#security doors smithfield

[alight-birmingham]

Parking Made Easy

Finding a good parking spot can feel like a daily battle. At Alight Birmingham, that’s one thing you won’t have to worry about. With available garage parking, your car stays safe and protected from the elements. The controlled-access entry adds another layer of security, so you can feel confident every time you park. Offering 1, 2, 3, and 4-bedroom furnished apartments, this is a place designed for students who value convenience and peace of mind. Whether you’re coming back after a late study session or heading out for the day, parking is one less thing to stress about. For student living Birmingham location, Alight gives you the perfect mix of comfort, security, and thoughtful amenities to make life easier.

The Transportation System in Birmingham, Alabama

Getting around Birmingham is pretty straightforward. The city’s public transportation system is mainly made up of buses, but it's not as extensive as in some larger cities. If you prefer driving, the roadways are well-connected, and traffic isn’t usually a huge issue, especially when compared to bigger metropolitan areas. You’ll also find a network of bike lanes if you're into cycling. The city is investing more in transportation options, so you'll see some improvements in the future. If you're traveling farther out, Birmingham’s central location makes it easy to access major highways that lead to nearby cities. Whether you're commuting to work or exploring the area, Birmingham offers a range of options to get where you need to go.

Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, AL

The Birmingham Museum of Art is a must-see if you’re in the area. As you walk through the doors, you’ll find yourself surrounded by a wide range of artwork, from classic to contemporary. The museum has something for everyone, whether you’re into paintings, sculptures, or even decorative arts. You can explore works from around the world, with a special focus on American, African, and European pieces. The atmosphere is calm and welcoming, making it easy to get lost in the art. Plus, the museum often holds events and exhibitions, so there’s always something new to check out. If you appreciate art, it’s a great way to spend a few hours learning and exploring. It’s one of those places you can keep coming back to.

Birmingham, Alabama, Awarded $20 Million Federal Grant For Workforce Investment

It’s great to see Birmingham getting this $20 million federal grant—it’s exactly the kind of investment the city needs. This funding is more than just about jobs; it's about creating real opportunities for the communities that have been left behind for too long. By focusing on workforce training, supporting local entrepreneurs, and improving transportation and childcare, the city is addressing key issues that hold people back. It’s clear that this grant will help boost economic mobility for residents of North Birmingham, Northside, Smithfield, and Pratt City. This type of investment in people’s futures can have a lasting impact, and it's exciting to think about how these neighborhoods will transform over time.

Link to map

Birmingham Museum of Art 2000 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35203, United States Head southwest on Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard toward 20th St N 0.3 mi Turn left onto 17th St N 0.6 mi Turn right onto 1st Ave N 0.3 mi Turn left onto 14th St N 0.4 mi Turn right onto 3rd Ave S Destination will be on the right 236 ft Alight Birmingham 1300 3rd Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States

[eagleexteriorsri]

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Welcome to Eagle Exteriors, the premier Window and Door Company near Me dedicated to transforming homes in North Smithfield. With a commitment to exceptional craftsmanship and personalized service, we take pride in being your trusted partner for all your window and door needs.

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[1zashreena1]

I Am Having a Snuggle -10

18+, m/f, technically OCxDiego Jimenez [Power]

Summary: Princess doesn’t sleep much after her long distance meltdown. Soft Murder Panther to the rescue! Well, except for that one hard part.

WARNINGS: Ridiculous descriptions and ‘the code is more like guidelines’ outlook on grammar. Is it OOC if the character was given essentially zero development in canon???

FEELS. SMUT (aka The Good Stuff), the L word, plus size woman+fit man, soft!Diego (srsly disgusting and if you bring it up later he will stab you), coddled Princess, mentions of... The Belt*tm,  is a relationship happening?? apparently. Leftover high school Spanish.

A/N:  Princess took on a life of her own and has essentially become an OC. There are infrequent mentions of her description (specifically as plus size) and her actual name in later pieces (its Bicki). She started as self-insert so she looks like me (plus size, white, short, blue eyes, curly hair). If that is not your thing, I totally understand. And do not feel obligated to read this, I will not be offended!

I’m not a fan of “plot” so be aware that most of this series is just meandering through their relationship, angst-fluff-smut whiplash style. But with dick jokes.

Special thanks to @chelsfic for the shared Diego headcanons re: coffee preferences. ILY Mommy

TAGLIST: @chelsfic @symbiont13 @nicke0115 @bunnykjm @rosee-sensuelle @girlpornparadise @mandoplease @heresathreebee @xxsteph-enrixx @jetiikad @joalsglasses @mutantcookiesecrets @demoncatstone @squidlywiddly87 @lockedoutofmyotherblog @poeedamerons

You snap awake with a gasp. What woke you up? You lay there for a second, holding your breath and listening. With your vision being so horrible your hearing is a much more reliable sense. Its pitch black tonight, no moonlight breaking through the cloud cover. You don't keep any ambient lighting on while you sleep so you couldn't see anything if you tried.

There. A soft bang outside somewhere. Then another. It almost sounds like car doors. I wonder if the baby is sick again and First Floor Mark is taking her to the hospital?

Your worry is cut short when you jolt to full awareness because your apartment door is opening. You flip over to your back and dive for the nightstand. Glasses first, Smithfield 911 second. You sit up to brace yourself against the wall and hold the gun in your lap, fingering the safety. 

The door closes and you hear it being locked. 

With a heaved sigh you make sure the safety is on and wait. Heavy footsteps come ever closer to your bedroom and you can see the light of his phone before he appears in your doorway.

Diego freezes when he sees you sitting up in bed. Then he smiles. Wide and sparkling in the low light, you can't see them but you know the dimples are there.

"Princess, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." He greets you warmly, voice like liquid velvet, wrapping you in heated comfort. You can tell he is wearing most of a suit, the jacket is gone, but you have no idea what color. His collar is unbuttoned. That's not distracting at all.

You arch one brow and struggle not to smirk. "Damnit Diego, you almost got shot." You display the gun, barrel pointed to the ceiling.

He rumbles lowly at you, purring in pleasure, as he spreads his arms open. "Princess, that is hot. Come here, now!"

With a bark of laughter you drop the gun to the bed and launch yourself at him. He staggers back a step but catches you securely. You wrap all your limbs around him and squeeze. His hands cup your ass and he returns the gesture with enthusiasm. Diego turns his face into yours, you know exactly what he wants and you give it to him with no hesitation. 

His lips are soft but his beard is all scratchy tickles. You delight in the contrasting textures, moaning softly as you try to merge your bodies into one entity. His left hand climbs up your back to squeeze your neck right where you always carry all of your tension. 

"Ohhhhhh..." Your mouth drops open and you go boneless in his grip. He gives no quarter and shuts you up with his tongue while his groan vibrates against your chest. Your nipples respond with alacrity. 

He tastes like coffee and chocolate, maybe a hint of cinnamon. What the hell did he eat? You can't get enough of it. 

You never favored long bouts of kissing, makeout sessions were too intimate and your previous partners were more than happy to skip right to the main event. But its different with Diego. He doesn't drool on you and his mouth is consistently at least ten degrees hotter than your own. He always tastes like coffee and some outlandishly ridiculous flavored creamer. The instant a new variety of non-dairy creamer is released he has to try it. His child-like excitement over it is incredibly endearing to witness.

