View allAll Photos Tagged proactive
At the end of December, a team of officers from Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) City of Manchester Division, were on duty patrolling the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area, as part of a high visibility, proactive operation to disrupt the sale of counterfeit goods.
At the end of December, a team of officers from Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) City of Manchester division, were on duty patrolling the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area, as part of a high visibility, proactive operation to disrupt the sale of counterfeit goods.
Officers were on the streets providing a visible presence in order to deter those who sell counterfeit items from approaching potential customers, they were also engaging with members of the public in the area – handing out leaflets with information on how the sale of counterfeit goods is often associated with organised criminal gangs, as well as educating them on what the dangers can be when you buy these untested and unregulated items.
During the operation, one man was arrested and charged for possession of an offensive weapon and a breach of a court order and another was charged for failing to appear at court.
Inspector William Jennings-Wharton, of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said: “I understand that the low prices of counterfeit goods can lure members of the public into buying them, so part of our tactic in disrupting the sale of fake goods, is to educate the public on what the risks and consequences behind those low prices can be.
“Counterfeit goods can not only have a negative impact on communities as a whole, with their sale linked to funding organised criminal activity as well as attracting more criminality to the area – as our action today demonstrates, but it can also have a personal impact on those who have brought it as these items are often not safety tested and not in-line with industry standards which can have dangerous consequences. That is why this operation marks the start of our ‘#WhatsItReallyWorth?’ initiative which aims to shed light on the risks posed by this type of criminality. We will be continuing to work with partners as part of the initiative, to take action against those involved in the sale of counterfeit goods, as well as working with the community and engaging with those who visit the area.
“If any members of the public have information that may assist us, I urge you to report it online or by using the LiveChat facility at www.gmp.police.uk or by calling 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
Volunteer Shelby Knapper in Peru Cusco Child Care program 4 weeks www.abroaderview.org
1- How was the local ABV Coordinator/staff and the support provided in-country?
Beatriz was awesome. She was there to help with anything I needed, and offered support for the duration of my trip. She showed me around Cusco, helped plan weekend trips, and introduced me to my family, program, and to other volunteers.
2- What was the most surprising thing you experienced? Name 2
Program: The kindergarten was very well equipped and staffed.
Host Family: My family ate very big lunches, and the dinner was very light, which was an adjustment.
Country: The weather can change from frizzing to hot within minutes.
3- What was the most challenging thing you experienced?
Program: Sometimes being left alone with the whole class of three-year old-kids.
Host Family: Trying to finish the huge lunch they’d give me!
Country: Constantly being approached in the street by people trying to sell stuff.
4- Any tips for future volunteers… (clothing, travel, personal items, donations)
1. Warm clothing for nighttime.
2. Extra toilet paper (lots of public bathrooms not have it)
3. Good shoes for walking and hiking.
4. Bug spray for Machupicchu
5.1-Other things volunteers should know before coming here: (that’s not in the orientation guide)
a. Come with an open mind.
b. Cusco is full of things to do, so be proactive.
c. You may want to buy your own extra food to supplement.
d. Make use of your weekends with trips.
6- Personal Paragraph about the experience:
I had a good experience with A Broader View. I love that I could combine travel with volunteering. I got to see many sights and had a rewarding experience volunteering.
7- How would you describe your accommodation, meals, security, friendliness, quality others:
My host family was so welcoming and accommodating. I’m vegetarian, and my host mom would even make special tofu for me. I felt very at home.
8- What was your favorite memory of this trip?
Program: Bonding with the kids and teachers at the school.
Host Family: Watching soccer together and talking together during meals.
Country: All of the things I got to see in Cusco and Machupicchu.
9- How was the ABV USA support prior traveling?
They were so helpful, and always responded to calls and emails superb fast.
9.1- What do you think about the reservation system online?
It worked well with me.
9.2- Who did you find Abroaderview website
A friend recommended it.
10 – Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers?
Yes.
https;/#abroaderview.org
#volunteer #peru #cusco #cuzco #abroaderview
SOCIALCRAFT EXHIBITION UNVEILED AT CAFAM!
October 22 to December 31, 2006
In response to the environmental, political, and social questions of our time, the exhibition
Street Signs and Solar Ovens: Socialcraft in Los Angeles opens at the Craft and Folk Art
Museum on October 22, 2006. Curated by the Journal of Aesthetics and Protest, Street Signs
and Solar Ovens offers an insight into how Southern California individuals and communities
creatively take action to defy the notion that a socially conscious lifestyle is out of reach. The
resulting creations are expressions of both function and artistry that offer inspiration for
proactive living.
Located at the crossroads of grassroots activism and personal creative expression, the term
socialcraft suggests the crafting of a society as much as it describes the making of objects
Street Signs and Solar Ovens will feature protest art meant for public display such as handcrafted
demonstration signs, posters, t-shirts, as well as examples of instruments for
conscious living such as eco-friendly and alternative energy home appliances. This exhibition
will present a diverse and original array of artwork created in reaction to a wide range of issues
facing our community.
Participating artists include Edith Abeyta, Steven Anderson, Lisa Anne Auerbach, Mike
Blockstein, Chris Burnett, C.I.C.L.E., Code Pink, National Center for the Preservation of
Democracy, Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Sandra de la Loza, Sam Durant, Eric
Einim, Karl Erickson, Fallen Fruit, Finishing School, Gaian Mind, Fritz Haeg, Laura Howe, Karen
Lofgren, Kelly Marie Martin, Matrushka, Christopher Nyerges, Path to Freedom, Beth Peterson,
Sheila Pinkel, Oliver Ressler and David Thorne, Oscar Sanchez, The Arroyo Arts Collective,
The Phantom Street Artist, The South Central Farmers, Christian Ulke, Votan, Allison Wiese.
“Street Signs and Solar Ovens is meant to be a starting point for further discussion and
action. The original and inventive artwork in this exhibition demonstrates the personal power of
individuals to implement community change,” says Maryna Hrushetska, Director of CAFAM.
About the Curators
The Journal of Aesthetics and Protest (http://www.journalofaestheticsandprotest.org/) is a selfdescribed
"weirdo thinktank" that has published a magazine and completed various art and
curatorial projects since 2001. The Journal aims to proactively participate in the creation of a
better world by presenting cutting edge ideas.
About The Craft and Folk Art Museum
SOCIALCRAFT EXHIBITION UNVEILED AT CAFAM!
October 22 to December 31, 2006
In response to the environmental, political, and social questions of our time, the exhibition
Street Signs and Solar Ovens: Socialcraft in Los Angeles opens at the Craft and Folk Art
Museum on October 22, 2006. Curated by the Journal of Aesthetics and Protest, Street Signs
and Solar Ovens offers an insight into how Southern California individuals and communities
creatively take action to defy the notion that a socially conscious lifestyle is out of reach. The
resulting creations are expressions of both function and artistry that offer inspiration for
proactive living.
Located at the crossroads of grassroots activism and personal creative expression, the term
socialcraft suggests the crafting of a society as much as it describes the making of objects
Street Signs and Solar Ovens will feature protest art meant for public display such as handcrafted
demonstration signs, posters, t-shirts, as well as examples of instruments for
conscious living such as eco-friendly and alternative energy home appliances. This exhibition
will present a diverse and original array of artwork created in reaction to a wide range of issues
facing our community.
Participating artists include Edith Abeyta, Steven Anderson, Lisa Anne Auerbach, Mike
Blockstein, Chris Burnett, C.I.C.L.E., Code Pink, National Center for the Preservation of
Democracy, Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Sandra de la Loza, Sam Durant, Eric
Einim, Karl Erickson, Fallen Fruit, Finishing School, Gaian Mind, Fritz Haeg, Laura Howe, Karen
Lofgren, Kelly Marie Martin, Matrushka, Christopher Nyerges, Path to Freedom, Beth Peterson,
Sheila Pinkel, Oliver Ressler and David Thorne, Oscar Sanchez, The Arroyo Arts Collective,
The Phantom Street Artist, The South Central Farmers, Christian Ulke, Votan, Allison Wiese.
“Street Signs and Solar Ovens is meant to be a starting point for further discussion and
action. The original and inventive artwork in this exhibition demonstrates the personal power of
individuals to implement community change,” says Maryna Hrushetska, Director of CAFAM.
About the Curators
The Journal of Aesthetics and Protest (http://www.journalofaestheticsandprotest.org/) is a selfdescribed
"weirdo thinktank" that has published a magazine and completed various art and
curatorial projects since 2001. The Journal aims to proactively participate in the creation of a
better world by presenting cutting edge ideas.
About The Craft and Folk Art Museum
SOCIALCRAFT EXHIBITION UNVEILED AT CAFAM!
October 22 to December 31, 2006
In response to the environmental, political, and social questions of our time, the exhibition
Street Signs and Solar Ovens: Socialcraft in Los Angeles opens at the Craft and Folk Art
Museum on October 22, 2006. Curated by the Journal of Aesthetics and Protest, Street Signs
and Solar Ovens offers an insight into how Southern California individuals and communities
creatively take action to defy the notion that a socially conscious lifestyle is out of reach. The
resulting creations are expressions of both function and artistry that offer inspiration for
proactive living.
Located at the crossroads of grassroots activism and personal creative expression, the term
socialcraft suggests the crafting of a society as much as it describes the making of objects
Street Signs and Solar Ovens will feature protest art meant for public display such as handcrafted
demonstration signs, posters, t-shirts, as well as examples of instruments for
conscious living such as eco-friendly and alternative energy home appliances. This exhibition
will present a diverse and original array of artwork created in reaction to a wide range of issues
facing our community.
Participating artists include Edith Abeyta, Steven Anderson, Lisa Anne Auerbach, Mike
Blockstein, Chris Burnett, C.I.C.L.E., Code Pink, National Center for the Preservation of
Democracy, Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Sandra de la Loza, Sam Durant, Eric
Einim, Karl Erickson, Fallen Fruit, Finishing School, Gaian Mind, Fritz Haeg, Laura Howe, Karen
Lofgren, Kelly Marie Martin, Matrushka, Christopher Nyerges, Path to Freedom, Beth Peterson,
Sheila Pinkel, Oliver Ressler and David Thorne, Oscar Sanchez, The Arroyo Arts Collective,
The Phantom Street Artist, The South Central Farmers, Christian Ulke, Votan, Allison Wiese.
“Street Signs and Solar Ovens is meant to be a starting point for further discussion and
action. The original and inventive artwork in this exhibition demonstrates the personal power of
individuals to implement community change,” says Maryna Hrushetska, Director of CAFAM.
About the Curators
The Journal of Aesthetics and Protest (http://www.journalofaestheticsandprotest.org/) is a selfdescribed
"weirdo thinktank" that has published a magazine and completed various art and
curatorial projects since 2001. The Journal aims to proactively participate in the creation of a
better world by presenting cutting edge ideas.
About The Craft and Folk Art Museum
The summer preparation work builds on investments into the transmission system through Energizing the Future.
Be open. Be curious. Be willing. Be proactive. Be surprised. Trust life. -Linda Gabriel
Bliss may be what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. -John Lennon
Prints and products available: society6.com/melekdesign/Bliss-kAL_Print
The rumble of diesel engines blends with the whine of jet turbines and the clank of caterpillar tracks as more than 100 North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Soldiers of the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) and 1452nd Transportation Company load over 200 vehicles at NCNG’s Mobilization and Training Equipment Site at the Fort Bragg, North Carolina, April 19, 2017. The load is for the brigade’s upcoming deployment to annual training later this year at National Guard Orchard Combat Training Center in Idaho. Convoys of 48-wheeled Heavy Equipment Transporters hauled armored M1-A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, M-88 Recovery Vehicles and other equipment from the site to the fort’s rail yard for transport by train to Idaho. The railroad is also a valuable practice for the Soldiers to keep mobilization skills sharp for deployment for training or missions overseas. “It is better to be proactive, we have to be ready to go,” said Sgt. 1st Class Chris Jones a platoon leader with the 30th ABCT. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan, North Carolina National Guard Public Affairs/Released)
ODC-Cold & Flu Season
I think the best way to not get the flu or a cold is to be PROACTIVE...in other words take steps to prevent getting sick, don't just wait for it to happen. I work out at the gym 3 times a week for 45 minutes, it's a great way to keep your body in good shape!
