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Social Skills Groups
ADHD, ASD & Anxiety Social Skills Groups | Counseling & Therapy Services in Orlando, Winter Park, Clermont, East Orlando & Lake Mary Florida FL
Orlando Social Skills Groups – ADHD, ADD, ASD or Social Anxiety Day Camp Builds Kids, Teens, College, and Young Adults Leadership Groups and Social Skills – These Social Skills Groups are for elementary, middle, high school, college and young adults that may have social skills issues with their peer group or lack assertion confidence.
Orlando ADHD/ASD Social Skills Camps & Groups
How to Respond to Teasing | Roll With It
ASD ADHD Social Skills Summer Camp
High Functioning ASD Social Skills Camp
Social Skills Program Overview
Who Should Attend?
- Most average to high functioning students or young adults with the 15 social delays listed below
- ADHD or ADD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) – Most are behind 25% socially and emotionally.
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder formerly Aspergers or High Functioning Autism.
- Social Phobia or Social Anxiety – Lack assertion – Never call their peers and just wait for peers to call.
- Bullied or have trouble responding to teasing and may overreact or isolate.
- Low self esteem or self confidence and isolate themselves from their peers
- Think they have friends, but does not do anything with them outside of school.
- Play with kids older or younger, but have trouble with peers their age (same age peers).
- Depression or Anxiety and have trouble engaging in conversation with their peers.
- Do not have friends calling to do things or spend the night.
- Not invited to birthday parties.
Still not sure if social skills groups are for your child? Review 15 Symptoms or Tips to Identify Social Concerns
What should I expect?
- Pizza the first group of the month!
- First 30 minutes of group students earn points for appropriate conversation and making their peers feel like a million bucks with encouragement and saying their name. We redirect their conversation when appropriate. We prompt quiet students to interject when they hear someone likes the same activity. "I like soccer too." "I like to write also!"
- The group is always open to new members which helps new members learn how to meet new students, say their name (because people love to hear their name), and look for connections!
- Learn how to start and continuing conversations.
- Learn to reciprocate – "How was your weekend Billy?" Response: "Great Steven, how was your weekend?"
- Roll with Teasing to help fly under the bullies radar and show confidence – "Your an idiot!" Response: "That's the Best thing I've heard all day!"
- We have 15 minutes to play outside or play a game inside! Often the high school and college students would rather just want to talk the entire hour instead of playing games.
- Last 15 minutes parents come into the group and the students receive points toward chocolates for telling you what they learned. We know when parents are not in the loop and they ask their kids what did they learn or do they always say "Nothing" "I don't know." So we want you to be sure you know they are learning and benefiting in the group.
- We encourage parents and group members to get each other's phone numbers to set up outings outside the group. This build social confidence and self esteem while they are in the group and sometimes well after they have graduated from the group.
- Laser Tag – Once a month all the groups meet together and we play laser tag in our age group! There is 2 purposes:
- Simulate a Play Date or Peer Outing
- Learn to work as a team – Many kids who struggle socially either do not want to work in a team or do not have the skills to play sports! So laser tag may be a rare opportunity for them to experience what it is like to work in a team and to communicate to each other! "Ok you cover the right, we have the left." "Guys I need your help, they are coming on the right!"
- Testimonial – "It felt so good to compete in a team and be live in person and not on video games with people I have never met!" "To know someone had my back and I had there's felt so good!" Mike – 18 years old.
Orlando and Winter Park Social Skills Groups
TLC offers several child and adolescent social skills groups in Orlando and Winter Park covering leadership skills, social skills, anger management, dealing with provocation, support and coping skills. Additional, groups are offered as well and are listed below.
Weekly Social Leadership Skills Groups
- Elementary School Students (1st-3rd grade): Mondays at 6pm
- Middle School Students (4th-7th grade): Tuesdays at 6pm
- High School Students (8th-12th grade): Thursdays at 6pm
3 Key Benefits:
- Meeting others struggling with the same concerns provides reassurances that we are not the only one in our situation.
- Group members often help others and show true empathy to your situation.
- Make new friends that understand and provide support
Call For a Complimentary 15 Minute Phone Consultation
If you know of students or families that would benefit from these services or would like to set up a screening for the group or consultation with James West, MA, LMHC, NCC please call us at Total Life Counseling Center:
"It felt so good to compete in a team and be live in person and not on video games with people I have never met! To know someone had my back and I had there's felt so good!"" Mike – 18 years old
What To Look For
15 Symptoms or Tips to Identify Social Concerns
If you can answer yes to two or more of these items about your child, he or she may benefit from learning skills that will help him or her to connect better with peers, and to more confident and prepared for the real world. Here are a few symptoms to look for:
- Doesn't recognize non-verbal cues – Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NLD)
- Gets in peers personal space
- Annoys to get attention because they do not know how to get it another way
- Low self confidence
- Poor eye contact
- Only interested in themselves rather than taking an interest in their peers
- Talks too much
- Lacks assertion
- Impulsive or blurts out responses
- Tries too hard to make friends laugh – thinks humor will make them friends
- Reacts to teasing and does not know how to roll with conflict
- Has a need for justice and fairness and judges peers
- Isolates or withdraws from peers
- Always wants to be first or wants to play what they want
- Kids do not call for play dates or to hang out!
Adventure & Growth Await
Ready to Close the Social Gap? Call us NOW to answer any Questions
Student Leadership Social Skills Camps
We also have Student Leadership Social Skills Camps which is a fun SaturDay Camp, or Overnight Summer or Winter Camp that helps build leadership, learning and life skills in kids and teens! This adventure camp for students in the Orlando area is for students that may have social skills issues with their peer group and/or lack assertiveness and self-confidence. This camp takes place at the YMCA Camp Wewa ropes course with a climbing wall and zip line.
Leadership Article
Have you ever seen a Leader without Followers?
New Leadership Social Skills Groups, Camps & Services in Orlando & Winter Park.
"I was first!" "You are doing it wrong!" "I want to go next!" "Can I be first!" These are a few statements from students that most likely exhibit leadership skills. They are often told to go to the end of the line, or given a consequence for telling someone what to do, but maybe they needsomeone to tell them "what to do." Silly to think of someone that calls themselves a leader, but have yet have no followers. However, there are future leaders around us that need to learn how to find followers to influence, but they just need some direction. We might call them "Bossy" but they are really leaders that need some tweaking. Some might say they are "Caretakers", but really they want to Help others but not sure what is the right way. We might have "Gossipers" or they are just future Communicators that need to learn the how to communicate more positively.
Consider how a student views leadership. Basically, they see leaders (parents, teachers, principal, police) as anyone that "tells them what to do (bosses them)." So when they start to assert their leadership skills they start telling their friends what to do and tell them how to do things and therefore they are called "Bossy." Big surprise! So instead of calling these kids "Bossy" maybe we could give them suggestions on how to lead, affirm, compliment, build others up, brag on other's rather than themselves, take an interest in someone's life or passions, offer help to someone, share an idea, etc.
According to Dr. Russell Barkley, MD, students with ADHD or ADD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder) as well as students with aspergers are often 25-30% behind socially and emotionally. Students like these may not have ADHD and need help with boundaries, assertion, impulse control, coping skills, starting conversations, greeting, etc., to help close the gap.
The premise of our Leadership Groups is to teach students leadership. Once they know how to lead and do some of the above listed items, they will in turn make their peers feel good to be around them and gain their influence. Once they have influence they have "friends" and can call themselves a leader. Students are taught how to roll with teasing with comical statements that do not provoke their peer.
Our groups incorporate:
- A point system to keep them engaged an reward appropriate responses
- Games | We play tag to see how they handle competition, fairness, cheating, losing or if they play too hard or do other things they may do to stand out.
- Parent involvement | Are you tired of asking your kids what they learned after school or an education function and they say "I don't know" or "nothing!" At our groups parents come in to the last 15 minutes of the session and the students earn more points for telling them what they learned!
- Experiential learning which include games used at ropes courses to improve communication, teamwork, and help students connect with their peers.
- Group Laser Tag monthly to simulate an outing with friends and to also help them see the benefits of working together in a team!
- "Trust" is the glue in relationships and everything we do with our peers either builds trust or breaks trust. Students are encouraged to Re-Build Trust with a peer in our groups by doing something nice (by giving them a point) in an effort to repair the trust. Our groups have been very effective and Channel 13 did a story on one of our students who reported having no friends to having friends as a result of our services.
Call For a Complimentary 15 Minute Phone Consultation
If you know of students or families that would benefit from these services or would like to set up a screening for the group or consultation with James West, MA, LMHC, NCC please call us at Total Life Counseling Center:
Is your Child Struggling with Social Skills?
It's Time to Stress Less!
Get Started Now with a Home Social Skills Program with flyers and games Jim West uses in his social skills groups and camps.
A Few Kind Words From Satisfied Clients
"I just wanted to shoot you an email to thank you for your help with our daughter. I can't tell you how perfect these Monday evening sessions are. They address the EXACT problems she is currently having at school. She loves coming to see you and the boys in her group. I am sorry for all the interrupting she does. I am grateful for how kindly and respectfully you handle it–it teaches me how to do the same. I have been spreading the word about the TLC center. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Susanna Chyu was very intrigued."
"Thomas is doing awesome! You would be so amazed to see God's work in progress. Thank you for . . your leadership camp have changed Tommy's life."
"We were so thankful to Total Life Counseling. Over the past five years, we had seen five other counselors/psychologists with our son, but in the last 1 1/2 years our son gained skills to cope. The ADHD/Social Skills group helped our son realize that he was not alone. The parenting skills group helped us know how to anticipate problems and equipped us to handle them. Thank you Jim and Total Life Counseling – you are an answer to prayer."