You sink both hands into his hair to pull him back. His eyes are huge and you watch with rapt attention as he licks his bottom lip. "Princess. Bed. Now." He croaks, nodding his own head like he's trying to peer pressure you into consenting. 

Completely unnecessary, baby. 

"Yeah." Your soft whimper is stupidly needy. Only Diego does this to you. Has this effect on you. You feel like the cover of a really bad romance novel. A strumpet. The ludicrous term makes you giggle. You gaspingly add another request, "But naked!"

Diego jumps into motion and takes two huge steps to the bed. You're already fighting with the buttons on his shirt and you don't quit as he lays you down on your back. There is only absolute faith that he won't drop you. 

The moment you're down his hands go to your cami, fingers sliding under the elastic band of the shelf bra and gathering the whole thing up to go over your head. You have to let go of him for a split second so he can fully remove it and that makes you whine unhappily. Diego tosses the shirt over his shoulder carelessly and smushes both of your breasts together to attempt a self-smothering. You laugh breathlessly until he latches onto a nipple.

"Ohhhhhh. Fuck. Yeah. Yeahhh." Nice porn moan, only practicing self-affirmation here. You still can't believe this works. The strong suckling sensations go straight to your cunt. No wonder other women always said they liked it. This is unique to Diego, too. He is the only person that your body has ever responded to in this. Sure, you liked your breasts fondled, squeezed, compressed utterly flat. But your nipples? No, they had some kind of epiphany the first time Diego sealed his lips around one and sucked.

You pet over his hair and he rumbles into your skin, the vibrations make your back arch. Your hands push on his shirt collar. You wanted bare skin earlier, now you need it. His hands disappear, then so does his shirt, but the attention to your nipple never falters. His sneaky fingers snake down over your stomach, he pauses to squeeze the squishy middle, then continue to your pants.

"No!" You yelp and Diego freezes. He releases your harried nipple to look up at you in puzzlement. 

With his brows drawn together he questions you, "Princess. What is--"

You don't let him finish. "Take your damn pants off right fucking now! I missed you, not your clothes!" You even sound frantic to yourself. Desperate. And you don't care.

He growls at you but straightens up and reaches for his belt. 

Oh god. His belt. Your gulp is audible. Its the same belt from that time he detained you on the jet. Spanked you delirious with it and then fucked you over a seat. All as punishment, of course, for sending a booty pic to Julio. You spent the next day on your belly while Diego torturously worshiped your ass. It was amazing.

His slow, evil smile confirms that he witnessed the entire memory play out across your face. That predatory stare never leaves yours as he opens the buckle and whips the soft leather free of the pant loops. He holds the belt up in the air, then drops it to the floor off the side of the bed. "Next time, Princess. We have the whole flight together. Maybe this time I'll make you keep count of how many times you come."

The threatening promise (promising threat??) makes you keen, high and piercing. Diego laughs at your obvious need, but he resumes stripping at a faster pace. You pop upright to get your pants off and complete the maneuver just in time to witness his cock achieve freedom. Before either one of you realizes it your hand is wrapped around him.

Diego collapses forward into you but catches himself on his hands before you get crushed. Not a bad way to go. You think. Crushed by hottest criminal sugar daddy with a heart of gold just for her. A beautiful obituary. 

You tighten your fingers around him; each one individually and in consecutive order, creating a rippling effect. He drops his forehead to your shoulder with a purr. You turn into his face to nuzzle up along his jawline. "Baby," you breathe, punctuating it with a long lick up the shell of his ear. "I missed you. So. Much."

His answering growl triggers violent shivers. He uses those wide shoulders to force you down onto your back. Planting one knee on the bed between your legs, he insinuates both hands under your ribcage and shoulders to slide you up the bed. His hands are so massive that they span the entire width of your back. That fact should scare you, instead you feel secure, even treasured, with how gently he handles you. He can be delightfully rough, you've been on the receiving end of that before. But right now is Soft Murder Panther hours.

He has to move up with you because you are not relinquishing that magnificent erection. 

"Princess," he rumbles directly into your ear, "Let go now or you will be disappointed later. I spent the entire flight thinking about every soft inch of you. Need to be inside you. Nowww." His confession ends in a breathy sigh as he begins pressing kisses over your entire face. 

You reach up to take off your glasses but he's already there, holding them by the frame around the lenses and not the easily bent arms. You blink back tears as you watch him stretch over to set them on your nightstand exactly how you do it. 

When he comes back you cradle his face with your hands, holding him still so you can just take this all in. His eyes search your face, looking for any hint of discomfort as he rests more of weight onto you. You nod gently and he gingerly, deliberately gives you the rest of his bulk. His presence drowns out everything else. All you know is Diego. Everything you ever wanted.

With minimal effort you guide him down until his forehead meets yours. He whimpers softly for you and your hands pet down his stubbled cheeks. This kiss is no less passionate than the wild ones earlier but somehow sweeter. You open your eyes to find him watching you, gaze unguarded and face completely open.

You stroke over his cheeks again, one thumb gliding along his plush lower lip. Diego nips your thumb, then engulfs it in his mouth to suck. Your moan is pure need, "Please, baby."

His hips roll and you feel the underside of his shaft rub the entire length of your labia. You arch and move with him this next time. The third pass lands the perfect angle and his thick heat spreads you wide. Your mouth opens but no sound comes out as you press your head back into the bed. He keeps pushing until you're completely filled. And then he pushes a little more. Just enough. 

You gasp in a shuddering breath and your back arches off the bed while you clench down around him in waves. He groans long and low as he watches you come on him. "Ohh, Bonita. Good girl."

Your quiet huff of laughter dissolves into a moan as he sets a steady pace. Long, solid strokes so you can feel every glorious inch, an inexorable push on your cervix every time he bottoms out. Your fingers claw into his shoulders, clinging like your life depends on it.

He burrows into your neck to sear your skin with his beard, soothing the burn with soft licks and velvet kisses. "Princess. Diego's perfect little princess. Its good? Tell me." He pants, open-mouthed and greedy.

You nod into his hair. "Perfect. Is perfect. You're perfect." He shakes his head 'no', rubbing his face on you. His right hand reaches down, gripping your thigh with purpose. He pulls your leg up, wrapping it around his waist, the other follows of its own accord. His knees spread, widening his stance and shifting the angle of his thrusts. Incredibly, he manages to get deeper inside you. Without a conscious command your mouth opens to spill out pure desperation and mangled ecstasy. "Yes, baby. All of you. Give me everything…"

He drops frenzied kisses all over your face while you two share the same air. His tone turns emotional, raspier, "Want to. Please. Please, please, please let me. Take care of my princess, be better. Just for you. Please, mi amor." 

That's new. New and heart-wrenching. You can't decide if its being used as a pet name or a declaration. It doesn't matter, the agonizing emotion behind it still makes you seize up with pleasure. He moans in approval, moving continuously throughout your entire climax. Just as your back begins to loosen he accelerates his thrusts, driving you right back up into another orgasm. You realize the ringing in your ears is actually a noise being made by your mouth.

"Yes, Princess. Come for me. Let Diego please this pretty little pussy." I am never going to regret admitting that I love his dirty talk. You congratulate yourself for that moment of successful communication. Diego hasn't shut up since then and you are so very grateful. 

He sweeps hands down your sides to grasp your hips. Even at your current size 16 his fingers still curve around both your front and back. He makes you feel small and delicate, vulnerable and fiercely protected. Cherished. Loved.

