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|There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that is the wife who can't cook and will. - Robert Frost
No. 94, 18 May 1992
SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR CIS COLLECTIVE SECURITY AGREEMENT. Six CIS states, including Russia, signed a collective security agreement in Tashkent on 15 May, but the absence of Ukraine and four other CIS states from among the signatories once again demonstrated the deep divisions separating CIS leaders. The agreement, which was signed by Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Armenia, stipulated that aggression against any signatory to the agreement will be considered aggression against all other members. Belarusian Supreme Soviet Chairman Stanislav Shushkevich said that he supported the agreement, but that at present it violated the Belarusian constitution. Ukrainian Prime Minister Vitold Fokin said that the pact was incompatible with other CIS agreements. (Stephen Foye) SHAPOSHNIKOV REMARKS. The commander in chief of CIS forces, Evgenii Shaposhnikov, told ITAR-TASS on 15 May that his command would exist so long as nuclear weapons remained deployed in four different CIS states and so long as the collective security agreement remained in force. Shaposhnikov also claimed that all CIS states, with the exception of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, were contributing some degree of financial support to CIS forces located on their territories, and that financial aid would be extended to states who couldn't afford to support such forces. Finally, he criticized Ukraine for moving to take control of strategic forces on its territory. (Stephen Foye) TASHKENT SUMMIT "THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SO FAR." The CIS summit meeting in Tashkent on 15 May was described by Russian President Yeltsin on 16 May as "the most productive so far," Russian media reported. Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev also rated the meeting highly, and Stanislav Shushkevich, chairman of the Belarusian parliament, said the CIS had emerged stronger. Ukrainian Prime Minister Vitold Fokin was less enthusiastic, however, saying that the most important problem, namely the credit and financial system, had not been solved. The meeting lasted only one day instead of the expected two. (Ann Sheehy) AGREEMENT REACHED ON SEVERAL ISSUES. Aside from the collective security pact, agreement was reached inter alia on the joint use of air space and the Baikonur and Plesetsk space stations, the manning and financing of frontier troops, the formation of peacekeeping forces, fulfilling the former USSR's obligations on chemical weapons, and the principles of reducing the armed forces of the former USSR. A question on which little or no progress was made was dividing up the assets of the former USSR. Most of the member states object to Russia's tough stance on this issue, but Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Egor Gaidar said the assets could not be divided without considering who was paying off the Soviet Union's debts. (Ann Sheehy) NEXT SUMMIT IN MOSCOW. The next meeting of CIS heads of state will be in Moscow on 6 July. Thereafter summits will always take place in Minsk. The next meeting of the CIS heads of government will be in Minsk on 26 June. The ministers of foreign affairs of the member states have been charged with drawing up a charter for the CIS to be discussed at one of the upcoming summits. The head of the Belarusian parliament, Stanislav Shushkevich said that an important decision at the Tashkent summit had been a new treatment of consensus--the principle of "minus one"--meaning that if only one state dissents it has to submit to the will of the majority. It is not clear what effect this decision will have since states may still opt out. (Ann Sheehy) MOLDOVA AND THE CIS. The Moldovan delegation to the CIS summit took part almost exclusively in discussions on economic matters, Prime Minister Valeriu Muravschi told the Moldovan media on 16-17 May. Muravschi added that Moldova will remain in the CIS as long it retains common economic interests with the other member states. The delegation protested to the assembled leaders, and also at a press conference, against the support extended by Russia, "including official circles," to the Russian insurgency in eastern Moldova. Citing the role of Russia's 14th Army in arming, training, and staffing the paramilitary forces of the "Dniester republic," the Moldovan delegation renewed the demand for the urgent withdrawal of that army. (Vladimir Socor) POPULAR FRONT CONSOLIDATES POWER IN AZERBAIJAN. One person was killed and three injured when armed adherents of the Azerbaijan Popular Front (AzPF) occupied the parliament building, TV headquarters and presidential palace on 15 May, Western media reported. In a Baku Radio broadcast, AzPF Executive Committee member Tofik Dzhemilov claimed that the AzPF had "seized power" and restored "the legitimate government." The National Council suspended the state of emergency and all decisions taken by Ayaz Mutalibov during his brief return to power, including the postponement of presidential elections scheduled for 7 June. On 16 May the Council appointed a coalition government and rejected the resignation of Yagub Mamedov from the post of interim president to which he had been named in early March. (Liz Fuller) . . . FIGHTING CONTINUES. Shooting was reported in Baku on the night of 16 May and following a rally outside the AzPF headquarters on 17 May. The whereabouts of Mutalibov, who reportedly fled Baku with his National Security Minister Ilhusein Huseinov, are not known. Fierce fighting was reported on 16-17 May around the town of Lachin, strategically located between the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and Nagorno-Karabakh. "Novosti" claimed on 18 May that Kurdish armed groups demanding the creation of a Kurdish autonomous formation are also engaged in fighting Azerbaijani forces in Lachin. (Liz Fuller) IRAN ABANDONS KARABAKH MEDIATION ATTEMPT; TURKEY VOWS TO CONTINUE. On 17 May Iranian Radio quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmoud Vaezi, who for the past three months has coordinated Iranian attempts to mediate the Karabakh dispute, as stating that further efforts to achieve a settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan are "not advisable" until "calm and stability" are restored to Azerbaijan and the two sides show they are prepared to resolve the problem peacefully. Departing Ankara on 17 May for an OECD meeting in Paris, Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin stated that he would also conduct talks there on the Karabakh issue, Turkish TV reported. (Liz Fuller) RUSSIA'S STATE APPARATUS GROWING. The chief of the newly created Administration for Education of Cadres for State Service, Magomet Bekov, told Rossiya on 17 May that the Russian state administrative apparatus has become bigger than that of the former Soviet Union. Bekov's administration has taken over seven of the former Communist Party schools. Bekov asserted that there are now 15-20% more top administrators in the Russian state administration than there had been in the Soviet regime. He noted that previously, the state had been run by two apparatuses: the Party and the state, and that the "vacuum" left by the Party apparatus has to be filled. (Alexander Rahr) CONFERENCE ON BUILDING MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS. A roundtable discussion on the problems of building multiparty systems in Russia and other CIS states was organized by the Democratic Reform Movement and the Gorbachev Foundation on 15 May, ITAR-TASS reported. Vladimir Lysenko, a leader of the Russian Republican Party, noted that there are already 24 parties registered in Russia but there is still no multiparty system to speak of. Several participants reportedly accused the Russian government of hindering the development of a multiparty system, but Sergei Stankevich, Russian state secretary for political questions, denied this. He argued that, "even though there is the will, there is not the strength nor the resources." (Carla Thorson) RUSSIAN DEBT DEFERRAL AND SUSPENSION. On 16 May, the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Russian Bank for Foreign Trade agreed to defer repayments of hard-currency debts owed by the former Soviet Union, AFP reported. Japan will grant a maximum six-month deferral of principal repayments for medium- and long-term debt falling due in 1992. On 17 May, Russia informed South Korea that it will not be able to pay $32.5 million in interest that is due this week, Western agencies reported. The money is interest on loans amounting to about $1 billion provided to the former Soviet Union by South Korean banks in 1991. (Keith Bush) SOLZHENITSYN RETURNING. The writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has granted his first interview to a film director from the ex-Soviet Union since his expulsion in 1974, The London Times reported on 14 May. Solzhenitsyn's wife Nataliya will also reportedly travel to Moscow on 22 May to prepare her husband's return to Russia. Solzhenitsyn had said that he will return to Russia after finishing the main part of his present historical work because of the better living conditions in Vermont. The newspaper also asserted that Solzhenitsyn's return will be comparable only to the welcome accorded to Pope John Paul II on his first visit to Poland. (Alexander Rahr) SPOKESMAN ON MILITARY BUDGET, CUTS. The head of the CIS information administration, Lt. Gen. Valerii Manilov, told ITAR-TASS on 15 May that military spending in Russia would continue to decline, despite recent reports to the contrary. According to Manilov, planned reductions in military manpower would permit defense expenditures to continue falling. He claimed that spending in 1992 would be at least 12% less than in 1991. Manilov admitted that further funding would be devoted to converting the defense industrial complex, but he claimed that the majority of this funding would be found in monies already earmarked for this sector. (Stephen Foye) UKRAINE TAKES CONTROL OF LONG RANGE AVIATION. By way of a presidential decree and an order from the Defense Minister, Ukraine on 15 May moved to take control of long range aviation formations and units deployed on its territory, Ukrinform-TASS reported that same day. These units had been subordinated to the CIS central command as part of the CIS strategic forces. The same documents reportedly said that those formations and units still possessing nuclear weapons would remain under the operational control of the CIS central command until such time as the nuclear weapons were liquidated and the units dissolved. Those officers not wishing to serve Ukraine will be removed from their posts, the report said. (Stephen Foye) POLL OF MOSCOW AND KIEV RESIDENTS. Residents of Kiev have higher confidence in their country's president and lower expectations for the CIS than Muscovites, according to a recent poll conducted by the Institute of Parliamentary Sociology that was summarized on 17 May by Central TV. Only 30% of respondents in Moscow said that President Yeltsin's course corresponded to their own positions versus 48% of Kievans who were in agreement with the policies of Leonid Kravchuk. The two capitals also diverged on attitudes to the CIS, with 39% of Kiev respondents calling for Ukraine to leave the CIS as against 18% of Muscovites who want Russia to do the same. A minority of 14% in both cities, however, believed in the "reality" of the Commonwealth. (Kathy Mihalisko) CRIMEA UPDATE. In another reflection of popular attitudes, 60% of residents of Crimea reportedly are ready to vote yes to Crimean independence in the forthcoming referendum, according to sources cited on 17 May in Izvestiya. A session of the Crimean parliament that begins on 20 May is expected to examine the Ukrainian parliament's demand that Simferopol cancel the scheduled 2 August referendum. (Kathy Mihalisko) OUSTED GEORGIAN PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLEMENT. Western agencies quoted Russian TV on 17 May as reporting that investigators have accused ousted Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia of abuse of power, embezzling state funds and organizing mass disturbances in western Georgia. It is not clear whether the ruling State Council intends to try to extradite Gamsakhurdia, whose current whereabouts are unknown: RIKA reported on 13 May that he had left Chechnya for an unspecified destination. (Liz Fuller) NAZARBAEV TO US. Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev is scheduled to begin an official visit to the United States on 19 May. He is to meet with businessmen as well as with President George Bush, and attend the formal opening of Kazakhstan's embassy in Washington, "Vesti" reported on 17 May. Nazarbaev told an Izvestiya interviewer on 15 May (as cited by ITAR-TASS) that he was in full agreement with the desire of the US Administration to see Kazakhstan become a non-nuclear state; he saw the creation of a control mechanism for nuclear weapons, involving the leaders of the nuclear successor states (Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia) as a step in the right direction. (Bess Brown) AKAEV IN CHINA. Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev's visit to China ended on 16 May with the issuance of a joint communique in which Kyrgyzstan and China undertook to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, but there seem to have been few concrete agreements on economic and other types of cooperation to emerge from the visit. The results of the visit were summarized by ITAR-TASS on 16 May. (Bess Brown) CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE __________________________ VIOLENCE IN BOSNIA CONTINUES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. Western agencies report continued heavy fighting in several locations throughout Bosnia on 16 and 17 May. Heavy Serb shelling continues to ravage the Bosnian capital. Serbian forces reportedly tried to isolate the western regions of Sarajevo on the 17th but were turned back by Muslim and Croat units. Heavy fighting was also reported on the 17th in the northern Bosnian town of Bosanski Samac, and early on the 18th in Mostar, the Herzegovinian capital. Bosnian troops reportedly backed down on a threat to attack two barracks occupied by federal army troops in Sarajevo in order to force the withdrawal of the forces; the units had been expected to leave the barracks in accordance with an agreement reached last week. Meanwhile, moving in two convoys, the UN peacekeeping force in Bosnia under its commander, Indian general Satish Nambiar, completed its withdrawal from the war-torn republic. (Charles Trumbull) DIPLOMATIC MOVES IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA. Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev is expected in Belgrade on 18 May in yet another external attempt to mediate the Bosnian situation, Western agencies report. Tanjug reported on 15 May that Russia has recognized the Republic of Macedonia. Russia has also recognized Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, but only after the EC did so; the EC has not yet recognized Macedonia, principally because of Greek objections. In a unanimous resolution on 16 May the UN Security Council demanded an immediate halt to the fighting in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the withdrawal of Serb-led Yugoslav federal troops and Croatian army units, and the disbanding of irregular forces. Meanwhile, on 15 May applications by Croatia and Slovenia to joint the UN were approved by the Security Council's admissions committee. The same day it was announced in Geneva that a cooperation agreement between Slovenia and the European Free Trade Association will be signed this week; Czechoslovakia already has such an agreement and Poland an Hungary are negotiating for association with EFTA as well. (Charles Trumbull) ON THE JUNE ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA. On 16 May Petr Havlik, the secretary of the Czech Civic Democratic Party (ODS), which is expected to win the 5-6 June elections in the Czech Republic, said his party would negotiate with the election winner in Slovakia under two conditions: that a common state of Czechs and Slovaks have the form of a functioning federation, and that the pace of economic transformation be preserved throughout the country. On 16 May Vladimir Meciar, chairman of the Movement for Democratic Slovakia, ruled out a postelection coalition with the Democratic Party, which, he said, leans too much in the direction of ODS chairman and federal Finance Minister Vaclav Klaus, CSTK reports. Meciar's party is expected to win the election in Slovakia. (Peter Matuska) VAGNORIUS SUBMITS RESIGNATION. On 16 May Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius sent a letter to parliament chairman Vytautas Landsbergis asking for acceptance of his resignation effective 28 May, Radio Lithuania reports. Vagnorius wrote that his government could no longer control the republic's economic and social life because the left-wing opposition has taken the initiative in the parliament. It had rejected his request to dismiss the chairman of the Bank of Lithuania and the minister of energy and to call new parliamentary elections. In a television address on 17 May Landsbergis asked Vagnorius to remain in office. (Saulius Girnius) MITTERRAND IN LATVIA. French President Franáçáois Mitterrand concluded his Baltic tour with a visit to Riga on 15 May. He opened the French embassy in the Latvian capital, met with key Latvian officials, and endorsed a bilateral economic cooperation accord, Radio Riga reports. As he did in Vilnius and Tallinn, Mitterrand emphasized that no country should have to accept the presence of foreign troops on its territory and urged the pullout of ex-USSR troops from the Baltics be settled through negotiations with Russia; should this approach fail, the issue should go to an international forum. Concerning Moscow's continuing economic dominance, Mitterrand said in Tallinn: "It's not normal that Russia recover all of its rights and capacities on the international scene as an independent sovereign state--which we hoped for--while the same rights are denied the smaller countries that lived under the Soviet Union." (Dzintra Bungs) WALESA IN EGYPT. On 17 May President Lech Walesa said he liked Egypt's presidential system, finding it "most suitable" for Poland, since it allows the president to appoint and dismiss ministers, Western and Polish media reported. Earlier, speaking at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo, the Polish President called for "comprehensive and close cooperation with the Arab states," and said that normalization of Polish-Israeli ties should not hinder cooperation with Arab nations. On 16 May Walesa held talks with the Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Sidki and President Hosni Mubarak on increasing trade and technological exchanges between the two countries. (Wladyslaw Minkiewicz) POLAND, RUSSIA DECIDE FUTURE RELATIONS. On 15 May Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Iwo Byczewski and Russian ambassador to Warsaw Yurii Kashlev initialed five documents on new relations between the two countries to be signed by the respective presidents when Walesa visits Yeltsin in Moscow on 22 May. Byczewski said that the treaty on friendship and good-neighborly relations is "the first of its kind for decades or even centuries." Four other agreements initialled in Warsaw deal mainly with the withdrawal of former Soviet troops from Poland and from former East Germany (across Poland). Western and Polish wire services carried the story. (Wladyslaw Minkiewicz) SAJUDIS RALLY FOR REFERENDUM. On 17 May thousands of people attended a rally in Independence Square in Vilnius, broadcast live by Radio Lithuania, to support the planned referendum on the presidency on 23 May. Sajudis chairman Juozas Tumelis, Landsbergis, Vagnorius, State Controller Kazimieras Uoka were among the speakers at the rally who stressed that Lithuania needed a president to lead it through its current difficulties. When Lithuanian Freedom League chairman Antanas Terleckas declared that Vagnorius was continuing the communist policies of his predecessor Kazimiera Prunskiene, the crowd began to boo and did not allow him to finish his speech. (Saulius Girnius) LITHUANIANS FIRE AT MILITARY VEHICLES. On 15 May a column of six Russian military vehicles in Kaunas refused to stop at two National Defense posts and were stopped at a third post when shots were fired into the wheels of two vehicles, Radio Lithuania reports. An inspection of the vehicles revealed that three of them were carrying liquid fuel and lacked permits for doing so. Minister of National Defense Audrius Butkevicius said on Lithuanian TV on 16 May that illegal military flights in Lithuanian air space has become more frequent. He had information that Russia was planning to replenish its army in Lithuania by bringing in 15-21,000 new recruits, suggesting that the Russian army is not planning to comply with Lithuanian demands that it withdraw.(Saulius Girnius) NATO OBSERVERS TO ATTEND TALKS ON TROOP PULLOUT? At the North Atlantic Assembly's meeting in Banff, Alberta, on 17 May the Russian delegation agreed to hold informal talks on arranging a timetable for the withdrawal of ex-USSR troops from the Baltic States and that the talks would be attended by observers from NATO, Reuters reports. Peteris Simsons, a member of the Latvian delegation, pointed out that heretofore Russia has insisted on talking with each of the Baltic States separately, in secret, with no observers present and that such practices were a principal cause for the lack of progress of past negotiations. The Baltic and Russian sides have agreed to submit their proposals for troop withdrawals to the NAA secretariat in Brussels by June. (Dzintra Bungs) ESTONIA CONCERNED ABOUT RUSSIA'S MINORITIES. Estonia is concerned about the treatment of minorities living in Russia, according to an Estonian TV press conference. Foreign Minister Jaan Manitsky told reporters on 17 May that Estonia must help Finno-Ugric minorities living in Russia: "All European countries bear the responsibility for the cultures of small peoples. This cannot be regarded as interference in internal affairs," Manitsky said, adding that political support for such small peoples should come through international organizations: "We cannot allow ourselves to influence Russia directly in these questions." (Riina Kionka) HUNGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY CONGRESS. The Hungarian Socialist Party (HSP), the former reform communist party, held its third national congress in Szeged, MTI reported on 15-17 May. The three-day congress reelected party president Gyula Horn and discussed the party's strategy leading up to the 1994 parliamentary elections. A statement issued at the end of the congress described the HSP as an "independent third force" in Hungarian political life--alongside the conservative and liberal currents--whose policy is based on a "commitment to leftist values and the country's well-being and professional expertise." Horn is optimistic that the HSP will start on an equal footing with the other parties in the 1994 elections, and said that the socialists are willing to cooperate with any party committed to parliamentary democracy. (Edith Oltay) SIGNS OF POLISH ECONOMIC RECOVERY. On 15 May Prime Minister Jan Olszewski told a news conference in Warsaw that some economic indicators for April show increases in industrial production, a lower inflation rate, and a good surplus in the nation's balance of payments. According to Western agencies, Olszewski called them the first positive economic tendencies in two years, but he also pointed out that a "financial collapse" of most state-owned industries has taken place, adding that his government is working on a restructuring program designed to help those companies to recover. (Wladyslaw Minkiewicz) NO AGREEMENT ON BULGARIAN FOREIGN DEBT. On 15 May Bulgarianáÿá government officials declared that the most recent negotiations on resolving the country's $12 billion debt had failed, Reuters reports. In an interview broadcast on Bulgarian radio the same day, a member of the Bulgarian delegation complained that the parties are talking at cross purposes. He said that Deutsche Bank, representing the creditors, rejected a Bulgarian proposal to buy the debt at a 90% discount, suggesting a simple rescheduling agreement instead. According to another Bulgarian official, a compromise is still possible. (Kjell Engelbrekt) WAGES, COSTS RISE IN ESTONIA. The average income in Estonia rose 530 rubles in April, but monthly expenditures also jumped an average of 555 rubles. According to Labor Ministry data cited by BNS on 15 May, the average income in April was 3,030 rubles, whereas average expenditures for that month were estimated at 2,600 rubles. In 1991 the average monthly income for workers was 577 rubles. (Riina Kionka) DOCUMENTS FOUND ON CZECHOSLOVAK COMMUNIST PARAMILITARY. Federal Deputy Michal Maly (ODS) found two sealed packages in the State Central Archives containing complete lists of militia personnel as well as requests for a 150% increase in weapons and ammunition for 1988-90, Czechoslovak TV announced on 14 May. The documents also provide information on the organization's activities during the 1956 anticommunist uprising in Hungary and in the years 1968-69 in Czechoslovakia. Maly said the papers show an unusually large arms transfer from the People's Militia to the Czechoslovak army in the first weeks of December 1989, a time when the Communist Party was negotiating its exit after 41 years in power. (Peter Matuska) ROMANIAN SENATE FINDS PROPERTY SCANDAL. Over the weekend local and foreign media reported an inquiry by the Senate published on 14 May calling for prosecution of members of the former Petre Roman government. The report alleges that in 1990-91 his government illegally disposed of hundreds of mansions confiscated by the communist nomenklatura from their prewar owners. In Bucharest alone 276 houses allegedly went to Roman's friends, ministers, associates, who paid only token rents. The report names names and will likely further weaken the position of the former premier, who, after the defection of a splinter group supporting President Ion Iliescu, now leads a much-diminished NSF. (Mihai Sturdza) NOISY FAREWELL TO BULGARIAN COMMUNISM. On 15 May the politically symbolic mauso-leum of Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgaria's first communist leader, was dismantled in Sofia--to the accompaniment of a rock concert in Demokratsiya Square attended, according to Western agencies, by some 40,000 people. The body of Georgi Dimitrov was on display in the mausoleum from 1949 until July 1990, when his remains were removed by the BSP--successor to the Communist Party. (Kjell Engelbrekt) [As of 1200 CET] Compiled by Carla Thorson & Charles Trumbulláÿá (END) The RFE/RL Daily Report is produced by the RFE/RL Research Institute (a division of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Inc.) in Munich, Germany, with the assistance of the RFE/RL News and Current Affairs Division (NCA). The report is available Monday through Friday, except holidays, at approximately 0800 US Eastern Time (1400 Central European Time) by fax, post, or e-mail. The report is also posted daily on the SOVSET computer network. For inquiries about specific news items, subscriptions, or additional copies, please contact: In USA: Mr. Jon Lodeesen or Mr. Brian Reed RFE/RL, Inc., 1201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036. Telephone: (202) 457-6912 or -6900 fax: (202) 457-6992 or -202-828-8783; or in Europe: Mr. David L. Troyanek or Ms. Helga Hofer Publications Department, RFE/RL Research Institute Oettingenstrasse 67 8000 Munich 22 Telephone: (-49 89) 2102-2631 or -2642 fax: (-49 89) 2102-2648
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Daily Archives: September 12, 2010
First American Autism Award
The power elite, in our view, has a special affection for vaccine programs. The more emphatically efficacious it can make vaccines seem, the more ability the elite has to promote a variety of vaccine programs without significant push-back. We are also … Continue reading
Military Keynesianism in Iraq
We have no idea where Iraq is getting the money to buy its weapons. Presumably, Iraq will print the money and the money will essentially act as a claim on Iraq's productivity as the Iraq political and military elite arm themselves first for domesti… Continue reading
Does the General Understand Freedom?
General Petraeus sadly got it wrong when he wants to shut down the Koran burning on the grounds that some will react to it irrationally. Sure, the burning should not happen because it is a needlessly provocative deed but no one should be forcibly stopp… Continue reading
Battling Biometrics: Mark Lerner on The Reality Report with Gary Franchi
Mark Lerner, co-founder of the Constitutional Alliance joins Gary to discuss his new book and DVD, "Your Body is Your ID." He tells us how our bodies maybe able to tell someone who we are from a great distance through biometrics. Continue reading → Continue reading
Delia Lopez for Congress: Full Speed Ahead!
Wow things are really happening. We just finished our first radio ad! Editor's note: Revolution Broadcasting Radio Blitz September 16, 2010. Tune in and Donate to Delia!
Thank you to all who donated. We have people canvassing everywhere, people calling at the Oregon City Victory Office and from the privacy of their own homes. My h… Continue reading
Step Away From The Hammer Mr. President
Thanks to the folks at 912 Omaha for sharing these two gems with everyone, thought we'd pass along:
The songwriter's website is here. Continue reading

