because he was an ass.

She kicked his duffel, which he’d dropped in the middle of the room. “Stow that. We have to strap in for take off.”

He laughed. “What on a luxury liner like this? I thought that was just for the common folk. We’re royalty, aren’t we?”

“No.” Her voice was hard and flat. He’d pushed too far. He was an ass. “Stow it. Your cubby should be….” She walked over to the wall and pressed something. A door opened. “No, that’s my wardrobe. So yours is,” she stepped over. “Here.”

The door opened and inside it was full. He got up and looked inside. “This is a whole… how many clothes do I need? I’ve never owned this much clothing in my life.”

“This is just for the trip. We have to act the part of, well, wealthy colonists.”

“It’s an act, huh? I think it’s your real life.”

“No. It’s not. This is all there is. Don’t get used to it. I spent my whole fortune for this trip. To outfit the both of us. And to buy this claim off of someone who couldn’t use it. There’s nothing left.”

He blinked at her. “You spent all your credits on this. Why would you do that? And used the last of it for this fancy stateroom?”

She shook her head. “No. I used the last of it for you. For our marriage. So I could get accepted in the colony charter. The stateroom was part of what Diana Sydney sold me. I just had to change the boarding location and pay for your trip to Polis Station, and of course all the gear a man needed for the colony. So I spent the last of my inheritance on you.”

“Me?”

She nodded.

“I used your measurements from the agency—“

“Space Spouse Store,” he interrupted. His sister, Octavia, and he used to make fun of those desperate enough to sell themselves to the colonists for a better life. And now Octavia was gone and here he was one of the loser space spouses, married to the gorgeous, rich princess. He deserved the mockery.

“The marriage contractors,” she corrected, “to buy a wardrobe that would fit you. So unless you gained or lost weight, or lied, since filling those forms out, it should be all good. All this stuff here is to play your role for the ship events, the dinners, the meet and greets, the official survival workshops, with the other colonists.

“Survival workshops?”

“We’re all used to living on space stations and developed colonies. Eden’s a wilderness.”

“Maybe you all are used to living in luxury. I know what it’s like to work every day. I’ll do fine.”

She pressed her lips together. “Still. You need to pay attention. This is no joke.”

“Yeah, I got that, princess. Don’t worry. I’ll do what I need to.”

“I’m still a little nervous that we’ll be found out as a fake. We have to get our story down. How we met, what our tastes are.”

“Yeah, I knew the game when I signed up. I’ll play along.”

“Okay good. We’re not on Eden colony yet. They could send us back and keep all our gear. When we get to Eden colony, we’ll go straight out to our claim. Once on Eden soil, that’s it. We’re colonists. They can’t send us back. I got you a wardrobe for colony life, too. It’s in freight. They’ll deliver it along with our building mods and mechs and everything we’ll need.”

He ran his hand along the clothes that someone, what did they call them on a ship like this? A steward? had hung in this closet. “You got everything figured out.”

“Well, most of it was already planned by the person whose claim I bought. The rest? Why not spend my inheritance on giving us the best shot at a new life? My dad died for this. Maybe if he hadn’t died I wouldn’t have needed to leave the quadrant.” She looked away from him.

He wanted to call her a poor little rich girl, but she looked legitimately sad. He was taking it out on her because he was nervous and he knew it. He didn’t even know this woman, and he didn’t think she’d ever headed out to colonize a new planet, either. He wasn’t THAT much of an ass. He could feel empathy for the girl.

He chose this. It had felt like his last choice, but he definitely chose it. He could have stayed working in the factory on his dirt colony when his sister got married and ran off, but he didn’t want to. There was nothing for him there. Here at least he had an opportunity. He looked at Clarke and a seed of hope settled in his gut.

A siren broke into the peace and beauty of the stateroom. “All passengers, please proceed to flight seats.”

Bellamy felt his heart racing. This was it. No turning back now. As if he could have turned back before. He’d made his choice when he accepted Clarke Griffin’s proposal. And since meeting her, it might have felt more real, but it was still his choice.

He stowed his duffle and locked the door. Clarke gestured him over to the flight seats, which were cleverly disguised in the living area of the stateroom to look like entertainment loungers. As soon as they sat down, in fact, the vid screen went off and began playing soothing music and images of pastoral scenes. Their soon to be home, he assumed. Eden.

The nerves in his gut turned into anticipation. He looked over at Clarke as she fastened her harness. He really hadn’t been expecting her to be this pretty. In her pictures, she’d been very professional and buttoned up, clearly good looking, but this girl, frazzled and flushed with nerves, she was something different. And he was startled by his urge to ease her anxiety.

He clicked his harness in and a soothing green light went on over their stateroom door. They were all go for take off.

“Boy it’s lucky they got my shuttle fixed when they did, or I would have missed the whole flight.”

The look she shot him was nowhere near the response he’d expected from his half joke.

“That’s why you were so late? They were getting ready to close the doors on us.”

“Us?”

“Us. They weren’t letting me on without the family in the contract. Me and my husband. Both or neither.”

The engines in the luxury liner started humming. He could feel it through his bones. He’d barely had enough time to adjust to actually being on this ship before it was taking off. This was all happening so fast. He was leaving his old life on a dirt colony, the grind of working for the factories with no way to have a better life, not unless he got off. His sister had got off. And now he was following her. To freedom. The vid played images of a sweeping landscape with pink clouds and towering mountains. The vegetation a strange bluish green.

Almost freedom. He was still married to this woman. He slanted his eyes to look at her. A beautiful woman, to be sure. She dug her fingers into the arm of the seat, her eyes locked onto the vidscreen. She didn’t look particularly eager to get to Eden Colony. She looked like she was nervous, anxious. Like she wanted to be away. A thought occurred to him.