He half kneels under you, pulling your pelvis into his lap. Every intense, short thrust hits your g-spot and makes your vision swim. Your trembling never stops, its just constant rolling pleasure. You reach up for him, needing to be joined together endlessly. The muscles in his arms ripple and contract as he scoops you up. 

He has you sitting upright in his lap, legs around his waist and your arms tight behind his neck. Your entire weight rests on his left arm under your butt, holding you steady while he thrusts up into you with abandon. The right arm climbs up your back for him to thread fingers into your curls and press your forehead to his. Your mouth hangs open while you sob in bliss. 

"Si, Princess. Dame uno mas, come for your Diego. Be mine." You have no defense for his fierce begging whispered directly into your face. 

"Diego. Diego, baby, yes I-I-" Your voice cuts out as your orgasm sends you into convulsions. He presses your hips down fast to his so he can pump his own climax deep with a gravelly moan. 

He collapses forward, both of you dropping to the bed like a stone, then proceeds to just lay on you and pant. After an undefinable amount of time, Diego rubs his cheek against yours. He is purring again, the deep vibrations rumble through your chest. You pet over his hair, scratching his scalp with your short, practical nails. His back arches and his hips roll; he's still buried deep inside you. "Princessss. Bicki. Mi amor." His sigh is content.

You kiss his temple. Murmuring breathlessly to him, "Love you too, Murder Panther." You nuzzle into his beard, relishing all the textures. His breath catches, then his chest heaves. He pulls back from you, extricating his limbs so he can flop onto his side next to you. Your head turns for a kiss and he is already there, sealing his mouth to your own languidly.

 With one last fleeting peck to your chin, he rolls you onto your side and pulls you back against him in one fluid movement. Your head is pillowed on his left bicep and you wrap his right arm up tight to your chest. The entire length of his body is spooned up behind you. Instead of being suffocating you find it soothing. His soft little snuffling snores lull you back to sleep.

I am having a snuggle.

[appliedfilm11-blog]

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[thegoblinwitchqueen]

Sharper Than A Serpents Tooth

Chapter: 3

Arthur Morgan X OC 

 18+ 

Word Count: 3065

TW: Substance use/ reference to death

AO3

 In the many years that Arthur Morgan had spent traveling the frontier, fighting, shooting, drinking, robbing, killing and causing overall mischief with his charismatic leader, he had yet to see the typically level headed, Dutch Van der Linde, to allow himself to let whiskey take hold of his sound mind the way he had when Dutch met Cordelia Black.

Arthur had hitched Dutch’s white steed, The Count, to the saddle of his own horse as his drunken leader was unable to keep balance long enough to stay seated in his saddle, let alone to ride the stubborn mount.

Therefore, Dutch sat haphazardly on the back of Charles’ horse as he held tightly onto the shoulders of his newest member of the gang for dear life. It was to both of the sober men’s dismay that their drunk companion decided that he would exuberantly sing off key to drinking songs and sea shanties for the entirety of the ride back to Horseshoe Overlook.

The man only allowed for a moments peace every ten minutes or so by retching the contents of his stomach over the side of the appaloosa horse, Taima, or to exclaim loudly to Charles and Arthur,

“I have a daughter! A daughter!”

To which Arthur and Charles only responded with either a tired and annoyed sigh of agreement or a nod. When they were close to home, Dutch exclaimed loudly once more and Arthur shouted back in agitation,

“Yeah, yeah we know, Dutch! You drunken fool!”

“Yes, Arthur! I am a drunken fool! And she is mighty beautiful! And what a mind she has!”

Del was something, Arthur could agree with his adoptive father about that.

Arthur thought of her long, obsidian waves cascading over her shoulders. He thought of the slight cleft of her chin and the dimple that formed on one cheek as she smiled. Yes, Del could be described as beautiful.

As to her mind, he could not say due to his short interaction he had with her as they hastily shuffled an intoxicated Dutch through the double doors of Smithfield’s.

Arthur’s thoughts wandered to the softness of her dainty hand as he held it, and how she bravely declined his offer to escort her to the Valentine Hotel since Arthur believed she was in no condition to be alone. With stubbornness and pride as her guide, Del had vehemently refused his generous offer. The young woman claimed she could handle herself in any situation, and descended the wooden steps like a small child as She took each step slowly at a time while she gripped the railing for support.

Arthur remembered watching her wobble and sway like a newborn foal to the entrance of the Hotel from his hiding spot behind the half built home located near the grocery store. By that time, Charles had already taken his leave with Dutch without Arthur.  

Against the young woman’s wishes, Arthur decided that the gentlemanly thing to do was for the outlaw to stay behind to ensure she reached her destination safely. Once the tiny woman was secure inside of the Hotel, Arthur mounted his wiry paint and caught up to Charles and Dutch.

“And she loves Evelyn Miller, Arthur! That is the fruit of my seed without a doubt.” Dutch laughed, thick like molasses. Finally, the boys sighed as Dutch finally had allowed the drink pulling at his eyelids to take hold. The man passed out on Charles’ shoulder as they approached the hidden wooded entrance of their makeshift camp.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s us, Javier!”

“Welcome back!”

The two men, tired and thankful to be home, dismounted their overworked beasts and hitched the horses to their designated posts. The horses were thankful they too could rest, and graciously grazed amongst the clearing.

With all his raw strength, Charles pulled the dead weight of his leader onto his mighty shoulder, nodded a goodbye to Arthur, and left to settle Dutch onto his cot where Molly had patiently waited for his inevitable return. Once fully situated, Charles made himself comfortable on his own cot, and fell asleep without issue.

Arthur couldn’t sleep. Not recently anyway.

Although he had been burned out from the chaos of the past few weeks, the outlaw did not mind watching the mystery woman light up the saloon with her laughter.

Yes, Del was undoubtedly Dutch’s kin. Her raven colored hair and strong features that mimicked those of her father confirmed her parentage without question.

The more that Arthur’s thoughts returned to the young woman, the more he could agree that she was as Dutch said…beautiful.

When Arthur and Charles stood watch from the second story of Smithfield’s Saloon earlier that night, he had not come to realize the familial connection between his leader and the woman due to the distance between himself and his target. However, once the body guards had received the look of confirmation to relax, he and Charles descended the ornate stairs, pushed a few passed out drunkards from their chairs at a table across from the pair, and took their seats to watch.

“I wonder what they’re talking about.” Charles mumbled in the soft and silent way he always did. Calculated and mindful was how Arthur described his protégé. It was an unspoken rule amongst the gang that when Charles Smith spoke, you listened. The boy spent most of his time observing rather than communicating, and as a result, when words left his lips they were important.

Arthur could only shrug his shoulders as he relaxed further into the back of the wooden chair.

“Ah, who fuckin’ knows.” Arthur growled as he crossed his arms over his muscular chest. “All I know is I’m ready to have a beer.”

“Dutch wanted us sober.”

“I know what he said…”

It was just like Charles to be a stickler for rules. The man was young, and barely past his 24 birthday when he joined their ragtag team of misfits six months prior. Despite the short amount of time Charles had run with the gang, Arthur felt a brotherly connection with Him that was similar to the one he had with his fellow adopted brother,  John Marston. The only difference between the two was that Arthur enjoyed Charles' company while John knew just how to get under his skin.