Tim & Janet
"Jim really speaks to the children where they are. You might expect a child to feel negatively singled out when they attend special group sessions. However, in this case, the singling out is positive. My child looks forward to attending the group and is seriously disappointed when a session has to be missed."
Call For a Complimentary 15 Minute Phone Consultation
We take the guesswork out of finding the right counselor. Our counselors are subject matter specialists and we link you to the therapist that best fits your concerns. Get started today with a complimentary 15 minute consult:


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The Asia Pacific region has recently emerged as the powerhouse of global economic growth and social change. Its geographical expanse, cultural diversity and wide spectrum of developmental needs present extraordinary challenges for civil society and philanthropic organizations that design and execute community programs.
From our regional hub in Hong Kong, United Way Worldwide supports the work of UWW's network partners in ten Asia-Pacific countries by providing training, capacity building, fund raising support and knowledge exchange platform for our partners in Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea.
Since 2005, UWW has also provided funding support via IDAG (International Donor Advised Giving) to over 560 NGOs in 10 additional countries in the region, including Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Your generous support to UWW Asia will enable us to further the reach and impact of our capacity building efforts as we develop new regional partnerships and expand our physical presence in Asia Pacific. We believe that a strong third sector in this region will help UWW advance our goal of making health, education and financial stability available to every person in every community.

subset: commoncrawl


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Provided by the LCSO
The following arrests were reported by the Lenoir County Sheriff's Office. Some classifications (misdemeanor/felony) not listed:
Timothy Craig Croom, 17, 435 Noland St., Kinston, Oct. 25, equipment/paraphernalia/possessing/concealing. Bond: None. Arresting officer: C. Heath.
Michael Scott Smith, 37, 2615 Mark N. Smith Road, Deep Run, Oct. 25, possession with intent to sell/deliver cocaine, maintain vehicle/dwelling/place for controlled substances, habitual felon. Bond: $10,000. Arresting officer: D. Curington.
Edron Demarko Finch, 41, 20 Brook Drive, Kinston, Oct. 26, trespassing, probation violation, driving while license revoked. Bond: $1,000. Arresting officer: D. Curington.
Davian Jarrod Lewis, 26, 20 Brook Drive, Kinston, Oct. 26, trespassing. Bond: $1,000. Arresting officer: D. Curington.
Jared Spence Burton, 17, 5016 Neuse Road, Kinston, Oct. 30, possess spiritous liquor under age of 21. Bond: None. Arresting officer: M. Manning.
Francisco Michael Nieves, 23, 1247 Lloyd Rouse Road, Kinston, Oct. 30, order for arrest/child support, order for arrest/failure to appear/resisting public officer, warrant for arrest/communicating threats. Bond: $834.52. Arresting officer: C. Heath.
Audelia Sanchez Lopez, 27, address not listed, Albertson, Oct. 30, display fictitious tag/no insurance. Bond: None. Arresting officer: D. Kennedy.


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N.J. man identified in National Mall fire suicide
A man who died after setting himself on fire on the National Mall in Washington has been identified as John Constantino, 64, of Mount Laurel, N.J.
Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police released the name in a statement Monday evening and asked anyone with information about the case to call the department.
Officers and emergency personnel responding to a call last Friday at 4:24 p.m. found a man at the intersection of Seventh Street and Madison Drive suffering burns throughout his body. The man was transported by helicopter in critical condition to MedStar Washington Hospital Center where he later was declared dead.
STORY: Witnesses: Man sets self on fire on National Mall
MORE: Man who set himself on fire in D.C. dies
Authorities and witnesses said they believed he had poured gasoline from a container onto himself before igniting a fire.
"It is now apparent that he set himself on fire,'' the police statement said.
Public records show a man by that name owns a home on Sandhurst Drive in Mount Laurel. Phone calls to the number registered for that address were not answered.
Police said at the time of the incident that they were investigating possible motives. They asked that anyone with information about the incident to call them at 202-727-9099, and anonymous information may be submitted to the department by text-messaging 50411.


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Updated: November 4, 2004
Manik Saha, New Age
Saha, a veteran journalist and press freedom activist, was targeted
and killed in a bomb attack in the southwestern city of Khulna.
Saha, a correspondent with the daily New Age and a contributor
to the BBC's Bengali-language service, was on his way home from the Khulna
Press Club by rickshaw when unidentified assailants stopped his vehicle
and threw a bomb at Saha's head, according to local journalists. The bomb
detonated, and decapitated the 45-year-old, killing him instantly, according
to The Associated Press. The assailants fled the scene.
Police have launched an investigation into the murder and suspect that
members of the region's outlawed Maoist guerrilla groups may be responsible
for the attack, according to the online edition of The New Nation
newspaper. On the day of Saha's murder, an underground leftist group,
Janajuddha (People's War), a faction of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party,
claimed responsibility for the killing in letters faxed to local news
organizations. More than five months later, on June 20, police charged
12 people in connection with Saha's murder. But local journalists say
that those responsible for organizing the attack have not been arrested
and doubt that they will be brought to justice.
A former reporter with the daily Sangbad, Saha had 20 years of
journalism experience and was known for his bold reporting on the Khulna
region's criminal gangs, drug traffickers, and Maoist insurgents, said
local journalists. According to these sources, in recent days, Saha felt
that he was increasingly in danger of attack in reprisal for his reporting.
They said that he told colleagues that he had received several death threats
that he suspected may have come from criminal gangs.
Saha, who was active in Bangladesh's press freedom community, was the
former president of the Khulna Press Club and worked closely with the
Bangladesh Center for Development, Journalism and Communication, a local
press freedom group.
Police charged 13 alleged Maoists insurgents with Saha's murder in June,
although only four were in police custody. A trial began in September.
Two suspects, leaders of the Janajuddha faction, died in separate shootouts
with police in late August. Authorities also accused the two dead suspects,
Altaf Hossain and Imam Sarder, in the murder of Humayun Kabir, an editor
from Khulna who died in a violent attack in June, according to local news
Posted: February 2, 2004
Mizanur Rahman, Janakantha
Kalyan Banarjee, Prothom Alo
Suvash Chowdhury, Bhorer Kagoj
Ram Krishna, Jugantar
Shahin Goldar, Khabor Patra
Kazi Dulal, Gramer Kagoj
Abul Kalam, Purbanchal
Abdul Bari, Dinkal
M. Raju, Sangbad
The leader of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP), an outlawed Maoist
group, sent a threatening letter to the Satkhira Press Club, a city near
Khulna in southwestern Bangladesh. In the letter, PBCP leader Gaffar Tushar
threatened to kill nine local correspondents unless they stopped writing
about the murder of journalist Manik Saha, according to local journalists.
The journalists named in the letter were: Mizanur Rahman, of the daily
Janakantha; Kalyan Banarjee, of the daily Prothom Alo; Suvash
Chowdhury, of the daily Bhorer Kagoj; Ram Krishna, of the daily
Jugantar; Shahin Goldar, of the daily Khabor Patra; Kazi Dulal,
of the daily Gramer Kagoj; Abul Kalam, of the daily Purbanchal;
Abdul Bari, of the daily Dinkal; and M. Raju, of the daily Sangbad.
Saha, a veteran journalist and correspondent for the daily New Age,
was killed in a bomb attack in Khulna on January 15. In a letter faxed
to local newspapers in Khulna on January 16, Tusher claimed responsibility
for Saha's murder. In the days before the murder, Saha had received several
anonymous death threats, and he had reported on the PBCP's illegal activities.
In the January 22 letter to the Satkhira Press Club, Tusher threatened
to murder the nine journalists listed in a similar fashion. "Now guerrillas
of my party will kill you by throwing bombs at you in broad daylight,"
threatened the PBCP leader, according to local journalists.
All of the nine journalists are local reporters for national newspapers,
and they have all written about the criminal activities of the PBCP.
Posted: February 12, 2004
Zahangir Alam Akash, Dainik Sangbad
Samir Kumar Dey, Jugantor
Hasan Millat, Sonali Sangbad
Prashanta Saha, Upachar
Anisuzzaman Janakantha
Zabid Apu, Jugantor
Anwar Ali, The Daily Star
Anu Mustafa, Prothom Alo
Saidur Rahman, Bhorer Kagoj
Abu Saleh Fatteh, Channel I
Selim Jahangir, Janakantha
A letter containing death threats from Janajuddha (Peoples War),
a faction of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP), arrived at the
Metropolitan Press Club in the northwestern city of Rajshahi. The letter
threatened the following 11 journalists: Akash, staff reporter of the
daily Dainik Sangbad; Dey, local correspondent of the daily Jugantor;
Millat, editor of the local daily Sonali Sangbad; Saha, assistant
editor of the local daily Upachar; Anisuzzaman (who goes by one
name), staff correspondent of the national daily Janakantha; Apu,
photojournalist with the daily Jugantor; Ali, staff correspondent
with national English-language daily The Daily Star; Mustafa, local
correspondent with the daily Prothom Alo; Rahman, a local correspondent
for the daily Bhorer Kagoj; Fatteh, of private television Channel
I; and Jahangir, a photojournalist with Janakantha.
The letter called the journalists "associates of class enemies" because
of their reporting on the PBCP and threatened to kill them all by the
end of February by shooting, bombing, or hacking them to death, said local
news reports.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club General Secretary Hasan Millat filed
a complaint with local police, who posted officers at the press club,
according to The Daily Star.
