A10 The BulleTin • Tuesday, april 27, 2021
Privacy
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: After I ended
a 20-year marriage, I took
some time off from relation-
ships and am now back in the
dating world. My ex-husband
and I never had children.
I recently met a man with
two teenagers. He says I am
“detached” from children. I
am not detached! I just never
had experience with them.
How do I proceed with this
relationship since his kids are
very dear to him?
— Not Detached
Dear Not Detached: This
man’s offspring are no longer
“children.” They are teenag-
ers, and teens can be com-
plicated. Reach out to them
the way you would anyone
of any age. Be friendly and
show them you are inter-
ested in them. If they have a
mother in the picture, do not
try to “mother” them. See if
you share any common in-
terests (sports, music, fash-
ion, etc.), resist the urge to
lecture them and be a good
listener.
Dear Abby: Back around
1987, a girl asked me to take
her to her high school prom.
I was several years older,
didn’t know her well and
wanted to say no but couldn’t.
In the end I stood her up.
I don’t even remember her
name. She worked at a gro-
cery store with my brother.
That was more than 30
years ago. I am married now
and have two fine children.
I was recently asked what
my biggest regret is, and I
said standing her up. Not
one week has gone by in
the last 30 years that I hav-
en’t thought about her and
wished I could find her and
tell her how truly sorry I am.
It’s funny. Although I can’t
remember her name, there’s
no one from my past that
I have thought about more
than her. I would give any-
thing to find her and apolo-
gize. It haunts me. Any sug-
gestions?
— Biggest Regret in the South
Dear Biggest Regret:
What you did to that girl was
brutal. Because it’s not pos-
sible for you to directly of-
fer the apology she deserves,
concentrate harder on the
present and always try to
treat everyone with kindness
and sensitivity.
Dear Abby: I’d like advice
on how to handle a problem
that crops up every time fam-
ily members invite me out to
a dinner they are paying for.
I know the rule of etiquette
is to order an item that’s the
same or less than what the
host is ordering, but I am of-
ten asked to order first. This
means I have no idea what
the payer’s meal will cost. If
it means ordering something
on the menu other than what
I’d rather have — a burger
instead of a steak — in that
case, should I offer to pay
for my own meal? What if
they won’t hear of taking any
money from me? Can I still
order the steak since my offer
to pay was refused?
— Likes to Follow the Rules
Dear Likes: A way to get
around ordering first might
be to say, “I haven’t decided
yet. I’d like to hear what the
others are ordering.” How-
ever, if you would be uncom-
fortable doing that, and your
hosts won’t let you have a
separate check, be a gracious
guest and enjoy every bite of
your steak dinner.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021: Protective,
persevering and creative, you know how to keep a steady hand on the helm.
This year, you might struggle more than usual to remain calm, but your
cool head will always prevail. Avoid career worries by adjusting to changing
demands. Find your niche and work hard to maintain your individuality. If
single, choose someone loving and consistent. If attached, work together to
improve your finances. SAGITTARIUS loves to travel.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Pay more attention to your need for honest emotions. Open the
door to deeper conversations about your relationships by revealing more of
yourself. Follow where your passions lead, and you’ll find the satisfaction you
seek. Tonight: Search for a sentimental item.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Come to terms with a minor dispute with a friend, partner or client.
Clear the air before the situation escalates. Show that you’re willing to com-
promise, even if you’re not really there yet. Tonight: Virtual dinner with your
bestie.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Work on a project that’s been playing on your mind. Taking care of
business brings personal as well as professional satisfaction. Time spent with
a pet, yours or a friend’s, could soothe your soul. Tonight: Rest and count your
blessings.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Put more fun into your daily routine. Schedule calls with friends
you haven’t seen in ages or hang out with children. Remind yourself of what
it is to be free and easy. Tonight: Arrange a date or plan a party.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Insist on a better work-life balance and put it into practice. A surprise
visit could brighten your doorstep and lift your mood. A relative wants to
share a secret. Listen to what they have to say. Tonight: Clear office clutter.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
You could uncover a technical or mechanical issue. Get it fixed
before it explodes into a major problem. Call a sibling or cousin who will be
more than happy to hear from you. Tonight: Ask a neighbor for advice.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Pay a debt that might have slipped your mind. Someone needs to
know that you appreciate their kind and generous act. Flirting will get you
everywhere when it comes to love. You know what to do. Tonight: Balance
your budget.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Take credit for a job well done. When you point out the value of
what you’ve accomplished, people who you want to impress will take notice.