Arthur reminded himself not to be too hard on the young man as he too was a stickler at that age. However, that honorable sense of morality was quickly snuffed out due to the many long and unpredictable years that he had spent riding with Dutch Van der Linde. Arthur had to quickly learn due to the close calls of death, those who chose to  live a life of crime and freedom had to take their pleasures whenever, and wherever, they were offered.

Death stalked their kind like a hungry wildcat, lying in wait amongst the shadows for its prey to make a mistake that would lead to their death.

Arthur had been lucky to make it to the age of 36, yet the outlaw knew that sooner or later karma was going to catch up with him when he least expected it. He had not been a good man for the majority of those years.

Therefore, despite the intensity in which his mouth craved for the bitter water to hydrate his palette, Arthur Morgan decided to humor Charles Smith by staying true to his word. He would maintain his sobriety. Just like the good boy he was pretending to be.

The woman’s laugh broke through the indistinguishable chatter of the Saloon once more.  The rhythm and tone of her guffaw reminded him of ducks.

Loud and obnoxious.

She was tipsy, and as the night went on she became more animated in her conversation with Dutch. She spoke with her hands gesturing wildly, and held herself with strong confidence as she showed Dutch the book she held so tightly to her chest. She reminded him of someone, but he could not for the life of him put a finger on who.

Another couple hours passed, and Arthur could see that the lack of sleep had begun to show up as dark circles under Charles' eyes. It was then that Arthur decided the moment was right to interrupt their deep conversation to bring the captain back to shore for the night.

Now that the men were safely within the compounds of their refuge on Horseshoe Overlook, Arthur took a beer from the box that housed it and sat on a log bench near a dying fire. The camp was quiet as the clan of outlaws slept soundly. Only the sound of Uncles’ snoring and crickets in the bushes could be heard. Arthur enjoyed the quiet of the night. It was peaceful.

Arthur took a generous gulp of his beer and savored the barley after taste. With the sleeve of his blue button up, he wiped the small amount of the drink, which had escaped from the corners of his mouth, from his strong chin. His exhausted eyes gave into the call of the dancing embers of the fire, and the man finally allowed his mind to wander as he stared in silence. He wasn’t so much of a deep thinker most days, but that night he thought about what else in his unpredictable life was about to change? For the better—and for the worse.

As much as he hated to think it, let alone say it, Arthur missed Mac and Davy…Jenny. Hell, he even missed the young Sean MacGuire and his bothersome laugh.

Life had changed considerably for the Van der Linde crew in the past few weeks. They had lost family, and gained some. Such as Mrs. Sadie Adler, for an example, and a former O'Driscoll named Kieran Duffy.

Arthur had just started to adjust to the changes and responsibilities expected of him. The man was considered the “first born” of the Van der Linde-Matthews union. And as such, he carried the burden of the eldest brother to protect the flock at all costs while his leaders shepherded them to their refuge. Where that was to be? He did not know.

Now, Arthur felt in the back of his mind that his life was about to alter once again. For better or worse? He could not tell.

Cordelia, er, Del Black did not come to stay with them at Horseshoe Overlook. Dutch had invited her by promising to let her read his Evelyn Miller novels, her own cleaning station, and even her own tent (A luxury only given to those who earned it). Still, she declined and said that her presence would only cause more complications. She did not want to impose or cause issues with the gang who may be wary of her. And most importantly, she declined because she believed that the Pinkertons were one or two steps behind her. It was more than considerate of her to care that much about a group of vagabonds and criminals.

Despite the validity of her reasons for why she did not join them, iIt bothered Arthur that a part of him wished she had said yes. Why? He did not know. Curiosity, maybe? Part of him had wanted to know why she even cared to know her father despite his criminal background in the first place.

He wanted to know her history and what she had been through to leave such pain behind her sky blue eyes. Pain that Arthur could understand.  Pain that he had only caught for a second as he grasped her soft, delicate hand in greeting.

Arthur wanted to know her.

“You should sleep, Arthur.”

The outlaw was caught off guard as the sensation of a palm resting heavily on his right shoulder pulled his wandering mind from the never-ending chasms of his thoughts. He turned to see that the hand that rested on his shoulder belonged to that of Hosea Matthews. The white haired confidant and oldest, dearest friend of Dutch Van der Linde looked down on his adoptive son with a concerned expression painted across his aging face.

When did he get so damn old?

“You know how I am, Hosea.” Arthur mumbled through the rim of his beer as he took another generous swig.

“I know, but you’ve been spreading yourself thin lately,” The elder began. “I only worry that you will keel over from stress and lack of sleep.” Hosea descended slowly onto the wooden bench, holding his sore knees as he joined Arthur’s company around the smolders.

Hosea had helped Dutch raise Arthur since he was a young buck of 14. Before he was taken in by the men, Arthur spent his days picking the pockets of wealthy idiots and enjoyed causing problems to the local authorities of his hometown.

Arthur observed the lines of age that cut deep into Hosea’s face as they were illuminated by the dull firelight. Seeing the grays in Dutch’s hair and the wrinkles around Hosea’s eyes made Arthur think of his own impending mortality. And often the regrets he carried from his youth.

He could avoid getting a bullet lodged in his brain, but even he couldn’t outrun the ravages of age.

“You always put the family before yourself. I won’t always be here to kick your ass into shape.”

“You always know just what to say, Hosea.” Arthur jested, but the words he spoke through sarcastic tones were true. Hosea had a way of knowing the words that Arthur needed to hear, even when he was too stubborn or too stupid to listen.

There were many times that Arthur regretted not listening to the wisdom that Hosea possessed. He should have cleaned his guns better before the robbery, he should have smoked less cigarettes, and he should have settled down with Mary Gillis or Eliza to raise a family.

Arthur realized that he was old, lonely, and a fool.

The two wanted men enjoyed their father and son bond that they shared in peaceful silence for what felt like an hour. Sleep had finally started to take hold of Arthur’s sore eyes when he spied the pink and red hues of the morning sun which began to peek through the eastern woods and paint the sky.

Another night of no sleep for Arthur Morgan.

“What was she like?”

Hosea broke the quietude of the morning to inquire about Dutch’s newly discovered daughter. The question must have been weighing heavily on Hosea’s mind since Arthur returned with Dutch and Charles, but he understood that the man needed to process the emotions of the day in silence. It was the only way he stayed sane.

The elder Matthews lifted his thin and aged palms towards the dying embers to warm them from the cold Spring nip. Arthur took one last gulp to finish his lukewarm beer, and tossed the bottle on the ground.

“Well, she looks like him,” Arthur began as he wiped the residual dirt of hands onto his stained pants. “I didn’t talk to her, though. Just a simple introduction is all.” Arthur rubbed the tension headache forming behind his sleepless eyes.

The residents of the camp had already started to rise and begin their daily routines. Pearson had awoken to prepare the morning stew, Mrs. Grimshaw set the tin coffee pot on the fire to brew, and the girls began dressing to ready themselves for the long list of chores that lay ahead.

“I see.” Hosea patted Arthur’s shoulder. “Y'know, he spoke to me about her mother, Jeanie, only once.”

“He did?”

“When we first met. We were drunk at a random bar and the man just burst out in tears--blabbering about a fair haired debutante that he left in Blackwater at sixteen. After that, he didn’t speak about her again. It wasn’t until he met Annabelle that the love in him returned.”