According to news reports, in the letter, the PBCP Janajuddha faction
claimed responsibility for the January 15 murder of veteran journalist
Manik Saha, who was killed in the southwestern city of Khulna, which,
like Rajshahi, is located along the Indian border where outlawed groups,
such as PBCP, are reported to conduct criminal activities.
Saha, a correspondent for the daily New Age and a stringer for
the BBC, was murdered when unidentified assailants threw a homemade bomb
at him while he was riding home in a rickshaw. On January 16, a letter
signed by the leader of Janajuddha, Gaffar Tusher, was faxed to local
newspapers in Khulna claiming responsibility for Sahas murder. Saha had
recently received death threats and had reported on the PBCPs illegal
Journalists were outraged by Sahas brutal murder and staged protests
and strikes around the country calling for the apprehension of his killers.
On January 22, Tusher sent another letter to the press club in Satkhira,
a city near Khulna, threatening to murder nine other journalists in a
similar fashion. "Now guerrillas of my party will kill you by throwing
bombs at you in broad daylight," Tusher threatened, according to local
The nine journalists threatened in Satkhira were Mizanur Rahman, of the
daily Janakantha; Kalyan Banarjee, of the daily Prothom Alo;
Suvash Chowdhury, of the daily Bhorer Kagoj; Ram Krishna, of the
daily Jugantar; Shahin Goldar, of the daily Khabor Patra;
Kazi Dulal, of the daily Gramer Kagoj; Abul Kalam, of the daily
Purbanchal; Abdul Bari, of the daily Dinkal; and M. Raju, of
the daily Sangbad.
Posted: March 4, 2004
Firoz Chowdhury, Prothom Alo
Mainul Hossain Chowdhury, Ajker Kagoj
While covering a violent student demonstration at Dhaka University, Firoz
Chowdhury, the chief photographer of the popular Bangladesh-language daily
Prothom Alo, was attacked by activists with the ruling Bangladesh
Nationalist Party's student wing, the Jatiyatabi Chhatra Dhal (JCD). Police
beat Mainul Hossain Chowdhury (no relation), with the Bangladesh-language
daily Ajker Kagoj, even after he identified himself as a reporter.
The demonstration was sparked by the February 27 knife attack on Dhaka
University professor and writer Humayun Azad. According to local journalists,
the police used batons and tear gas to disperse the crowd, and JCD activists
attacked the student protesters.
When the activists noticed Firoz Chowdhury taking their photo, a group
of as many as 15 JCD members surrounded Chowdhury, attacking him, and
smashing his digital camera, Chowdhury told CPJ. Chowdhury was hospitalized
at Dhaka's Shamrita Hospital with wounds on his back, shoulders, and chest.
Mainul Hossain Chowdhury, who was beaten by police, received treatment
for a fractured leg and a head injury, according to local journalists.
Witnesses from the scene told CPJ that as many as six or seven other journalists
were wounded in the attack. According to the Dhaka-based Daily Star,
as many as 100 students were also injured in the attack.
In a meeting with Bangladesh's Home Minister, members of a CPJ delegation,
who are traveling in Bangladesh, raised concern about yesterday's attacks.
Local journalists told CPJ that they believe the police and JCD members
were deliberately targeting them.
Political tensions have increased in Bangladesh with the opposition Awami
League party calling four general strikes in the last 16 days and the
brutal attack on Professor Azad in February. Azad was knifed in the face
by unknown assailants apparently in retaliation for his fictionalized
writing about fundamentalism. He survived the attack but is still being
treated at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.
Posted: April 9, 2004
Golam Mortaza, Saptahik 2000
Mortaza, an investigative reporter with the weekly Bangla-language magazine
Saptahik 2000, received a package in the mail containing a funeral
shroud with a note that read, "The shroud is your reward for writing about
us," according to The Daily Star. Later that day, Mortaza received
an anonymous phone call repeating the death threat against him.
Mortaza's editor, Shahadat Chowdhury, told The Associated Press that Mortaza
had received several other anonymous death threats both on his cell phone
and on his office phone that week.
The journalist had recently written about religious fundamentalists, the
criminal underworld, and corrupt politicians, according to local press
The office of Mortaza's news magazine filed an official complaint with
police and requested protection for the journalist, according to The Associated
Posted: April 8, 2004
Delwar Hossain, Jugantor
Hossain, correspondent of the Bangla–language daily Jugantor,
was shot while in the capital, Dhaka, in the afternoon.
Hossain was in a store in central Dhaka when two unidentified men entered
and shot him, according to local news reports. There were conflicting
accounts about his wounds; some said he was shot in the head and back,
but the United News of Bangladesh wire service reported that he was shot
twice in the stomach. CPJ continues to investigate the incident.
After the attack, Hossain was taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital,
where he is recovering after surgery, according to local n news reports.
He spoke with reporters in the hospital yesterday and accused a local
criminal group of ordering the attack against him in retaliation for his
reporting about their illegal activities.
According to The Associated Press, police are currently investigating
the shooting. Local journalists held a demonstration on Monday, April
5, to protest the incident.
Posted: April 20, 2004
Shaheen Mollah, The Daily Star
Baki Billah, Sangbad
Mollah and Billah were attacked and beaten by a group of activists from
the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party's student wing, the Jatiyatabadi
Chhatra Dal (JCD), at a pharmacy near the Dhaka Medical College Hospital,
according to The Daily Star.
Earlier that day, two JCD members from Dhaka University went to the pharmacy,
took some medicine without paying, and threatened the pharmacy owner,
Moshiur Rahman Liton. After the JCD members left, Liton called Mollah
and Billah and told them what had happened. The two journalists came to
the pharmacy and were talking to Liton at around 2:30 p.m. when a group
of about 20 JCD members assaulted them and ransacked and looted the pharmacy.
Billah was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hospital in serious condition
with head, neck, and hand injuries. He fell into a coma on April 17 and
was transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Liton, who was
also admitted to DMCH, suffered head and neck injuries.
Local journalists groups protested the attack, demanding police action
against the assailants. Police have not yet made any arrests.
Posted: April 29, 2004
Sumi Khan, Weekly 2000
Khan was on her way home on the evening of April 27 when three unidentified
assailants in a rickshaw tried to forcibly take her with them, according
to Khan. As she struggled against her attackers, they cut her forehead,
mouth, and hands with a knife, and beat her arms and legs. Khan said that
while they were attacking her, the assailants shouted at her, "You have
gone too far. You are very daring, and you should not be."
Khan then lost consciousness. People on the street came to her defense,
but her assailants got away. Khan said that three policemen stood by while
the attack took place.
Locals took her to a hospital. Khan, who was sent home after receiving
stitches in her forehead, is still in great pain. Khan called police and
filed a complaint against the three men. Although police promised to come
to her to follow up with her on the investigation, no officers had arrived
two days later.
Chittagong is a city known for violent crime, kidnappings for ransom,
and extortion. Khan said that she has been receiving threats for months
because of her reporting on criminal figures.
In March, CPJ met Khan and other journalists from outside the capital
during a mission to Bangladesh. CPJ has documented dozens of similar attacks
on journalists in Bangladesh in retaliation for their reporting on crime
and corruption.
The Chittagong Union of Journalists has also protested the attack and
called for the arrest of the assailants.
Posted: June 3, 2004
All journalists
Members of the Islamic vigilante organization Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh
(JMJB) threatened local journalists during a public demonstration in the
northwestern city of Rajshahi. The rally, which thousands of JMJB supporters
attended, took place under police escort, according to local news reports.
According to local media and CPJ sources, JMJB leaders said that local
journalists should be killed for reporting negatively on their activities.
"Reporters are falsely accusing us of killing, torture, and oppression.
They do not know that their pen might stop some day," said Lutfar Rahman,
a JMJB leader addressing the crowd, according to the news Web site One
World South Asia.
Four journalists were specifically mentioned, according to local sources:
Anisuzzaman (who goes by one name), a local correspondent for the national
Bengali-language daily Janakantha; Selim Jahangir, a photographer
for Janakantha; Mahtab Chowdhury, a correspondent for the local
Bengali-language daily Sonali Sangbad; and Jahangir Alam Akash,
a correspondent for the national Bangali-language daily Sangbad.
The JMJB has been engaged in a violent campaign against militant Maoist
groups in northwestern Bangladesh since April and has enjoyed police protection,
according to local media. A May report in the national English-language
Daily Star linked JMJB members to Al-Qaeda.
Posted: June 3, 2004
Chitha Ghosh, Dinajpur Press Club
Golam Nabi Dulal, Dinajpur Press Club
Swarup Kumar Bakshi Bacchu, Dinajpur Union of Journalists
Shaheen Hossain, Dinajpur Union of Journalists
Ahsanul Alam Saathi, free-lance
Sazzadur Rahman Shili, Janakantha
Asadullah Sarkar, Prothom Alo
At least nine journalists in the northwestern district of Dinajpur received
death threats by mail from a suspected Islamic militant organization.
The journalists included Ghosh, president of the Dinajpur Press Club;
Dulal, general secretary of the press club; Bacchu, president of the Dinajpur
Union of Journalists; Hossain, the union's secretary; Saathi, a freelance
journalist; Shili, a local correspondent for the national Bengali-language
daily Janakantha; and Sarkar, a correspondent for the national
Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo.
In the letters, members of militant Islamic group Jamaat-ul-Mujahidin
claim to have sent the threats. Local media have linked Jamaat-ul-Mujahidin
to the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), an Islamic vigilante organization
that has led a violent campaign against militant Maoist groups in northwestern
Bangladesh since April. A May report in the national English-language
Daily Star linked JMJB members to al-Qaeda.