“If I had missed the flight, they wouldn’t have let you on either.”

She shook her head tightly.

“You would have been left on Polis Station.”

“Yes.”

“And they would have kept your claim and your supplies.”

“Yes.”

“But you spent your whole fortune on this claim and this trip and… me.”

She nodded slowly, still looking at the vid of Eden Colony. “I did.”

“I almost didn’t make it. Clarke. You almost lost everything.”

“But you did make it.”

“What were you going to do if I didn’t show up? If I’d been a scammer. Or my shuttle had just broken down like it almost did?”

She shrugged and the looked at him finally. Her blue eyes were open and vulnerable. She started to speak and then swallowed. “I guess we’re married, and you’ve got to play the game, so you should know. My ex girlfriend is the commander of Polis Station. It ended badly. She blamed me for some things that happened in her career. Her advisors informed my employers. My job ended badly. I was being evicted from my apartments so you could say that ended badly, too.” She laughed bitterly. He could see the sadness settled into her skin and he wished he could reach across and take her hand, just for human comfort, but she was too far away. She shrugged. “If you hadn’t shown up, I was going to call my mom on Alpha Station and let her bring me home like she’d been begging to do for the last two years.”

Bellamy blinked. Alpha Station. “Griffin.” He said. “As in Abby Griffin, the chancellor of Alpha Station.” She blinked back. “And Jake Griffin, the galactic engineer who was assassinated by Abby Griffin’s political rivals for exposing the plot to conceal a new power source that would enable interstellar travel at a price regular humans could afford. That Griffin.”

She didn’t nod. She just looked at him.

“Holy shit. My wife really is a princess.”

She pointed at the vid screen. “I won’t be a princess there. I’ll just be another colonist, getting away from my old life, trying to make a planet habitable to the human diaspora.”

He tried to turn and face her but the harness held him down. “But because of your father, regular people might actually be able to live on Eden, not just the rich people who get everything and always have. Holy shit. I’m the rich people now?”

“No. We’re not rich. It’s all gone. And money doesn’t mean anything on Eden Colony, anyway. It’s a barter economy.”

He wasn’t sure if she believed that or if she was naive. If she was a Griffin from Alpha Station, then she had to understand politics and economic and how the powerful got everything and the poor got nothing. And she had to understand that a government who confiscated the freight of colonists who didn’t pass the charter agreement was not exactly a colony that didn’t care about money. And he might have brought that up to her, but the engines roared to life and and the ship began moving and Polis Station, shrunk away. He could see it through the porthole, the ugly little station, it’s long, awkward shape looking almost like a tower from an ancient fairy tale, a flame burning away on the pinnacle, really just a signal beacon, beeping out, over and over again.

When the luxury liner was far enough from Polis Station and the nearby inhabited colonies and stations, it picked up speed, the g-forces pressing them into the harness of their flight seats. By the time they reached their cruising speed and the announcement came that they were free to walk about the ship again, Bellamy had too many questions to ask his wife, and he didn’t know where to start.

[nottobecrossed]

handsomepianoman

ULTIMATE SHIP MEME! @handsomepianoman

Send in two (or more) names and I’ll fill all this out about the ship!

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - Forever!! :D

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Pretty quick for Charlee, probably longer for Elijah to accept

How was their first kiss? - Wonderful :3

Wedding:

Who proposed? -  Elijah

Who is the best man/men? - Klaus, Marcus, Kol

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Eden, Sydney, Bex

Who did the most planning? - Charlee

Who stressed the most? - Charlee

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Gideon -_-

Sex:

Who is on top? - Elijah

Who is the one to instigate things? - Elijah

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - A good while ;3

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Yes. They try too

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - Vampires can’t have children (but if they could 2-3 :3)

How many children will they adopt? - Idk, a couple

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Charlee probably

Who is the stricter parent? - Elijah (duh)

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Charlee

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Charlee (and is like a total Pintrest mom with the bunny sandwiches and heart shaped apples)

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings?- Charlee

Who cried the most at graduation? - Charlee

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Both

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Charlee

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Not really sure.....

Who does the grocery shopping? - Charlee

How often do they bake desserts? - Charlee bakes probably once a month

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Meat lovers (vampires duh)

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Elijah :3

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Elijah, give Charlee a break

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - Neither

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Elijah (neat freak lol)

Who is really against chores? - Neither

Who cleans up after the pets? - If they have pets, Charlee

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - ....Charlee

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Charlee

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Probably Charlee

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Charlee

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Both. They would probably like to do it together

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Charlee would/will decorate for every holiday :3

What are their goals for the relationship? - To be happy, to be together, and to have people stop trying to kill Elijah

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Charlee

Who plays the most pranks? - Charlee does small pranks, but Elijah’s are ^_^

[allaroundmelbourne]