Arthur sat silent, watching the of the flame embers finally accept their inevitable death. He did not know how to respond, at least not correctly. Dutch had always been a man of my words and personas, but he couldn’t imagine seeing the charismatic leader cry bitter tears over some girl he left in Blackwater at the young age of 16. Not that he hasn’t seen Dutch cry. Dutch cried bitter tears over the loss of Annabelle at the hands of Colm O’Driscoll, but that situation was different. She was murdered and all.

Arthur surmised that love was complicated, messy, and most often ended in heartbreak that weighed heavily throughout the rest of his years.

At least, that’s how it had played out for him.

Dutch kept his bed warm with many women throughout the years they avoided capture. Some stayed, like Susan Grimshaw, and some he only kept for short spells. His current flavor was an Irish beauty named Molly O’Shea, but Arthur knew it was only a matter of time before Dutch would once again move on to another flower that caught his senses.

Hosea had lived and committed his entire being to Bessie until she ultimately passed. Arthur enjoyed the gentle being that was Bessie. She was warm and kind, and loved Hosea no matter what he had done.She even followed him through the life he had chosen. When she died, Hosea refused to move on. Many years had passed since then.

Hell, John even caught the beauty that was the young Abigail Roberts. Well, they were a complicated match. They had been brought together by the unexpected birth of young Jack Marston. The two argued constantly, and Arthur still held bitterness towards his brother for abandoning his kin for the first year of the boy's life. John couldn’t take back those moments that he missed. John missed seeing Jack learn to walk and talk. The child didn’t know or recognize his father when John returned a year later, and it enraged Arthur that John didn’t seem to care.

Arthur would kill to have a second chance to do right by Eliza and Isaac. But… that was something he had to let go of. They were dead, and he couldn’t do anything to change the past.

Arthur Morgan was a fool. Arthur Morgan was filled with regret.

Hosea rose with a few audible pops that escaped from his aching joints, and groaned in pain and frustration.

“Do me a favor, Arthur—don’t ever get old. It’s not a pleasant experience”

Arthur chuckled, “I’ll try, Hosea.”

[cabramattaaustralia]

ATTENTION DEVELOPERS AND INVESTORS - RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR 632sqm – R3 ZONI

[saleintothe90s]

337. 88 Things About 1988, part 4

(Part 3)

26. Sonny Bono becomes mayor of Palm Springs, California.

Sonny Bono, the former musician who teamed up with Cher in the 1970s, became tired of being a second banana, and making appearances on the Love Boat. He opened a restaurant, and had zoning issues with the restaurant’s sign.  He also was worried about the economic state of Palm Springs, seeing empty store fronts, and cheap motels moving into town. 1 That’s when his political career began. He later became a Congressman for the Republican party in 1992, until his death in 1998 in a skiing accent.

1. Rosenbaum, Ron, “Solo Bono,” Vanity Fair, February 1988. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/1988/02/sonny-bono-199802

27. Clint Eastwood decides that one mayoral term is enough.

2

28. The lottery begins in Virginia.

And my mom’s life was never the same again.

(source)

29. The Baltimore Orioles lose the first 21 games of the season

(source)

30.  The United States Embassy in the Soviet Union is down down for debuggin’

No, not insects, spy bugs:

Reagan couldn`t be more correct. The history of a highly sensitive U.S. construction project in the heart of the Soviet Union, doomed from the start by inexplicably lax security, should be thoroughly analyzed. Then, unless someone comes up with an as yet undiscovered way to make the bug-ridden embassy secure, it should be demolished and a new one built, whatever the cost.

When it became evident that the building had been turned into a communist spy`s delight, the State Department asked a group of engineers, architects and security experts to assess the situation and decide if some part of the structure could be salvaged.

Their conclusion: Tear the building down and start over.

The enormous increase in the cost of a new embassy is due in part to the kind of precautions that should have been taken in the original construction. The main elements of the building would be fabricated in the U.S. instead of in loosely supervised Soviet surroundings. The material would be shipped under guard to the U.S.S.R. and stored in secure warehouses. Unlike the first building, the replacement would be erected by American workers with special security clearances. 3

The building wouldn’t open until 2000! 4

31. “The Dictator” 

Christopher Lloyd was supposed to star in an new sitcom for CBS where he played a dictator that was kicked out of his fictional country and immigrated to the United States (Queens) to run a laundromat? HIs aide was also kicked out of the country and worked at Macy’s. 

The show was publicized to air on March 15th.  However, the show never aired, and was a victim of the 1988 Writer’s Strike, because only two episodes were written before the strike. 5

Oh yeah, and there’s no copies of the first two episodes anywhere. 

32. James Brown was mad that someone used his bathroom so he went on a car chase 

Why try to explain? Let's go directly to the just-the-facts FBI report, recounting what Brown told agents who visited him at the state prison at Columbia, S.C.

"Brown stated that . . . on a Saturday, date not recalled, he drove his pick up truck to his office" in Augusta, Ga. "When arriving at his office he observed that his bathroom door was open. Thinking that possibly there had been a break-in he went back to his truck in the parking lot, got his shot gun and took it back to his office.

"He then learned that there was a meeting going on somewhere in the office complex and that the attendees of this meeting had been using the bathroom in his office.

"Brown was extremely upset about this and began questioning those in attendance as to the reason for using his facility. During this time Brown had placed his shot gun in the corner of his office in full view. Brown then asked for the return of his keys, received same and then locked the bathroom door.

"He then left his office with the shot gun, placed it in the pick up truck and began driving his truck on I-20 into South Carolina. . . . He observed that a road block had been set up by two police vehicles in a 'V' shape. Brown seeing this drove around the police road block to avoid hitting the police vehicles and continued on. 6

33. The Syringe Tide 

Syringes washed up ashore on Beaches in Long Island, New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. The source was from the Fresh Kills landfill. 

34. “Lunch & Learn Driving Class”

...Across town, the violators who paid $29 to attend the Lunch N Learn at Fine Restaurants class were cutting into London broil and baked potatoes and knocking back glasses of chilled tap water at Thiggy's, the restaurant at the Lincoln Park Golf Course.

The fine-dining traffic school offers a fringe benefit, movies. Shortly after the chocolate mousse, the students sat back to mull an assortment of stomach-churning videos of car wrecks with titles like ''Red Asphalt II.'' 7

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1. Rosenbaum, Ron, “Solo Bono,” Vanity Fair, February 1988. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/1988/02/sonny-bono-199802

2. “Lottery ticket sales are brisk,” Smithfield Times, September 21, 1988.

3. “Reagan Correct: Moscow Embassy Must Be Torn Down And Replaced,” SunSentinel , October 31, 1988. 

4. Lally, Kathy, “U.S. Finally Opens Moscow Embassy / Building was delayed 15 years after Russians riddled it with bugs,” SFGate.com, July 8, 2000. 

5. Irvin, Richard. Forgotten Laughs: An Episode Guide to 150 TV Sitcoms You Probably Never Saw. Duncan, OK: BearManor Media, 2012.