The IT Operations Center (ITOC) on the second level of the building provides 24/7 proactive monitoring of all IT systems.
At the end of December, a team of officers from Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) City of Manchester Division, were on duty patrolling the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area, as part of a high visibility, proactive operation to disrupt the sale of counterfeit goods.
At the end of December, a team of officers from Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) City of Manchester division, were on duty patrolling the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways area, as part of a high visibility, proactive operation to disrupt the sale of counterfeit goods.
Officers were on the streets providing a visible presence in order to deter those who sell counterfeit items from approaching potential customers, they were also engaging with members of the public in the area – handing out leaflets with information on how the sale of counterfeit goods is often associated with organised criminal gangs, as well as educating them on what the dangers can be when you buy these untested and unregulated items.
During the operation, one man was arrested and charged for possession of an offensive weapon and a breach of a court order and another was charged for failing to appear at court.
Inspector William Jennings-Wharton, of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said: “I understand that the low prices of counterfeit goods can lure members of the public into buying them, so part of our tactic in disrupting the sale of fake goods, is to educate the public on what the risks and consequences behind those low prices can be.
“Counterfeit goods can not only have a negative impact on communities as a whole, with their sale linked to funding organised criminal activity as well as attracting more criminality to the area – as our action today demonstrates, but it can also have a personal impact on those who have brought it as these items are often not safety tested and not in-line with industry standards which can have dangerous consequences. That is why this operation marks the start of our ‘#WhatsItReallyWorth?’ initiative which aims to shed light on the risks posed by this type of criminality. We will be continuing to work with partners as part of the initiative, to take action against those involved in the sale of counterfeit goods, as well as working with the community and engaging with those who visit the area.
“If any members of the public have information that may assist us, I urge you to report it online or by using the LiveChat facility at www.gmp.police.uk or by calling 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
Any proactive person who takes precaution seriously, spy bubble can be of great service. Spy bubble is a computer software that allows users to keep track of individuals whom he or she considers either important or shady. Important individuals to a person include a partner, children, siblings and other family members, neighbors, and even friends. Whereas the shady ones may be comprised of employees, business partners, and even those from the first category who have previously done dubious things that have somehow diminished their credibility and trustworthiness.
SpyBubble cell phone spy software program is developed to secretly find a cell phone user, record phone data including call logs, spy on text messages, and even spy on web activities. It is appropriate for Smart phones, Androids, and old Blackberry models. The idea is always to completely monitor someone's daily activity through their mobile phone logs.
To commence with, the Diamond Drum of Samsung top loading washers facilitates effective and proper washing for all those sorts of garments without the kind of damage. The basic concept behind this feature is always to line the insides from the drum with a compilation of diamond like depressions that could remove all sorts of soils and stains. Along with the Silver Nano washing technology, the diamond drum ensures a tangle free wash, to ensure you shouldn't have of wrestling to discover clothes as soon as the cycle ends, with the smaller holes that ensure no fabric is unique. Also, the embossed surface provides more gentle spin for washing, with the different numbers of water facilitating a greater cleaning experience that is in sync with Indian requirements. Research has revealed the fabric area encountered with washing in a regular appliance has 79% more probability of getting damage than clothes washed in Samsung top loading washers, with thanks to the Diamond Drum.
There are free cellphone spy programs available online yet it's still better that you receive the paid ones. Free ones usually are unreliable and slow and may also post inadequate results, or else inaccurate information. Check for screenshots and other features before settling on pick any program to discover if it suits the needs you have.
With the mobile phone tracking available you will be notified of the incoming and outgoing phone call, every word incoming or outgoing, every picture taken with the phone, every video taken with the mobile phone, the truth is the technology is available with the cell phone tracking system that you can see with a map anytime through the day or night wherever that mobile phone is. Of course when your girlfriend is that come with her phone you will in place be seeing where jane is whenever through the day or night. The cost for this technology is a 1 time fee of $60 and it's also called spy bubble. spybubblez.com.br/
US AND JORDANIAN MISSION CO-HOST DISCUSSION ON INTERFAITH COLLABORATION
Diplomats, UN Officials and Civil Society Share Experiences at Event to Mark
World Interfaith Harmony Week
Geneva, February 7, 2011
The Permanent Missions of the United States of America and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan jointly sponsored a panel discussion on Interfaith Collaboration to mark the proclamation by the United Nations of the first World Interfaith Harmony Week.
Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, U.S. Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council and Ambassador Shehab Madi, Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations welcomed guests from other diplomatic missions, NGOs and civil society representatives to the February 7, 2011 event at the United States Mission.
Four panelists – Rashad Hussain, President Obama’s Special Envoy to the OIC, Father Nabil Haddad, Founder and CEO of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center, Randa Kuziez, a young interfaith activist from the United States, and Robin Sclafani, Director of CEJI, Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe – led a discussion on how to bridge interreligious divides and promote religious tolerance.
Opening the event, Ambassador Donahoe said the United States believes that governments must speak out against religious intolerance and employ tools to address it. “These tools include a combination of robust legal protections against discrimination and hate crimes, proactive government outreach, inter-religious efforts, education, and the vigorous defense of both freedom of religion and expression.”
“It is incumbent upon both governments and members of society to model respect, welcome diversity of belief, and build respectful societies based on open dialogue and debate.”
Special Envoy Hussain emphasized that tolerance is essential for religion to thrive and that freedom of religion is central to the ability of people’s to live together. The full text of Special Envoy Hussain’s remarks are available on the U.S. Mission website.
For more about the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony initiative, visit the website: worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com/
US Mission Geneva Photo: Eric Bridiers/
Capital Techies helps growing business manage the technology gap. We provide proactive, flat-rate Managed IT Services, on-demand IT Support, and Cloud IT Solutions for business with 1-200 Employees. We service the Washington DC metro area including Alexandria, Rockville and Fairfax. Our core clients are professional services companies: Law Firms, Medical Practices, Financial Services Companies, Insurance Agencies, Non-Profits and Real Estate Development. Our mission is to deliver an exceptional customer experience, allowing our clients to leverage technology to maximize efficiency, profitability, and business continuity.
Object of Play
We don’t truly have a good grasp of a situation until we see it in a fuller context. The Context Map is designed to show us the external factors, trends, and forces at work surrounding an organization. Because once we have a systemic view of the external environment we’re in, we are better equipped to respond proactively to that landscape.
Number of Players: 5–25
Duration of Play: 45 minutes to 1.5 hours
How to Play
1. Hang six sheets of flip-chart paper on a wall in a two-row, three-column format.
2. On the top-middle sheet of flip-chart paper, draw a representation of the organization under discussion. It can be as simple as an image of your office building or an image of a globe to represent a global marketplace. Label the picture or scene.
3. On the same sheet of paper, above and to the left of the image, write the words “POLITICAL FACTORS”. Above and to the right, write the words “ECONOMIC CLIMATE”.
4. On the top-left sheet of flip-chart paper, draw several large arrows pointing to the right. Label this sheet “TRENDS”. Include a blank before the word TRENDS so that you can add a qualifier later.
5. On the top-right sheet of flip-chart paper, draw several large arrows pointing to the left. Label this sheet “TRENDS”. Again, include a blank before the word TRENDS so that you can add a qualifier later.
6. On the bottom-left sheet, draw large arrows pointing up and to the right. Label this sheet “TECHNOLOGY FACTORS”.
7. On the bottom-middle sheet, draw an image representing your client(s) and label the sheet “CUSTOMER NEEDS”.
8. On the bottom-right sheet, draw a thundercloud or a person with a question mark overhead and label this sheet “UNCERTAINTIES”.
9. Introduce the context map to the group. Explain that the goal of populating the map is to get a sense of the big picture in which your organization operates. Ask the players which category on the map they’d like to discuss first, other than TRENDS. Open up the category they select for comments and discussion. Write the comments they verbalize in the space created for that category.
10. Based on an indication from the group or your own sense of direction, move to another category and ask the group to offer ideas for that category. Continue populating the map with content until every category but TRENDS is filled in.
11. The two TRENDS categories can be qualified by the group, so take a quick poll to determine what kinds of trends the players would like to discuss. These could be online trends, demographic trends, growth trends, and so forth. As you help the players find agreement on qualifiers for the trends (conduct a dot vote or have them raise their hands if you need to), write those qualifiers in the blanks next to TRENDS. Then continue the process of requesting content and writing it in the appropriate space.
12. Summarize the overall findings with the group and ask for observations, insights, “aha’s,” and concerns about the context map.
Strategy
It’s up to the players to paint a picture of the environment in which they sit, but as the meeting leader, you can help them generate content by asking intelligent and thoughtprovoking questions. Conduct research or employee interviews before the meeting if you need to. The idea is to portray a context that is as rich and accurate as possible so that the players gain insight into their environment and can subsequently move proactively rather than reactively. The players can populate the categories other than TRENDS on the context map in any order, so note their starting point and pay attention to where they focus or generate the most content—both can indicate where their energy lies. But keep in mind that this activity is designed to generate a display of the external environment, not the internal one. So, if you notice that the discussion steers toward analyzing the internal context, guide them back to the outside world. There are other games for internal dynamics. The Context Map game should result in a holistic view of the external business landscape and show the group where they can focus their efforts to get strategic results.
This game is based on The Grove Consultants International’s Leader’s Guide to Accompany the Context Map Graphic Guide® ©1996–2010 The Grove.
Check out the Gamestorming Wiki for more like this.
FirstEnergy performs analysis of projected peak flows to ensure the system is prepared for increased demand.
Graffiti is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire (see also mural).
Graffiti is a controversial subject. In most countries, marking or painting property without permission is considered by property owners and civic authorities as defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime, citing the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. Graffiti has become visualized as a growing urban "problem" for many cities in industrialized nations, spreading from the New York City subway system and Philadelphia in the early 1970s to the rest of the United States and Europe and other world regions
"Graffiti" (usually both singular and plural) and the rare singular form "graffito" are from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"). The term "graffiti" is used in art history for works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is "sgraffito", which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who would glaze their wares and then scratch a design into them. In ancient times graffiti were carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The word originates from Greek γράφειν—graphein—meaning "to write".
The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, and such, found on the walls of ancient sepulchres or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Historically, these writings were not considered vanadlism, which today is considered part of the definition of graffiti.
The only known source of the Safaitic language, an ancient form of Arabic, is from graffiti: inscriptions scratched on to the surface of rocks and boulders in the predominantly basalt desert of southern Syria, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia. Safaitic dates from the first century BC to the fourth century AD.
Some of the oldest cave paintings in the world are 40,000 year old ones found in Australia. The oldest written graffiti was found in ancient Rome around 2500 years ago. Most graffiti from the time was boasts about sexual experiences Graffiti in Ancient Rome was a form of communication, and was not considered vandalism.
Ancient tourists visiting the 5th-century citadel at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka write their names and commentary over the "mirror wall", adding up to over 1800 individual graffiti produced there between the 6th and 18th centuries. Most of the graffiti refer to the frescoes of semi-nude females found there. One reads:
Wet with cool dew drops
fragrant with perfume from the flowers
came the gentle breeze
jasmine and water lily
dance in the spring sunshine
side-long glances
of the golden-hued ladies
stab into my thoughts
heaven itself cannot take my mind
as it has been captivated by one lass
among the five hundred I have seen here.
