The sheep grazing by the exposed foundations supposedly signify the decline and fall of the Roman empire (Edward Gibbon was apparently a huge figure to Exeter intellectuals, his book a dire reminder of the perils of corruption).
In Newcastle, even the escapist pleasures of sport are weighted with the reminder of dire issues: the £83m that has been taken out of the city's economy every year by benefit cuts, or the fact that the Northeast has the highest rate of unemployment in the UK.
Further, in a country with such a repressive past, Mr Colóm, who identifies with social democracy, may wish to avoid any measures that smack of militaristic, authoritarian government.Yet the pre-election violence and the extraordinary measures the candidates themselves have had to take in order to stay safe serve as constant reminders of the dire security situation.
It's also a good reminder that as dire as things may feel at times, at least you aren't staring down a Cyclops.
From the grizzly end meted out to Gaddafi himself, to the suffering of those who once supported him, it serves as a reminder of the dire price of failure, as well as the human consequences of revolution.
The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon building in Washington, DC on 11 September 2011 the so-called 9/11 attack serves as reminder of the dire consequences and very real threat of a potential attack on a NPP.
They are reminders, despite reflecting a dire present, that it's never too late for us, that we're not that far gone and can reverse the machinery that makes our nightmares real.
The news from the southern end of the Swat valley is a reminder of just how dire the situation on the ground there now is.
The dire warnings in the document were a reminder of what an emotional issue the reunification of Taiwan with the "motherland" is for Beijing, especially now that Hong Kong and Macao have returned to the fold.