6. Stephens Joe, “FBI File Recounts James Brown's Side Of '88 Police Chase,” Washington Post, April 3, 2007. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/02/AR2007040201614.html

7. Bishop, Katherine, “San Francisco Journal; Penalizing Lawbreakers With Laughs and a Meal,” New York Times, July 26, 1988. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/26/us/san-francisco-journal-penalizing-lawbreakers-with-laughs-and-a-meal.html

[architectnews]

Stiles Road Residence, Clontarf Dublin

Stiles Road Residence, Dublin Building Extension and Renovation, Irish Pre-War Architecture Images

Stiles Road Residence in Clontarf

26 Mar 2021

Stiles Road Residence

Design: architectural farm

Location: Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland

The Stiles Road Residence project comprises of the renovation and extension to rear of a 1930’s semi-detached house in Clontarf. The house was modernised 15 years ago but with the arrival the owners two children the house and its extension no longer fulfilling the owners needs.

The brief was to insulate and refurbish the original house and enlarge and improve the rear extension to provide a family room and kitchen at ground and new master bedroom at first floor.

The new addition is a dense brick tower framed between two existing trees. The brick, expressed externally and internally, is stitched together with the original house by a corner glass door addressing an existing patio space. The brick walls have a tapering section to support the structure of the new master bedroom which contrasts in function, texture and lighting to that of the living space.

The brick echoes that of the existing front façade of the house. The use of brick externally an internally seeks to make the new structure as much a part of the garden as it is of house by blurring the threshold between house and garden/ Inside and outside, while also bringing warmth, and a sense of permanence and security to the new addition. Given the importance of the brick, a lot of time and care was taken with the client in selecting the brick.

The selection of the coloured mortar was as important as the brick, each mortar brought out different tones and colours in the natural brick. In the end a white mortar was selected which contrasted with the black of the windows and metal cladding. The south elevation has a double height window drawing south light into the extended family space, its cill height is set to allow uninterrupted views of the sky and mature trees while obscuring the rear gardens and fences of the neighbouring properties.

The garden façade has offset windows to create a ‘social façade’ between the master bedroom west facing concrete bench.

The ground floor also received new timber floor was laid on the entire ground floor to provide a unified finish from front door to rear, new pocket doors from the existing front room and new family room, Utility room and storage.

On the first floor the master bedroom incorporated an ensuite and the rooms reconfigured to provide a large family bathroom.

Dormer extensions to the side and rear allowed the attic to be converted which not only houses the new boilers, cylinders and plant etc but also floods the landing space with daylight.

Stiles Road Residence in Clontarf, Dublin – Building Information

Architects: architectural farm

Project size: 35 sqm Site size: 200 sqm Completion date: 2018 Building levels: 2

Photography: Ste Murray

Stiles Road Residence, Clontarf Dublin images / information received 260321

Location: Clontarf, Dublin, Republic of Ireland

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Comments / photos for the Stiles Road Residence, Clontarf Dublin property design by architectural farm architects page welcome

Website: Clontarf

The post Stiles Road Residence, Clontarf Dublin appeared first on e-architect.

[animeloveatfirstsight]

today was the national walk out day for anyone who wanted to commemorate Parkland. it was a student driven event and sparked a lot of national attention. i myself was excited to walk out of school to take a stand in my own little way. however, my school quickly took the opposite stand to say the least.

we were told that those who did not want to participate in the walkout were to go to the auditorium, which was no big deal, i understood that not everyone wanted to go out. i didn’t really mind. after they left, my principal went over the speakers and started taking us on some ‘spiritual journey’. they spoke about /our/ school and /our/ campus and just about /us/.

as that continued, the word Parkland came up ONCE. he said “and now in commemoration of Parkland, write on a small piece of paper something you enjoy about your day, or our school”. over the entirety of this event, they said Parkland /once/. we put out pieces of papers on the windows and we went back to class.

this was not nearly the worst of it as i soon learned. my friend informed me that as she attempted to walk out(within her rights, may i say), a security guard physically prevented her from doing so, putting his arms around her and stopping her. there were apparently teachers stationed around all the doors to prevent us from actually going through the event we wanted to be a part of.

i heard various stories from students crying to students making posters that said “say their names” in reference to the victims. this took a heavy hit on a majority of our student body.

so please, even if you don’t know me or care to know me, sign my petition. what happened to us was unfair, and frankly it should demonstrate the unwillingness to change that is still in a majority of America.

https://www.change.org/p/johnston-county-schools-smithfield-selma-high-school-walkout-failure?recruiter=863219558&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

[rollershuttersydney-blog]

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[jobsearchtips02]

Cyber Daily: Privacy Activists Aren’t Delighted With California Costs to Control Facial Acknowledgment Tech

May 26, 2020 8: 59 am ET. |. WSJ Pro.

Welcome to the new week. California’s personal privacy and civil liberties advocates are setting in motion to prevent a costs backed by. Microsoft Corp. that would regulate facial-recognition innovation and that is working its way through the state legislature. They state the proposal, if passed, could unlock to security of homeowners, WSJ Pro’s David Uberti reports.

Other news: Japan examines potential exposure of rocket data; Toll Holdings refuses to pay ransom, then sees its data released online; China’s plan to make health security irreversible;. Ford

and other U.S. companies stroll a personal privacy line as plants reopen; and Fresenius client information compromised.

But hey, banks and defense firms are buying cybersecurity workers and robocalls are down.

Managing Facial Acknowledgment

California activists ramp up battle against facial-recognition innovation. Fans of state legislation backed by Microsoft say it will impose much-needed guardrails on nascent tools that might grow in prominence if companies and authorities begin using the innovation to respond to the coronavirus. Activists argue the legislation will open the door for expanded security in the public and personal sectors.

” This is an expense being sold as a privacy expense, but it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothes,” stated Matt Cagle, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

The California expense mirrors a law in Washington state. The costs’s fate might foreshadow how a possibly big market for facial-recognition innovation is regulated by other states.

Check out the full article at our site.

Huge Number

2.9 Billion

Variety of robocalls positioned in the U.S. in April, below 4.1 billion in March, according to robocall-blocker YouMail, the Associated Press reports. Lots of call centers are closed or running at less than capability because of the coronavirus pandemic, YouMail says.

More Cyber News

Breach at Mitsubishi might have exposed rocket information. Japanese authorities are investigating a document leakage at. Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Individual data about more than 8,000 people could likewise have been leaked, Mitsubishi said.

Toll Holdings information discovered on dark web. After a January ransomware attack at Toll Holdings Ltd., information coming from the logistics service provider has actually stood for sale online, ZDNet reports. The information, which might include details about past and current workers and consumer contracts, came from one of Toll’s corporate servers, the company said. Toll stated it hadn’t paid any ransom.

What Toll is doing: “After detecting this attack, we shut down our IT systems to alleviate the threat of additional infection.

China’s strategy to make long-term health tracking on smartphones stirs issue. Some web users fear the federal government might be making use of the pandemic to broaden state tracking of locals, The Wall Street Journal reports. Anger spread throughout Chinese social media sites over the weekend following an announcement that officials in the eastern city of Hangzhou might develop a long-term version of a smartphone-based health-rating system developed to combat Covid-19

Motion, managed: In addition to tracking potential patients with temperature-detecting cams and smartphone place data, authorities have also utilized QR code-based health-rating apps to handle the movement of residents depending upon their threat of exposure.

Related: Ford, Smithfield Foods and other business begin evaluating workers for Covid-19(WSJ)

Defense professionals stayed open after being deemed an important market, acquiring a benefit in their prolonged fight with tech companies to attract engineers, information researchers and workers with cybersecurity skills and security clearances. Lockheed Martin Corp., the greatest military contractor by sales, has hired more than 1,000 new employees in current weeks and is advertising 5,000 open positions.