How Elizabeth Broderick is taking soft-power feminism to the world

Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size Elizabeth Broderick, women's rights campaigner, UN rapporteur, 2016 Australian of the Year and in the words of one of her more indignant detractors "incompetent vagina", is making her way to the speaker's podium. She glides more than she walks, weaving through the tables of the Members' Dining Room at NSW Parliament, elegant in a tasteful black jacket, checked trousers and low heels. The audience is largely comprised of female lawyers, here to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women being permitted, by our mutton-chopped male forebears, to practise law in NSW and to run for state parliament. Broderick is a former lawyer, too, and these are well and truly her people, in some cases literally her daughter and her niece, both law students, are seated at a table in the front. She places her rectangular-shaped spectacles on her nose and begins her speech. "While the Women's Legal Status Act was passed into law in 1918, voting on this by the men in the NSW Legislative Council was far from unanimous," she says. " The Hon Dr Nash MLC remarked, 'There are many things not within the province of a woman I look upon the whole thing as a joke but we will pass the bill and have the experiment.'" The audience is the result of the experiment, and they love this. The women laugh loudly at the joke, although probably not in the spirit intended by Dr Nash. "And so, the NSW Parliament did." Broderick continues, sweeping through history to show how far we've come from the days of Dr Nash, recounting personal recollections of her time as a young mother at a big law firm (where she pushed for flexible work long before it was fashionable), and sounding a warning about the global backlash against women's rights she sees in her role as United Nations Special Rapporteur on discrimination against women and girls. "There are forces determined to bring men and women back to traditional gender roles, to adopt a regressive stance in the name of tradition," she says. Advertisement Remember when female public figures were counselled to deepen their voices to augment their authority? Broderick never got that memo her voice is soft and she lisps. She peppers her speech, both formal and informal, with feminine tics: she speaks of "joys" and "collaborations", she calls the people she works with "beautiful", whether they are CEOs or factory workers, and she maintains a refreshingly adolescent use of the idiom "Hello!?" and even the occasional, excitable "Holy shit!" in relation to her new role at the UN. But her softness in style should not be misinterpreted. Broderick, or Liz, as she is known to the lawyers, prime ministers, community activists, rape victims, military personnel and recalcitrant misogynists with whom she has softly negotiated during her 35-year career, is on a mission. She wants, she tells me when we meet weeks after the dinner at parliament, "a world where men and women are paid equally, where domestic work is shared, where there is no violence or harassment where all human beings are valued and treated equally". "I am the keeper of thousands of stories, and I think that as I've aged I've grown less tolerant of unequal treatment," she says. Since finishing up as Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner in 2015, and fulfilling her 2016 Australian of the Year duties, Broderick, 58, has established her own consultancy specialising in diversity, gender equality and cultural change. More recently, this woman who has been such a strong agent of change in Australia has taken her brand of collaborative, empathic feminism global: in 2017 she was appointed by the UN as an Independent Expert (Special Rapporteur) for the Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls, and in 2018 she launched her Male Champions of Change initiative globally. Her travel schedule of the past few months tells the story: in October she was in New York for a meeting with her fellow UN Special Rapporteurs, then she hopped over to Pakistan to convene the first meeting of her Male Champions of Change in that country. After a holiday to Namibia with her dad, sisters and their kids, she came home to work on the report her consultancy is doing for the NSW Police, which has few women at its senior levels. She convened a meeting of the Male Champions of Change in sport, to get them cracking on pay equality for female athletes, and was made a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology, Science and Engineering. She celebrated Christmas with her family and headed off on a road trip to Broken Hill with her twin sister and their husbands (they do a different Australian road trip every year), then left for Davos, Switzerland, to convene a group of Male Champions of Change in the global tech industry. From there, she flew back to New York for another meeting with her fellow rapporteurs. The UN role, in particular, is a big deal, and because Broderick lives what she preaches, naturally she came down with a bad case of imposter syndrome when applying for it. "I thought, 'Look, there's no chance I would possibly get this role. I'm not qualified enough.'" When she was shortlisted for interview, "that was exciting, but I never thought for a minute I would get the actual role". She was interviewed by a panel of men ("You've got to love that, for women's rights," she says drily) but performed poorly in her estimation. "I said to my husband, 'Well that's it, we can forget about that.'" Advertisement When she was eventually selected for the pro-bono role, there was jubilation, but as Broderick boarded the plane to Geneva for her induction in late 2017, she struggled again. "'Oh my god, what have I done?' 'Am I going to have the skills necessary to do the job well?' 'I don't know what the Istanbul Convention says or what this or that convention says,'" she thought. But then Broderick reminded herself of her other, non-legal expertise. None of the other rapporteurs had worked closely with the military, as she had, when she led the 2011 review into the treatment of women in the Australian Defence Force. Few had worked so closely with the private sector. None had created an initiative like Male Champions of Change, which brought male business leaders together to address gender inequality in corporate Australia. I ask Broderick if she thinks UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres gives himself stern lectures about leaning in. "Probably not," she laughs. "Do you think any of them do? No, probably not." Hard experience aside, Broderick believes her main skills are her so-called "soft" ones. Her ability to listen sympathetically and without judgement. Her knack for bringing together people with wild differences. Her skill for getting people to find common ground. "I can agree with one small bit of what you're saying somewhere, and if I can do that I can open up a chink," she says, "because if I demolish your view right off the bat, I demolish the life experiences that have shaped you to hold that view." Empathy, compromise, listening: such unshowy, traditionally feminine skills are rare, and even unfashionable, in contemporary public discourse, which seems increasingly shouty, confrontational and divisive. "I try to explore why you hold your view." One view she hears "over and over again" is that we are promoting incompetent women over meritorious men. "I hear that put in really problematic ways," she says like by the guy who emailed her when she was Sex Discrimination Commissioner to tell her she was "an incompetent vagina". You should put that on your business card, I say. Then Broderick swears, ever so sweetly. "Most of them, I do find funny the inside of me is saying, not, 'What the f?', but something like, 'Shoot me now'." She laughs. "I do try to bring us to a deeply human conversation right off the bat." Broderick may be soft in style and discreet in manner. She may wear well-cut suits and live in a leafy Sydney suburb. But in her quiet-but-daring mission to emphasise what we share, rather than what we disagree on, she may just be the greatest counter-cultural warrior Australia has right now.