CPJ sources said the threats stemmed from recent articles in the local
media criticizing Islamic militant groups for carrying out extra-judicial
killings of alleged Maoist militants and for enforcing strict interpretations
of Islamic codes on local residents, including forcing women to wear veils
and men to grow beards. Local media have also reported that the groups
have benefited from police support.
Sarkar said that the threatening letters "termed us as evil and said that
we should put down our pens or our wives would become widows," the news
Web site One World South Asia reported.
Posted: June 9., 2004
Mamun Abedin, Bhorer Kagoj
Abu Taher Khokon, New Age
Ali Hossain Mintu, Dainik Janata
Akhter Hossain, News Today
On the eve of a nation-wide antigovernment strike, or hartal, police
assaulted photojournalists who were covering a protest march led by supporters
of the opposition Awami League political party in the capital, Dhaka,
according to local press reports and CPJ sources. Four photographers were
injured in the assault: Mamun Abedin of the Bengali-language daily Bhorer
Kagoj; Abu Taher Khokon of the English-language daily New Age;
Ali Hossain Mintu of the Bengali-language daily Dainik Janata;
and Akhter Hossain of the English-language daily News Today.
Posted: June 9, 2004
M. A. Manik, Grammer Kagoj
Habibur Rahman Habib, freelance
Touhidur Rahman, freelance
H.M. Siraj, freelance
Rafiqul Islam, freelance
S.M. Kabir, freelance
While covering a nationwide antigovernment strike, or hartal, M.
A. Manik, a photographer working for the local Bengali-language Grammer
Kagoj, was beaten by police in the town of Jessore, in the
southwestern Khulna District, according to CPJ sources. When the local
press club organized a procession to protest the assault, police attacked
the procession, injuring five more journalists who work as local freelance
reporters: Habibur Rahman Habib, Touhidur Rahman, H.M. Siraj, Rafiqul
Islam, and S.M. Kabir.
Posted: June 24, 2004
Mozaffar Rahman, Patradut
Monirul Islam Moni, Patradut
Rahman, a reporter with the local Bengali-language daily Patradut,
and Moni, a photographer with Patradut, were assaulted while visiting
a district prison in Satkhira, a town in southwestern Bangladesh. Their
visit followed the publication of a report in another Satkhira-based Bengali-language
daily, Kafela, that accused prison guards of extorting money
from visitors. Local journalists told CPJ they believe the journalists
were assaulted in retaliation for the article.
After a prison official identified Rahman and Moni as journalists, he
ordered guards to assault them, the national English-language Daily
Star reported. The guards beat the journalists with batons, causing
chest, leg, and back injuries, according to local sources.
Rahman and Moni were detained at the jail for several hours before local
colleagues arrived and demanded their release. The journalists are recovering
from their injuries at a hospital in Satkhira.
Following protests from a Satkhira journalists' group, a criminal case
has been filed against prison officials, and five prison staff are under
investigation for their involvement in the assault, according to CPJ sources.
Local officials have visited the journalists at the hospital and promised
to take action against those responsible for the attack.
Updated: November 4, 2004
Humayun Kabir, Janmabhumi
Kabir, editor of the Bangla-language daily Janmabhumi, was
killed in a bomb attack in the southwestern city of Khulna. At around
12 p.m., an unidentified assailant threw two bombs at Kabir outside his
home while he was exiting his car with his family, according to local
news reports.
Witnesses told the English-language Daily Star that the assailant,
posing as a peanut seller, approached Kabir and tossed at least two homemade
bombs at him, fatally injuring him in the abdomen and the legs. Kabir
was taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital and died soon after. Kabir's
son Asif also suffered minor injuries on his legs and was treated at a
local clinic.
An underground leftist group known as Janajuddha (People's War), a faction
of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party, claimed responsibility for the murder
in phone calls to several local newspapers and journalists on June 27,
according to local journalists.
Kabir, 58, was a veteran journalist and the president of the Khulna Press
Club. He published bold articles criticizing the organized crime that
plagues Bangladesh's troubled southwestern region. After his friend and
fellow journalist Manik Saha was murdered in a similar attack in January,
Kabir criticized the criminal elements implicated in Saha's killing. Janajuddha
also claimed responsibility for Saha's murder. Kabir had recently been
receiving death threats, according to local news reports.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and other high-ranking government officials
condemned Kabir's brutal murder and pledged to find and punish those responsible.
Local journalists' groups spoke out against the murder and called for
a week of mourning.
In the immediate aftermath, local police said they detained nine suspects
in connection with Kabir's murder, the BBC reported. The case had not
been brought to trial by fall.
Two other suspects in the case, leaders of the Janajuddha faction, died
in separate shootouts with police in late August. Authorities also accused
the two dead suspects, Altaf Hossain and Imam Sarder, in Saha's murder,
according to local news reports.
Posted: July 16, 2004
Monirul Islam Moni, Ittefaq
Habibur Rahman, Juger Barta
Mostafizur Rahman Uzzal, Juger Barta
Altaf Hossain, Sangram
Abdul Wazed Kachi, Inqilab
Shawkat Hossain Moyna, Al-Mujadded
Iduzzaman Idris, Kafela
Mohammad Rafiq, Kafela
Ibrahim Hossain Tuhin, Khabar
Abdus Sattar, Purbanchal
Zillur Rahman, Prabah
Masud Hossain, Lok Samaj
Selim Reza Mukul, freelance
A letter faxed to the Press Club in Satkhira, a city in southwestern Bangladesh,
threatened to kill 13 local correspondents by July 18. The letter said
it was from Janajuddha (People's War), a faction of the outlawed Purbo
Banglar Communist Party (PBCP).
The letter followed the June 27 killing of Humayun Kabir, editor of the
Bengali-language daily Janmabhumi, in a bomb attack in the nearby
city of Khulna. Janajuddha claimed responsibility for the murder in phone
calls to several local newspapers and journalists that same day. After
Kabir's death, local journalists in southwestern Bangladesh, already a
notoriously violent and lawless area, said they felt increasingly threatened
by local militant groups.
According to local sources, these journalists were threatened in the letter;
Moni, a correspondent for the national Bengali-language daily Ittefaq;
Habibur Rahman, of the Satkhira-based Bengali-language daily Juger
Barta; Uzzal, of Juger Barta; Altaf Hossain, of the national
Bengali-language daily Sangram; Kachi, of the national Bengali-language
daily Inqilab; Moyna, of the national Bengali-language daily Al-Mujadded;
Idris, of the Satkhira-based Bengali-language daily Kafela; Rafiq,
of Kafela; Tuhin, of the national Bengali-language daily
Khabar; Sattar, of the Khulna-based Bengali-language daily Purbanchal;
Zillur Rahman, of the Khulna-based Bengali-language daily Prabah;
Masud Hossain, of the Jessore-based Bengali-language daily Lok Samaj;
and Mukul, a freelance journalist.
In January, a similar letter, which also said it was from the PBCP, was
sent to the Satkhira Press Club threatening to kill nine other local correspondents
unless they stopped writing about the murder of journalist Manik Saha.
Saha, a veteran journalist and press freedom activist, was targeted and
killed in a bomb attack in Khulna on January 15. Janajuddha also claimed
responsibility for Saha's killing.
Posted: July 14, 2004
Several Journalists
Since July 10, at least 24 journalists and writers have received death
threats, all apparently from Islamic groups who accuse them of being "enemies
of Islam" or "acting against Islam," according to local news reports and
CPJ sources.
Journalists in the northeastern city of Sylhet, the southern district
of Barguna, and in the capital, Dhaka, received individual letters on
July 10 containing death threats and accusing them of not being Muslim,
calling them "enemies of Islam." The letters also advised them to "get
ready-you will die within a month," according to the English-language
Daily Star.
On July 11, an Islamic group calling itself the Mujahideen al-Islam issued
public death threats to newspapers in Dhaka identifying 10 other individuals
as "sinners... among those the Koran ordains to kill," according to local
press reports and CPJ sources. Among the threatened individuals were Shahriar
Kabir and Professor Muntasir Mamun, both known for their writing against
Islamic fundamentalists.
In Syhlet, 15 journalists received threatening letters on July 10, according
to local news reports: local correspondents Ahmed Noor and Partha Sarathi
Das, of the Bangla-language national daily Prothom Alo; correspondent
Liakat Shah Faridi, from the Bangla-language national daily Jugantar;
local correspondent Al Azad, from the Bangla-langauge Sangbad;
local correspondent Ajoy Pal, from the Bangla-language Bangla Bazar
Patrika; local reporter Kamkamur Razzak Runu, from the Bangla-language
daily Ajker Kagoj; and staff reporter Salam Mashrur, from the Bangla-language
daily Janakantha.
Others who received the letters in Syhlet include Shyamol Sylhet
Editor Chowdhury Mumtaj Ahmed, News Editor Abdul Mukit, and staff reporter
Motiul Bari Khuhrshed; Jugobheri Editor-in-Charge Aziz Ahmed Selim
and News Editor Tapash Dash Purokayastho; Ajker Kagoj District
Correspondent Apurbo Dhar; Bhorer Kagoj District Correspondent
Bappa Ghose Chowdhury; and Manavjamin Staff Reporter MA Rahim.
In Dhaka, Prothom Alo crime reporter Parvez Khan and Bhorer
Kagoj local correspondent Ikhtiar Uddin also received death threat
letters on July 10.
In the southern Barguna District, five more journalists were threatened
by an unnamed Islamic group on July 10, according to local news reports
and CPJ sources. Prothom Alo local correspondent M. Jasim Uddin
received a threatening letter containing a small piece of a burial shroud,
according to The Daily Star. The letter also mentioned threats
against the Bangla-language daily Ittefaq local correspondent Abdul
Alim Himu, Jugantor local reporter Anwar Hossain Monwar, Sangbad
local correspondent Chittyaranajan Shil, and Ajker Kagoj local
reporter Hasanur Rahman Jhantu.