Among the ancient political graffiti examples were Arab satirist poems. Yazid al-Himyari, an Umayyad Arab and Persian poet, was most known for writing his political poetry on the walls between Sajistan and Basra, manifesting a strong hatred towards the Umayyad regime and its walis, and people used to read and circulate them very widely.
Graffiti, known as Tacherons, were frequently scratched on Romanesque Scandinavian church walls. When Renaissance artists such as Pinturicchio, Raphael, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, or Filippino Lippi descended into the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea, they carved or painted their names and returned to initiate the grottesche style of decoration.
There are also examples of graffiti occurring in American history, such as Independence Rock, a national landmark along the Oregon Trail.
Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s. Lord Byron's survives on one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Attica, Greece.
The oldest known example of graffiti "monikers" found on traincars created by hobos and railworkers since the late 1800s. The Bozo Texino monikers were documented by filmmaker Bill Daniel in his 2005 film, Who is Bozo Texino?.
In World War II, an inscription on a wall at the fortress of Verdun was seen as an illustration of the US response twice in a generation to the wrongs of the Old World:
During World War II and for decades after, the phrase "Kilroy was here" with an accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and ultimately filtering into American popular culture. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began appearing around New York with the words "Bird Lives".
Modern graffiti art has its origins with young people in 1960s and 70s in New York City and Philadelphia. Tags were the first form of stylised contemporary graffiti. Eventually, throw-ups and pieces evolved with the desire to create larger art. Writers used spray paint and other kind of materials to leave tags or to create images on the sides subway trains. and eventually moved into the city after the NYC metro began to buy new trains and paint over graffiti.
While the art had many advocates and appreciators—including the cultural critic Norman Mailer—others, including New York City mayor Ed Koch, considered it to be defacement of public property, and saw it as a form of public blight. The ‘taggers’ called what they did ‘writing’—though an important 1974 essay by Mailer referred to it using the term ‘graffiti.’
Contemporary graffiti style has been heavily influenced by hip hop culture and the myriad international styles derived from Philadelphia and New York City Subway graffiti; however, there are many other traditions of notable graffiti in the twentieth century. Graffiti have long appeared on building walls, in latrines, railroad boxcars, subways, and bridges.
An early graffito outside of New York or Philadelphia was the inscription in London reading "Clapton is God" in reference to the guitarist Eric Clapton. Creating the cult of the guitar hero, the phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington, north London in the autumn of 1967. The graffito was captured in a photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall.
Films like Style Wars in the 80s depicting famous writers such as Skeme, Dondi, MinOne, and ZEPHYR reinforced graffiti's role within New York's emerging hip-hop culture. Although many officers of the New York City Police Department found this film to be controversial, Style Wars is still recognized as the most prolific film representation of what was going on within the young hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 took hip hop graffiti to Paris and London as part of the New York City Rap Tour in 1983
Commercialization and entrance into mainstream pop culture
Main article: Commercial graffiti
With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." IBM paid Chicago and San Francisco collectively US$120,000 for punitive damages and clean-up costs.
In 2005, a similar ad campaign was launched by Sony and executed by its advertising agency in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami, to market its handheld PSP gaming system. In this campaign, taking notice of the legal problems of the IBM campaign, Sony paid building owners for the rights to paint on their buildings "a collection of dizzy-eyed urban kids playing with the PSP as if it were a skateboard, a paddle, or a rocking horse".
Tristan Manco wrote that Brazil "boasts a unique and particularly rich, graffiti scene ... [earning] it an international reputation as the place to go for artistic inspiration". Graffiti "flourishes in every conceivable space in Brazil's cities". Artistic parallels "are often drawn between the energy of São Paulo today and 1970s New York". The "sprawling metropolis", of São Paulo has "become the new shrine to graffiti"; Manco alludes to "poverty and unemployment ... [and] the epic struggles and conditions of the country's marginalised peoples", and to "Brazil's chronic poverty", as the main engines that "have fuelled a vibrant graffiti culture". In world terms, Brazil has "one of the most uneven distributions of income. Laws and taxes change frequently". Such factors, Manco argues, contribute to a very fluid society, riven with those economic divisions and social tensions that underpin and feed the "folkloric vandalism and an urban sport for the disenfranchised", that is South American graffiti art.
Prominent Brazilian writers include Os Gêmeos, Boleta, Nunca, Nina, Speto, Tikka, and T.Freak. Their artistic success and involvement in commercial design ventures has highlighted divisions within the Brazilian graffiti community between adherents of the cruder transgressive form of pichação and the more conventionally artistic values of the practitioners of grafite.
Graffiti in the Middle East has emerged slowly, with taggers operating in Egypt, Lebanon, the Gulf countries like Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and in Iran. The major Iranian newspaper Hamshahri has published two articles on illegal writers in the city with photographic coverage of Iranian artist A1one's works on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design magazine, PingMag, has interviewed A1one and featured photographs of his work. The Israeli West Bank barrier has become a site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of the Berlin Wall. Many writers in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as JUIF from Los Angeles and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference "נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן" ("Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman") is commonly seen in graffiti around Israel.
Graffiti has played an important role within the street art scene in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), especially following the events of the Arab Spring of 2011 or the Sudanese Revolution of 2018/19. Graffiti is a tool of expression in the context of conflict in the region, allowing people to raise their voices politically and socially. Famous street artist Banksy has had an important effect in the street art scene in the MENA area, especially in Palestine where some of his works are located in the West Bank barrier and Bethlehem.
There are also a large number of graffiti influences in Southeast Asian countries that mostly come from modern Western culture, such as Malaysia, where graffiti have long been a common sight in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Since 2010, the country has begun hosting a street festival to encourage all generations and people from all walks of life to enjoy and encourage Malaysian street culture.
The modern-day graffitists can be found with an arsenal of various materials that allow for a successful production of a piece. This includes such techniques as scribing. However, spray paint in aerosol cans is the number one medium for graffiti. From this commodity comes different styles, technique, and abilities to form master works of graffiti. Spray paint can be found at hardware and art stores and comes in virtually every color.
Stencil graffiti is created by cutting out shapes and designs in a stiff material (such as cardboard or subject folders) to form an overall design or image. The stencil is then placed on the "canvas" gently and with quick, easy strokes of the aerosol can, the image begins to appear on the intended surface.
Some of the first examples were created in 1981 by artists Blek le Rat in Paris, in 1982 by Jef Aerosol in Tours (France); by 1985 stencils had appeared in other cities including New York City, Sydney, and Melbourne, where they were documented by American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis
Tagging is the practice of someone spray-painting "their name, initial or logo onto a public surface" in a handstyle unique to the writer. Tags were the first form of modern graffiti.
Modern graffiti art often incorporates additional arts and technologies. For example, Graffiti Research Lab has encouraged the use of projected images and magnetic light-emitting diodes (throwies) as new media for graffitists. yarnbombing is another recent form of graffiti. Yarnbombers occasionally target previous graffiti for modification, which had been avoided among the majority of graffitists.
Theories on the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Asger Jorn, who in 1962 painting declared in a graffiti-like gesture "the avant-garde won't give up"
Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation or, in the achievement of a political goal
In times of conflict, such murals have offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically, or racially divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective tools in establishing dialog and thus, of addressing cleavages in the long run. The Berlin Wall was also extensively covered by graffiti reflecting social pressures relating to the oppressive Soviet rule over the GDR.
Many artists involved with graffiti are also concerned with the similar activity of stenciling. Essentially, this entails stenciling a print of one or more colors using spray-paint. Recognized while exhibiting and publishing several of her coloured stencils and paintings portraying the Sri Lankan Civil War and urban Britain in the early 2000s, graffitists Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., has also become known for integrating her imagery of political violence into her music videos for singles "Galang" and "Bucky Done Gun", and her cover art. Stickers of her artwork also often appear around places such as London in Brick Lane, stuck to lamp posts and street signs, she having become a muse for other graffitists and painters worldwide in cities including Seville.
Graffitist believes that art should be on display for everyone in the public eye or in plain sight, not hidden away in a museum or a gallery. Art should color the streets, not the inside of some building. Graffiti is a form of art that cannot be owned or bought. It does not last forever, it is temporary, yet one of a kind. It is a form of self promotion for the artist that can be displayed anywhere form sidewalks, roofs, subways, building wall, etc. Art to them is for everyone and should be showed to everyone for free.
Graffiti is a way of communicating and a way of expressing what one feels in the moment. It is both art and a functional thing that can warn people of something or inform people of something. However, graffiti is to some people a form of art, but to some a form of vandalism. And many graffitists choose to protect their identities and remain anonymous or to hinder prosecution.
With the commercialization of graffiti (and hip hop in general), in most cases, even with legally painted "graffiti" art, graffitists tend to choose anonymity. This may be attributed to various reasons or a combination of reasons. Graffiti still remains the one of four hip hop elements that is not considered "performance art" despite the image of the "singing and dancing star" that sells hip hop culture to the mainstream. Being a graphic form of art, it might also be said that many graffitists still fall in the category of the introverted archetypal artist.
Banksy is one of the world's most notorious and popular street artists who continues to remain faceless in today's society. He is known for his political, anti-war stencil art mainly in Bristol, England, but his work may be seen anywhere from Los Angeles to Palestine. In the UK, Banksy is the most recognizable icon for this cultural artistic movement and keeps his identity a secret to avoid arrest. Much of Banksy's artwork may be seen around the streets of London and surrounding suburbs, although he has painted pictures throughout the world, including the Middle East, where he has painted on Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. One depicted a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. A number of exhibitions also have taken place since 2000, and recent works of art have fetched vast sums of money. Banksy's art is a prime example of the classic controversy: vandalism vs. art. Art supporters endorse his work distributed in urban areas as pieces of art and some councils, such as Bristol and Islington, have officially protected them, while officials of other areas have deemed his work to be vandalism and have removed it.
Pixnit is another artist who chooses to keep her identity from the general public. Her work focuses on beauty and design aspects of graffiti as opposed to Banksy's anti-government shock value. Her paintings are often of flower designs above shops and stores in her local urban area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some store owners endorse her work and encourage others to do similar work as well. "One of the pieces was left up above Steve's Kitchen, because it looks pretty awesome"- Erin Scott, the manager of New England Comics in Allston, Massachusetts.
Graffiti artists may become offended if photographs of their art are published in a commercial context without their permission. In March 2020, the Finnish graffiti artist Psyke expressed his displeasure at the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat publishing a photograph of a Peugeot 208 in an article about new cars, with his graffiti prominently shown on the background. The artist claims he does not want his art being used in commercial context, not even if he were to receive compensation.
Territorial graffiti marks urban neighborhoods with tags and logos to differentiate certain groups from others. These images are meant to show outsiders a stern look at whose turf is whose. The subject matter of gang-related graffiti consists of cryptic symbols and initials strictly fashioned with unique calligraphies. Gang members use graffiti to designate membership throughout the gang, to differentiate rivals and associates and, most commonly, to mark borders which are both territorial and ideological.
Graffiti has been used as a means of advertising both legally and illegally. Bronx-based TATS CRU has made a name for themselves doing legal advertising campaigns for companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Toyota, and MTV. In the UK, Covent Garden's Boxfresh used stencil images of a Zapatista revolutionary in the hopes that cross referencing would promote their store.
Smirnoff hired artists to use reverse graffiti (the use of high pressure hoses to clean dirty surfaces to leave a clean image in the surrounding dirt) to increase awareness of their product.
Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes the anarcho-punk band Crass, who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war, anarchist, feminist, and anti-consumerist messages throughout the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In Amsterdam graffiti was a major part of the punk scene. The city was covered with names such as "De Zoot", "Vendex", and "Dr Rat". To document the graffiti a punk magazine was started that was called Gallery Anus. So when hip hop came to Europe in the early 1980s there was already a vibrant graffiti culture.