"It's just something I have always gravitated towards that deep desire to do something at the heart of shared humanity."Credit:Tim Bauer. Hair and make-up by Giorgia Skye using Charlotte Tilbury. Some weeks after her NSW Parliament House speech, I meet Broderick in the well-appointed downtown Sydney offices of her consultancy. She immediately asks after me: I'm recovering from a child-borne virus and Broderick can talk croup as easily as she can human rights (she has two adult children, Tom, 22 and Lucy, 21). She references a few pieces I have recently written (I learn later she is meticulous in her research), and we fall easily into a chat about my daughter. With Broderick, family infuses every conversation, and she seems generally interested in yours, and in you. Advertisement It strikes me that this is a kind of soft-power superpower. Her own family is close, literally her father, her sisters and their families live within a few blocks of her and husband, Hunter Southwick, in Sydney's north-west. Her identical twin sister, Jane Latimer, a Sydney University professor specialising in musculoskeletal health, does some work at her consultancy. It's early summer, and a blockbuster news week in terms of gender politics. Actress Yael Stone has just given thoughtful interviews to The New York Times and on ABC TV's 7.30 saying actor Geoffrey Rush behaved inappropriately towards her when they worked together on a play. Federal Nationals MP Andrew Broad has resigned following a "sugar daddy" scandal. Federal Liberal MP Julia Banks has recently quit and moved to the crossbench, and the conversation about sexist bullying in politics continues. I ask Broderick what she thinks about Australia's political culture. "I look at it and say it's a culture I wouldn't want my daughter to be part of," she says. "I don't think it's good enough. I don't think the culture should be a political issue, either. It should be a human issue. It is a workplace where we need men and women to thrive equally. How do we get to that place in an institution which is founded on an adversarial system? I don't know. There are no easy answers. How do we bring respect and dignity back into our political process? Even asking the question would be a good first step." Of the Liberal Party, which has low numbers of female MPs, she says, matter-of-factly: "They need a target." Broderick's passion for gender equality does not lie in past injustices done to her. She has led what seems to be a lucky life, one of three daughters to devoted parents who ran a small medical practice together in Caringbah in Sydney's south. Her father was a nuclear medicine physician; her mother (who passed away in 2003, aged 69), a physiotherapist and "real activist". Broderick's father was "a man before his time", she says, and "very much involved in the running of the house and the caring of the kids". Now 88, he hosted the family's recent Namibia trip. Broderick shows me photos on her phone, smiling broadly. "Gender stereotypes imprison men as much as women," she says. "That's to society's detriment."

Elizabeth Broderick with her husband, Hunter Southwick, and children, Tom and Lucy.Credit:Courtesy of Elizabeth Broderick From the age of about four, Broderick and Jane helped out in the family business, ferrying X-rays and cups of tea. Later, when Broderick and her sisters (Broderick also has a younger sister, Carolyn Broderick, who is the chief medical officer for Tennis Australia) learnt to drive, they were tasked with picking up patients at hospital and bringing them to the surgery. This early experience formed Broderick in two ways: first, it acclimatised her to the world of work, and the integration of work with family. This made it natural for her to lead the way in bringing work/life balance into her legal career in a way that was unthinkable in corporate circles at the time. Second, it honed her empathy: the patients in the surgery were often waiting for a big diagnostic result cancer, or some other disease. "It's probably the one skill I have, is to sit with people who are going through traumatic events, or sit with human suffering, just be with them," she says. "It's just something I have always gravitated towards. So maybe it's that side of it, rather than having a direct experience early on in my life of discrimination that deep desire to do something at the heart of shared humanity." Advertisement Broderick went on to study IT/law at the University of NSW, and it was here that she experienced gender imbalance firsthand. She remembers turning up to one class where she was the only woman. "Assembler programming and digital logic," she recounts. "I realised on day one that if I was to have a chance to pass this course, I needed to help the boys do their essays and they would help me write my programming." After university Broderick followed the graduate trail to London, where she met Southwick, a fellow Aussie, at a Mental As Anything concert. An accountant-turned-financial services consultant with flexible hours, Southwick is the family cook, and Broderick is upfront in saying she could not have had her career without a husband who took an equal role in caring for their kids and running the household. They celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this year. On her return to Australia, she started as a lawyer at Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst) in the Sydney CBD. She decided to specialise in technology law, which, in the early 1990s, was an emerging practice area and not well regarded by the "real lawyers" of the litigation and commercial departments. By 1991 she was the head of Blake's Legal Technology Group which wasn't as grand as it sounds, she says, as she was the only lawyer in it. Over the next few years, she grew the practice to a staff of eight lawyers. She was made partner in 1994, after being knocked back on her first nomination. In 1996, three of her team members visited over the course of a few weeks to tell her they were pregnant. She hadn't announced it yet, but so was Broderick, with her first child. That meant half the team, including its leader, would be on maternity leave at the same time. Broderick responded by creating a stealth policy of flexible work. The mothers would work part-time, phoning into the office regularly. "We did it under the radar. If the wheels were falling off at work, we could bring the baby in and remedy the situation," she says. "We were absolutely committed to making it work. We wanted to show that it was possible. We didn't ask for permission. We decided we would ask for forgiveness if the wheels fell off." In a stroke of genius, she also hired a former nanny as secretary to the group, who helped out when the babies were in the office. "She was just beautiful, wonderful," says Broderick. When Broderick returned to work after three months' maternity leave, she was the first partner to do so part-time revolutionary in those days. She had her daughter Lucy 18 months later, and took four months' leave, then worked three days a week until both kids were in high school. "I didn't want to just go back to work in the way I had prior to giving birth," she says. "It needed to be different and if it was going to be different, we needed to come up with the solution." Broderick believes the next frontier is getting men more involved in childcare: she believes men should be given four weeks, not two, under the paid parental leave scheme, and that it should be on a "use it or lose it" basis. "Over time, we should move to the equal sharing of care between men and women," Broderick says. "Children do better if dads are involved right from the beginning in their baby's care. But we also need to make sure people who don't have children are given the same opportunities, because you may need flexibility for a whole bunch of reasons." While at Blakes, Broderick began a mentoring program for female university and school students from less-advantaged backgrounds, and initiated female partners' dinners a few times a year. She also ran lunchtime forums for staff on issues like postnatal depression, fertility and career. In the 1990s, discussion of such matters in a big corporate firm was not considered a career-enhancing strategy, says Jane Southward, managing editor of Company Director magazine, who has known Broderick for 15 years. "A lot of men would come to these sessions," Southward says. "Liz had this ability to be really warm and open with men and women about issues that weren't being talked about that openly in the workplace at that time." Southward says that while many women of Broderick's generation instinctually kept quiet about their family life, for fear of harming their professional reputation, "Liz was like, 'Well this is me. Work, life, it's got be merged.'" She credits Broderick with teaching her to speak positively about work in front of her children, instead of beating herself up about missing school assembly because of a meeting, or vice versa. "Her ability to be open about failings or challenges makes it more likely that you'll open up yourself," says Southward. "It's that personal style that makes it unsurprising she is a national and international success." Advertisement