Posted: August 24, 2004
Mohammed Alam, Ittefaq
Mamun Ahmed, Bhorer Kagoj
S.M. Gorki, Jugantor
Mir Farid, Janakantha
Ashraful Alam, Channel-I
Zakir, Channel I
Sayed Reaz, ATN
At least seven journalists were wounded when unidentified assailants apparently
attempted to assassinate opposition leader Sheikh Hasina at the end of
a political rally in the capital Dhaka near her Awami League party headquarters,
according to the Internet edition of the Ittefaq newspaper.
Hasina had just finished her speech at the rally, which was held to protest
another recent bombing, when several hand grenades were thrown at the
stage, killing at least 17 people and wounding several hundred others,
according to local and international news reports.
After Hasina fled the auditorium, a gunman opened fire on her armored
car, but she was able to escape with only minor injuries.
Television cameramen and reporters on the stage to film the event were
hurt during the attack, including Alam, Zakir, and Reaz.
The assassination attempt sparked political tensions in Bangladesh, and
riot police and paramilitaries were called out to the streets throughout
the country to keep order.
Thousands of Awami League supporters protested the attack over the weekend.
Angry supporters clashed with police and set a passenger train on fire
in Dhaka on August 22, wounding at least 25 people, according to local
news reports.
Agence France-Presse reported that two journalists were wounded on August
23 while covering demonstrations in Dhaka after being attacked by supporters
of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Posted: December 3, 2004
Kamal Hossain, Ajker Kagoj
Hossain, the local correspondent for the Bangla-language daily Ajker Kagoj, was abducted and brutally murdered by unknown assailants in the early morning in Manikcchari, eastern Chittagong District, according to local news reports. The newswire service the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported that police discovered Hossains decapitated body nearby hours later.
According to Bangladeshi news reports, armed men broke into Hossains house in the middle of the night and threatened to kill Hossains 2-year-old son unless he surrendered to them. The men took Hossain away at gunpoint and later killed him.
Hossain, 32, was the general secretary of the Manikcchari Press Club and had recently written several articles about criminal activity, according to local journalists. The Chittagong District is notorious for organized crime, including the illegal trade of lumber and arms, sources told CPJ. Hossain was also involved with the local youth wing of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, and had recently had a dispute with a neighbor about land, Bangladeshi news outlets reported.
But local journalists told CPJ they are convinced that Hossains murder
was related to his investigative reporting about organized crime. His
wife says he had received death threats before his murder, according to
local news reports. An article in Ajker Kagoj at the time of his
death also claimed that Hossain was likely killed because of his investigative
work. Bangladeshi press groups condemned the killing and called for justice.
Posted: September 13, 2004
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, The Bangladesh Observer
Chowdhury, the editor of the English language daily The Bangladesh
Observer, received an anonymous death threat in the mail at the newspaper's
office, according to local sources and press accounts. The letter mentioned
the recent death of the prominent professor Humayun Azad, who died in
Germany in August and was brutally attacked by militants in February at
Dhaka University.
Religious fundamentalists appeared to be responsible for the threat, according
to local press reports. Fundamentalist groups have stepped up threats
against journalists and intellectuals this year.
The letter claimed that fundamentalism would never be rooted out of the
country, according to the Bangla-language daily Jugantor, and that
the letter was meant to be a "red light" to Chowdhury.
Chowdhury, who is also president of the opposition faction of the Bangladesh
Federal Union of Journalists, has spoken out against militant fundamentalism
and their threats against the press. He filed a complaint with police
and requested protection.
Posted: September 14, 2004
Sahabul Huq Sabu, Ittefaq
Mokarram Hossain Shubho Prothom Alo
Zia Islam, Prothom Alo
Amran Hossain, The Daily Star
Four unidentified journalists (including photographers for New
Age and Bhorer Kagoj)
Pro-government activists attacked at least eight journalists covering
student demonstrations on the Dhaka University campus in the capital,
Members of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party's youth wing, the Jatiyatabadi
Chhatra Dal (JCD), went on a rampage around midday, attacking opposition
student demonstrators with sticks and iron rods, and injuring at least
40 protesters, according to Bangladeshi news reports. Six opposition organizations
were protesting the August 21 assassination attempt on opposition leader
Sheikh Hasina, and calling for the ruling government to resign.
When journalists took photographs of the violence, members of the JCD
turned on them, beating them, grabbing their cameras, and confiscating
their film, according to the English-language newspaper The Daily Star.
JCD members also attacked the offices of Dhaka University's journalism
department, beating down the door of the chairman, Golam Rahman, and ransacking
the office of senior professor Arefin Siddique, according to the United
News of Bangladesh (UNB), the national news wire service.
Opposition representatives accused the police of standing by while the
JCD attacked the students and journalists, doing nothing to defend them.
Campus groups, including the Dhaka University Journalists Association,
condemned the violence, and called for the arrest and expulsion of JCD
members responsible for the attacks.
The president of the JCD, Shahabuddin Laltu, denied responsibility for
the assaults, claiming that those responsible for the violence against
the journalists were "outsiders," according to the UNB.
Clashes between rival political activist groups frequently break out on
the Dhaka University campus. Tensions have heightened in recent days in
the wake of the grenade attack on Awami League head Sheikh Hasina as she
was leaving a rally in protest of another bomb attack in August.
Updated: November 4, 2004
Diponkar Chakrabarty, Durjoy Bangla
Assailants wielding knives and traditional axes brutally murdered
Chakrabarty, executive editor of the Bangla-language daily, Durjoy
Bangla, late the night of October 2.
Chakrabarty, a veteran journalist who also helped lead several press groups,
was on his way home in Sherpur, a town in the Bogra district of the northeastern
Rajshahi Division, when as many as five assailants ambushed and decapitated
him, local journalists told CPJ. Witnesses heard Chakrabarty's cries and
the sound of motorcycles as the assailants fled the scene, according to
local news reports.
While some local journalists say they are convinced that Chakrabarty was
killed in retaliation for his journalistic work, others cite his work
as a Hindu activist and a land dispute at a nearby temple as a possible
motive. Police told Agence France-Presse that the killers were likely
"professional," while the Press Trust of India wire service reported that
police suspected left-wing extremist groups.
A journalist since the 1970s, Chakrabarty was vice president of the Bangladesh
Federal Union of Journalists, and president of several local journalist
associations. Local journalists were shocked by the brutality of the attack,
and newspapers ran blank front pages in protest of Chakarabarty's murder.


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|By Admin1 (admin) (ppp-70-245-110-11.dsl.okcyok.swbell.net - 220.127.116.11) on Friday, February 10, 2006 - 6:50 am: Edit Post
1979: Curtiss W. Beech served in Tunisia in Chahda Ouest, Kasserine beginning in 1979
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Curtiss W. Beech can be contacted at curtandanneayahoodcom
Country of Service: Tunisia
Training Group: 1979
Cities you served in: Chahda Ouest, Kasserine
Arrival Year: 1979
Departure Year: 1982
Work Description:
Agriculture Volunteer 1979-80
Wells Volunteer 1980-81
Originally posted: March 22, 2004
Looking for another volunteer who served with this Group?
If you know this volunteer or someone from his or her group and are looking to reconnect with them,
leave a message above where it says "Create New Conversation."
If this is your profile, post any additions, updates or corrections to your profile below where it says "Add a Message."
RPCVs: To add your own RPCV profile click here.
| The Peace Corps Library
Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today.


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Starring Raima Sen, Abir Chatterjee, Jaya Ahasan, Kaushik Ganguly, Lama Halder
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Running Time - 2:25
Genre - Drama
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Warren, R.I. -- The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Equestrian team had two members qualify for regional competition on Sunday at Brown University.
Junior Lauryn Mort (Mattapoisett, Mass.) and sophomore Colleen Waclawk (Rochester, Mass.) both qualified for regionals after each finished in first place in advanced walk trot canter.
Senior Captain Kathryn Gardner (Concord, Mass.) placed sixth in her intermediate flat class, while senior Bridget Hammond (Medway, Mass.) and sophomore Alexandra Koury (Holden, Mass.) finished in third and fourth in advanced walk trot canter.
In beginner walk trot canter, Captain Sarah Murray (Sharon, Mass.) finished in second, while sophomores Erin Robinson (Medway, Mass.) and Natalie Fernberg (Attleboro, Mass.) each placed in sixth.
Sophomore LillyAnn Kuehl (Westford, Mass.) had a sixth place finish, while freshman Ciara Barrigas (Sandwich, Mass.) and Kira Hallberg (Foxboro, Mass.) placed first and second in their walk trot classes.
The team travels to Paxton, Mass. for a show hosted by Becker College this Saturday.


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A lot of people have talked about replacing Breno Giacomini this offseason, or at least beginning the search for his future replacement. For the record, I am about as pro-Giacomini as one can reasonably be, but even I've said that drafting a tackle somewhere in the mid rounds this offseason makes sense- Seattle does not have much organizational depth at tackle right now, and Okung could revert to being injury prone at a moments notice. Sure, McQuistan could fill in, but McQuistan is a starting guard, and continuity matters. You can see how this isn't an ideal situation.
By contrast, Seattle may not be deeper anywhere on the team than they are at guard. Carpenter, McQuistan, and Moffitt are already starting caliber guards, and Sweezy will probably join them when he's been acclimated enough. Rishaw Johnson showed a lot of promise during the preseason I thought, especially for a UDFA. He didn't even make the 53 man roster because the team was already so stacked there.