The student protests and general strike of May 1968 saw Paris bedecked in revolutionary, anarchistic, and situationist slogans such as L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is counterrevolutionary") and Lisez moins, vivez plus ("Read less, live more"). While not exhaustive, the graffiti gave a sense of the 'millenarian' and rebellious spirit, tempered with a good deal of verbal wit, of the strikers.
I think graffiti writing is a way of defining what our generation is like. Excuse the French, we're not a bunch of p---- artists. Traditionally artists have been considered soft and mellow people, a little bit kooky. Maybe we're a little bit more like pirates that way. We defend our territory, whatever space we steal to paint on, we defend it fiercely.
The developments of graffiti art which took place in art galleries and colleges as well as "on the street" or "underground", contributed to the resurfacing in the 1990s of a far more overtly politicized art form in the subvertising, culture jamming, or tactical media movements. These movements or styles tend to classify the artists by their relationship to their social and economic contexts, since, in most countries, graffiti art remains illegal in many forms except when using non-permanent paint. Since the 1990s with the rise of Street Art, a growing number of artists are switching to non-permanent paints and non-traditional forms of painting.
Contemporary practitioners, accordingly, have varied and often conflicting practices. Some individuals, such as Alexander Brener, have used the medium to politicize other art forms, and have used the prison sentences enforced on them as a means of further protest. The practices of anonymous groups and individuals also vary widely, and practitioners by no means always agree with each other's practices. For example, the anti-capitalist art group the Space Hijackers did a piece in 2004 about the contradiction between the capitalistic elements of Banksy and his use of political imagery.
Berlin human rights activist Irmela Mensah-Schramm has received global media attention and numerous awards for her 35-year campaign of effacing neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist graffiti throughout Germany, often by altering hate speech in humorous ways.
In Serbian capital, Belgrade, the graffiti depicting a uniformed former general of Serb army and war criminal, convicted at ICTY for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnian War, Ratko Mladić, appeared in a military salute alongside the words "General, thank to your mother". Aleks Eror, Berlin-based journalist, explains how "veneration of historical and wartime figures" through street art is not a new phenomenon in the region of former Yugoslavia, and that "in most cases is firmly focused on the future, rather than retelling the past". Eror is not only analyst pointing to danger of such an expressions for the region's future. In a long expose on the subject of Bosnian genocide denial, at Balkan Diskurs magazine and multimedia platform website, Kristina Gadže and Taylor Whitsell referred to these experiences as a young generations' "cultural heritage", in which young are being exposed to celebration and affirmation of war-criminals as part of their "formal education" and "inheritance".
There are numerous examples of genocide denial through celebration and affirmation of war criminals throughout the region of Western Balkans inhabited by Serbs using this form of artistic expression. Several more of these graffiti are found in Serbian capital, and many more across Serbia and Bosnian and Herzegovinian administrative entity, Republika Srpska, which is the ethnic Serbian majority enclave. Critics point that Serbia as a state, is willing to defend the mural of convicted war criminal, and have no intention to react on cases of genocide denial, noting that Interior Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin decision to ban any gathering with an intent to remove the mural, with the deployment of riot police, sends the message of "tacit endorsement". Consequently, on 9 November 2021, Serbian heavy police in riot gear, with graffiti creators and their supporters, blocked the access to the mural to prevent human rights groups and other activists to paint over it and mark the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism in that way, and even arrested two civic activist for throwing eggs at the graffiti.
Graffiti may also be used as an offensive expression. This form of graffiti may be difficult to identify, as it is mostly removed by the local authority (as councils which have adopted strategies of criminalization also strive to remove graffiti quickly). Therefore, existing racist graffiti is mostly more subtle and at first sight, not easily recognized as "racist". It can then be understood only if one knows the relevant "local code" (social, historical, political, temporal, and spatial), which is seen as heteroglot and thus a 'unique set of conditions' in a cultural context.
A spatial code for example, could be that there is a certain youth group in an area that is engaging heavily in racist activities. So, for residents (knowing the local code), a graffiti containing only the name or abbreviation of this gang already is a racist expression, reminding the offended people of their gang activities. Also a graffiti is in most cases, the herald of more serious criminal activity to come. A person who does not know these gang activities would not be able to recognize the meaning of this graffiti. Also if a tag of this youth group or gang is placed on a building occupied by asylum seekers, for example, its racist character is even stronger.
By making the graffiti less explicit (as adapted to social and legal constraints), these drawings are less likely to be removed, but do not lose their threatening and offensive character.
Elsewhere, activists in Russia have used painted caricatures of local officials with their mouths as potholes, to show their anger about the poor state of the roads. In Manchester, England, a graffitists painted obscene images around potholes, which often resulted in them being repaired within 48 hours.
In the early 1980s, the first art galleries to show graffitists to the public were Fashion Moda in the Bronx, Now Gallery and Fun Gallery, both in the East Village, Manhattan.
A 2006 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum displayed graffiti as an art form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early 1980s with the work of Crash, Lee, Daze, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It displayed 22 works by New York graffitists, including Crash, Daze, and Lady Pink. In an article about the exhibition in the magazine Time Out, curator Charlotta Kotik said that she hoped the exhibition would cause viewers to rethink their assumptions about graffiti.
From the 1970s onwards, Burhan Doğançay photographed urban walls all over the world; these he then archived for use as sources of inspiration for his painterly works. The project today known as "Walls of the World" grew beyond even his own expectations and comprises about 30,000 individual images. It spans a period of 40 years across five continents and 114 countries. In 1982, photographs from this project comprised a one-man exhibition titled "Les murs murmurent, ils crient, ils chantent ..." (The walls whisper, shout and sing ...) at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
In Australia, art historians have judged some local graffiti of sufficient creative merit to rank them firmly within the arts. Oxford University Press's art history text Australian Painting 1788–2000 concludes with a long discussion of graffiti's key place within contemporary visual culture, including the work of several Australian practitioners.
Between March and April 2009, 150 artists exhibited 300 pieces of graffiti at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Spray paint has many negative environmental effects. The paint contains toxic chemicals, and the can uses volatile hydrocarbon gases to spray the paint onto a surface.
Volatile organic compound (VOC) leads to ground level ozone formation and most of graffiti related emissions are VOCs. A 2010 paper estimates 4,862 tons of VOCs were released in the United States in activities related to graffiti.
In China, Mao Zedong in the 1920s used revolutionary slogans and paintings in public places to galvanize the country's communist movement.
Based on different national conditions, many people believe that China's attitude towards Graffiti is fierce, but in fact, according to Lance Crayon in his film Spray Paint Beijing: Graffiti in the Capital of China, Graffiti is generally accepted in Beijing, with artists not seeing much police interference. Political and religiously sensitive graffiti, however, is not allowed.
In Hong Kong, Tsang Tsou Choi was known as the King of Kowloon for his calligraphy graffiti over many years, in which he claimed ownership of the area. Now some of his work is preserved officially.
In Taiwan, the government has made some concessions to graffitists. Since 2005 they have been allowed to freely display their work along some sections of riverside retaining walls in designated "Graffiti Zones". From 2007, Taipei's department of cultural affairs also began permitting graffiti on fences around major public construction sites. Department head Yong-ping Lee (李永萍) stated, "We will promote graffiti starting with the public sector, and then later in the private sector too. It's our goal to beautify the city with graffiti". The government later helped organize a graffiti contest in Ximending, a popular shopping district. graffitists caught working outside of these designated areas still face fines up to NT$6,000 under a department of environmental protection regulation. However, Taiwanese authorities can be relatively lenient, one veteran police officer stating anonymously, "Unless someone complains about vandalism, we won't get involved. We don't go after it proactively."
In 1993, after several expensive cars in Singapore were spray-painted, the police arrested a student from the Singapore American School, Michael P. Fay, questioned him, and subsequently charged him with vandalism. Fay pleaded guilty to vandalizing a car in addition to stealing road signs. Under the 1966 Vandalism Act of Singapore, originally passed to curb the spread of communist graffiti in Singapore, the court sentenced him to four months in jail, a fine of S$3,500 (US$2,233), and a caning. The New York Times ran several editorials and op-eds that condemned the punishment and called on the American public to flood the Singaporean embassy with protests. Although the Singapore government received many calls for clemency, Fay's caning took place in Singapore on 5 May 1994. Fay had originally received a sentence of six strokes of the cane, but the presiding president of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong, agreed to reduce his caning sentence to four lashes.
In South Korea, Park Jung-soo was fined two million South Korean won by the Seoul Central District Court for spray-painting a rat on posters of the G-20 Summit a few days before the event in November 2011. Park alleged that the initial in "G-20" sounds like the Korean word for "rat", but Korean government prosecutors alleged that Park was making a derogatory statement about the president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, the host of the summit. This case led to public outcry and debate on the lack of government tolerance and in support of freedom of expression. The court ruled that the painting, "an ominous creature like a rat" amounts to "an organized criminal activity" and upheld the fine while denying the prosecution's request for imprisonment for Park.
In Europe, community cleaning squads have responded to graffiti, in some cases with reckless abandon, as when in 1992 in France a local Scout group, attempting to remove modern graffiti, damaged two prehistoric paintings of bison in the Cave of Mayrière supérieure near the French village of Bruniquel in Tarn-et-Garonne, earning them the 1992 Ig Nobel Prize in archeology.
In September 2006, the European Parliament directed the European Commission to create urban environment policies to prevent and eliminate dirt, litter, graffiti, animal excrement, and excessive noise from domestic and vehicular music systems in European cities, along with other concerns over urban life.
In Budapest, Hungary, both a city-backed movement called I Love Budapest and a special police division tackle the problem, including the provision of approved areas.
The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 became Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign issued a press release calling for zero tolerance of graffiti and supporting proposals such as issuing "on the spot" fines to graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to anyone under the age of 16. The press release also condemned the use of graffiti images in advertising and in music videos, arguing that real-world experience of graffiti stood far removed from its often-portrayed "cool" or "edgy'" image.
To back the campaign, 123 Members of Parliament (MPs) (including then Prime Minister Tony Blair), signed a charter which stated: "Graffiti is not art, it's crime. On behalf of my constituents, I will do all I can to rid our community of this problem."
In the UK, city councils have the power to take action against the owner of any property that has been defaced under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005) or, in certain cases, the Highways Act. This is often used against owners of property that are complacent in allowing protective boards to be defaced so long as the property is not damaged.
In July 2008, a conspiracy charge was used to convict graffitists for the first time. After a three-month police surveillance operation, nine members of the DPM crew were convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal damage costing at least £1 million. Five of them received prison sentences, ranging from eighteen months to two years. The unprecedented scale of the investigation and the severity of the sentences rekindled public debate over whether graffiti should be considered art or crime.
Some councils, like those of Stroud and Loerrach, provide approved areas in the town where graffitists can showcase their talents, including underpasses, car parks, and walls that might otherwise prove a target for the "spray and run".
Graffiti Tunnel, University of Sydney at Camperdown (2009)
In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities in Australia have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by graffitists. One early example is the "Graffiti Tunnel" located at the Camperdown Campus of the University of Sydney, which is available for use by any student at the university to tag, advertise, poster, and paint. Advocates of this idea suggest that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or trespassing.[108][109] Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere. Some local government areas throughout Australia have introduced "anti-graffiti squads", who clean graffiti in the area, and such crews as BCW (Buffers Can't Win) have taken steps to keep one step ahead of local graffiti cleaners.
Many state governments have banned the sale or possession of spray paint to those under the age of 18 (age of majority). However, a number of local governments in Victoria have taken steps to recognize the cultural heritage value of some examples of graffiti, such as prominent political graffiti. Tough new graffiti laws have been introduced in Australia with fines of up to A$26,000 and two years in prison.