With her twin sister Jane Latimer.Credit:James Brickwood In 2007, John Howard appointed Broderick Sex Discrimination Commissioner. Her term was renewed twice, once by the Rudd government, once by the Abbott government, so she ended up serving until 2015. "She wasn't a political pick," says Pip Dargan, deputy director of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Organisations, who came to know Broderick as commissioner. "Nobody really knew Liz. She was a partner in a law firm. She wasn't hanging out with the Libs or Labor." During her term, Broderick initiated her Male Champions strategy, led a review into gendered discrimination in the defence force following the notorious 2011 Skype incident at the Australian Defence Force Academy, where a cadet secretly filmed a sexual encounter and broadcast it to his mates, and joined with ACTU leader Sharan Burrow, and Australian Industry Group leader Heather Ridout, to build consensus for a national paid parental leave scheme (introduced in 2011 by the Labor government). Dargan, who counts Broderick as a friend, was particularly impressed when she convinced then-Army chief David Morrison to address the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women, in 2012. "Chiefs of army don't go to UN stuff for women. It was like a rock star event in that world." When she commenced the role, Broderick embarked on a "listening tour" which involved meeting a group of Indigenous women in Western Australia's Fitzroy Valley. They included June Oscar, now the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner. "Picture the Kimberley in north Western Australia Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek, red soil, bright blue sky some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen," Broderick says. "But in the early 2000s, it was an area ravaged by alcohol and violence, including domestic and sexual violence." The women were on a campaign to get alcohol restrictions in the area, and in 2009 they travelled with Broderick to the UN to tell their story of rebuilding their community to the world. "June opened her presentation by speaking in the Bunuba language, her native language, saying, 'This is the first time that the peoples of the world will have ever heard the language of my people', and went on to tell the story of the women of Fitzroy Crossing," Broderick recounts. "It was one of the magical moments of my career. I still remember it was snowing when we arrived in New York in March 2009; it was the first time the women had seen snow." Says June Oscar: "I admire Liz greatly and her commitment is genuine. She was very open to being educated and informed by us as Indigenous women. She established a relationship with us so she could become a champion for Indigenous women in remote Australia. She used her influence and her networks to draw attention to our issues." Oscar says her relationship with Broderick is "life-long".

Elizabeth Broderick with some of Australias top corporate leaders at a Male Champions of Change event in Sydney in 2013.Credit:Louie Douvis Redressing the global suffering of women and girls: it's quite a big job. Broderick and her fellow UN Special Rapporteurs four other female experts of diverse backgrounds from Croatia, Costa Rica, Nepal and Ethiopia report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on discrimination against more than half the world's population. A shopping list of the abuses they've reported on so far includes the rape and assault of women in refugee camps, kidnapping of schoolgirls by Boko Haram, inhumane prison conditions for women in Chad (where they're often imprisoned while awaiting a court decision), the jailing in Catholic El Salvador of women who have miscarried (they're accused of aborting their babies), African women who die from the lack of basic obstetric care, and laws seeking to introduce a total ban on abortion in Poland. Then there are the horrors of Islamic State: rape, murder, sexual subjugation. In March, Broderick begins global consultations for her first big UN report, on women's rights at work, then in April she'll embark on her first country visit, to Greece, which is experiencing an influx of asylum seekers fleeing conflict in the Middle East. She'll spend two weeks on the ground visiting government officials, women's rights advocates and asylum-seekers, focusing on the vulnerability of female refugees to assault, and their lack of access to reproductive health services.

