Our reaction gives it epic proportion. And thats the real story. Think democracy here is robust and thriving? Think again: theres a thin veil of civilization in these parts and it could all come crashing down at a moments notice, because none of us knows or appreciates how to behave.

On Jan. 14 at 5:30pm, I will host a virtual neighborhood meeting via Zoom to begin the neighborhood evaluation process for the new proposal submitted to the city by Core Spaces for 126 Langdon St. As many know, a previous proposal for the same site was not approved by Plan Commission in July 2020.

The breakdown of the main framework for providing legal cover for cross border data transfers has companies large and small racing to find workable alternatives. These range from stricter data handling policies to new technologies or paying to lease data centres based in Europe.Companies, facing renewed threats by privacy regulators, find themselves on legal thin ice with many of the existing procedures for managing cross border data flows, experts say.Google, Facebook and other big Internet services which transfer mountains of data globally are likely to be the first targets in any regulatory crackdown, they said.Hailed as a “Privacy Shield” by European Union and US negotiators who reached the new cross border data sharing agreement, the deal faces a labyrinthine approval process before the new rules have any chance of coming into force.”Once it becomes available, businesses will want to be cautious about signing up to Privacy Shield given the potential legal challenges that special interest groups have already suggested they will be considering,” cautioned Marc Dautlich, a partner with Pinsent Masons in London.Tough on privacyCross border data transfers are used in many industries for sharing employee information, when consumer data is shared to complete credit card, travel or e commerce transactions, or to target advertising based on customer preferences.Since 2000, up to 4,500 US companies had come to count on a simple set of rules, dubbed Safe Harbour, allowing them to self certify they complied with privacy principles for personal data transfers from Europe to the United States. Many other firms, especially fast growing start ups, did nothing to comply.In October, the European Court of Justice threw out Safe Harbour.

I want to give further context to this. The left turn from High Point Road onto Velvet Leaf has been the site of several serious accidents and near misses. I myself shuddered, gripping the steering wheel as a car swerved to miss hitting my car as I waited to make the left turn from High Point Road onto Velvet Leaf.