subset: commoncrawl


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In all my life the very first passport I had was obtained at the age of 19, prior to my first, only, holiday as an adult. We went to Austria, and a fun time was had by all. It was my last ever proper family holiday. It was such a moment in my life that I even wrote about it in my Youth Review 19-20.
When my passport expired in June of this year, I thought "meh". In recent years, I have lost any interest in ever going abroad. I used to like the idea of travelling, of seeing the world, of experiencing other cultures, and generally "broadening one's horizons". And, I must admit, a certain degree of envy when business clients and former/ex-friends (virtually no one is my friend any more) tell me they're off to foreign shores to relax, or do their thing.
But somehow, when the time comes to consider it all, I just go cold. When I analyse it, the only reason why a holiday sounds a good idea is to get away from the dull English weather. I fantasise about going on holiday in winter, avoiding Christmas and all that entails, to feel warm, if only for a little bit.
Unfortunately, I then get into a deeply unhelpful state. The holiday is a form of escapism. I am such a depressed individual at time that I will even deny myself escapism. I do so because I look upon escapism with an unhealthy degree of cynicism. If life is so bad that you must escape from it, then the escapism is a waste of time, because every day of your escapism you will think about exactly what it is you are escaping from, until such time as it inevitably all goes back to the way it was.
I have these existential moments regularly. My life in general is crap, and others would not tolerate it, but I don't see it as something I wish to escape from. It is what it is. Short of a revolutionary change in my personality or outlook on life, it's not going to change. So why bother escaping from it?
It was this length of ludicrous argument that led me to procrastinate about the passport renewal. I thought if I really needed it, to go abroad, I would then sort it out. With no holidays on the horizon, I ignored it.
But what I didn't think about was how critical it was to have a passport as a form of ID. It had already happened once recently, when I had a problem opening a bank account. We got there in the end, so I thought it was proof I could continue to do so.
Turns out, when there is a financial transaction involving buying a house (or, rather, a plot of land) and other such fun, like solicitors, they all want some proof I am who I am. Who knew?
Not being able to drive – and the driving licence also being expired for at least two years – there has been something of a sudden halt in all activities until my new passport arrives.
And that alone caused its own saga.
Being one who over-thinks these things to the nth degree, I put enormous amounts of thought into what, exactly, I would look like on the passport photo. The passport photo that would identify me for the next 10 years. It needed to represent me well, because in 10 years time I will look back at it and think "look at poor Matt, blissfully unaware of the 10 years that lie ahead".
So I dawdled even at this stage. I waited long enough for me to make a decision about the subject of the previous post (hair…) – and decided I would get my haircut first, then go home, wash it, reapply the useless product that I've started using, and then get it taken.
The plan was executed flawlessly, and I am reasonably happy with the picture. I have certainly aged in 10 years. No surprise really.
Now I must wait. But at least there's a lot of good waiting involved. Christmas being round the corner, and all that.
207 days until 30


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The absence of her fellow-countryman, Edward Gal, after an unfortunate accident with Sisther de Jeu on Thursday, left her clear favourite to top the scoreboard and she won with a comfortable margin of more than five percentage points over runner-up Monica Theodorescu from Germany riding Whisper. Third place went to Denmark's Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and Rigoletto whose indoor season debut on her home turf at Odense two weeks ago was spoiled by the gelding's nervousness which led to their retirement during the Grand Prix.
The Netherlands' Anky Van Grunsven and Salinero made it two-in-a-row when winning the second leg of the FEI World Cup Dressage series at Lyon, France, on Friday night.
Gal disappeared from the reckoning just moments before his scheduled appearance in the Grand Prix when Sisther de Jeu, who had been so exciting to watch when finishing second in Odense, bit her lip which then started to bleed. His withdrawal from the competition gave Van Grunsven a free rein, and she took full advantage when scoring 77.021% to win ahead of Theodorescu and Whisper who earned a mark of 72.085%.
And then the Dutch rider, after whom a street has been named in her home town of Erp, received a standing ovation from the 5500 spectators as she took her lap of honour. "I'm very happy now," Anky said afterwards "but I was a bit worried in there because Salinero was getting a bit hot.
"I thought I might not finish my first extended trot because he was getting so strong he almost took off on me, and I didn't need to ask for the extended canter because he did it all on his own!" she pointed out.
"He was a little tense in places, but overall I'm very happy, and I have to say I was even more happy with the Grand Prix," she said.
The large, enthusiastic crowd and bright lights were a big challenge for Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein who was last into the arena. The super-sensitive Rigoletto was initially tense in the buzzing atmosphere, and she was hoping that she would not find herself in the same position as she did on her last outing when she was forced to retire. However the 13-year-old Danish Warmblood eventually relaxed "and he was so much better this time, I was very satisfied with how he went," she said when scoring 75.50%. This was good enough for third place behind Theodorescu with a mark of 76.45% while Van Grunsven's 82.00% winning score was achieved when she was placed first by all five judges.
Both Anky and Nathalie commented on the relatively small field of starters. With Gal withdrawn there were just nine in the competition "and it is a pity" said the winner, "because this is such a lovely venue".
Switzerland's Marcela Krinke-Susmelj and Corinth slotted into fifth place with a score of 71.75% while Catherine Haddad of the USA and Cadillac finished sixth on 70.00%, European bronze medallist Laura Bechtolsheimer finished seventh with Andretti H on 67.65% and fellow-Briton Dane Rawlins was eighth with Sydney on 65.75%. Portugal's Carlos Pinto and the Lusitano stallion Poderoso de Retiro finished ninth with 65.50%.
FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE 2009 - Standings after second leg at Lyon:
1. Anky Van Grunsven - 34
2. Jeanette Haazen, Monica Theodorescu - 24
4. Peter Gmoser, Tinne Vilhemson Silfven - 20
6. Hans Peter Minderhoud - 19
7. Edward Gal, LPierluigi Sangiorgi - 17
9. Cora Jocobs - 16
10. Jean Philippe Siat, Patrik Kittel - 15