With Hillary Clinton at a Womens Empowerment Principles Leadership Group event in 2015.Credit:Courtesy of Elizabeth Broderick Part of the rapporteurs' work is to write "Official Communications" to heads of state, letting them know the UN is aware of human rights violations. Recently, Broderick had to write one to the government of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, asking questions about the arrest and detention in 2018 of Saudi university student and women's rights activist Noha Al-Balawi. "The guy on the hook for the murder of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi?" I ask. "Yeah, that one," she says. Would someone like him read, let alone take note of, such a letter? "I kind of had this, 'Why am I even bothering?' Like, hello?' " Broderick concedes with a laugh, before getting serious. "Then I thought, 'I have to reframe how I think about impact, because if I am expecting to take a particular action and have an immediate and direct response, that's actually an illusion at the level at which I am now working, a global systems level.'" So Broderick came up with a more positive way to perceive the work. "There may be a moment in the history of that nation when that leader wants to move the nation forward, and they will link onto something," she says. "It may be this letter they will use to do that. Our letter will matter." How much does an activist engage with the systems of power she is trying to tear down? It is a question Broderick had already confronted, when she created the Male Champions of Change initiative as Sex Discrimination Commissioner. The program was, and is, controversial, some arguing that it elevates men as heroes for doing what they should have done years ago, namely, appointing women to boards and executive positions. Nareen Young, a professor of Indigenous policy at the University of Technology Sydney, was CEO of the Diversity Council Australia during Broderick's tenure as Sex Discrimination Commissioner. She is complimentary of Broderick but sceptical of the Male Champions strategy. "I'm not sure it's anything more than window dressing, and elevating men for the sake of it, in a discussion that should be led by women," she says. "I was [also] very concerned as a long-term activist around women and work issues, that [Broderick's] focus as Sex Discrimination Commissioner seemed to be women on boards. That applies to a minute number of women in the workforce. I was very surprised there wasn't more push-back around her focus on the top end of town." Broderick is aware of the criticism and rejects it: politely, of course. "I hear what Nareen says," she says. "I think she has a valid point. Male Champions of Change is focused on the top end of town, but it's focused there for a reason, because it's about shifting power, and opening up space to share it equally with women. It is just one strategy." Giam Swiegers was one of the first men Broderick nervously cold-called on her hunt for Male Champions (there are now more than 200 of them, from corporate Australia through to the military, sport and public service, and it's now a not-for-profit organisation with its own CEO and board). At the time, in 2011, Swiegers was CEO of Deloitte Australia (he now heads Aurecon). Their conversation, he recounts, "was all of 30 seconds. She is very persuasive." Swiegers signed up, which means paying membership fees and attending meetings four times a year, taking the "panel pledge" of not speaking on all-male panels or calling it out if you found yourself on one, and making your company's gender-equality data transparent. Swiegers encountered internal criticism from his female employees. "A lot of our women said, 'This is so arrogant, men wanting to fix women.' But we were never seeking the silver bullet. We realised that what we were doing was very hard. The hardest part was trying to work out why it wasn't working." Broderick says the Male Champions would lament how quickly their percentages would drop off when senior women resigned, and would go into "group therapy mode" about it. "I'm convinced that, if one day this problem of reaching true gender equality is solved, there is no person in Australia who has played a more important role than Liz," says Swiegers.

Elizabeth Broderick in Papua New Guinea last September, during the launch of an initiative to tackle family and sexual violence. Credit:Courtesy of Elizabeth Broderick It's easy to forget that, just a decade ago, the F-word was not popular in high-level business circles. David Thodey, former CEO of Telstra, was another early member. "I can still remember a time when I thought I should not continue, as our gender leadership metrics were not changing quickly enough and we were not meeting our targets," he recounts. Broderick persuaded him to stay, arguing that it was "important for male leaders to show tenacity and be leaders, despite the challenges". Last November the program launched in Pakistan, with 10 CEOs and a female advisory panel with "some of those amazing Pakistani feminists", the latter "to see that it's all about action, not talking". Leaders in India and the Philippines have also expressed interest, and in January Broderick jetted to Davos in Switzerland to chair a Male Champions meeting of global tech CEOs, including Federico Marchetti from YOOX Net-a-Porter Group, Jonathan Newhouse from Cond Nast and Lord Tony Hall from the BBC. The men made the panel pledge, committed to lifting the number of female leaders in the tech sector, and published in the Financial Times a full-page "open letter to every male leader in the tech sector" to join them. "We will work in any nation where there is a strong patriarchy," says Broderick. "Well, hello?!" she says. "That would have to be every nation in the world."

Elizabeth Broderick at the UN speaking on behalf of the Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls.Credit:Courtesy of Elizabeth Broderick Broderick is excited by #MeToo and the global flowering of feminism that brought it forth. When I mention it, she leaps delightedly on her notes; she has just this morning written down a quotation from Tarana Burke, the African-American grassroots activist who began the movement. She reads it to me reverentially. But she sees clouds on the horizon, too. "How safe is it for women to attach their names to it?" she asks. "When [Burke] conceived it, it was about transformation of the system that allowed sexual violence to occur but where #MeToo has come to is the individuals." In focusing on the "white, wealthy Harvey Weinsteins", we risk ignoring hospitality and domestic workers, she says, or women in residential university colleges, like the ones at Sydney University Broderick reported on, as a private consultant, in 2018 (some have criticised this report as a whitewash which didn't include enough testimony from assault victims. Broderick says she could not include detailed victims' stories without identifying them). Broderick believes men are trapped by traditional roles. "I was part of a generation of girls who was told, 'You can do anything,' but I don't think a corresponding message was given to boys about having a strong role in caring. Most men have been forced to choose." Many men have nevertheless been "imperfect allies" to women, she says, and need to examine their own past behaviour. "They need to listen to the stories of women and talk to them about what action they can take." She worries that men's fear of mis-stepping in the current climate will lead to a shutting-down of the "informal sponsorship of women" that can be so crucial to careers. "When I look back on my own career, it was decent, beautiful men who informally sponsored me. They showed me the rules of the game. That's what helped me build my career. It wasn't the only thing but it helped me. And if that's shut down, women are more excluded from power than they were before." We discuss the experiences of Catherine Marriott, who accused former Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce of sexual harassment, and Eryn Jane Norvill, who made a confidential complaint of inappropriate conduct against actor Geoffrey Rush, and Ashleigh Raper, the ABC journalist who said former NSW Opposition leader Luke Foley touched her inappropriately at a function. "None chose to tell their story," Broderick says. "When I speak to less high-profile women and ask them to speak up, they say, 'Liz, not only would I be the victim of the incident, I would be the victim of not bringing it to the attention of management.'"