PC/JS value roster flexibility. They like DBs who can play like LBs and DTs that can play DE and o-linemen that can play 3-4 spots on the line. The problem is, Paul McQuistan is the only guard we have right now that is truly roster flexible. Carpenter is more "Red Bryant athletic" than "Chris Clemons athletic." He moves well for a big man but not by any other standard. Weight was a problem for him last year at tackle and he looks bigger now than he did then. He's good at what he does, but not among his gifts is a quick lateral step, and he was abused for it on the edge last season. Moffitt rounds out the group and he is a pure interior lineman.
So with Sweezy being buried on the roster and Seattle needing flexibility/depth at tackle, why not think outside the box a little bit and start giving Sweezy practice reps at tackle?
Sweezy had some of the very best combine numbers of any of his O-line peers. IIRC, his 40 yard dash rated #1 among all OL, even better than Matt Kalil. He scored very well in agility drills too. During my preseason tape reviews I noticed that no other Seahawk reached the 2nd level faster than Sweezy did, not even Max Unger. I cannot say for sure that Sweezy would have the kind of lateral agility needed to play bookend, but if Giacomini has enough, I'd be surprised if Sweezy didn't.
Sweezy is listed as 6'5" some places and 6'4" at others (and weighs 298 pounds). Either one would make him slightly below average for height at tackle in the NFL- especially for Tom Cable who has a track record of drafting and starting very tall offensive tackles. In terms of height and size, Sweezy would be pretty comparable to Jordan Gross (6'4" / 305), and Russell Okung is decently close as well (6'5" / 310). Cable is a Gibbs disciple, and Gibbs talked about preferring his tackles to be almost exactly Sweezy's size. Gibbs himself handpicked Russell Okung for our team. So I don't think size should be something that rules Sweezy out for tackle, unless Cable is emphatic that HIS tackles must duck entering every doorway. Which if hypothetically true, would make the concept of G/T flexibility pretty difficult.
Arm length is a major factor for being able to play tackle. Sweezy has 34" inch arms, which is not elite but still well above average for tackles.
Sure, Sweezy is a converted DT who still hasn't mastered guard yet, but this isn't about having Sweezy start at tackle in 2013- it's about improving Seattle's in-house roster flexibility. He's showed that he's a fast learner, and with one professional season under his belt he'd likely acclimate to NFL tackle faster than a mid round rookie would. Not that there is anything wrong with doing both.
Maybe I'm off base here, but last year I looked at James Carpenter's tools and lean and thought "left guard" immediately. As Carpenter struggled at RT last season, the FO insisted that his future was at tackle. Then the offseason happened and the coaches and staff reviewed things, and it didn't take long at all before they changed their tune and rightly moved Carpenter to where he belonged.
I see some of the same potential for Sweezy getting moved. Sweezy has the raw tools to play tackle, and Seattle needs depth at tackle much more than needing a 4th guard. He might not provide value right away, but Seattle can and maybe should try and see, and if all goes well he might have a chance to compete for the RT job in a couple seasons, which would allow him to field some real value for the team as opposed to being a forgotten 4th stringer. At the very least, the team needs to find ways to improve their depth situation at tackle, and Sweezy is the best and most obvious way of doing so in-house. It's certainly worth a look next preseason, at the very least.


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Chris Christie couldn't have been any more obvious about his 2016 intentions if he had begun his victory speech Tuesday with the words "My fellow Americans" and ended it with a balloon drop.
He offered New Jersey as an example for national healing. "Tonight," he said, "a dispirited America, angry with their dysfunctional government in Washington, looks to New Jersey to say 'Is what I think's happening really happening? Are people really coming together?' "
Trenton, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
None of this was subtle, but Christie had certainly earned it. Almost every decision he's made — sometimes shamelessly so — has been geared to making the rubble bounce in his re-election and then using his crushing victory as a credential in an incipient national campaign. He succeeded brilliantly on his own terms.
In a state President Obama won by 17 points in 2012, Christie won 60 percent overall. He won Latinos outright and took 21 percent of the black vote. He won women and men. He won high-school graduates and people with advanced degrees. He won people making more than $200,000 and people making less than $50,000.
These numbers are eye-popping. If they were automatically transferable to the national stage, Hillary Clinton would have to give it up and content herself with giving $200,000 speeches for Goldman Sachs forevermore. But they aren't.
As Henry Olsen of the Ethics and Public Policy Center points out, essentially uncontested races against badly overmatched opponents aren't a predictor of anything. William Weld won 70 percent of the vote and every county in Massachusetts in his 1994 re-election as governor, then lost by 7 points to John Kerry in a 1996 Senate race in which the map of Massachusetts snapped back to its natural state.
Granted, getting into a position where you can run essentially uncontested against a badly overmatched opponent in a major race is an achievement in itself.
Christie's implicit pitch to the national GOP will probably be that he's to Republicans in the 2010s what Bill Clinton was to the Democrats in the 1990s. In other words, he offers a different kind of politics that can potentially unlock the presidency after a period of national futility for his party.
Like Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas in the 1980s, Christie is operating on hostile partisan and cultural territory, and managing to thrive by co-opting or neutralizing natural enemies.
Like the "explainer-in-chief," Christie has a knack for public persuasion. The New Jersey governor's relentless town halls during the fight for his public-sector reforms were model examples of making an argument fearlessly and effectively.
Like Clinton, who so famously felt people's pain, Christie connects. He has a reputation for confrontation — rightly — but Christie's emotional range is much broader. His response to Hurricane Sandy was, in part, a great act of empathy.
What Clinton had that Christie evidently lacks is a well-thought-out approach to his party's predicament. As a "New Democrat," Clinton had a different governing philosophy, expressed in a raft of new policy proposals. Chris Christie has an affect and a style of governance.
If Christie's message to the GOP is merely that it should look to what he did in the Garden State and be as wonderfully unifying as he is, it deserves to flop. It could come off as boastful and hectoring, and about as original as the average political discussion on NPR. Coupled with his various departures from conservative orthodoxy, it could be toxic.
For Christie truly to capitalize on his opportunity, he'll need a conservative reform agenda, geared to the bread-and-butter concerns of ordinary voters. In his victory speech, Christie spoke of being "one of you." As Henry Olsen writes, Christie's potential is in matching that Everyman appeal with substance. He could set out to make himself a Republican by and for the middle class in a departure for the contemporary party.
Congratulations on the big win, governor. Now show us what's next.


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Find hotels in Flat Rock using the list and search tools below. Search for the cheapest discounted hotel and motel rates in or near Flat Rock, MI for your upcoming personal or group travel. Discover the most popular Flat Rock Michigan hotel rooms. Review the Flat Rock hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. We also have a map of the Flat Rock hotels.
The Flat Rock center point is approximately 2 miles northeast of Flat Rock Speedway and 7 miles southwest of Southgate Arena.
How should we direct your call?
Below are reviews of the city of Flat Rock, MI from an actual visitor's perspective.
Very nice city. The park we played at was very nice.


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"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads." Delivered with his crazy bug-eyes and off-the-chart intensity, it's one of "Doc's" best lines from Back to the Future. With snowshoes on our feet, three feet of fresh powder underfoot, and the entire Fortress Mountain Resort at our disposal, we had our own "Doc Brown" moment on a classic Rocky Mountain adventure.
Indeed, a "Top of the World" snowshoeing tour with White Mountain Adventures is certainly not about the roads. The roads less-travelled, maybe. The powder highway, maybe. But, for the most part, a guided snowshoe trip at Fortress Mountain or high in the alpine at Sunshine Village — your two "official" options with the popular Banff-based guiding outfit — are awesome ways to explore a Rocky Mountain winter wonderland. (White Mountain also provides non-scheduled and private trips in other locations in the mountain parks.)
After climbing the cat-track and gaining the top of the Canadian Ridge at the semi-abandoned Fortress Mountain Resort — at an ear-popping elevation of 2,130 metres — the only "road" we could see was Highway 40 snaking through the Kananaskis Valley way below. Famous snow-smeared peaks like Mount Rae, Mount Lorette, and the towering, chiseled chunk of rock known as The Fortress, which explodes into the sky at 3,000 metres, were a few of the spots higher than where we stood. Draped over everything was a blanket of pure-white Kananaskis powder. And we were on the verge of hopping off the trail and pouncing into the pillow-soft world.
Interestingly, a gorgeous sequence of Travel Alberta's much-lauded "Remember to Breathe" commercials was filmed on top of this ridge. So, no doubt, your eyes have already caught a mouth-watering glimpse of this idyllic beauty.
However, in the past decade, ever since the Fortress Mountain Resort closed in 2004, very few people have had the privilege of viewing this stunning scene down the Kananaskis Valley. A few fortunate skiers, thanks to the resort's KPOW cat-skiing operations, have been making some tracks here. However, with just 14 skiers per tour, the majority of the powder is the pure, untracked stuff.
Although the new ownership, Fortress Mountain Holdings, does have a major development plan in place to re-open the resort (they anticipate lifts operating as early as December 2014), the road to Fortress is closed to vehicle traffic for liability reasons. Besides a KPOW cat-skiing tour, the only other way to access this part of the Rocky Mountains in winter is with a snowshoeing tour with White Mountain Adventures.
Our four-person entourage included my wife, Dawn, and two senior White Mountain guides, Michael Turcot and Kristi Beetch. With omore than 50 years of guiding experience combined, I knew we were in good hands. Considering we were the first "official" guided trip into Fortress with the company, it was obvious this was a special opportunity that should be savoured.