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I made resolutions last year. If you made resolutions, post your resolution and then grade yourself! Here is my grade break down of my adherence to the resolutions I made.
1) I won't force myself to train through injuries or sickness. Unless I'm feeling at least 85%, I will recuperate.
I get an A on this one. I'm seriously proud of myself. When injured, it takes every bit of discipline I have to not go balls to the wall even more than when I'm healthy. I had an illness, knee injury, and tightness in my shoulder this year, and held back pretty well. Long enough to get back to 85% at least.
2) I will get at least two tournament victories at the Intermediate Skill level.
Solid A. I got 6 victories at the Intermediate level. To be clear, I don't mean I WON 6 tournaments. I won six matches spread among three tournaments, earning two second place finishes and one third place finish. I still have a LOT to learn in this sport, even at the intermediate level.
3) I will get Emotional Fitness Rehabilitation (my psychotherapeutic creation) published in an academic journal.
C. This goal wasn't completely neglected, just put on the back burner a little. We are submitting the final version to a journal sometime in January. Whether or not it becomes accepted is another story.
4) Same as last year, I will reserve Friday nights for my beautiful wife.
I get a B here. Most Fridays have been just Katchie and I. With that said, I have worked late on Fridays quite a few times this year.
Your turn. Grade yourself!


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August 10, 2017
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Are you interested in volunteering for Studio Friction? We have multiple volunteer positions that include some great benefits! We are looking for rope educators, host and closer for our events, someone to come in and clean for us once a week, and many more!! We are also looking for people to help complete the buildout!
Email Diana for more information!
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Japa-Dog – street eats, japanese style
I had some appointments in the downtown area yesterday, so I took the opportunity to have lunch at my favorite hot dog cart, Japa-Dog. The place was busy, but service was as efficient and cheerful as ever. I had the Terimayo, a beef sausage served with Japanese mayo, nori, teriyaki sauce and fried onions. It was excellent! It's nice to see such a creative concept catch on. Other offerings include the Oroshi, a bratwurst laden with special soy sauce, green onions, and daikon and the Misomayo is a turkey smokie laden with special miso sauce, Kaiware, and japanese mayo.
Japa-Dog is located at the northwest corner of Smythe and Burrard, Vancouver. They will be on holidays from Sept. 16-21.


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Continuing the October obake-a-week theme, I present the fearsome umi-bouzu. Before reading about the umi-bouzu at the Obakemono Project, I confess I'd never heard of it, but given the significance of the sea in Japanese culture, a hulking faceless ocean beast seems inevitable. According to said site, the umi-bouzu "is most commonly conceived as something huge and pitch black with ambiguously human features and a common lack of eyes or hair." So, sort of a deep sea blob with a wicked attitude (maybe a relative of the great C'thulu?). Study up at the Obakemono Project, and beware the dark shapes of the briny deep.
:: Your Reply... ::


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I have a plan to do some cleaning today. But mostly I am following my new mandate to be not so hard on myself for the next two weeks or so. The plan is to finish more movies than books for the next two weeks and to not worry about doing a lot of research and work. We'll see how that goes. I did start Howard Barker's The Castle (which is a really awesome play so far) but I also watched two movies in the last twelve hours.
First: Werner Herzog's new film Rescue Dawn with Christian Bale is pretty good. I enjoyed the film, too, for the most part. I am being hesitant and I don't know why. I think I hesitate because Rescue Dawn isn't exactly Aguirre: the Wrath of God. Few films, of course, are Aguirre: the Wrath of God, so I guess I should just let that go and evaluate Rescue Dawn on its own merits. It's a harrowing, at times very difficult to watch story about a man in a P.O.W. camp in Laos during the lead up to the Vietnam war. It's excellently made, very well acted, beautifully shot and cleverly scripted. Definitely worth seeing if you like P.O.W. movies. Christian Bale is awesome, as usual, slimming down to a dangerous weight again. And Jeremy Davies, who costars, is as thin as I've ever seen him in anything (he looks disgusting, in fact.) Steve Zahn is excellent as well.
Lindsay Anderson's 1968 movie If.... with Malcolm McDowell was finally released on DVD recently (god bless Criterion) so I finally got to see this amazing film from Britain's angry sixties. This film deserves its cult status. It's a movie about a school with strict discipline and lots of corruption and McDowell plays a rebel who goes on a rampage at the school. It's a fabulous movie and a biting satire. Totally sexy, too, in a kind of queer, underage-boy, British way. I absolutely loved it.
Mizoguchi Kenji's Sansho the Bailiff (1954) is a social justice movie from the Japanese filmmaker. It's mostly an anti-slavery movie, detailing the evils of servitude and slavery on the Japanese islands. Our hero gets captured and sold into slavery as a young boy, and we watch as tragedy befalls him and his family. It's a fairly bleak cinematic adventure, truth be told. I think I've decided, too, that I like Mizoguchi the least of the Japanese masters I've seen so far. Both of the films of his that I've seen have been more didactic than anything else and my tastes run more toward the poetic.
(Oh yeah, and Sansho the Bailiff is not the main character. The title kind of makes no sense. Weird, too, because the title is the same in Japanese.)


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No. 3: Motor's Historic Run
BOCA RATON – Toward the end of the 2016 season FAU running back Devin Singletary provided a provided a preview of spectacular he could be with the football in his hands, but no one reasonably expected the record-setting production he delivered in 2017.
Singletary rushed for 1,021 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman in 2016 while splitting carries with Buddy Howell. His breakout games came against Rice, a 257-yard performance, with a 235-yard effort at Middle Tennessee coming shortly thereafter.
His sophomore season began rather unremarkably. Through the first two games, both FAU losses, Singletary only carried the ball 23 times, rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown.
After those two games, however, no one could stop him.
Singletary became a touchdown machine, scoring 31 of them on the ground over the final 12 games, becoming the first FAU player ever to lead the nation in rushing touchdowns. Only two players in the history of college football, Oklahoma St.'s Barry Sanders and Wisconsin's Monte Ball, ever rushed for more touchdowns in a senior season.
His 33 total touchdowns also led the nation and he led the nation in scoring.
Singletary set an FAU single season record with 1,920 rushing yards. That total was fourth most in the nation, and his 137.1 yards per game were fifth best nationally.
To cap the best season in FAU history Singletary rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns in the Boca Raton Bowl. And he still has two years of eligibility remaining.
What We Wrote
Singletary named C-USA Player of the Week
Singletary Chosen as One of FAU's Captains
If Singletary Plays in Spring Game, He'll Be Non-Contact
Why It's Important
No FAU player has ever received the kind of national attention that Singletary garnered in 2017.
He's already FAU's leader in career rushing touchdowns with 44 – 17 more than second-place Alfred Morris. Singletary's 2,941 rushing yards over his first two seasons is already third most in FAU history, and he should take over the top spot from Morris midway through his junior season.
And Singletary accomplished the 1,920 yard, 32 touchdown season only after beating out Buddy Howell – currently with the Miami Dolphins – for the lead back spot.
While some argued his stats were a byproduct of either a gimmicky offensive scheme or weak defensive competition, Singletary's name is now popping up on preseason All-American lists.
Heck, Singletary is being tabbed by some as a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate. In the history of the FAU football program only Howard Schnellenberger and Lane Kiffin have generated the kind of national buzz that currently surrounds the back everyone calls "Motor."
Why all the love? Singletary can basically do it all. He's about as elusive as a back gets. He's also powerful. Rarely does the first tackler bring him to the ground. Though not a burner, Singletary is also fast enough that he rarely gets caught from behind.
Following the season the Associated Press named Singletary a third-team All-American, the first time the AP included an FAU player on that list. Conference USA chose Singletary as its MVP.
With Singletary in the backfield, FAU's offense will undoubtedly continue to Motor along.
It should be noted that Singletary's season wasn't the only notable individual FAU performance on a National scale.
Only one player in the nation intercepted more passes than safety Jalen Young's seven. And linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair's 147 tackles were the third most by any player in the nation.
The Countdown
No. 10: Construction Begins on Schmidt Complex
No. 9: Stranded in Wisconsin
No. 8: Curry Out, May In
No. 7: Constant QB Battle
No. 6: Change at the Top
No. 5: Baseball Keeps Rolling
No. 4: Boca Bowl Bliss
No. 3: Motor's Historic Run
No. 2: Conference USA Title Time
No. 1 : The Lane Train Express