Melbourne is a prominent graffiti city of Australia with many of its lanes being tourist attractions, such as Hosier Lane in particular, a popular destination for photographers, wedding photography, and backdrops for corporate print advertising. The Lonely Planet travel guide cites Melbourne's street as a major attraction. All forms of graffiti, including sticker art, poster, stencil art, and wheatpasting, can be found in many places throughout the city. Prominent street art precincts include; Fitzroy, Collingwood, Northcote, Brunswick, St. Kilda, and the CBD, where stencil and sticker art is prominent. As one moves farther away from the city, mostly along suburban train lines, graffiti tags become more prominent. Many international artists such as Banksy have left their work in Melbourne and in early 2008 a perspex screen was installed to prevent a Banksy stencil art piece from being destroyed, it has survived since 2003 through the respect of local street artists avoiding posting over it, although it has recently had paint tipped over it.
In February 2008 Helen Clark, the New Zealand prime minister at that time, announced a government crackdown on tagging and other forms of graffiti vandalism, describing it as a destructive crime representing an invasion of public and private property. New legislation subsequently adopted included a ban on the sale of paint spray cans to persons under 18 and increases in maximum fines for the offence from NZ$200 to NZ$2,000 or extended community service. The issue of tagging become a widely debated one following an incident in Auckland during January 2008 in which a middle-aged property owner stabbed one of two teenage taggers to death and was subsequently convicted of manslaughter.
Graffiti databases have increased in the past decade because they allow vandalism incidents to be fully documented against an offender and help the police and prosecution charge and prosecute offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. They also provide law enforcement the ability to rapidly search for an offender's moniker or tag in a simple, effective, and comprehensive way. These systems can also help track costs of damage to a city to help allocate an anti-graffiti budget. The theory is that when an offender is caught putting up graffiti, they are not just charged with one count of vandalism; they can be held accountable for all the other damage for which they are responsible. This has two main benefits for law enforcement. One, it sends a signal to the offenders that their vandalism is being tracked. Two, a city can seek restitution from offenders for all the damage that they have committed, not merely a single incident. These systems give law enforcement personnel real-time, street-level intelligence that allows them not only to focus on the worst graffiti offenders and their damage, but also to monitor potential gang violence that is associated with the graffiti.
Many restrictions of civil gang injunctions are designed to help address and protect the physical environment and limit graffiti. Provisions of gang injunctions include things such as restricting the possession of marker pens, spray paint cans, or other sharp objects capable of defacing private or public property; spray painting, or marking with marker pens, scratching, applying stickers, or otherwise applying graffiti on any public or private property, including, but not limited to the street, alley, residences, block walls, and fences, vehicles or any other real or personal property. Some injunctions contain wording that restricts damaging or vandalizing both public and private property, including but not limited to any vehicle, light fixture, door, fence, wall, gate, window, building, street sign, utility box, telephone box, tree, or power pole.
To help address many of these issues, many local jurisdictions have set up graffiti abatement hotlines, where citizens can call in and report vandalism and have it removed. San Diego's hotline receives more than 5,000 calls per year, in addition to reporting the graffiti, callers can learn more about prevention. One of the complaints about these hotlines is the response time; there is often a lag time between a property owner calling about the graffiti and its removal. The length of delay should be a consideration for any jurisdiction planning on operating a hotline. Local jurisdictions must convince the callers that their complaint of vandalism will be a priority and cleaned off right away. If the jurisdiction does not have the resources to respond to complaints in a timely manner, the value of the hotline diminishes. Crews must be able to respond to individual service calls made to the graffiti hotline as well as focus on cleanup near schools, parks, and major intersections and transit routes to have the biggest impact. Some cities offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of suspects for tagging or graffiti related vandalism. The amount of the reward is based on the information provided, and the action taken.
When police obtain search warrants in connection with a vandalism investigation, they are often seeking judicial approval to look for items such as cans of spray paint and nozzles from other kinds of aerosol sprays; etching tools, or other sharp or pointed objects, which could be used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces; permanent marking pens, markers, or paint sticks; evidence of membership or affiliation with any gang or tagging crew; paraphernalia including any reference to "(tagger's name)"; any drawings, writing, objects, or graffiti depicting taggers' names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or any mention of tagging crew membership; and any newspaper clippings relating to graffiti crime.
Governor Hogan Is Proactive Regarding Hurricane Florence. by Joe Andrucyk at CHART / 7491 Connelley Dr, Hanover, MD 21076
The Crime Watch program volunteers were busting distracted drivers. This A-Hole was driving a road hogging 3/4 tonne truck, oblivious to the potential danger he was imposing upon all of those around him.
Proactive Property Crimes Unit waits for #Lakebay burglar to return to victim's property and arrests him.
On Sept. 8, a homeowner discovered that his vacant rental property in #Lakebay had been burglarized and that multiple items had been stolen. After filing a police report, he was cleaning up around the house and found court documents from a #KitsapCounty criminal case that the suspect had left behind. The homeowner was able to track down the suspect’s name and a phone number for his mother. He called the suspect’s mother and was eventually put in contact with the suspect, who said he was willing to return some of the items.
The homeowner teamed up with our #ProactivePropertyCrimesUnit and they put together a plan to meet the suspect yesterday at his #Lakebay property. When the suspect pulled into the driveway, deputies exited the house and ordered him out of the car. They placed him in handcuffs and arrested him.
Inside the suspect’s SUV, deputies found a TV, weed eater, generator and oxygen tanks that had been stolen from the property. These items were returned to the homeowner. The suspect admitted to burglarizing the property and said he had recently relapsed on #meth. He was booked into the Pierce County Jail. #PCSD
According to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, of which 80% are female and half are children.
The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14-year-old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.
Proactive Property Crimes Unit waits for #Lakebay burglar to return to victim's property and arrests him.
On Sept. 8, a homeowner discovered that his vacant rental property in #Lakebay had been burglarized and that multiple items had been stolen. After filing a police report, he was cleaning up around the house and found court documents from a #KitsapCounty criminal case that the suspect had left behind. The homeowner was able to track down the suspect’s name and a phone number for his mother. He called the suspect’s mother and was eventually put in contact with the suspect, who said he was willing to return some of the items.
The homeowner teamed up with our #ProactivePropertyCrimesUnit and they put together a plan to meet the suspect yesterday at his #Lakebay property. When the suspect pulled into the driveway, deputies exited the house and ordered him out of the car. They placed him in handcuffs and arrested him.
Inside the suspect’s SUV, deputies found a TV, weed eater, generator and oxygen tanks that had been stolen from the property. These items were returned to the homeowner. The suspect admitted to burglarizing the property and said he had recently relapsed on #meth. He was booked into the Pierce County Jail. #PCSD
Herewith, one portion of a batch I'll soon be hauling off to Mr. Recycling Man. I've been a believer in recycling for as long as I can remember, but only in the past 4-5 years have I been trying to do something proactive, i.e., above & beyond saying "they ought to do something ..." and all that. Initially, my religious fervor about picking up stuff like this was mainly because litter is offensive to my eyes.
But more recently I learned about one of the most powerful reasons for recycling these ubiquitous throwaway containers. The reason is that producing new aluminum from bauxite, etc., is a HUGE consumer of electric power. In fact, a considerable percentage of the world's electric power generation is used by this one industry. It's a little hard to pin it down and determine which numbers are authoritative. For instance, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy ...
"the U.S. aluminum industry consumed about 1 quadrillion Btu of energy in 1998 including losses associated with the generation and transmission of electricity at utilities. This amount represents slightly more than 1% of domestic energy use and 3.3% of all U.S. manufacturing energy use."
On the other hand, the Container Recycling Institute's position is that:
“3% of the electricity generated worldwide goes to aluminum."
Either way, it's a whole lot of energy, and putting used cans back into the cycle clearly cuts down on electricity demand. Because, the recycling process is much less energy-intensive than production of the new metal.
On a more nitty-gritty level, I'll never understand what's going on (if anything) in the heads of those who continue to throw the #^@%&! things out anywhere and everywhere across the land.
Oh, BTW, even the aluminum industry (through their trade group, the Aluminum Association) goes so far as to say:
"The role of recycling in the aluminum industry cannot be overstated. Recycling is a critical component of the industry, both from its contributions to the environment and because of the favorable economic impact on production. This dual benefit is probably the reason aluminum beverage cans now account for virtually all of the beverage can market, and most of the total single-serve beverage market."
Merseyside Police
Proactive Crime Team
Role: Proactive Crime Vehicle
Make: Skoda Scala
Station: Marsh Lane
Dedication, tenacity, and a positive attitude when solving crimes were just a few attributes cited when City Council Members honored three of Missouri City's Finest at their June 4 regularly scheduled meeting.
Officer Jessica Berry, who joined the Police Department in August 2010, was honored for being voted Officer of the Year by her peers and being awarded with the Fort Bend County 2012 Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award for her proactive impaired driver enforcement efforts. Det. Terry Patrick, who joined the force in 2002, was recognized for earning the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast District Exchange Club 2012 Officer of the Year award.
Photos courtesy of Missouri City
Officer Jessica Berry, second from left, was recognized for being voted Officer of the Year by her peers and being awarded with the Fort Bend County 2012 Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award. She is pictured with, from left to right: Asst. Police Chief Mike Berezin, Capt. Dwayne Williams and Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald.
Berry, who said "it is very humbling" to receive the Officer of the Year Award, is a native of Pennsylvania, a graduate of York College of Pennsylvania and of the University of Houston Downtown Police Academy. "I am very blessed to work for a department that provides me with the support and training necessary to achieve my goals," she said. "The officers I work with are always willing to assist me and the administration provides me with every opportunity they can to help me succeed."
Patrol Division Commander, Capt. Dwayne Williams, cited her ability to "consistently lead not only her shift, but the entire department in self-initiated activity, including field investigations, traffic contacts and arrests," he said. "She always displays a positive and refreshing attitude at work toward her fellow employees and the citizens she serves."
In addition to be honored by City Council, Berry also received a special recognition at the second annual Police Awards Ceremony held on May 18. When presenting Berry a plaque, Dave Anderson with the Southeast Chapter of Texas Mothers Against Drunk Driving said: "This region of Texas, which includes ten counties, is still known as the drunk driving capital of the United States, so anytime we have the opportunity to recognize an officer who makes a large number of DWI arrests, we are pleased to do so."
Detective Terry Patrick, who joined the Missouri City police force in 2002, was honored during a recent City Council meeting for receiving the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast District Exchange Club Officer of the Year award for his "dedication and tenacity pursuing every possible investigative lead associated with the criminals cases he his assigned." Patrick was credited with solving 11 burglaries in the past year. Patrick celebrated his honor with his family and Chief Joel Fitzgerald, far left, Assistant Chief Mike Berezin, far right, and Capt. John Bailey.
Det. Patrick was honored by the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast District Exchange Club for his "dedication and tenacity pursuing every possible investigative lead associated with the criminals cases he was assigned."
Patrick said "to be nominated and selected is a great honor and achievement. Anytime a Missouri City citizen has been a victim of a crime, I take great pleasure in locating and arresting the bad guy. I want our citizens to feel safe in our city and to know that we will always do our best to help them in any way possible." He also received a special recognition at the second annual Police Awards Ceremony held on May 18.
Criminal Investigation Division Commander, Capt. John Bailey, pointed out a case in which Patrick had only a partial license plate as evidence against a burglary suspect. Bailey said "after two days searching through hundreds of license plates in two databases, Detective Patrick was able to locate and arrest the suspect, who was already on probation for burglarizing several homes."
Patrick graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont and the Lamar University Police Academy.