After soaking in the view from the ridge, Dan gave us the green light to hop into the powder and take the fall line into the lower section of the resort's legendary terrain. We happily obliged. In seconds the snow was flying and the "yee haws!" were echoing off the towering rock walls. Halfway down, after catching our breath and removing the snow that had clumped on our tuques and goggles (wiping out is part of the fun!), Michael pointed out a few of the nearby locations that had been used in 2010's dramatic, explosion-filled Hollywood film Inception, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Apparently Travel Alberta isn't the only film-making outfit that thinks highly of this place.
Although our particular adventure did not include any award-winning film sequences, we did pose for the obligatory portraits during a memorable detour into the "rock garden." A boulder-strewn pocket framed with ice-falls and sheer rock walls, the setting here was surreal. Clambering up some of the most dramatic formations was definitely a highlight.
Unquestionably, besides the obvious health and fitness benefits (snowshoeing is an excellent low-impact workout that can burn as much as 1,000 calories per hour), snowshoeing is a great social activity that works extremely well for groups. Although your heart-rate is going to climb — especially when you're pouncing through the pow — you're often able to buddy up and walk side-by-side, chatting, laughing, and enjoying the company. And, of course, the sport can be enjoyed by everyone with no training necessary. If you can walk, you can snowshoe!
After returning to the parking lot near the abandoned buildings of the resort, where hot chocolate and cookies were waiting, we caught our breath and took one last look at the surroundings. The snow-smeared peaks and jagged ridgelines were stunning. The well-travelled road below? Not so much. Of course, that "road" was our ticket Back to the Real World, the movie my wife and I are currently starring in.
Andrew Penner is a Calgary-based freelance writer and photographer. You can reach him at www.andrewpenner.com or email@example.com.
If You Go
- The guided trip into Fortress Mountain Resort is just $69 per person with scheduled departures at 10 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday throughout the winter season. Group bookings (seven or more) are also available mid-week. Snacks and snowshoes are included. For more information on White Mountain Adventures visit www.whitemountainadventures.com


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Chairman Nighthorse Campbell and Co-Chairman Smith, thank you for this opportunity to appear, along with Assistant Secretary Craner of the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, before the Helsinki Commission. I will outline how the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) advances important policy goals of the United States and address our priorities for the organization. I will highlight some human dimension issues, but will leave the bulk of that topic to Assistant Secretary Craner.
My testimony today comes in the wake of one of the worst tragedies the United States has suffered. It is therefore somewhat different than what I had planned to say September 12. In addition to summarizing how the OSCE has traditionally advanced the interests of the United States, I will discuss how we believe OSCE can contribute to the war against terrorism. This will be a long campaign.
In the 26 years since the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, OSCE has evolved from a Cold-war discussion forum into an operational body. It has 20 field missions ranging in size from a half-dozen international staff in Tajikistan to nearly 800 in Kosovo. At the same time, the OSCE remains an important political forum in which states have been willing to undertake far-reaching commitments to strengthen rule of law and democratic principles. The OSCE provides valuable assistance to states in meeting commitments and holds periodic reviews of progress.
The OSCE is an important partner in furthering peace and stability across Europe. OSCE remains the most flexible and responsive Euro-Atlantic foreign policy instrument for non-military contingencies. It is the primary instrument for early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation in its region. It is not the forum for discussion or decision regarding all security issues. However, it offers strong advantages in dealing with intra-state conflict and in addressing trans-national threats to stability.
The OSCE's broad composition, which includes the Russian Federation and all the states of the former Soviet Union among its 55 participating states, provides it with broader participation and geographic reach than NATO, including into the Caucasus and Central Asia. The OSCE´s comprehensive approach to security recognizes that human rights and economic and environmental issues are as important as political-military ones. Security is seamless.
OSCE has specific institutions for democracy and human rights, national minorities, and freedom of the media, an important economic dimension, and key political-military activities. By providing support and direction in these areas, we contribute to overall security in the region, and also advance other U.S. national interests by promoting democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, arms control and confidence building measures, economic progress, and responsible or sustainable environmental policies.
Our share of OSCE expenses is about 15%, approximately $55 million. This is reasonable when compared with other international bodies. Americans account for about 15% of OSCE personnel. Were it not for the OSCE, many of its programs likely would be pursued bilaterally -- at greater cost to U.S. taxpayers.
The United States traditionally has sought to strengthen respect for and implementation of the Helsinki and other commitments across the OSCE area. This remains the cornerstone of our approach to the OSCE. These commitments to democracy, human rights, religious freedom, the rule of law, and responsible economic and environmental policies are fundamental to addressing the scourge of terrorism as well as to achieving our other goals. These goals include implementation of the adapted CFE Treaty and of related commitments made at the Istanbul Summit in 1999, further progress in addressing post-conflict needs in the Balkans, and strengthening OSCE's capabilities without damage to its inherent flexibility and quickness. We also expect to close the OSCE missions in Estonia and Latvia at the end of the year, as it seems they have met the criteria for closure agreed by OSCE states. To accomplish these priorities, we must engage Russia and continue to work cooperatively with key allies and friends.
OSCE states agreed as far back as the Helsinki Final Act in 1975 that they would refrain from direct or indirect assistance to terrorism. This commitment has been strengthened over the years. The Budapest Summit in 1994 condemned terrorism in all its forms and stated that it could not be justified under any circumstances. The 1999 Istanbul Charter stated that "Whatever its motives, terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is unacceptable. We will enhance our efforts to prevent the preparation and financing of any act of terrorism on our territories and deny terrorists safe havens.
We must now look at how we can best operationalize these declarations. We welcome the initiative of the Chairman-in-Office to create a working group and develop a plan on OSCE's role in fighting terrorism in time for the Ministerial in Bucharest December 3-4. We believe the OSCE can play a valuable role in combating terrorism by exploiting its wide membership, traditional strengths in democratization and rule of law, and valuable operational capabilities. Possible activities the OSCE might undertake would include: urging members to sign relevant international conventions regarding terrorism; reviewing compliance with relevant OSCE commitments; reviewing legislation and assisting with drafting new legislation that meets international norms. In addition, we should explore ways to increase police involvement in countering terrorism. We should appoint a senior police advisor in the Secretariat to coordinate these efforts. These are our initial thoughts. We will continue to develop them in cooperation with our friends and allies.
I will now review our other priorities in a regional context.
OSCE is an important forum for engaging cooperatively with the Russian Federation. The Russians have sought to elevate the OSCE to be the over-arching trans-Atlantic security organization and a forum for discussion of issues which we believe are more properly addressed elsewhere. They have maintained that OSCE places too much emphasis on human rights at the expense of other issues and is too focused on states to the east of Vienna.
We want to work with Russia as a partner in the OSCE. It can be a valuable means for strengthening democratic development in Russia and other states, as well as their ties with their neighbors and the West. The Russian Federation has indicated a strong interest in utilizing the OSCE to fight terrorism. We will cooperate with them. At the same time, we must not compromise on fulfillment of key commitments or respect for fundamental principles. We will address these issues soon through bilateral consultations with the Russians on the OSCE. These consultations will include Chechnya, reform of the OSCE, efforts in the Balkans, and how we might improve cooperation with the Russian Federation.
OSCE involvement in Chechnya has been a visible and contentious issue with the Russians. Then President Yeltsin committed in 1999 to allow OSCE human rights monitors -- the Assistance Group -- to return to Chechnya, and the group returned to Chechnya in June after the Secretary secured a commitment from Foreign Minister Ivanov. We have welcomed the decision. The Assistance Group has been active in carrying out its mandate of monitoring the human rights situation and working toward the economic and social rehabilitation of the area. If called upon, it is ready to assist in working toward a political settlement.
Throughout Central Asia and the Caucasus, OSCE missions work to support democratic development. They help ensure the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. An OSCE border-monitoring mission at the Georgian side of the Georgian-Russian (Chechen) border helps defuse tensions caused by the conflict in Chechnya. The head of the OSCE mission in Moldova actively supports efforts to resolve the dispute between Moldova and Transnistria and to facilitate Russia's efforts to fulfill its 1999 commitments on withdrawing troops and destroying or removing military equipment.
The OSCE is also providing a framework for mediation of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute through the Minsk process. It is preparing for a larger OSCE role in the event of a resolution of the conflict. Should the process bear fruit, this could very well become OSCE's most challenging endeavor. The logistics of deploying a large group as well as ensuring appropriate security, command, control, communications, and logistics, could exceed any previous OSCE undertaking.
In Central Asia and the Caucasus, OSCE continues to look for ways to foster human rights, religious freedom, and democratic development, while at the same time addressing urgent security, environmental, and economic needs. Several of these states face real security threats. However, if human rights and religious freedoms are not respected, the governments will aggravate the situations they are trying to address and their policies will breed further threats to stability.
OSCE played an active role in attempting to ensure that presidential elections September 9 in Belarus met international standards for free and fair elections. This was not accomplished. The Lukashenko regime failed to meet the four criteria laid down last year by OSCE's parliamentary troika. It harassed opposition leaders, denied fair access to state media, stacked electoral commissions, prohibited activities by domestic monitoring groups, and impeded the work of ODIHR [OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights] and other international monitors.
We and our friends and allies cannot accept the outcome of elections that failed so clearly to meet accepted international standards, including those in the OSCE Copenhagen Document. We are working with other OSCE participating states, including Russia, to bring Belarus into conformity with the commitments it has accepted.
We remain very concerned about credible reports of a Lukashenko regime organized death squad reportedly responsible for up to 30 murders, including those of 3 opposition members and a journalist, and have called on the GOB [Government of Belarus] to conduct a thorough, independent investigation of public charges made by two former prosecutors and the wives of disappeared and imprisoned Lukashenko opponents. Both groups visited Washington in July. Since then, documents have been published adding more credence to the charges. We take these allegations very seriously.