Elizabeth Broderick in her home.Credit:Tim Bauer. Hair and make-up by Giorgia Skye using Charlotte Tilbury. Broderick does ponder how real change can happen within the unwieldy global bureaucracy of the UN. A friend recently remarked to her that "it must feel a bit like stirring wet cement with your eyelashes" and she says "there are days when that's absolutely the case". But her natural optimism always wins out. "There will be push-back, times when it seems no one is listening, when it seems no one cares, times when I start to lose hope. And that can seem overwhelming. But I also believe this is my work to do. I know Australia has much to offer. We come with new ideas, new energy and an absolute determination. That's the change I want to be part of." To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times. Jacqueline is a senior journalist, columnist and former Canberra press gallery sketch writer for The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.theage.com.au/national/how-elizabeth-broderick-is-taking-soft-power-feminism-to-the-world-20190204-p50vko.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

[allareass]

5 Tips For Sweeping and Scrubbing Sydney

Hiring a reliable cleaning company Sydney offers can take a huge weight off your shoulders when it comes to maintaining large commercial properties. Whether it’s an office building or retail property, these companies can help you keep your space looking its best.

All Areas is inviting Sydney homeowners to experience their professional house cleaning services. Visit the company’s website to book a service online. To know more about Sweeping and Scrubbing Sydney, visit the All Areas website or call 1300659609.

Commercial areas are frequented by hundreds of people each day which means they attract the most common thing – dirt & grime. With regular cleaning services, businesses can ensure their staff is safe and their commercial areas comply with Australian hygiene standards.

Some of the most commonly visited commercial properties are schools, restaurants and factories. Schools require routine cleaning because children can become sick quickly if their classrooms are not clean. Types of dirt found in schools include dust, sand, dirt, food particles and mud.

Factory cleaners Sydney need to keep their spaces clean to prevent workplace accidents and maintain high standards of cleanliness for their employees. This is why they need to use specialised equipment to reach hard-to-reach spaces like vents and other surfaces that can harbor germs. For this, they need to rely on a cleaning company that has extensive experience and a proven track record, such as Clean Group. They offer comprehensive cleaning solutions for all types of commercial properties.

Sydney’s industrial areas often require high-level factory cleaning. In some cases, the level of cleanliness at factories is actually required by law, in order to meet health & safety standards. As such, factory cleaning needs to be done regularly in order to keep the factory running smoothly. Shaw’s team includes 105 staff, and his fleet of rolling stock includes two Johnston 605 sweepers, two Vanguard 4000 footway sweepers, one Johnston 2000 footway sweeper, three Tennant Littervacs, and four Tennant Green Machines. They also have what he calls ‘trapped gullies,’ which are water-charged catchbasins with brick walls inside them. These trap floating rubbish and prevent it from causing runoff problems.

The COVID-19 cleaning squads have ramped up their services to the public and have been cleaning key touchpoints in the Sydney CBD, including transport hub stops and waiting areas. They are also providing face masks to commuters to help them stay safe.

Moovit makes riding to All Areas Sweeping and Scrubbing Sydney easy, which is why over 1.5 million users, including riders from Windsor Downs, trust Moovit as their all-in-one transit app. Find routes and stations, get schedules and directions, all in one place.

[itsfinancethings]

(BEIJING) — Asian stock markets plunged Monday after oil prices nosedived on worries a global economy weakened by a virus outbreak might be awash in too much crude.

Tokyo’s benchmark tumbled 6.2%, while Sydney fell 6.1%. Seoul sank 4.4% and Hong Kong lost 3.9%. Shares also sank in Middle East trading on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia, Russia and other oil producers are arguing over how much to cut output to prop up prices.

Markets already were troubled by the potential impact of the virus outbreak that began in China and has disrupted travel and trade.

Anxiety rose after Italy announced it was isolating cities and towns with some 16 million people — or more than one quarter of its population.

Oil markets were roiled by a dispute among Saudi Arabia, Russia and other producers over how much to cut output to prop up prices.

“The underlying global markets tone remains negative, as Italy has moved to quarantine one-quarter of its population,” said Tai Hui of J.P. Morgan Asset Management in a report. Meanwhile, he said, “OPEC’s cooperation with Russia to support oil prices appears to have hit a major roadblock.”

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell to 19,473.07 after the government reported the economy contracted 7.1% in the October-December quarter, worse than the original estimate of a 6.3% decline in annual growth. That was before the viral outbreak slammed tourism and travel but after a sales tax hike dented consumers’ appetite for spending.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng sank to 25,134.73. The Shanghai Composite Index was off 2.2% at 2,967.31.The S&P-ASX 200 in Sydney fell to 5,840.70. The Kospi in Seoul declined to 1,950.02.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell $10.77, or 26.1%, to $30.49 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $11.44, or 25.3%, to $33.83 per barrel in London.

The number of infections from the virus that causes COVID-19 has topped 100,000 worldwide.

Companies have been hit by sweeping anti-disease measures. Apple says slowdowns in manufacturing iPhones in China will hurt its sales totals. An airline industry group says carriers could lose as much as $113 billion in potential ticket sales.

Adding to pessimism, China reported Saturday that its exports fell 17% and imports were off 4% from a year earlier in January and February after Beijing shut factories, offices and shops in the most severe anti-disease measures ever imposed.

Central banks worldwide have cut interest rates. But economists warn that while that might help to encourage consumer and corporate spending, it cannot reopen factories that are due to quarantines or a lack of workers and raw materials.

Investors are looking ahead to a meeting Thursday of the European Central Bank, which is widely expected to announce new stimulus measures.

Chinese factories that make the world’s smartphones, toys and other consumer goods are gradually reopening but aren’t expected to return to normal production until at least April. That weighs on demand for imports of components and raw materials from China’s Asian neighbors.

Already last week, global stocks were sinking as the spread of the coronavirus prompted governments to follow China’s lead by imposing travel controls and canceling public events.

The U.S. Federal Reserve’s emergency 0.5% cut in its key lending rate failed to reverse the downturn.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury, already at record lows, has dropped to 0.51% from 0.7% late Friday.