Germany’s. Fresenius Healthcare

states patient information compromised. Details about dialysis patients in Serbia was exposed, Reuters reports. The incident might be connected to a computer virus at the parent business early this month.

%%.

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/cyber-daily-privacy-activists-arent-delighted-with-california-costs-to-control-facial-acknowledgment-tech/

[jaigeddes]

Plans go in for new £337m Museum of London site

The Museum of London has submitted a planning application to the City of London Corporation for its new home in West Smithfield.

The cost of transforming the market buildings into a museum has risen to £337m from the original budget of £250m.

Plans from the the architectural team of Stanton Williams and Asif Khan with Julian Harrap Architects look to preserve much of the historic fabric of the old market buildings.

The submission of a planning application is the latest milestone for the project, which was formally announced in 2015.

The City of London Corporation will now assess the application before taking a decision on whether to approve the plans later this year.

Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum of London, said: “This is an important milestone for the project, as we formally set out our plans to transform the West Smithfield site and in doing so transform the idea of what a museum can be.

“It has been four years of hard work by a dedicated and talented project team in order to get here and, while we still have a while to go and money to raise before we open the doors to the new Museum, this is nevertheless a significant step forward to turning our vision into reality.”

Paul Williams, Principal Director at Stanton Williams, said: “The opportunity to help reinvent, reimagine and transform a group of existing Market Buildings into a 21st century museum is an extraordinary opportunity – especially in an area of London so rich in history.

“Smithfield is a perfect location for the Museum of London, the place itself has so many stories to be told, and traces of the past to engage with.”

The City of London Corporation is putting forward £197m of the £337m needed to deliver the scheme alongside £70m from the Mayor of London.

The Museum of London has continued in its fundraising efforts, securing a total of £28m so far, leaving a further £42m to raise before the project is delivered.

[ebenalconstruct]

Plans go in for new £337m Museum of London site

The Museum of London has submitted a planning application to the City of London Corporation for its new home in West Smithfield.

The cost of transforming the market buildings into a museum has risen to £337m from the original budget of £250m.

Plans from the the architectural team of Stanton Williams and Asif Khan with Julian Harrap Architects look to preserve much of the historic fabric of the old market buildings.

The submission of a planning application is the latest milestone for the project, which was formally announced in 2015.

The City of London Corporation will now assess the application before taking a decision on whether to approve the plans later this year.

Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum of London, said: “This is an important milestone for the project, as we formally set out our plans to transform the West Smithfield site and in doing so transform the idea of what a museum can be.

“It has been four years of hard work by a dedicated and talented project team in order to get here and, while we still have a while to go and money to raise before we open the doors to the new Museum, this is nevertheless a significant step forward to turning our vision into reality.”

Paul Williams, Principal Director at Stanton Williams, said: “The opportunity to help reinvent, reimagine and transform a group of existing Market Buildings into a 21st century museum is an extraordinary opportunity – especially in an area of London so rich in history.

“Smithfield is a perfect location for the Museum of London, the place itself has so many stories to be told, and traces of the past to engage with.”

The City of London Corporation is putting forward £197m of the £337m needed to deliver the scheme alongside £70m from the Mayor of London.

The Museum of London has continued in its fundraising efforts, securing a total of £28m so far, leaving a further £42m to raise before the project is delivered.

  from https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2020/01/14/plans-go-in-for-new-337m-museum-of-london-site/

[rolandfontana]

The Seeds of the US-China Trade War Go Way Back

Same. Same. Same. Same. 

I am often asked why I blog. One of the reasons I always give is that I learn so much from it. One of my favorite blog learning devices is asking super-smart people to guest blog on here, especially when their expertise is different from that of the blogging lawyers at my firm.

Way back in 2014, we had Lucas Blaustein write about US-China agricultural relations. Lucas is now in a high level agricultural position with the US Foreign Agricultural Service, but back then he was the Container/Feed Ingredient Manager for a global transportation company focused on food with extensive China experience, fluency in spoken and written Mandarin and a Masters in Agribusiness.

His post, entitled Hit Us Where It Hurts: China’s Ban on U.S. Agricultural Products Grows, focused on how China was improperly banning US corn products so as to favor its own corn producers:

Since China’s admittance to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China and the United States have increasingly traded their comparative advantages. Daily, Chinese made iPads, Lenovo computers, Nike sneakers, and other material trappings of American consumerism arrive in U.S. ports, where they are unloaded and then returned filled with U.S. grain products like soybeans and corn. But in November 2013 the system began to break down, as corn exports to China came to a halt.

What caused this halt was the discovery by China’s Inspection and Quarantine Services (CIQS) of an unapproved genetically modified corn varietal called MIR-162 in imported shipments. Import permits began to be denied, and US corn exports to China gradually decreased to nothing. Grain merchandisers and U.S. farmers were horrified, as the fastest growing market for U.S. corn closed its doors.

Agribusiness companies and Chinese importers were quick to react, replacing corn grain as the number one U.S. export to China with a corn based ethanol byproduct called distiller dried grain with solubles (DDGs). For a time it seemed that American grain merchandisers had found a solution to China’s ban on U.S. corn with DDGs, but this “solution” was short-lived. In the spring of this year China stopped returning import permits for DDGs.  After months of confusion, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on July 24 received a short message stating that “U.S. DDGs imports must now be tested at origination for the unapproved gene MIR-162.” In the space of a day, traded corn prices dropped by more than half.

Shortly thereafter the USDA issued a statement asserting that there is no reliable, affordable method of testing for MIR-162 in DDGs, nor is there even a regulatory body in the United States with the manpower or funding to conduct such a test, even if one existed. In other words, what China did on July 24 was to ban importation of all U.S. corn based products.

Why did China do this?

Sino-U.S. relations are at one of their lowest points since before China’s period of great opening up. In light of recent events involving Apple, Microsoft, GSK, Cisco, KFC, Starbucks and many other American businesses in China, it would not be out of bounds to view China’s ban on U.S. corn imports as punishment for worsening relations. The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) estimates that China’s ban has cost U.S. farmers and agribusiness firms nearly three billion dollars. U.S. farmers could be hit especially hard during the upcoming year, with larger than average corn yields anticipated, and more new unapproved GMO varietals in the ground.

But what is often lost from the punitive argument is the Chinese side of this story.

*      *      *      *

China knows GMO technology is critical to increasing crop yields, so investment in GMO technology has surged, despite public fears over negative health effects. Chinese officials are wary of becoming overly reliant on genetically modified seeds from the Western world. Within the last six months eight Chinese Americans and nationals have been arrested on accusations of corporate espionage and theft of American seeds. MIR-162 grain imports may not be allowed into China, but China desperately wants access to the technology that produced the MIR-162 strain.

With lower input costs and better technology, world corn prices have been lower than China’s domestic corn prices for years. For this reason, Chinese companies have imported significant amounts of corn. The easiest way for China to protect local farmers is to force the purchasing of Chinese corn by limiting the amount of foreign corn that enters the Chinese market.

Protection for local farmers, fear of reliance on foreign GMOs, and investments in agriculture are all part of China’s broader food security strategy. Banning U.S. corn for food security reasons is probably as strong an argument for why China banned U.S. corn as punishment for worsening relations.