Other officers honored during the second annual Police Awards Ceremony were:
Years of Service Award:
15 Years - Capt. Brandon Harris
20 Years- Lt. Paul Poulton
30 Years- Capt. John Bailey
Civilian of the Year - Crime Victim Liaison Toni Slusser
Telecommunications Officer of the Year - Supervisor Shannon Brumfield
Top Gun of the Year - Sgt. Jeff York
Detective of the Year - Detectives Andy Robb and Brad Tippit
Rookie of the Year - Officer Allan Montoya
Merseyside Police
Proactive Crime Team
Role: ANPR Proactive Crime Unit
Make: Volvo XC60
Station: Wallasey
At a ceremony in Cherokee, North Carolina, partners signed a Candidate Conservation Agreement for the sicklefin redhorse. This voluntary agreement addresses imperiled species conservation through proactive measures before a plant or animal needs the full protection of the Endangered Species Act. In this case, the agreement formalizes and expands upon conservation efforts established by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC), Duke Energy Carolinas, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) - all parties to the agreement, which also receives support from cooperators Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners, and Conservation Fisheries, Inc.
Credit: Gary Peeples/USFWS
Mumbai Indians (MI), under the proactive leadership of Rohit Sharma, will take on Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in their opening game of the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Thursday. It’ll also mark Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s first game as...
Casual Friday…what does it really mean?
First impressions count and professional property managers and office staff need to be aware that personal appearance and demeanor counts just as much as the office appearance
Always remember that if you look and behave like a highly trained and well-groomed professional, you will win the respect and honor of valued prospective tenants. Once a lease is signed you will have already set the standard for how business is to be handled. If prospective and current tenants see that it is alright for you to move around the office inappropriately their rent payments and behavior will reflect the same attitude. However, if you display a positive image they will take you seriously and be more inclined to behave and pay their rent as they should.
Well groomed hair, pressed attire and proper attire go a long way when establishing a professional demeanor.
If you are in doubt about what to wear on casual Friday in a professional environment, watch “The Office, casual Friday episode” it will give you some pointers along with a few laughs that you can take back to the office. “The Office – Casual Friday”
Some employees may think that casual Friday means coming to work in club attire and jean shorts. However, that type of attire should not set the stage for your property. That is why your casual Friday dress code policy should be explicitly spelled out.
Employees should be aware of the image they’re presenting when they dress according to their personal environment, and not the work environment. An employee who wants to be taken seriously should dress the part.
You must always remember that the office and the staff are all a reflection on you and the property. So, be proactive and nip the problem in the bud before it occurs. Put together a Casual Friday Policy and enforce it! It will indeed warrant you better results.
Texas, San Antonio Termite Control
Termite control is a major concern with most Texas homeowners at some time in their life. In order to prevent certain species of termites from invading your home or commercial building, it is highly recommended to do Texas termite control regularly.
The biggest risks associated with termites are found with the damage that is created from their infestation, as well as the expense to repair Texas termite damage. Therefore, every homeowner in Texas should do regular termite inspections in order to prevent or eliminate this invading threat.
No other insect can make more damage to you home than that of these timber destroying pests. The structure of your Texas residence may be in danger as you discover areas that have either been softened or have begun to crumble apart as a result of termite infestation. The good news is that as a Texas homeowner you can consider a proactive approach to termite damage.
Unfortunately, most home owners in Texas are only proactive and call a Texas termite inspector when they are selling their home. Fact is however, that termite control measurements should be scheduled on an annual basis, and not simply a result of a home sale or purchase. During the time where your home is not being inspected, you will often discover various forms of termite infestation. As a homeowner, you would like to avoid the expenses which are associated with repairing termite damaged areas as a result of a termite infestation.
Utilizing a Texas termite control firm which uses high tech equipment to ensure your home is free and clear of termite infestation is well worth the expense. By using solutions that help in preventing infestation with subterranean or drywood termites, you will save money in the long run. Also by having termite inspections done on a regular basis, you will get rid of the risk associated with Texas termites and termite damage.
Of course, there are many more advantages that are available for any individual looking to utilize the services of a Texas termite control company, due to the likelihood of termites which are found in a Texas home. Eliminating the risk of termites is just one example of the preventative opportunities that are available with Texas Pest Control.
If you want to save thousands of dollars in damage repair costs, you should take preventive means to save your home from termites. Getting Texas termite inspections done once or twice in a year can save any home in Texas a lot of money.
How to Control Termites
It is very important to know how to control termites, especially if you live in an older home made of wood or if you live in a warmer, more humid climate. Whether or not you already have an infestation, everybody should know how to control termites in order to prevent thousands of dollars of damage to your home and property. The first thing that should be done to control termites is to check and see if you have an infestation. Check your home and property for any rotting or damaged wood; including support beams and foundations as well as walls and floors. It would also be smart to check around foundations and in unfinished basements for tunnels in the mud that would indicate an infestation of subterranean termites.
Termites feed on the cellulose that is naturally found in wood, and can cause serious structural damage to a building. These pesky insects nest in the earth and cause damage to wood found closer to the ground. In homes and buildings, the damage caused by a termite infestation can be destructive and can be very expensive if not treated as soon as possible. If action is not taken immediately, the damage caused will gradually become worse and the affected structure will eventually become unsalvageable.
The effect of termite damage causes the wood’s overall integrity and reliability to become compromised. Only about a centimeter in length, these tiny pests can be subtle and relatively unnoticeable as they destroy the infested building. Every year, the damage caused by termite infestations is more than $100 million dollars. As deforestation occurs, termites have to take flight in search of alternative food sources. Since they are unable to determine or recognize the difference in food sources, anything that contains or has been built from wood can be an enticing meal. Because they eat cellulose, their diet has been known to include important papers, money, books, and furniture. Pool liners and filters have also been damaged.
For methods of how to control termites, there are several options available. The most obvious option would be to hire an exterminator, but this can be prohibitively expensive. It is possible to treat a termite infestation yourself. The first step is to go around the property and clean up any dead wood, branches, or log piles. Either remove these from the property or elevate them off of the ground so that termites cannot reach them. Next, seal up any cracks in the walls and foundations that the termites may be using to get into the house.
Finally, there are several products available for purchase used to kill termites. Termite bait is left near the infestation, and the termites carry it into the colony where the colony is poisoned and dies. There are also termite sprays available that kill termites on contact and can be used on partially exposed infestations. It would be best to combine both treatments for maximum effectiveness. Although everyone should know how to control termites, which method that is chosen to eradicate a current infestation is entirely up to the preference of the home owner. An exterminator would be expensive, but quick. If the home owner chooses to deal with the problem themselves, it may take longer, but the cost is much lower and the home owner is in full control of the chemicals used and their distribution.
Termite Varieties
Although termites are very small insects, they have voracious appetites. Unfortunately, their voracious appetites can result in many thousands of dollars of damages for property owners. Therefore, most property owners would probably benefit from learning more about termites. Although there are more than three hundred varieties of termites around the world, only four main varieties of termites are commonly found in the United States. The four varieties of termites found in the United States are Drywood, Dampwood, Subterranean, and Formosan termites.
Drywood Termite
Approximately 3/8-inch long with a large brown head, drywood termites do not require any contact with the ground or with soil. These termites live exclusively in wood, digesting the cellulose they find in common wooden household items to obtain the moisture that they need. Drywood termites often create not just one or a few colonies, but instead create multiple colonies within a single structure. The most common way that property owners discover their property is infested with drywood termites is by seeing their fecal pellets. However, many property owners confuse the fecal pellets of the drywood termites with sawdust.
Dampwood Termite
Like drywood termites, dampwood termites do not live in the soil or ground. Instead, dampwood termites establish their colonies in rotting or damp wood. Thus, dampwood termites often can be found in decaying ground wood around the exterior of homes. To avoid property damage from dampwood termites, particularly in tropical or mild climates, property owners should address those interior and exterior areas of their structures that are prone to moisture.
Subterranean Termite
Of all the varieties of termites found in the United States, the subterranean termite is the most common variety. Subterranean termites are usually transparent and somewhat yellow in appearance. They usually have dark heads and pale bodies. Subterranean termites are most likely to swarm in the spring. In warmer climates, however, they may swarm throughout the year. Subterranean termites are known for creating large colonies with very long, intricate tunnel systems. Because subterranean termites require constant contact with a moisture source, their colonies are usually located in the soil. Subterranean termites build long tunnel tubes to reach food sources. Thus, property owners should look for these termite tubes in order to determine if their property is infested with subterranean termites.
Formosan Termite
Formosan Termite are sometimes referred to as “super termites”. Formosan termites are frequently considered to be the most destructive of all the varieties of termites in the world. They are usually a pale yellow in color, although the color of the kings and queens varies significantly from light to dark. Formosan termites have the largest colonies of any variety of termites.
These colonies can have as many as eight million members and be three hundred feet in size. Because the colonies are so large and formosan termites are so difficult to detect, they often do a tremendous amount of damage before they are discovered.
Because termite damage can be extensive and expensive to repair, property owners should be vigilant about inspecting their properties for the presence of termites. If they do not know what they are looking for, they should consider calling in experts to assist them in this process. The best way to avoid damage from termites is through prevention and maintenance. Property owners who properly prevent termite infestation and maintain their properties free of these pests avoid the need to repair termite damage later.
Drywood Termite Control
Drywood termites, as you most probably already know, are exceptionally secretive insects and it can be a real challenge to determine whether or not you are having a drywood termite infestation. Most often, people only realize that they have one too many termites in their home at a much later date and by then, the infestation would have got really bad. Drywood termites thrive best when they live deep inside wood, so the only chance you will actually have to detect drywood termite activities in your home would be the period when the insects swarm. Basically, drywood termite colonies tend to be small but widely dispersed and the colonies only mature when left unchecked over several years, so if you are a responsible homeowner, then you may be able to avoid a full-scale infestation by investigating the presence of termites every so often.
Drywood termite treatment starts with making sure that you are actually having a drywood termite problem. In general, because drywood termites are not exactly huge in nature and they do tend to be quite secretive, detection of whether or not you have drywood termites feeding on your pieces of furniture might not always be as easy as you would have liked it to be. A full-scale investigation of your home will most probably require you to move around panelings as well as stuccoes. For effective drywood termite treatment, you will need to look for things such as signs of feeding damage, shed wings, termite fecal pellets, as well as kickout holes.
Drywood termite treatment methods are basically of two types and these are whole-structure drywood termite treatment or localized drywood termite treatment. To learn more about these technical terms, read on.
By definition, a whole-structure drywood termite treatment is the simultaneous treatment of all infestations in a structure, while a localized or spot treatment has more to do with a restrictive control method which addresses a single issue.
1. For whole structure drywood termite treatment, fumigants are used to treat infestations simultaneously. In general, fumigation shows a relatively high success rate and your home should be termite-free within days. Alternatively, if you do not wish to invade your home with smoke, you can make use of what is known as a heat treatment. Heat treatment is basically a non-chemical drywood termite treatment, which has been used for decades now. The treatment process basically involves heating all wood at a temperature of 120°F and above for no less than 35 minutes.
2. For localized drywood termite treatment, you can choose to make use of an aerosol spray or a liquid insecticide. The dust formulations are also known to work quite remarkably although it is highly recommended that you pay special attention to the instructions on the label of the insecticide you choose to use. Not all insecticides function the same way. In general, chemical control for drywood termite treatment shows a success rate that can range from 33% to 100%.
Drywood termites are basically primitive termites that cause much damage but often go unnoticed by homeowners for the simple reason that they are really similar to the very popular subterranean termites. Drywood termites belong to what is known as the Kalotermitidae family. As a general rule, most drywood termites only infest in dead trees.
Perhaps the biggest problem where drywood termite control is concerned is actually finding the very elusive nest locations. Basically, drywood termites form relatively small colonies so it can be quite hard to locate where they actually have their nests concealed. Apart from that little consideration, drywood termite control is pretty straightforward.