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The Offer
Get Sprint's Top Tier Unlimited Premium Plan for the Price of their Mid-Tier Unlimited Plus Plan ($875 Value)
Sprint is proud to offer special discounts to Blue365 members and now you can transform your lifestyle in a healthy, positive way. With Sprint and a smartphone, you can easily access thousands of apps to help you find healthy recipes, stick to your diet, track your exercise, and even remind you to drink enough water each day.
At Sprint, you get more savings, and now with Sprint Perks your membership gets you more value.
Switch to Sprint and save $600 your first year over Verizon and get top tier Unlimited Premium plan for the price of Sprint's mid-tier Unlimited Plus plan.
New Sprint customers:
- Visit a local Sprint store: www.sprint.com/storelocator
- Shop online: http://bit.ly/sprintperks_blue365, Use "Blue 365" as your Company Name if prompted to fill out a form.
- Call Sprint: 866-639-8354
- Be sure to mention Corporate ID code NABCS_ZMB_ZZZ and bring your BCBS membership card when you visit a Sprint retail store.
- To receive the offer, you must visit www.sprint.com/verify from your computer or mobile device and follow the instructions on this page (please upload a picture of your member ID card).
Existing Sprint customers redeeming the discount online:
- Visit www.sprint.com/verify from your computer or mobile device.
- Click on Current or new customer?
- Enter your Sprint phone number.
- Click the link to upload your verification.
- Follow the instructions on this page (upload a picture of your member ID card).
The Terms
- Limited time offers. Activ. Fee: Up to $30/line. Credit approval req. Reqs. eBill.
- Sprint Unlimited Premium Plan: Pay $70/mo. for line 1, $50/mo. for line 2 & $10/mo. /line for lines 3-5 (until 1/31/21) with discount & autopay, then pay $30/mo./line for lines 3-5.
- Includes unlimited domestic calling, texting, data, & 100 GB/mo LTE MHS, VPN & P2P, reduced to 3G speeds after allotment.
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- Plan not avail. for tablets or MBB devices.
- Select Int'l svcs. are included for phone lines. See sprint.com/globalroaming. Subsidized devices incur an add'l. $25/mo. charge.
- AutoPay: $5/mo. discount may not reflect on 1st bill.
- Hulu: Only available in the U.S. Incl. access to one Hulu ad-supported plan per each eligible Sprint account (excl. other Hulu plans and add-ons) while eligible Sprint plan is active and in good standing.
- Valid for new or returning Hulu subscribers or certain existing ad-supported plan subscribers. Select Hulu content streams in HD on supported devices subject to connectivity. Tablets may stream Hulu content via included Sprint Hot Spot or may subscribe to separate unlimited data plan for tablets.
- Not redeemable or refundable for cash or gift subscriptions. Hulu may place account on inactivity hold based on Hulu usage. Cancel Hulu anytime. See full offer terms at sprint.com/hulu.
- Amazon Prime: Included with select rate plans. Offer subject to change.
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- Sprint Perks Discount: Phone lines only. Credit approval req. Avail. for eligible company employees, university employees/students or org. members (ongoing verification).
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Welcome to Hope Valley Community Church
Hope Valley Community Church is a non-denominational, evangelical, and Spirit-filled church. HVCC is focused on being the hands and feet of Christ to serve the spiritual and physical needs of our community! Whether it be blessing our local community or helping to improve the spiritual climate of other regions through the Transformation Prayer Network, we seek to discern and carry the heart of the Father and advance His Kingdom in all that we do!
Service Location & Time
For any new visitors as well as regular attendees who weren't already aware, Hope Valley Community Church has temporarily relocated to the old�Lighthouse Christian Fellowship gymnasium due to the fire for our Sunday services! The new hosts, Morningstar Quakertown, are working with us so we can have a place to fellowship and worship until we are able to restore our building.
Our service time is currently set for 10 am. Feel free to use either the main entrance or the gymnasium door.
Third Heaven House of Prayer - Thursday Nights at 7 pm
Third Heaven is a time to worship God and pray for the region. Third Heaven House of Prayer officially started on January 2, 2014, out of a desire to see Kingdom of God come to the greater Upper Perkiomen region through prayer and worship. Third Heaven House of Prayer currently resides in the Prayer Room on the upper level of our Red Hill building. Third Heaven�meets every Thursday night at 7 pm. Even if you can't stay for the entire time, come fellowship with us, be blessed, and have a chance to share any prayer requests or praises you might have. God will bless those who seek him!
Valley Thrift Store & Food Pantry Closed until Further Notice
Due to the�fire that happened on 9/10/17 in the west wing of the building, both the Valley Thrift Store and Food Pantry are effectively closed until further notice. The damage could have been a lot worse than it was, however, it was enough to render the lower section of the wing unusable altogether. Because both ministry spaces were compromised during the fire, we had no choice other than to shut them both down until the areas can be reevaluated. Please keep the church and Third Heaven House of Prayer in your prayers as for the time being God has us focusing on those ministries!
Thank you all for your ongoing prayers and patience!


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Level: All
Steve Kaufman, three-time National Flatpicking Champion, does it again. This installment of a four-part series brings us Steve's favorite Celtic hornpipes transcribed for the mandolin (and fiddle too). This is a large collection of hornpipes that will build your repertoire as well as help you develop more ideas, licks and runs for arranging your own melodies. Companion audio is available for this title in which all the songs are played note for note at about 3/4 speed.
Contents: Ash Plant, Big Ship, Blackberry Blossom, Bonnie Breas Of Skelmorlie, Bonnie Lad, Bonnie Laddie, Bonniest Lass In A' The World, Boy in the Gap, Boys Of The Lough, Braes Of Auchtertyre, Bunker Hill, Cameronian Rant, Cameronian, Captain Keller, Captain McIntosh, Cathal McConnell's, Charming Katie, Clean Pease Strae, Cock Your Pistol, Charlie College Groves, Colonel Lennox's Love, Connemara Stockings, Cork Lasses, Dark Haired Lass, Diamond Reel, Doctor Gilbert, Donalblane, Donegal, Down The Broom, Downshire Reel, Drunken Crow, Dunkeld Hermitage, Fairy Reel, Fandango, Far From Home, Five Mile Chase, Flax In Bloom, Flora McDonald, Flower Of The Flock, Girl I Left Behind Me, Girl With The Blue Dress On, Green Groves Of Erin, Greig's Pipes, Grey Daylight, Hand Me Down The Tackle, Highland Fling, Highland Plaid, Highlander's Kneebuckle, Honourable Miss Buller's, Humours Of Carrigaholt, Humours Of Westport, I'll Break Your Head For You, In The Tap Room, Isle Of Skye, Jack Latten, Jackson's Chickens, John Stetson's Reel, Jolly Tinker, King George The Fourth, Kiss Me Kate, Lady Caroline Birtitle,
Lady Corbett's Reel, Lady Cuffe's Fancy, Lady Madelina Sinclair's Reel, Lady Mary Ramsay's, Lady Montgomery's Reel, Lady Terfinchen's Rant, Lady's Cup Of Tea, Last Night's Fun, Let A Body Lie With You, Limber Up, Lochaber Reel, Lord Dalhousie's Reel, Lord Elphinstone, Lord Melville's Fancy, Lord Tullamore's, Loughrea Lasses
Order All Four Great Celtic Mandolin Books and Save $15.00
Click Here to See the Bundle


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It's Your Life
Last month we finished reading Po Bronson's What Should I Do With My Life. It was an eye opening experience for us.
In What Should I Do With My Life Po Bronson tells the true stories of people who have found the most meaningful answers to that great question. With humor, empathy, and insight, Bronson writes of remarkable individuals - from young to old, from those just starting out to those in a second career - who have overcome fear and confusion to find a larger truth about their lives and in doing so, have been transforemd by the experience.
A few weeks ago we wrote on our Facebook wall "Life is like one big math equation." This meaning we make money, we spend money, we make time, we spend time, the key is to find the right balance between playing and working. If you are lucky you get to play for a living!! Or better yet, you win the lotto and you don't have to work for the rest of your life. Then it's play time all the time!
For a while we thought of ourselves as being our job. After all, we live in New York City where the phrase "what do you do?" is uttered right after "Hello." Although what we do for a living is part of our identity it does not fully describe us. We more than what we choose to do in order to make money. This is the same for gender as you may already know. Whether you identify as male or female or somewhere in-between it is simply just a PART of who you are.
One of the reasons I like this book is because you get to see into real people's lives. You get to see their mistakes, and you get to see their bravery. It really is inspiring.
If you're not fully satisfied in life, or are curious to see how other people live their lives I recommend you get a copy of What Should I Do With My Life


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Winter Climbing in Coire an t-Sneachda
Jim and I arrived in Aviemore on Tuesday evening, for our fix of ice and mixed winter climbing. Some great weather conditions in the northern corries, super cold with blue skies... conditions on many climbs have been interesting, with too much ice in the gear placements and thin ice or powder on the routes themselves. Its means everything is climbing one grade harder : )
A Message from Scotland
The first day of our winter climbing trip, climbed 'The Message' with too much ice in the cracks!
A fine 'mixed' route - mixture of real fear, a few short desperate moves made memorable by thin axe or crampon holds, blue skies, and a walk out under starry skies.
A Classic Bluebird Day
Thursday was a classic 'bluebird day', climbing in Coire an t-Sneachda again : )
Did a unique variation / compilation of Red Gully, finishing in illuminated rocks, simply stunning. Jonathan Preston and Mikey Byford were climbing Fingers Ridge beside us. Rounded the day off with a stroll up Cairngorm summit!
Jim took this beauty of Mikey finishing Fingers Ridge
Navigation & Route Finding Practice
Conditions changed quickly on Friday, snowing well with a bit of wind, ideal visibility for navigation practice... : ) Jim led a pick 'n mix line up Mess of Pottage - 'Haston Line', 'Yukon Jack', finishing up 'The Slant' before topping out and getting out! Contrast to yesterday's experience & pics.
The Cairngorms in all of their magnificence : )
Adventures and abstract in Saturday's contrasting conditions. We had a relaxed start with a hot walk in and instant chill down in the corries, teams queing up on routes so chose a quick moving route up 'The Runnel' (soloing to the last section) with an enjoyable lead to finish.
for a few days, climbing conditions should improve over the next week!