The yield — the difference between a bond’s market price and what investors will receive if they hold it to maturity — is an indicator of the market’s outlook on the economy. Rising market prices that cause the yield to narrow indicate investors are shifting money into bonds as a safe haven.

“Global recession risks have risen,” said Moody’s Investors Service in a report. “A sustained pullback in consumption, coupled with extended closures of businesses, would hurt earnings, drive layoffs and weigh on sentiment.”

On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 fell 1.7% on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1% and the Nasdaq composite, which has a large share of technology companies, fell 1.9%.

[newstechreviews]

(BEIJING) — Asian stock markets plunged Monday after oil prices nosedived on worries a global economy weakened by a virus outbreak might be awash in too much crude.

Tokyo’s benchmark tumbled 6.2%, while Sydney fell 6.1%. Seoul sank 4.4% and Hong Kong lost 3.9%. Shares also sank in Middle East trading on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia, Russia and other oil producers are arguing over how much to cut output to prop up prices.

Markets already were troubled by the potential impact of the virus outbreak that began in China and has disrupted travel and trade.

Anxiety rose after Italy announced it was isolating cities and towns with some 16 million people — or more than one quarter of its population.

Oil markets were roiled by a dispute among Saudi Arabia, Russia and other producers over how much to cut output to prop up prices.

“The underlying global markets tone remains negative, as Italy has moved to quarantine one-quarter of its population,” said Tai Hui of J.P. Morgan Asset Management in a report. Meanwhile, he said, “OPEC’s cooperation with Russia to support oil prices appears to have hit a major roadblock.”

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell to 19,473.07 after the government reported the economy contracted 7.1% in the October-December quarter, worse than the original estimate of a 6.3% decline in annual growth. That was before the viral outbreak slammed tourism and travel but after a sales tax hike dented consumers’ appetite for spending.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng sank to 25,134.73. The Shanghai Composite Index was off 2.2% at 2,967.31.The S&P-ASX 200 in Sydney fell to 5,840.70. The Kospi in Seoul declined to 1,950.02.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell $10.77, or 26.1%, to $30.49 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $11.44, or 25.3%, to $33.83 per barrel in London.

The number of infections from the virus that causes COVID-19 has topped 100,000 worldwide.

Companies have been hit by sweeping anti-disease measures. Apple says slowdowns in manufacturing iPhones in China will hurt its sales totals. An airline industry group says carriers could lose as much as $113 billion in potential ticket sales.

Adding to pessimism, China reported Saturday that its exports fell 17% and imports were off 4% from a year earlier in January and February after Beijing shut factories, offices and shops in the most severe anti-disease measures ever imposed.

Central banks worldwide have cut interest rates. But economists warn that while that might help to encourage consumer and corporate spending, it cannot reopen factories that are due to quarantines or a lack of workers and raw materials.

Investors are looking ahead to a meeting Thursday of the European Central Bank, which is widely expected to announce new stimulus measures.

Chinese factories that make the world’s smartphones, toys and other consumer goods are gradually reopening but aren’t expected to return to normal production until at least April. That weighs on demand for imports of components and raw materials from China’s Asian neighbors.

Already last week, global stocks were sinking as the spread of the coronavirus prompted governments to follow China’s lead by imposing travel controls and canceling public events.

The U.S. Federal Reserve’s emergency 0.5% cut in its key lending rate failed to reverse the downturn.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury, already at record lows, has dropped to 0.51% from 0.7% late Friday.

The yield — the difference between a bond’s market price and what investors will receive if they hold it to maturity — is an indicator of the market’s outlook on the economy. Rising market prices that cause the yield to narrow indicate investors are shifting money into bonds as a safe haven.

“Global recession risks have risen,” said Moody’s Investors Service in a report. “A sustained pullback in consumption, coupled with extended closures of businesses, would hurt earnings, drive layoffs and weigh on sentiment.”

On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 fell 1.7% on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1% and the Nasdaq composite, which has a large share of technology companies, fell 1.9%.

[renovation-cleaning]

5 Main Advantages of Hiring Commercial Cleaning Services in Sydney

Commercial cleaning services in Sydney provides services for residential and businesses like office, shops, factories, bars, restaurants etc. The work done by these professionals would range from as simple as dusting and as complicated as disinfecting it. Few other facilities provided by them include emptying bins, industrial carpet cleaning, window cleaning etc.

Many commercial places seek the help of professionals like, after builders cleaning in Sydney, as they have many benefits.

Few of them include:

Perfect Timing: Hiring a professional company would mean that the cleaning tasks are performed at the exact time, without disturbing the working hours. They would complete the cleaning tasks as per the pre-decided schedule. They would not compromise with the quality of the work, so the end result could be as desired by the owner.

Specialized Cleaning equipment: The cleaning companies would use much more than dusters and sweeping brush. The dedicated equipment would be able to clean all the surfaces and make them dust-free, in no time. Depending on the place, various machines like industrial carpet cleaning machines, water-fed poles for cleaning high rise windows and floor publishers would be used to restore the beauty and cleanliness of the premises.

Dedicated staff: All workers of the cleaning companies are insured, so would not hesitate to take a step to clean windows of tall buildings. They are well trained to perfume their tasks to perfection, without worrying about the consequences.

Reliability: It is a daily task for the cleaning companies; staff. They would perform the cleaning companies, even during holidays. Other personnel handle the sick staff’s job.

Business premises cleanliness: Maintaining clean premises is important for many reasons. It helps in increasing productivity and aids in providing impressing clients and other visitors.

The commercial cleaners would first visit the place and give a quote before they start working. Once the estimate is approved, they would start their task.

Source: https://commercial-cleaning-aus.blogspot.com/2020/01/5-main-advantages-of-hiring-commercial.html