With Sino-U.S. relations still very poor, another record corn crop this year in China, as well as Ukrainian, Brazilian, and Argentinian corn imports approved, no matter which reason you favor for the ban on American corn products, there is little reason to believe China will lift that import ban any time soon Every day it becomes more likely that only a significant and public response from the United States government, or litigation in the World Trade Organization, will open China back up to US corn product imports.

But if all Lucas had done was to write about China blocking foreign products to secure its own competitive advantages, I would not be re-running his post today. Sure, that is relevant in that a huge part of the US-China trade dispute stems from actions just like these, but China has done enough things during the last five years that there is no great need to focus on how ruthlessly it treated America’s corn farmers back then.

No, what has caused me to re-run Lucas’s post is a comment he left in response to a comment left by another of our readers. In that comment, Lucas essentially lays out what has given rise to the US-China trade war we have today:

If the United States desired, it would be much easier for us to cripple the Chinese economy, than for the Chinese to cripple ours. While you commonly hear, “everything is made in China,” few of the staple items the U.S. consumes are actually made in China, and most items that are actually necessary to our society can be manufactured elsewhere. Think food, fuel, transportation, weapons… (all are of these are domestic or ally nation industries).

China is still an export driven economy, with no other major export markets for its goods besides the EU and North America. Were the United States to put in place a ban on any number of China sourced items it would cause immediate harm, and potential civil instability in the People’s Republic. The easiest way for the United States to inflict harm on the Chinese economy, would be to ban Chinese companies and individuals from listing on the stock market.

Few in the United States see economic punishment as a constructive step. Engagement is usually the best way to solve these kinds of difficult problems. However, engagement has been so far unsuccessful between the current U.S. and Chinese administration.

What the United States must be careful of economically, is providing China with too much access to our market sectors in the hope that China will reciprocate. Two excellent and very recent agricultural examples of the United States opening up or approving a business opportunity to Chinese companies are: 1) the Smithfield acquisition by Shuanghui; and 2) the approval of Chinese chicken processing plants. Both were approved in the hopes of China relieving some of its restrictions on U.S. agricultural products. Sadly, neither the Smithfield or chicken import approval has resulted in similar market openings. Now American chicken companies have been exposed to Chinese competition, with major protein imports to China like beef and pork still mostly banned.

Telling was what one of the congressmen had to say about the Chinese acquisition of Shuanghui, “we are allowing a Chinese company to do in America, what an America company would not be allowed to do in China.”

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

  Brief sidenote: Some of the international litigators at my law firm had a case a few years ago against Smithfield Farms, involving millions of dollars of pork that were bound for Russia but became subject to US trade sanctions against Russia. What so struck our lawyers was how Smithfield Farms, which had once been a bulwark of an American food/farm company, acted in so many ways like a Chinese company in China. Not necessarily a negative thing, but definitely unusual.

The Seeds of the US-China Trade War Go Way Back syndicated from https://immigrationattorneyto.wordpress.com/

[cryptswahili]

Police Raid Goes Wrong: They Mistook Crypto Mining Operation for Grow House

The crypto industry has drawn comparisons with the cannabis industry quite often, especially in the last year. In 2018, stocks of companies dealing in marijuana skyrocketed following a favorable regulatory framework. This mirrored the 2018 crypto prices bull run.

However, in Australia, the police took the association to a whole new level. In the Smithfield Plains suburbs in Adelaide, the police raided one home following information from the public. The police reportedly received information that the home had installed a ventilation system recently. This pointed to a grow house, a structure used for the production of marijuana. Security cameras and solar panels only added to the police’s suspicions.

According to the owner, the police raided the house in his absence. Rob Butvila uploaded a video to YouTube in which he recorded his reaction once he got home from work. He found a written notification that the police had raided his house – which is well within their right to- and that should he have any concerns, he should contact them.

He wrote on YouTube:

…no apology, not even so much as a phone call, leaving the property unlocked, gates, doors and fence panels removed and broken, property free for the other criminals of society (the ones without badges) to pick over the scraps.

In the video, which has garnered 26,000 views in two days, he explains how they broke the doors and left the house in a mess. Angry at their conduct – understandably so – Butvila contacted the police but they were of no help. As he explained on his video, they didn’t get a special warrant for the raid. Instead, “they acted under their standard abuse of power “general warrant” with no permission from a magistrate to forcibly enter. even a simple phone call was too hard!”

Legal Action

After contacting the police, the officer-in-charge allegedly stated that he has never had to seek a magistrate’s warrant in his “entire 12-year career.”

With the police having left the place wide open, Butvila claims that a hard drive is missing and that the security camera cable was cut. The damages amount to $1,000 by his estimation, and he’ll be submitting the quotes to the police for payment. Speaking to a local media outlet, he further stated that he was considering legal action against the police.

However, the police believe they were well within their right to raid the home. A spokesperson for the South Australia Police (SAPOL) stated:

Information was left for the owner to contact the police. For operational reasons, police do not give prior notice of the intention to execute search warrants. Police always try to minimise any damage caused during operations.

The police are yet to issue a formal statement on the raid. However, according to a local attorney, Butvila is eligible for compensation for all the damages.

  Image(s): Shutterstock.com

The post Police Raid Goes Wrong: They Mistook Crypto Mining Operation for Grow House appeared first on NullTX.

[Telegram Channel | Original Article ]

[vanessawestwcrtr5]

Cryptocurrency: SA Police mistake crypto mining set-up for drug house

Cryptocurrency: SA Police mistake crypto mining set-up for drug house

A man is demanding answers and considering legal action after his northern suburbs home was damaged during a police raid — but all officers found was cryptocurrency mining equipment.

Acting on information from the public, police forced their way into a Smithfield Plains home to search for a possible grow room on Monday.

Instead, officers stumbled across an elaborate cryptocurrency mining computer set-up that requires a ventilation system.

Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that can be traded online.

In cryptomining, specialised computers search for and authorise crypto currency transactions by breaking complex mathematical equations to update what’s known as the blockchain, earning the miner small amounts of cryptocurrency.

Owner Rob Butvila claims he arrived home to find the “property unlocked” with “gates, doors and fence panels removed and broken”.

Mr Butvila filmed his reaction as he entered the house. Uploaded to Facebook and YouTube, the video has been watched and shared thousands of times.

In a lengthy post on YouTube, Mr Butvila claimed police refused to discuss the damage bill.

“SAPOL used brutal and destructive force, kicking in doors … to find cryptocurrency mining computers where they expected to find a marijuana grow room,” he wrote.

“They hung up when questioned about who pays the damages.

“No apology, not even so much as a phone call.”

Mr Butvila claims he spoke to one officer who admitted the home was damaged but was “just as secure as when he found it”.

Mr Butvila told The Advertiser police had become suspicious when they saw solar panels, security cameras and a ventilation fan in the window of the house.

But he said the house, which he is in the process of renovating, looks the same as many other in the neighbourhood.

“The fan was to cool the cryptocurrency computer and the person coming in at night was me because I was doing the place up,” he said.

“To make things worse they left the place wide open and a hardrive is now missing and the security camera cable has been cut.

“It would be at least a $1000 damage.”

An SA Police spokeswoman said no offences were detected during the search.

“Information was left for the owner to contact police,” the spokeswoman said.

“For operational reasons, police do not give prior notice of the intention to execute search warrants. Police always try to minimise any damage caused during operations.”

Mr Butvila said he would be submitting quotes to the police for the damage and was considering legal action.

Originally published as Police raid damages innocent man’s house — so who pays?

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