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Presenting the 2019 Ford Ecosport
The 2019 Ford EcoSport I University Ford of Durham
The new Ford EcoSport is a five-seater crossover hatchback that exudes athletic ability. The new Ford EcoSport in Durham has been decked out with a fantastic interactive interface. The smart SUV has two engines up for grabs – a front and an all-wheel-drive AWD, spread across its four available trims. The base model of the new Ford EcoSport, the S trim, comes well equipped with standard features that weren't offered in its predecessor. As you go higher up the trim line, you get more features and technology in a plushier setting. For example, the SES trim now has an attractive orange detailing in the interior for a splash of style. You also have the option of choosing an all-new Black Appearance package, which allows your Ford EcoSport SUV to have a unique black hood and a black painted roof. In addition, the new Ford EcoSport in Durham comes equipped with FordPass Connect system, which gives you access to real-time traffic updates and requires a 4G LTE mobile hotspot, has now replaced the Sync Connect System.
The all-new Ford EcoSport has better ground clearance than most and it also features an exceptional infotainment suite you can choose from. Plus, the sporty hatchback also boasts a well-designed, spacious cargo area - 50 cubic feet in total with 20.9 cubic feet behind the second row, which can be tweaked around to suit your needs and requirements. From hauling all your camping gear to fitting in your massive Christmas shopping, with one of the biggest cargo spaces in its segment, the 2019 EcoSport is your go-to car. The new Ford EcoSport offers an available SYNC 3 infotainment center that comes standard on the SE trims and above. It has a fantastic response time and Apple CarPlay and Android capabilities. The large 8-inch touchscreen has excellent graphics, while the trendy Bang and Olufsen music system provides great quality of sound and isn't offered on all crossovers in this class. Some of the standout safety features include Integrated Blind-Spot Mirror which lets you see even more blind spots with the angled mirrors, a Blind-Spot Information System that alerts you obstacles and a rearview camera.
Among all the subcompact crossovers, the new Ford EcoSport has a competitive price and with access to an exceptional infotainment suite, you can be sure your drive will be fun and entertaining. Plus, this new Ford's superb ground clearance will make for a smoother ride and to top it off, roomy cargo space will make it so much easier for you to take all you need on those much needed getaways. So, hurry on over to University Ford, offering expert Ford Service near you and a chance to test drive the incredible new Ford EcoSport!
Source: Ford


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I hope all y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, ate too much turkey, did the turkey trot, stuffed your face more, and watched more football last Thursday, because I know I had a nice Thanksgiving, albeit alone. But hey, I like the solitude, time off, and having time to unwind. The best part of Thanksgiving: Watching the Cowgirls (or is it the Cowboys?) get clobbered by the Eagles. Yep, that made my turkey even more delicious. I don't dislike the Cowboys, I just like seeing them lose. Any-who, the holiday is over, and now the NFL push for the playoffs heats up, and fantasy playoffs are in full swing. With numerous potential playoff-deciding games this weekend, including the Bengals-Steelers, I'll be more attuned to my television than usual to keep tabs on my players. That and sports is my life, as I've said before, but it keeps me driven, some times driven to insanity, but that's my lifestyle. #GoHardTillYaDrop. Also, it's nice to see Atlanta on Monday Night against the Packers as 2 division leaders square off. All I'm gonna say is, Atlanta, PLEASE play defense, you know, preventing the other team from scoring. It helps win games!
Last Week's Recap
Last week I hit on about 50% of my players as Clay Matthews beat out Rob Ninkovich with a PD and a STF and Jenkins was ridiculous against the Jets, amassing 6 tackles and a stuff. However, I missed badly on Von Miller as Justin Houston filled the stat sheet with a stuff, a sack and 2 PDs, and a forced fumble, although Miller also had a solid day with 2 sacks and a pass defensed. Jordan Cameron won by default as Wilkerson (toe) did not play, and Lofton beat out Lawrence Timmons in a matchup that featured little in the way of extra counting stats. Finally, my advice to sit Gerald McCoy blew up in my face as he went for a sack and a pass defensed.
Battle Royale
DeAndre Levy vs. Luke Kuechly- Those of you in the playoffs are starting these 2 studs no matter what, and owners should be drooling at Levy's matchup against a Bucs line that has allowed 33 sacks this season to their QBs. The Bucs are nearly as bad as the Jets this season and their pass game is horrendous as their receivers rank 26th in the league in total yards. This has pick city written all over for Levy this week. Kuechly, on the other hand faces the Saints as New Orleans fights for the NFC South berth this week. If the Panthers are going to have a shot with Cam Newton reeling this season, it will have to be through defensive plays. Kuechly is a tackling machine who's beginning to pick up some sacks this season (2 last week), but will have his hands full this week. (Photo courtesy of twincities.com)
Winner: Levy. With the stats of the Bucs offense, and the ultra-stout Lions defense, Levy is going to have a field day this week. Kuechly will also produce a nice stat line, but if he's going up against a LB who will likely get his first full sack and another pass defensed, he may not stand a chance.
Carlos Dunlap vs. Mario Williams- Super Mario the sack leader thus far this season has a rough matchup against Peyton Manning this week. However, the Bills do have the play makers to make life uncomfortable for Peyton as the Bills rank 5th in total defense; 5th against the pass, 7th against the rush, and 8th in receiving defense. While Williams is a good bet for a sack this week, be aware that if h doesn't he'll likely leave you with a lean week as he doesn't contribute passes defensed or stuffs. When the Bengals and Steelers square off this week, Dunlap will have his eyes on making Big Ben eat the turf. A key matchup to watch here is the Steelers pass game versus the Bengals receiving defense which ranks 10th in the league. Look for Dunlap to get pressure on Ben to force him to force throws. (Photo courtesy of bengals.com)
Winner: Williams. Although I hate starting defensive players versus the Broncos, Williams has been a fantasy staple this season, so continue to look for him to remain a top defensive linemen the rest of this season.
Championship Round- Levy. With a matchup like Levy's it is impossible to go against him, as he is going to annihilate the Bucs this week. I'd go as far as to spot Dunlap 10 points in this one.
Middle Class
Paul Worrilow vs. Ryan Kerrigan: Coming off a huge win against the Cardinals at home, Atlanta goes on the road to Lambeau Field to square off against Mr. Discount Double Check and the Packers. Worrilow's task this week: stopping the run and applying pressure on Rodgers. While Worrilow may not be a source of PDs or STFs, he is a virtual lock for double-digit tackles. Hopefully, he can create his 3rd forced fumble of 2014. Kerrigan, a sleeper of mine coming into this season, has had a solid season with 9.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles, and he should continue to emerge this week against the Rams. The Rams allowed Austin Davis to be sacked 29 times before Shaun Hill took over. Now, the less mobile Hill will be a sitting duck for Kerrigan and Co to dominate.
Winner: Ryan Kerrigan. I want my Falcon to win, but he has too tough a matchup against Rodgers, and while he'll produce he won't win his matchup this week with Kerrigan.
Justin Smith vs. Geno Atkins- The 49ers couldn't be more rejoiced than to meet the Raiders this week as they need a (hopefully) cupcake matchup to get back on track. Justin Smith, has been a disappointment this season, considering his usual production in the past. If Smith can't get back on track against Derek Carr, then cut ties with him after this week. Expect a sack and a few tackles from Smith. Atkins, like fellow teammate will look to make life hell for Big Ben in efforts to slow down the white-hot Ben-Brown connection, which leads the league in receiving yards this season for 1,258 yards. Atkins has been hit-miss this season as is the case for most DTs, but given the offensive line of the Steelers, there's hope for a few counting stats.
Winner: Atkins. I simply cannot trust Smith right now, and envision a bloodbath in Cincy this season as the Bengals and Steelers will be in one another's faces and necks all game long. Atkins is a sleeper for double-digit fantasy points this week at DT.
Championship: Kerrigan vs. Atkins- Kerrigan. As good as the Rams defense looked last week in a shutout effort against the Raiders, Kerrigan will shutdown Hill this week, keeping him on the run.
Russian Roulette
Cameron Heyward vs. Charles Johnson- If you are looking for a boom/bust play this week at DE, look at Heyward. Rivalry games have a weird way of awakening "down" players, and Heyward definitely fits that label this season. A popular pick to finish in the top 10 DEs for fantasy this season, Heyward has a mere 4 sacks and 6 stuffs this season. With Andy Dalton's struggles this season, don't be surprised to Heyward go off against the Steelers rivals this weekend in Cincy. There's a theme of multiple players from one team this week, but that's because there are a ton of key games this week that could determine the playoffs, especially in a weak NFC South. True, the Panthers defense has been bad this season (17th), especially in the but Johnson has been a consistent defender, producing 6 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Pressure will be key in slowing Brees this week, but regardless, Johnson will produce as he's been the most consistent defensive lineman on a regressed Panthers defense this season. (Photo courtesy of newsobserver.com)
Winner: Heyward. Blood is already hot in both the Steelers and Bengals veins and Heyward is going to dominate Dalton this week. Give me 2 sacks from him all day long. Johnson might be the safer play, but safe is for those who settle as opposed to going for the gold in crunch time.
As Championship week in college football is gearing up, I want to say what a disappointment Arizona's showing against Oregon on Friday night was. They looked lost on offense, and Oregon ran whatever they wanted. The highlights of tomorrow are Bama-Mizzou, GT-FSU, and Wisconsin-Ohio State. AFter tomorrow, I have Alabama, Oregon, FSU, and Baylor as the 4 teams in the playoffs. I'd love to see FSU lose though, as I think it'd be interesting if we had both Ohio State and Baylor/TCU in the Playoff. Leave your predictions or comments on my player picks this week as well, as I love a nice discussion/debate.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________(Click the blue link below to listen live or recorded after the show) Major League Fantasy Sports Radio: Join Ej Garr and Corey D Roberts on Sunday December 8th from 11am-12pm EST for this week's episode of Major League Fantasy Sports Radio sponsored by the Sports Palooza Radio Network. Call in live to ask line up questions at 646.915.8596
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@brandonziman Love it Brandon