OSCE's role as a venue for effective engagement with Russia is nowhere more apparent than on CFE Treaty-related issues, in particular on implementation of the historic commitments made on withdrawal of Russian forces and equipment from Georgia and Moldova at the 1999 OSCE Summit in Istanbul.
OSCE's role is critical in two ways, political and practical. The international attention these issues have received in OSCE has been vital to achieving progress. Politically, we and our NATO Allies and friends have used the OSCE as a forum for emphasizing the importance of Russia's full and timely fulfillment of the Istanbul commitments and that this is a matter of concern to the entire international community, not just an issue for Russiaand Georgia or Russia and Moldova. OSCE has played a critical role in practical terms as well, through establishment of Voluntary Funds to assist in implementation of each of these commitments.
The implementation record to date is mixed and there is more work to be done. However, I am pleased to report that as of today, the withdrawal process is moving forward in both Georgia and Moldova.
Largely though the efforts of the Head of the OSCE Mission in Moldova (who is an American), the Transnistrian leadership has for the first time agreed to cooperate in an international assessment of options for destruction or removal of some 40,000 tons of stored munitions in Moldova. Completion of this task should facilitate Russia's drawdown of forces by December 31, 2001, as agreed at Istanbul. Meanwhile, Russian forces in Moldova have begun to destroy CFE Treaty-limited equipment [TLE] and have developed a schedule for eliminating all of Russian CFE TLE by the December 31, 2001, deadline set at Istanbul.
In Georgia, Russia met its undertaking to withdraw CFE Treaty-limited equipment in excess of agreed levels -- approximately half of total Russian TLE in Georgia -- on time, by December 31, 2001.
But two key commitments relating to Georgia have not yet been fulfilled, and that is a major focus of our diplomatic efforts in OSCE now. The Istanbul commitment required Russia to close two key military bases in Georgia by July 1, 2001. One of those, the Vaziani base near Tbilisi, was transferred on time to Georgia. This was a major priority for the President Shevardnadze Government.
The Gudauta base, located in the Abkhaz region, has not yet been closed and transferred to Georgian control, a fact which was the object of broad international criticism in the OSCE, in the NATO-Russia context, and in U.S.-Russian bilateral exchanges. Working with our OSCE partners we have reminded Russian officials that their failure to meet this commitment jeopardized its standing in the international community; and that message has given heart to Georgia. At this point Russia and Georgia are negotiating on this issue at senior levels.
The United States and other OSCE states are also pressing Russia to fulfill the Istanbul requirement to agree on a deadline for withdrawal of Russian forces from remaining bases in Georgia. At issue here is the basic principle of a nation's sovereignty over its own territory. Through the OSCE we and our Allies have pressed hard for resolution of these basing questions in a manner consistent with the desires of the host state.
OSCE continues to play a leading role in the enhancement of peace, stability, and democracy throughout Southeastern Europe in the wake of the conflicts there. OSCE missions in Kosovo, Bosnia, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia [FRY], Macedonia, and Albania are key to this effort. The establishment last year of a mission in Belgrade already is paying dividends in helping to support the democratic transition in Yugoslavia.
OSCE is responding energetically to the current crisis in Macedonia. Well before the current crisis, however, the OSCE played an active role in supporting the independence and democratic development of Macedonia. The Spillover Mission was established in 1992 to alert the international community to external threats to Macedonia and to support democratic development. The High Commissioner on National Minorities played the lead role in establishing a private Albanian university. Other OSCE personnel assisted with preparation of a new electoral law. When inter-ethnic tensions increased, OSCE observers provided valuable reporting on sensitive conditions. This continued after fighting broke out and then after a cease-fire was agreed.
The OSCE is now moving to gain agreement to implement measures in support of the recent political agreement reached by the parties. In particular, OSCE will provide monitors to assure a smooth return of Macedonian security forces to conflictive areas, train new recruits for a multiethnic police force, and support strengthening of democratic institutions. It will accomplish these tasks in close and effective cooperation with NATO, EU [European Union], and other bodies.
In Kosovo, OSCE seeks to decrease the level of violence, promote multiethnic institutions, support the establishment of provisional self-government for Kosovo's citizenry, and safeguard human rights and religious freedom for all residents of Kosovo, including Serbs and other ethnic minorities. The OSCE mission in Kosovo will conduct province-wide elections in November.
In Bosnia, the OSCE continues to support the objectives of the Dayton Agreement through its work in elections support, human rights, and democratization. As a result of its efforts, many activities have been returned to local control and the mission budget reduced commensurately.
In Croatia, it will continue to seek Croatia's compliance with its commitments related to return of refugees and displaced persons, democratization, and implementation of the Dayton Agreement. Again, progress has led to significant downsizing of the OSCE mission.
OSCE also oversees the implementation of the arms control annex to the Dayton Accords, specifically concerning confidence-building within Bosnia and arms reductions among Bosnia, Croatia and the FRY.
The OSCE, primarily through ODIHR, plays a leading role in supporting democratic development and strengthening rule of law. OSCE implements programs in a variety of areas, from election monitoring to judicial training to the fight against trafficking in human beings. When successful, the OSCE's efforts help to prevent conflict and thus U.S. expenditure for costly military engagement and post-conflict rehabilitation. Working multilaterally to prevent conflict and build democracy can be significantly more cost-effective than full reliance on unilateral efforts.
Two institutions deserve special mention. The High Commissioner on National Minorities, currently Rolf Ekeus, is critical in improving inter-ethnic understanding and cooperation.
The Free Media Representative, Freimut Duve, is a strong factor in promoting policies that support development of free media.
OSCE recognizes that economic and environmental issues can be the basis for security concerns, and if not addressed may threaten stability. Its economic dimension seeks to bring states together to address common problems such as water resources, development issues, and corruption.
The United States is a strong advocate of efforts to counter corruption. This was reflected in the 1999 Istanbul Summit Declaration. If not countered, corruption can corrode respect for public institutions as well as undermine efforts to create a positive climate in which economic growth and development can take place. This result can create conditions which play into the hands of extremists. OSCE has implemented several programs aimed at countering corruption or supporting good governance. In the coming years, we will develop further OSCE activities in these areas. One example is establishment of an ombudsman in the Office of the Coordinator for Economic and Environmental Activities.
Another top priority is to continue to make the OSCE a more effective organization. Political leaders increasingly rely on the OSCE for rapid and effective deployment of human resources to trouble spots in the region, most recently, for example, expanding the OSCE's role in Macedonia. To this end, we have worked vigorously to develop the REACT concept (Rapid Expert Assistance and Cooperation Teams). REACT provides for an international electronic roster of rapidly deployable experts - on human rights, elections, public administration, policing, rule of law. These individuals will be able, on short notice, to serve as an OSCE surge capacity to help address problems before they become crises, or to manage emerging crises. REACT is on line, but so far only a minority of participating states has gotten their systems up and running.
A related issue is general managerial effectiveness. OSCE expanded its activities more rapidly than it created systems to manage them. Secretary-General Kubis noted this situation in his remarks to the Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly in Paris in July. Significant progress has been made in this area. SYG Kubis announced that the external auditors issued an unqualified audit report for the year 2000. The report noted that great strides had been taken to address earlier shortcomings - many related to the forced hasty departure of the Kosovo Verification Mission - but that some work still remained. We are committed to ensuring that the OSCE implements the necessary procedures and systems to ensure effective managerial control of its operations.
The question of the legal status of OSCE has come to the fore. Key OSCE states have been pressing for a convention according OSCE international legal personality, which would effectively transform OSCE into an international organization (IO). This matter has arisen in the context of problems in the area of privileges and immunities for the OSCE and its personnel. Many states have been unable to implement the 1993 Rome Ministerial Council decision on that subject. They seek a convention that would both accord international legal personality and provide for privileges and immunities.
As we consider how the OSCE has evolved and how best to address issues that hinder its performance, we need to examine how our interests would best be served. We are presently reviewing this matter. As we consider this issue, the OSCE's flexibility, its consensus-based method of operation, and the political nature of OSCE commitments are of fundamental importance to us.
Another issue is the scale of assessment. Last year, it became obvious that the so-called Helsinki Scale for large missions (Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo) was no longer viable. A new scale was agreed. The U.S. share increased to 13.5% from 12.4%. Part of the agreement was that OSCE might examine the scale for large missions as well as the regular scale in 2004 with an eye toward possibly consolidating them. In that event, a country's total share would be capped at 14%.
Some states now wish to renegotiate the basic scale. We see no reason to move ahead the agreed date for reconsidering the scales of assessment.
Police training and executive policing are topical issues. They are especially important in the Balkans, but experience gained there might be applicable in other regions, especially Central Asia. OSCE has done a solid job in police training in Kosovo and in Serbia. It is expected to assume this responsibility in Macedonia. In addition to training, there are needs for actual police operations in some situations. OSCE may be best-suited to assume this task. We are looking at what role OSCE might assume in this area and what resources would be required.
The immediate challenge is to enlist OSCE in the fight against terrorism. This will be a sustained campaign. Applying OSCE commitments and principles in our common struggle against global terrorism will be crucial to success in this effort.
The challenge in the next several years will be to further develop and fine-tune the OSCE's mission in the evolving Euro-Atlantic security architecture and improve its coordination with NATO, the EU, and other bodies. Engagement with Russia will continue to be a key goal. Development of common policies with the EU and its member states will increase in importance. Success in these areas will better ensure OSCE activities continue to serve U.S. national interests.
U.S. Government Website