Treat your family to an upcoming sporting event. Tonight: Give away things
you don’t need.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Seek out peace and quiet and get a break from the hectic pace of life.
A fresh idea is waiting to whisper in your ear. Turn down the noise and pay
attention to your inner wisdom. Tonight: Candles and incense.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Get involved in your community. A problem that seems insur-
mountable becomes manageable when you lend your organizational skills
and can-do attitude. You might meet someone who awakens your need to
make the world a better place. Tonight: A group hug.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Take action on a project that lets you bask in a feeling of accom-
plishment. Sitting back and waiting for everyone else to catch up no longer
works. An authority figure understands you better than you think. Tonight:
Dance around the house.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Explore ideas that call to your inner adventurer. It could be time to
plan a trip or take a class that builds your skill set and expands your mind. A
friend in need appreciates your empathy. Tonight: Read a classic novel.
Find it all online
bendbulletin.com
Continued from A9
Apple, in turn, has pilloried
Facebook and other apps for
prying so deeply into people’s
lives that it has created a socie-
tal crisis.
In a speech given a few
weeks after the Jan. 6 attacks
on the U.S. Capitol, Apple CEO
Tim Cook pointed out how
personal information collected
through tracking by Facebook
and other social media can
sometimes push people toward
more misinformation and hate
speech as part of the efforts to
show more ads.
“What are the consequences
of not just tolerating but re-
warding content that under-
mines public trust in life-sav-
ing vaccinations?” Cook asked.
“What are the consequences
of seeing thousands of users
join extremist groups and then
perpetuating an algorithm that
recommends more?”
In a change of tone, Face-
book CEO Mark Zuckerberg
recently suggested that Apple’s
new privacy controls could
actually help his company in
the long run. His rationale:
The inability to automatically
track iPhone users may prod
more companies to sell their
products directly on Facebook
and affiliated services such as
Instagram if they can’t collect
enough personal information
to effectively target ads within
their own apps.
Google also depends on
Drone
Continued from A9
“I would just like to have the
right back to fly,” Jones said. “I
myself don’t feel like I’m offer-
ing any surveying, and more
or less, I’m telling people this
is not accurate mapping, this
is only for visual, and all of my
clients understood that.”
Jones is one of many drone
pilots coming into conflict with
regulations designed to protect
surveying professionals, whose
exclusive roles are being dis-
rupted now that it’s possible to
nearly precisely combine line
drawings with images to better
resolve property disputes.
Jones’ lawsuit represents the
cutting edge of this coming
disruption, according to David
Benowitz, head of research at
Drone Analyst and a former
employee at DJI, the world’s
largest commercial drone man-
ufacturer. “This has been ru-
mored about and talked about
for years now. Drones have re-
ally changed the game in sur-
veying.”
The challenge goes both
ways: Surveyors would need
Federal Aviation Administra-
tion approval to professionally
fly drones, and drone operators
would need to pass state licens-
ing exams to produce legal sur-
veys. Neither side wants to take
on the training and expenses.
But Kurt Carraway, exec-
utive director of the Applied
Aviation Research Center at
Kansas State University, said
licensing boards should do
more to embrace partnerships
by researching the accuracy of
Crash
Continued from A9
The accident occurred on
the night after Thanksgiving in
2019 when more than a dozen
Guatemalan Christmas tree
workers packed into a van after
a day loading Christmas trees
into delivery trucks at Holiday
Tree Farms in Corvallis. The
Department of Labor reported
Monday that 16 people were in
the van at the time of the crash.
Police at the time said there
were 13 people in the van.
The Chevy passenger van
was traveling east on a dark-
ened road when the driver,
Pablo Gaspar-Ezequiel, at-
tempted to turn left, according
to police at the time. A Ford
F-350 traveling west smashed
into the passenger side of the
van in a T-bone crash.