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PINE HILL, N.J. (WPVI) -- A brush fire prompted the evacuation of some homes in Pine Hill, Camden County.
The fire was reported before 3 p.m. Wednesday in a wooded area near South Club and Cranford roads.
Officials say the homes were evacuated as a precaution.
No injuries have been reported.
Motorists are urged to avoid the area.
Brush fire prompts evacuations in Pine Hill, NJ
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text:
I found a tip from techawakening.org about how to forward multiple gmail messages. It requires making a copy of their Google Spreadsheet onto my account. I wanna make sure that they don't have some kind of spyware embedded in that file.
Also their solution only works for your 50 most recent messages. Anyone has a better solution for older emails?
Here it is:
How to Forward Multiple Emails at Once in Gmail using Google Docs


text:
Hotel Grano De Oro
Calle 30, Av 2, San José Province, San José, Costa Rica
| +506 2255 3322
A Day with the Animals of Costa RicaFor this nature lover, a month in Costa Rica wasn't enough; less than a year later, I found myself back in the country that surprised me in the best of ways.
Unlike my previous trip, I decided to leave the logistics to Costa Rican Vacations. They specialize in organizing really customized Costa Rica family vacations along with detailed itineraries for solo travelers like myself. From start to finish, everything ran smoothly, and I felt really supported by their team who checked in on me a few times that week.
As a frequent traveler, I'm usually the one organizing my trips. It's definitely enjoyable at times—I like researching boutique hotels I might like to stay at and top ranked restaurants—but at the end of the day, I'm not a local and I don't have the advantage of knowing the place inside and out. So, with Costa Rican Vacations, they relied on their local experts to plan a trip that I'd love...and I really did.
My first night in Costa Rica was in San Jose, and I checked into a room at the Grano de Oro Hotel. Despite a fairly short 4.5 hour flight, I was really exhausted and appreciated that I had a night to settle in and be energized in the morning. I dined at their French restaurant that overlooks a beautiful courtyard in the middle of the hotel.
I learned that the hotel was once the Victorian home of the Pozuelo family, and dates back to the 20th century. While luxurious, it felt like I was in someone's fancy home rather than a hotel, and I really liked this aspect of the property. That and my room had a beautiful enclosed outdoor patio, complete with a fountain and lush greenery.
The next morning Costa Rican Vacations planned an adventure-filled day for me. Our first visit was to Corso Lecheria, a dairy farm housing cows, chickens and even bunnies. I learned the art of milking a cow and realized it's tougher than it looked. My favorite part was spending a few moments with the bunnies. Corso Lecheria found out that they were going to be killed, so bought them so that they could live freely on the farm. Before leaving, I sampled some of their freshly made cheeses and paired them with strawberries off the vine.
Our next stop was La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Within the park there are thousands of animals, from rare and exotic birds to monkeys, lions and frogs. Coming from the farm, La Paz was much more crowded but still offered a unique experienced. The majority of animals you find here were rescued and deemed unable to survive in the wild. They seem to be taken care of very well.
By the end of the day, my heart was so full. Being around animals can be so healing and as a city slicker, I don't always spend as much time connecting with nature as I should. This trip proved to me that animals are a type of therapy and an avenue to healing.


text: Bozo criminal for today comes from Savannah, Georgia, where bozo Brandon Roper was walking through a parking lot checking door handles looking for an unlocked car. He made two major mistakes. Number one, for reasons known only to the bozo mind, the cars he was checking were marked police patrol cars. Number two, he asked a couple of passersby to play "lookout" for him. Unfortunately, those innocent passersby weren't so innocent. They were undercover police officers. He's busted!


text:
Life monitoring
Home Care
Cautery Accessories
Medical Accessories
You are here:
> Oximeter
Product Name:PC-60D2
Brief Description
●It is light, small in size and easy to carry;
●Accurately measures SpO2 value and Pulse Rate value;
●True color OLED display of SpO2, PR, Pulse Bar, PI & Plethysmogram;
●Multi-direction display, various display modes (Innovative 4 direction display);
●Automatic start measuring after putting finger into rubber cushions;
●Power off automatically without signal for about 8 seconds;
●More than 30hours continuous working time with 2 AAA alkaline batteries ;
●Audible & visible alarm function;;
●Low battery voltage indication
Main Technical Parameters
A. Display mode:
OLCD Display
B. Power supply requirement:
1.5V (AAA size) alkaline battery × 2
Supply voltage: 3VDC
Operating current: ≤50mA
C. Environment requirement
Operating Temperature: 5°C ~40°C
Operating Humidity: 30%~80%
Atmospheric pressure: 70kPa~106kPa
D. SpO2 Parameter Specifications
Transducer: Dual-wavelength LED sensor
Measuring range: 35%~99%
Accuracy: ±2% (during 75%~99%)
±3% (during 70%~75%)
SpO2 alarm: Lower limit: 90%
E. Pulse Rate Parameter Specifications
Measuring range: 30bpm~240bpm
Accuracy: ±2bpm or ±2% (which ever is greater)
Pulse Rate alarm:
Upper limit: 120bpm
Lower limit: 50bpm
F. Perfusion Index Display
Range: 0%~20%
G. The performance under low perfusion condition
The accurancy of SpO2 and PR measurement still meet the precision described above when the modulation amplitude is as low as 0.6%
H. Resistance to interference of surrounding light:
The difference between the SpO2 value measured in the condition of indoor natural light and that of darkroom is less than ±1%.
I. Resistance to 50Hz / 60Hz interference:
SpO2 and Pulse Rate are precise which are tested by BIO-TEK pulse oximeter simulator.
J. Dimensions.
66 mm (L) × 36 mm (W) × 33 mm (H)
Net Weight: 60g (including batteries)
K. Classification
The type of protection against electric shock:
Internally powered equipment
The degree of protection against electric shock:
Type BF applied part.
The degree of protection against harmful ingress of liquids:
Ordinary equipment without protection against ingress of water.
Electro-Magnetic Compatibility:
Group I, Class B
Copyright © 2005-2010 VIEWALL INDUSTRY CO.,LTD. All Rights Reserved 粤ICP备08012248号


text:
ARTC's scheduled rail maintenance shutdown on Hunter Valley network involving 1000 workers tackling 122 jobs
THE Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will undertake scheduled maintenance and enhancement work on the Hunter Valley network next week.
The project is scheduled to take place over three days.
ARTC group executive for the Hunter Valley network Jonathan Vandervoort said the maintenance program involved about a 1000 workers tackling 122 jobs to help deliver service reliability.
"The work will take place from the port at Kooragang and along the rail corridor to Narrabri, as well as the Ulan line west from Muswellbrook," he explained.
"Similar to other recent maintenance programs, a scheduled 62-hour shutdown is required to allow us to access the track for maintenance and upgrades that cannot be done safely when trains are running.
"The work will start at 6.30am on Tuesday, May 21, and is expected to be completed about 8.30pm on Thursday, May 23."
Motorists in Denman should note that detours will be in place due to the closure of Rosemount Road level crossing on the Ulan line during the three-day maintenance period.
"With upgrades occurring at the level crossing, including improvements to the road approaches and line-marking, road users will need to follow the signage and traffic controllers for detours," Mr Vandervoort said.
"We apologise for the inconvenience and as always we appreciate the patience and cooperation of motorists, commuters and customers right across the maintenance program.
"We also ask people in communities close to the rail corridor to be cautious during the shutdown period and keep an eye out for increased vehicle movements in and out of work sites."
Other works along the network include ballast cleaning, re-railing and track reconditioning.
Enhancements to signalling systems will occur on the Bengalla to Mangoola section on the Ulan line and on the Werris Creek to Burilda section on the main north line, providing increased availability of the network on those lines.
With the shutdown affecting Hunter Valley train services, alternative bus services will be provided, and details and schedules can be found at the Transport for NSW website.


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Cleaning services Havering-atte-Bower RM4
Havering-atte-Bower is a village and outlying settlement of the London Borough of Havering, located 15 miles northeast of Charing Cross and close to the Greater London boundary.
Are you searching for cleaning services? Look no further, we are the professional cleaning company for you! All members of staff have been trained and are fully insured. They are willing and able to take instructions or follow a task list for your home cleaning needs. No job is too big or too dirty to tackle. We can send you individuals or a team of cleaners to blitz your surroundings for a fresher, healthier environment. A healthy, clean home or work environment is important and also makes a great impression when receiving guests. Why not contact our office to discuss your options and our competitive rates or current promotions.


text: The Christmas season is upon us and it can be a wonderful celebration of family and friends. For those in separated and/or blended families it may not be quite the joyous experience you dream of as it may come with the stress and tension of juggling family time with others. To help negotiate … [Read more...]