It is generally acknowledged that the most probable locations for drywood termites to build their nests are places such as the inside of furniture, the inside of wall studs, or even framing structures. It is very unlikely for you to find nests in wall voids so there is no point in you looking there. In fact, perhaps the easiest way for you to discover drywood termite nests is to actually study the wood surfaces around your personal space, they might have a lot to reveal.
Basically, drywood termites are known to chew away wood until only a thin sheet remains separating the termites from the environment, pretty clever little creatures, don’t you think? Anyway, the thing is, it might not always be easy for you to spot drywood termite infestation. Sometimes by the time you discover you have an infestation, your furniture is positively gone.
To identify a drywood termite infestation, you need to watch out for things such as piles of frass or even pieces of wood chippings. If you suspect an infestation, before you undertake any form of drywood termite control, you might want to tap rather soundly the furniture around your home and watch out for any falling frass.
Once discovered, drywood termites can be treated on the spot by injecting a generous amount of insecticide into any nest you discover. As for the larger infestations, you might need some more serious drywood termite treatment. Fumigation, for instance, might control several colonies in one go.
On a separate note, you might also consider a few non-chemical drywood termite control treatments such as heat treatments and such things.
Call our San Antonio Pest Control Experts for a Termite Inspection Today!
The post Texas, San Antonio Termite Control appeared first on Jenkins Pest.
from Jenkins Pest jenkinspest.com/2017/11/02/texas-san-antonio-termite-cont...
via jenkinspest.com
bobjenkinspest.blogspot.com/2017/11/texas-san-antonio-ter...
via Blogger enzieibbott.blogspot.com/2017/11/texas-san-antonio-termit...
On 11 June 2014 at UNICEF House, participants of the Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities learning and advocacy event prepared for a public speaking role about their lives, their disabilities and their dreams of inclusion for persons with and without disabilities.
Kartik Sawhney, 19, was born in India and is the recipient of many prestigious awards for his academic achievements. Currently a sophomore on full scholarship at Stanford University [California, USA] majoring in Computer Science, he is involved with young voices in India advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities. Born with Retinopathy of Prematurity, he has faced many challenges, but he has been proactive about his education and participation in school and social activities.
“When we talk about inclusion most people think it is basically including people with disabilities in mainstream education,” he says. “When I think about inclusion, I think of persons with disabilities actually communicating and participating with other students having the same resources and opportunities to succeed and have a holistic education as others. When I was in high school, I made it a point to participate... I was never told that I could not participate in sports or activities that was not really thought of as suitable for someone who was blind. Rather the teachers who were responsible for the activity were always up for taking up the challenge and devising alternative methods to include me in everything possible.”
“Persons with disabilities have always relied on innovations from others to accomplish the most basic tasks. Can you believe a person with disability actually being an innovator? “Science, technology, engineer and mathematics, these 4 words that have changed the world today are considered to be the four edges of a geometric figure that is not supposed to be touched by someone who is blind or visually impaired. But what happens if someone is really passionate about these subjects and really wants to pursue them? Should they be denied an opportunity simply because the world thinks that these subjects are too visual to be managed by someone who is blind?”
When he was in the 10th grade, he had to choose an educational track… “Everyone around me including some of my friends and teachers advised me to go for subjects including law and music simply because these subjects were far less technical and would not involve any visual inputs,” he says. “I was very confident about my choice and wanted to pursue science, no matter what. I wrote letters to the educational board in India and after 9 months finally got permission to pursue sciences, as India’s first blind student to do so. But that definitely was not the end of challenges for me. I soon realized that science was full of diagrams and other equations that were extremely challenging for me to handle especially because there was no assisted technology in India at that time. How do I go about doing that now? I was shattered and I almost thought that perhaps what people had been telling me before I made this decision were actually correct, and I’d better change my stream.”
“That is when a thought struck me. Who creates technologies? You? Me? Yes, people like us. So what if I cannot buy the expensive technologies that can enable me to study sciences? I can make my own technology. I can help me and other students like me in developing a world to understand science. That is when I came up with a suite of software that I call “STEM Made Easy” which consists of 2 suites, the first [is] a programme called “Audio Graft Describer,” which takes an equation corresponding to a curve and converts it to its audio tonal representation…I’m passionate about music too. And that is when I thought, well, let’s use music to understand graphs. And I came up with this software that uses 21 musical notes and using the variation in the frequencies, conveys how the graph is laid out.
The second software that I created is called: “Verbal Image Describer” that allows users to upload textbooks and then add descriptions for images in that textbook. The main advantage of this software was that [it] reduces the dependence on sighted assistants for understanding images.”
Kartik also came up with an alternative convention along with assistance from his teachers, which supplements the standard convention that chemists use for representing organic chemistry molecules, written in such a way that anyone unfamiliar with the convention can understand it…
“But the main point is that we often associate people with disabilities as consumers of innovation. But people with disabilities can well be producers or generators of innovation as well. What is required though is an opportunity to innovate, an opportunity to experiment, and an opportunity to pursue one’s passions. And who is it that will provide this opportunity? You.
Asked about inclusion and how we ensure that no one is left behind in employment and education, Kartik responds: “It often happens that we have to face insensitivity from the government, from educational bodies, from our classmates too but I think that rather than simply blaming it on the government to do something on our behalf or expecting the NGO’s to do something, we also have an important role to play. Disability is nothing more than a nuisance. You can do pretty much anything that you [want to] do, just show them.
It's been a while since I updated the thread, since I'm more proactive on Facebook and Instagram (@archiveandfuture)
So far my progress has largely been restricted to refining imperfections, the most notable additions being the RCS thruster arms, the egress column 'coffin' and the central cruciform of the descent stage.
The plan is to detail the descent stage as it appears under the thermal blankets, meaning that builders will have the option to display the interior workings or not.
This photo was taken place in Hawk Hallow Forest Preserve located in Bartlett, IL. While the temperature was 52 degrees Fahrenheit, it was windy and partly cloudy. This picture indicates that Zebra Mussels infest these waters. This body of water belongs to the Western Branch of DuPage River, which eventually leads into the DuPage River itself. Because Zebra Mussels, known as Dreissena polymorpha, have inhibited the body of water, they are negatively affecting the organisms that reside in this water. Dreissena polymorpha, is known to be toxic because in order it for to live, it must attach itself to a hard object. The Zebra Mussel filters the toxins out of the water, and as they accumulate inside its body, once its predator consumes the Zebra Mussel, those toxins are released into the predator’s body. Furthermore, the monofilament recycling bin is also present with instructions on how to keep the water less contaminated with fishing line, and this can go very far in preventing the fish getting tangled up. The fact that there are notices posted all over for the general public, shows that environmental action is being taken seriously especially on actions that are easy yet crucial to do.
Proactive Property Crimes Unit waits for #Lakebay burglar to return to victim's property and arrests him.
On Sept. 8, a homeowner discovered that his vacant rental property in #Lakebay had been burglarized and that multiple items had been stolen. After filing a police report, he was cleaning up around the house and found court documents from a #KitsapCounty criminal case that the suspect had left behind. The homeowner was able to track down the suspect’s name and a phone number for his mother. He called the suspect’s mother and was eventually put in contact with the suspect, who said he was willing to return some of the items.
The homeowner teamed up with our #ProactivePropertyCrimesUnit and they put together a plan to meet the suspect yesterday at his #Lakebay property. When the suspect pulled into the driveway, deputies exited the house and ordered him out of the car. They placed him in handcuffs and arrested him.
Inside the suspect’s SUV, deputies found a TV, weed eater, generator and oxygen tanks that had been stolen from the property. These items were returned to the homeowner. The suspect admitted to burglarizing the property and said he had recently relapsed on #meth. He was booked into the Pierce County Jail. #PCSD
Volunteer Shelby Knapper in Peru Cusco Child Care program 4 weeks www.abroaderview.org
1- How was the local ABV Coordinator/staff and the support provided in-country?
Beatriz was awesome. She was there to help with anything I needed, and offered support for the duration of my trip. She showed me around Cusco, helped plan weekend trips, and introduced me to my family, program, and to other volunteers.
2- What was the most surprising thing you experienced? Name 2
Program: The kindergarten was very well equipped and staffed.
Host Family: My family ate very big lunches, and the dinner was very light, which was an adjustment.
Country: The weather can change from frizzing to hot within minutes.
3- What was the most challenging thing you experienced?
Program: Sometimes being left alone with the whole class of three-year old-kids.
Host Family: Trying to finish the huge lunch they’d give me!
Country: Constantly being approached in the street by people trying to sell stuff.
4- Any tips for future volunteers… (clothing, travel, personal items, donations)
1. Warm clothing for nighttime.
2. Extra toilet paper (lots of public bathrooms not have it)
3. Good shoes for walking and hiking.
4. Bug spray for Machupicchu
5.1-Other things volunteers should know before coming here: (that’s not in the orientation guide)
a. Come with an open mind.
b. Cusco is full of things to do, so be proactive.
c. You may want to buy your own extra food to supplement.
d. Make use of your weekends with trips.
6- Personal Paragraph about the experience:
I had a good experience with A Broader View. I love that I could combine travel with volunteering. I got to see many sights and had a rewarding experience volunteering.
7- How would you describe your accommodation, meals, security, friendliness, quality others:
My host family was so welcoming and accommodating. I’m vegetarian, and my host mom would even make special tofu for me. I felt very at home.
8- What was your favorite memory of this trip?
Program: Bonding with the kids and teachers at the school.
Host Family: Watching soccer together and talking together during meals.
Country: All of the things I got to see in Cusco and Machupicchu.
9- How was the ABV USA support prior traveling?
They were so helpful, and always responded to calls and emails superb fast.
9.1- What do you think about the reservation system online?
It worked well with me.
9.2- Who did you find Abroaderview website
A friend recommended it.
10 – Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers?
Yes.
https;/#abroaderview.org
#volunteer #peru #cusco #cuzco #abroaderview
Proactive Property Crimes Unit waits for #Lakebay burglar to return to victim's property and arrests him.
On Sept. 8, a homeowner discovered that his vacant rental property in #Lakebay had been burglarized and that multiple items had been stolen. After filing a police report, he was cleaning up around the house and found court documents from a #KitsapCounty criminal case that the suspect had left behind. The homeowner was able to track down the suspect’s name and a phone number for his mother. He called the suspect’s mother and was eventually put in contact with the suspect, who said he was willing to return some of the items.
The homeowner teamed up with our #ProactivePropertyCrimesUnit and they put together a plan to meet the suspect yesterday at his #Lakebay property. When the suspect pulled into the driveway, deputies exited the house and ordered him out of the car. They placed him in handcuffs and arrested him.
Inside the suspect’s SUV, deputies found a TV, weed eater, generator and oxygen tanks that had been stolen from the property. These items were returned to the homeowner. The suspect admitted to burglarizing the property and said he had recently relapsed on #meth. He was booked into the Pierce County Jail. #PCSD
At a ceremony in Cherokee, North Carolina, partners signed a Candidate Conservation Agreement for the sicklefin redhorse. This voluntary agreement addresses imperiled species conservation through proactive measures before a plant or animal needs the full protection of the Endangered Species Act. In this case, the agreement formalizes and expands upon conservation efforts established by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC), Duke Energy Carolinas, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) - all parties to the agreement, which also receives support from cooperators Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners, and Conservation Fisheries, Inc.
Credit: Gary Peeples/USFWS
Dedication, tenacity, and a positive attitude when solving crimes were just a few attributes cited when City Council Members honored three of Missouri City's Finest at their June 4 regularly scheduled meeting.
Officer Jessica Berry, who joined the Police Department in August 2010, was honored for being voted Officer of the Year by her peers and being awarded with the Fort Bend County 2012 Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award for her proactive impaired driver enforcement efforts. Det. Terry Patrick, who joined the force in 2002, was recognized for earning the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast District Exchange Club 2012 Officer of the Year award.