Andres Alonzo-Canil, Mi-
guel Alonzo-Lucas and Diego
Lucas Felipe died in the crash.
At least 11 others were injured.
Marion County law enforce-
ment determined that the van’s
driver didn’t obey a traffic light
or yield the right of way, ac-
cording to the Department of
Labor.
During a phone call with
The Oregonian on Monday,
Mota acknowledged that his
registration as a farm labor
contractor was expired at the
time of the crash, but said his
application for renewal had al-
ready been submitted.
He also said he doesn’t be-
lieve the federal government
should be faulting him for the
accident because he didn’t ar-
range transportation for the
workers and it didn’t occur
during work hours.
“I had nothing to do with it,”
Mota said. “All I did was give
the people a job. I didn’t do
anything wrong. I had nothing
to do with the van. I wasn’t the
owner of the van.”
The Migrant and Seasonal
Agricultural Worker Protection
Act says that any “nonexempt
person who uses or causes to be
used a vehicle to transport any
migrant or seasonal agricul-
tural worker” is required to en-
sure that the driver of the vehi-
cle has a license and maintains
proper insurance, among other
requirements.
Gerry Broome/AP
Michael Jones operates his drone April 2 in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
drone mapping and encourag-
ing the use of drones, particu-
larly in places where a surveyor
can’t safely do the work.
“I would think that with
the continued development of
technologies and positional ac-
curacy that it’s likely that drone
data can be captured in a way
that is compliant with those
surveying standards,” Car-
raway said.
A final notice Jones got from
the board in 2019 ordered him
to stop engaging in “mapping,
surveying and photogramme-
try, stating accuracy, providing
location and dimension data
and producing orthomosaic
maps, quantities and topo-
graphic information.”
The board declined to com-
ment to The Associated Press,
but said it will file a formal re-
sponse to the lawsuit.
Jones, 44, of Goldsboro, said
he couldn’t afford a lawyer, so
he abandoned drone mapping,
resulting in over $10,000 in lost
business. This January, a liber-
tarian law firm offered to rep-
resent him.
Sam Gedge, an attorney at
the Institute for Justice, plans
to argue that Jones has the
right to freedom of speech by
taking photos and videos and
producing artwork for clients.
He’s seen similar disputes in
Mississippi, Oregon and Cali-
fornia.
In the Mississippi case,
the Virginia-based law firm
reached a settlement in De-
cember that allows Vizaline,
a real estate analytics firm
accused of performing unli-
censed surveying, to use public
data to draw property lines on
satellite photos.
personal information to fuel a
digital ad network even bigger
than Facebook’s, but it has said
it would be able to adjust to the
iPhone’s new privacy controls.
Unlike Facebook, Google has
close business ties with Apple.
Google pays Apple an esti-
mated $9 billion to $12 billion
annually to be the preferred
search engine on iPhone and
iPad. That arrangement is cur-
rently one element of an anti-
trust case filed last year by the
U.S. Justice Department.
“Many states have enforced
their laws in a way that is un-
der the radar,” Gedge said.
“They just send warning let-
ters to people … and for most
people who receive that letter,
as Michael did, you’re gonna
knock it off because nobody
wants to be the target of a gov-
ernment enforcement proceed-
ing.”
Walter Lappert, a 35-year-
old Tampa, Florida, resident,
founded two drone-manufac-
turing companies that now
partner with engineers to pro-
vide mapping services, Triad
Drones and Charlotte UAV.
He said he lost out on a good
chunk of a $300,000 Char-
lotte-area government contract
because surveyors objected to
his drones.
Lappert said he under-
stands the board’s desire to
protect an industry that has
consistently been undercut
in recent years by unlicensed
drone operators who can do
a less-than-accurate job for
substantially less money. “In-
experienced people are going
out and taking jobs and sub-
par delivering on what the
actual technology can do,” he
said.
He’s compromised by part-
nering as a subcontractor with
engineering firms or surveying
companies, but he’d like to do
the work on his own.
“Service work is the best
bang for the buck,” Lappert
said. “I can go out in one day
and make $25,000 doing ser-
vice work versus it might take
me three months to sell a
$100,000 drone.”