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There are moments when life becomes a movie, a flimsy celluloid veil which – if only pushed aside – could reveal the actual. It is as if the human psyche throws up a translucent scarf as it retreats to a safer haven – attempting perhaps to delude itself that the phantasmagoric is only the surreal.
A filter of this sort descended over Daniel as the bus stopped at the Nazareth municipal stadium, not far from the new government compound. Tires crackling on gravel, the bus turned into the parking area, and it was like when the ophthalmologist clicks the wrong lens in place – the letters on the chart go just blurry enough to become unidentifiable, but still clear enough to be recognizable as letters.
Their rooftop perch afforded David and Daniel a view of the scene in the soccer stadium. There, the Jizya officials had set up a stage at one end, and marked out two paths in lime from the parking-lot gate to the stage.
Recognizing individual aspects of the scene, yet still unsure of their holistic meaning, Daniel's eyes found and focused on the first item they could identify. It was to remain the defining image of the entire experience. Industrious municipal employees, lacking plastic garbage bags to serve the refuse needs of the substantial crowd in the stadium, had diligently created an environmentally-friendly, reusable alternative. From simple steel frames located every several meters around the stadium hung grease-stained cloth trash bags, hastily fashioned from sewn Israeli flags.
The Jizya had been fixed at PD 2000 for this first collection, around US $500 at current exchange rates, and was to be payable in any currency, including the now-defunct Israeli Shekel.
For Safuriya residents, the early-morning bus-stop meeting took place on less than a day's notice, following receipt of notes in Arabic deposited in the mailboxes of all residents the evening before. A thoughtful local Arabic-speaking resident had quickly posted a Hebrew version of the order by the mailboxes, which sent Daniel and the other Dhimmi residents scrabbling to gather or borrow enough cash to meet the household tax. According to the notice, a Dhimmi bus would arrive at 6:00am to transport the male taxpayers. Attendance was, of course, unquestionably and unpardonably mandatory.
Clambering down from the bus rooftop, Daniel and David found themselves in a sea of Dhimmis, and were quickly separated in the throng of kippah-wearing religious Jews, white-capped Druze elders, and Christians or secular Jews who wore nothing definitive except their fear. Music was blaring festively from the stadium's tinny loudspeaker system, and the giant TV screen on the scoreboard was alternating between white-on-green Arabic text, video of children making the "V" sign climbing on burnt-out Israeli tanks, and live action shots of the Dhimmis themselves, thronging in the parking lot.
The Muslim crowd had taken advantage of the government-declared holiday and turned out en masse to witness the spectacle. Daniel could see the crowd from his position in the mass of Dhimmis – these people who had been nothing to him previously, and with whom he now shared a common, uncertain fate. How ironic that the people in the stands, many of whom he undoubtedly also knew, had meant equally little to him in pre-Fall Israel. For now, they held the power over his life, or were at least part of the power that controlled his life. Had he once held such power? If held, had he abused it, and would he have come when bidden to gloat in their misery, even that of former enemies?
The Dhimmis shuffled forward toward the crowded stadium, where the Jizya collection had already begun. Pushed and herded by heavily-armed Hamas guards into a chain-link chute, which had been erected outside the gate, they awaited their turn to approach the Hamas official on the stage.
Despite a fundamental disregard for international convention, a tight communications and media blackout, and the Western powers' profound silence and inaction in the face of the events leading up to the Fall – the Nazareth-based Hamas government was not entirely inept at public relations.
Objectively, Daniel had to admit that they had initially implemented the anachronistic practices of the Dhimma – fundamentally unjust and warped as they were – in an intelligent way. As CNN looked on, Dhimmis had been mandated to pay the Jizya (at a yet-unspecified time and place), to maintain separate residences from Muslims, to study in separate schools, to limit public religious displays, and to carry their blue Israeli ID cards as a temporary Dhimmi identification.
Some of these requirements differed little from de facto practices in the former Jewish state, where segregation had existed, albeit undeclared. It was easy, therefore, for both the world media and the local Dhimmi populace to accept the changes – the former because the regulations so closely resembled past practice, and the latter out of pure gratitude for not suffering the outright slaughter that many of their ranks had met during the Terror.
It was only with the second round of Dhimmi legislation – passed quietly in January, without media fanfare, and slated for gradual implementation – that the true nature of the Northern Liberated Palestine Dhimmi system was revealed.
From the beginning of February, all adult and child Dhimmis would be required to wear the orange Dhimmi armband. Separate public transportation was mandated, as were strict rules of conduct in Muslim-Dhimmi interaction – notably forbidding Christian and Jewish Dhimmis from operating motor vehicles on Muslim roads, forbidding interaction of Dhimmis with Muslims except in necessary business matters, delineating Dhimmi behavior upon meeting a Muslim, and setting up the first annual Jizya collection.
To assuage the international media's occasional scrutiny, and the occasional Red Cross outcry, the Hamas government spun the new regulations as part of its magnanimous campaign to protect the minorities that had fallen under its care. The armbands – to assist security forces in differentiating law-abiding citizens from insurgents. Segregation – partially a natural result of wartime emigration and population movement, and partly to alleviate sectarian frictions. It all made perfect sense, given the mitigating circumstances and recent upheaval. Curiosity appeased, passing pangs of guilt eased, the world moved on to the next human-interest story.
As the bizarre and terrifying scene before him resolved itself in Daniel's reeling mind, it became clear that the Hamas government was making the most of the Jizya collection. Traditionally, collection of the Jizya had both financial and symbolic significance. On one hand, collection of the Jizya was a serious boon to Muslim economies; on the other hand, it was a very public affirmation of the Dhimmis' state of absolute subjection – saghir.
As each Dhimmi arrived from the crowded chute to the stadium gate, two guards, one on either side, forced him to his knees at the origin of the lime-delineated path. Daniel had the sinking rollercoaster feeling he always felt when entering a situation utterly lacking control – an operating room, a dentist's chair, the army induction center, a trans-Atlantic flight. He was pressed forward by the crowd, which was being herded – yes, herded was the right word, Daniel thought – like sheep by whip-wielding Hamas soldiers, and then kicked or prodded in the direction of the stage.
Daniel watched the line of Dhimmis on the field waddle forward slowly, clumsily – like a wounded worm writhing earthward, away from a marauding child. Every now and then, a roar went up from the crowd as a Dhimmi tripped or fell, often causing a domino effect that knocked down several meters of the line, or when the Hamas official on the stage delivered a particularly resounding blow with his cane.
Arriving at the stage, still on painful knees, each Dhimmi was forced to kiss the holy Koran held out to him. Each then handed over ID card and the tax, and – following a careful counting and rubber stamping of the ID card – received either a blow to the back of the neck or a kick in the buttocks, depending on the whim of the Hamas soldier. Due to the large number of Dhimmis, several officials, and a small group of soldiers, were working on processing the arrivals.
Daniel was swept forward, rollercoaster feeling supplanted by something more removed, yet more ominous in its distance. As he watched, a young man – perhaps 25 – arrived on his knees at the stage. Ignoring the threats, shouts, and blows from the Hamas guards, and the pleading from the other Dhimmis – he defiantly rose to his feet. The crowd fell silent almost immediately, anticipating. Staring directly at the officials on the stage, and then looking around to ensure the eyes of the crowd were upon him, the man ripped off the orange armband, and then turned and spit luridly onto the Koran which had been waiting, extended, for him to kiss.
Absolute silence. After several seconds of collective shock, the crowd, soldiers, and Hamas officials broke the silence simultaneously with a roar that filled the air like a flock of birds scared off a smooth African lake by a predator – voices beating the air, arms flapping like wings, as if struggling to break gravity's stifling hold over their outrage.
They took him to the side of the field, within full view of the crowd, and beheaded him without ceremony. At the Hamas official's bidding, soldiers crossed from both sides of the field, closing in on the line of Dhimmis. An officer came forward, and counted off the next twenty Dhimmis in line. Marching them to the sidelines, the soldiers lined them up, backs to the line. Bearing a still-dripping bloody sword, the executioner and his assistant, who held the heads, worked their way down the line. The sword bearer was visibly panting from exertion and covered in gore by the fourth or fifth head, but persevered to the end of the twenty. While this was going on, the crowd remained respectfully, perhaps fearfully, silent.
The line began to move forward again. An hour had gone by since Daniel had arrived. Another thirty minutes passed. The guards became bored, the blows became more and more theatrical – growing in crowd-pleasing and humiliation value, if not in pain infliction. Still the Dhimmis kept moving forward to the stage, then shuffling back slowly, still on their knees, to the gate. After that, they were free to go.
Daniel had grown up in a culture that veiled its underlying distaste for Jews, cloaking it in guises ranging from curiosity to disinterest. Having survived the Fall, the Terror, and the following months in the ranks of the Resistance eating stringy wild Carmel boar – hardship, suffering, and fear were no longer strangers to him.
However, as he eased forward with dew-damp grass soaking his gravel-racked knees, he saw the hard eyes of the guards tracking their progress with the aloof bemusement of schoolchildren watching a line of ants. He saw the line of still twitching orange-armbanded bodies to his right. And he saw in the spectators' eyes not silent outrage, not indignity, not pity, and not even mild surprise at the extremity of the abasement – but rather, pure, undeniable Schadenfreude. As he approached the stage, bent his head to kiss the Koran, and handed over his money, Daniel realized that fear has an older brother – one who, in the absence of mitigating motherly hope, is far more powerful in the family of emotions. As he felt the stinging slap of the soldier's hand on his cheek, he met, and truly came to know, despair.
I am a professional writer and an Israeli. I am also a full-time cook, cleaner, chauffeur, and work-at-home Dad for three amazing young children, and the lucky husband of a loving and very supportive wife. Born in Texas in 1967 and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I emigrated to Israel only months before the first Gulf War, following my graduation from Indiana University in 1990. In 1996, I was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces, where I served for 12 years as a Reserves Combat Medic. Since 2002, I've worked as an independent marketing writer, copywriter and consultant.
Copyright ©2012. Steven Greenberg. All rights reserved. This work is avaialble in digital form on Amazon.com. This excerpt is republished here with the author's permission.


text: One day I will post an AMV that isn't edited by Ileia! But for now, enjoy this simply but thoroughly awesome Evangelion AMV! it uses stunning footage from the new footage to a really badass instrumental electronic track. The timing and cuts are all so natural – this AMV has great flow.


text:
Mon, 23 November 2015
Elder abuse is a crime that can go unnoticed if unchecked. It affects one of the most vulnerable populations, by making seniors victims of financial, physical, and often sexual abuse. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon puts a spotlight on elder abuse, and steps that can be taken to deter it.
We first travel to a Citymeals-on-Wheels elder abuse awareness training. Volunteers are being trained to recognize signs of abuse, what questions to ask, and what to do if abuse is suspected.
Dr. Patricia Brownell discusses the abuse older women suffer internationally. Dr. Tina Maschi, an associate professor at Fordham's Graduate School of Social Service discusses similar abuse in prisons. Maschi is also Executive Director of the "Be the Evidence Project."
Direct download: FC151129.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:18am EDT