Photos courtesy of Missouri City
Officer Jessica Berry, second from left, was recognized for being voted Officer of the Year by her peers and being awarded with the Fort Bend County 2012 Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award. She is pictured with, from left to right: Asst. Police Chief Mike Berezin, Capt. Dwayne Williams and Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald.
Berry, who said "it is very humbling" to receive the Officer of the Year Award, is a native of Pennsylvania, a graduate of York College of Pennsylvania and of the University of Houston Downtown Police Academy. "I am very blessed to work for a department that provides me with the support and training necessary to achieve my goals," she said. "The officers I work with are always willing to assist me and the administration provides me with every opportunity they can to help me succeed."
Patrol Division Commander, Capt. Dwayne Williams, cited her ability to "consistently lead not only her shift, but the entire department in self-initiated activity, including field investigations, traffic contacts and arrests," he said. "She always displays a positive and refreshing attitude at work toward her fellow employees and the citizens she serves."
In addition to be honored by City Council, Berry also received a special recognition at the second annual Police Awards Ceremony held on May 18. When presenting Berry a plaque, Dave Anderson with the Southeast Chapter of Texas Mothers Against Drunk Driving said: "This region of Texas, which includes ten counties, is still known as the drunk driving capital of the United States, so anytime we have the opportunity to recognize an officer who makes a large number of DWI arrests, we are pleased to do so."
Detective Terry Patrick, who joined the Missouri City police force in 2002, was honored during a recent City Council meeting for receiving the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast District Exchange Club Officer of the Year award for his "dedication and tenacity pursuing every possible investigative lead associated with the criminals cases he his assigned." Patrick was credited with solving 11 burglaries in the past year. Patrick celebrated his honor with his family and Chief Joel Fitzgerald, far left, Assistant Chief Mike Berezin, far right, and Capt. John Bailey.
Det. Patrick was honored by the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast District Exchange Club for his "dedication and tenacity pursuing every possible investigative lead associated with the criminals cases he was assigned."
Patrick said "to be nominated and selected is a great honor and achievement. Anytime a Missouri City citizen has been a victim of a crime, I take great pleasure in locating and arresting the bad guy. I want our citizens to feel safe in our city and to know that we will always do our best to help them in any way possible." He also received a special recognition at the second annual Police Awards Ceremony held on May 18.
Criminal Investigation Division Commander, Capt. John Bailey, pointed out a case in which Patrick had only a partial license plate as evidence against a burglary suspect. Bailey said "after two days searching through hundreds of license plates in two databases, Detective Patrick was able to locate and arrest the suspect, who was already on probation for burglarizing several homes."
Patrick graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont and the Lamar University Police Academy.
Other officers honored during the second annual Police Awards Ceremony were:
Years of Service Award:
15 Years - Capt. Brandon Harris
20 Years- Lt. Paul Poulton
30 Years- Capt. John Bailey
Civilian of the Year - Crime Victim Liaison Toni Slusser
Telecommunications Officer of the Year - Supervisor Shannon Brumfield
Top Gun of the Year - Sgt. Jeff York
Detective of the Year - Detectives Andy Robb and Brad Tippit
Rookie of the Year - Officer Allan Montoya
The resort is amazingly proactive, organising everything from nature walks to ice driving, from chess tournaments to polo, from toboggan racing to cultural tours to pâtisserie lessons to classical concerts in the church.
And they're always a little disappointed by how few people show up.
We say in vain that much as it's nice to have all of these activities going on, after eight hours on the world's best pistes
and off-piste, all you want to do is go to sleep in the bath...
FireSmart Canada has recognized the community of Queens Bay for proactively reducing wildfire threats on private land, using FireSmart principles.
The award presentation was attended by (from left to right): Noreen Clayton, emergency program co-ordinator, Regional District of Central Kootenay; Ramona Faust, Area E director, Regional District of Central Kootenay; Andrew Bellerby, regional fire chief, Regional District of Central Kootenay; Nancy Corrin, chair of Queens Bay Community FireSmart Board; Paul Piro, Queens Bay Community FireSmart Board; Nora Hannon, deputy fire chief of the Balfour Harrop Volunteer Fire Department; Jeff Eustache, FireSmart Canada provincial liaison, First Nations' Emergency Services Society of B.C.; Tom Roos, Queens Bay Community FireSmart Board; Myron Elkuf, Queens Bay Community FireSmart Board; Katya Hayes, Queens Bay Community FireSmart Board; Mike Morrow, fuels management specialist, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016FLNR0012-000240
Tampa Butterfly orchid
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Native to Florida, USA, the Bahamas, and Cuba
Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, USA
Etymology
The generic Encyclia is from the Greek, enkykleoma, to encircle.
The Latin specific epithet, tampensis, is from Tampa.
**NOTE**
While I enjoy orchids, as an environmentally conscious orchid grower in Hawaiʻi, I am proactive when it comes to removing and properly destroying any and all seed pods from the plants so as not to encourage their spreading into our fragile native Hawaiian forests.
Volunteer Shelby Knapper in Peru Cusco Child Care program 4 weeks www.abroaderview.org
1- How was the local ABV Coordinator/staff and the support provided in-country?
Beatriz was awesome. She was there to help with anything I needed, and offered support for the duration of my trip. She showed me around Cusco, helped plan weekend trips, and introduced me to my family, program, and to other volunteers.
2- What was the most surprising thing you experienced? Name 2
Program: The kindergarten was very well equipped and staffed.
Host Family: My family ate very big lunches, and the dinner was very light, which was an adjustment.
Country: The weather can change from frizzing to hot within minutes.
3- What was the most challenging thing you experienced?
Program: Sometimes being left alone with the whole class of three-year old-kids.
Host Family: Trying to finish the huge lunch they’d give me!
Country: Constantly being approached in the street by people trying to sell stuff.
4- Any tips for future volunteers… (clothing, travel, personal items, donations)
1. Warm clothing for nighttime.
2. Extra toilet paper (lots of public bathrooms not have it)
3. Good shoes for walking and hiking.
4. Bug spray for Machupicchu
5.1-Other things volunteers should know before coming here: (that’s not in the orientation guide)
a. Come with an open mind.
b. Cusco is full of things to do, so be proactive.
c. You may want to buy your own extra food to supplement.
d. Make use of your weekends with trips.
6- Personal Paragraph about the experience:
I had a good experience with A Broader View. I love that I could combine travel with volunteering. I got to see many sights and had a rewarding experience volunteering.
7- How would you describe your accommodation, meals, security, friendliness, quality others:
My host family was so welcoming and accommodating. I’m vegetarian, and my host mom would even make special tofu for me. I felt very at home.
8- What was your favorite memory of this trip?
Program: Bonding with the kids and teachers at the school.
Host Family: Watching soccer together and talking together during meals.
Country: All of the things I got to see in Cusco and Machupicchu.
9- How was the ABV USA support prior traveling?
They were so helpful, and always responded to calls and emails superb fast.
9.1- What do you think about the reservation system online?
It worked well with me.
9.2- Who did you find Abroaderview website
A friend recommended it.
10 – Are you willing to speak to other potential ABV volunteers?
Yes.
https;/#abroaderview.org
#volunteer #peru #cusco #cuzco #abroaderview
The Highland Folk Museum, recognized as Britain’s first mainland open air museum opened at Kingussie in 1944. Named Am Fasgadh (The Shelter) this became the third home for founder Dr. Isobel F. Grant’s renowned core collection of Highland material culture and as a living history museum with such as the Lewis Blackhouse became the inspiration for the larger Newtonmore site. Opened in 1995 the Newtonmore site has gone from strength to strength, proactively reflecting many aspects of Highland rural life and culture through collecting, preserving, interpreting for and interacting with individuals, groups, communities and institutions both within and beyond the Highlands.
[syn. Phalaenopsis violacea]
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Native to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra
IUCN: Vulernable
Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, USA (Cultivated)
The flowers are tiny at 4 cm (1.5 in.) across at the widest point.
Habit
www.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/20216062478/in/photostream/
**NOTE**
While I enjoy orchids, as an environmentally conscious orchid grower in Hawaiʻi, I am proactive when it comes to removing and properly destroying any and all seed pods from the plants so as not to encourage their spreading into our fragile native Hawaiian forests.
A study by Walker Research found that when price and quality are equal, 76% of consumers would switch brands or retailers if a company is associated with a good cause.
Healthcare businesses work to improve and maintain individual and community health. The healthcare sector proactively seeks out the health needs of the community and addresses those needs through the strategic growth of programs and services. All the stakeholders in the healthcare sector, includig medical equipment manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals, have a responsibility for social and economical development. Corporate social responsibility is the systemized way of responsible business.
CSR is essential to the long-term prosperity of companies as it provides the opportunity to demonstrate the human face of business, a vital link to society in general and, in particular, to the communities in which businesses are located. CSR is about how businesses align their values and behavior with the expectations and needs of stakeholders — not just customers and investors, but also employees, suppliers, communities, regulators, special interest groups and society as a whole.
Key CSR planning issues include governance, responsible sourcing, eco-efficiency, environmental management, stakeholder engagement, labour standards, employee and community relations, social equity and human rights.
Developing (and communicating) a comprehensive CSR strategy takes time, commitment, focus, and designated people and financial resources. And, it requires commitment from the executive officers on down to every individual department and staff position. To be truly effective, your CSR strategy must permeate all you do — from hiring to branding to manufacturing to sales — and it must become part of your "corporate DNA".
Healthcare companies should focus on the needs of community, environment, workplace and marketplace to reach and plan successful CSR programs. Those closer relationships and familiarization will make the business stronger at risk management. Companies who put responsible business at their core can innovate and develop new products and services, access new markets, recruit a more diverse and talented workforce and are better placed to minimize risk. Risk management skills in the healthcare sector are often identified as the main critical success factor.
CSR is not only about fulfilling a duty to society; it can also bring competitive advantage. CSR always will be a main catalyst for customer loyalty and today's healthcare marketing plannings can not miss such social and business investment.
Through an effective CSR program, companies can improve their access to capital, enhance their brand image, increase sales, develop employees, sharpen decision-making, improve risk management and reduce costs.
So what can healthcare businesses do to take advantage of corporate social responsibility initiatives? Here are some project suggestions:
- Environmental waste control and recycling solutions
- Check-up and diagnosis focused field projects
- Training opportunities for young people
- Research projects or support to projects
- Satellite or portable rural area clinics
- Awareness and training programs
- Choice of suppliers through their CSR programs
- Improving their quality of management and service
The healthcare business sector should be the perfect example of responsible business and should lead people and other businesses to invest for society. Healthcare sector should underscore its role as a good corporate citizen with a number of activities in the fields of education and research, environment, social needs, sports and culture to be the leader of sustainable development.
Link for the original article: www.chinacsr.com/en/2007/08/06/1562-corporate-social-resp....
Mayor Bill de Blasio announces the newly created Tenant Support Unit resolved its 1,000th tenant case since it launched in July 2015, keeping tenants in their homes and protecting affordable housing in fast-changing neighborhoods. The proactive unit goes door-to-door in neighborhoods across the city, informing tenants of their rights, documenting building violations, soliciting complaints related to harassment and eviction, and making referrals to free legal support whenever necessary. Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, Washington Heights. Monday, February 29, 2016. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
This photograph is provided by the New York City Mayoral Photography Office (MPO) for the benefit of the general public and for dissemination by members of the media. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial materials, advertisements, emails, products or promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the City of New York, the Mayoral administration, or the de Blasio family without prior consent from the MPO (PhotoOffice@cityhall.nyc.gov). Any use or reprinting of official MPO photographs must use the following credit language and style: “Photographer/Mayoral Photography Office”, as listed at the end of each caption.