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Topic: Algeria
Speaking Truth to Power
I've been following the ongoing tragedy in the Western Sahara, where the Polisario Front, the Soviet-style "liberation" group, in concert with Algeria, is seeking to thwart a resolution of the humanitarian crisis and the internment of thousands in camps in Algeria. In August, Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud, the head of the Polisario's police force, managed to get out of the camps and announced support for the Moroccan government's plan for autonomy for the Western Sahara. But once again, the Polisario has flexed its muscles.
It seems that the Polisario has threatened Sidi Mouloud with arrest if he visits the Tindouf Refugees camps and shares his views in support of an autonomy plan that could end the virtual imprisonment of those living in squalor. In an interview with French TV, Sidi Mouloud declared, "To freely express one's opinion is treason?" Well, to those trying to maintain a grip on a population and who will not even permit those in the camps to be counted by international relief agencies, the answer is yes.
Other press reports indicate that Sidi Mouloud has left Mauritania for Tindouf to confront the Polisario and advocate in favor of Morocco's autonomy proposal. He is the highest-ranking official to break with the Polisario and plainly represents a threat to the group. It would, of course, be helpful if the "international community" intervened to protect him from arrest and torture, but its record on the Western Sahara has generally been one of inactivity. Meanwhile, thousands remain interned without right of travel.
What Real Diplomacy Looks Like
Americans seldom think of Israel in the conventional terms of "alliance," but Israelis must, perforce, think of America that way. In the most fundamental sense, alliances are formed for security benefits. We don't have allies because we need them; we have allies because they need us. This works both ways. The benefit is inherently mutual in any alliance that two or more parties take the trouble to form.
When allies begin shopping for defense-cooperation agreements elsewhere, moreover, it always means something. Our pursuit of abstract multilateralism over the last two decades has blinded us to that reality. American diplomacy has tended to behave as if all bilateral developments were benign — a mere natural outgrowth of upbeat nations getting in touch with each other. But in the case of Israel in 2010, the meaning is specific and conventional.
Israel signed a framework agreement for defense cooperation with Russia on September 6 — the first ever between these two nations — and has been at work this year resurrecting its defense-cooperation agreement with China. The rapprochement with China is informative because Israel agreed in 2005, at the behest of the Bush administration, to back off from its military-related projects with Beijing. The U.S. concern at the time was technology proliferation, which is what the news and opinion media tend to focus on, particularly in America. (The new agreement with Russia is being discussed, in its turn, as a means for Russia to obtain cutting-edge UAVs from Israeli manufacturers.)
But Israel has bigger concerns than markets for military hardware. "Defense cooperation" portends more than military sales; it can mean conferences, intelligence and personnel exchanges, joint training, and shared weapons development. It's a field of agreement with inherent implications for regional relations and security. And Israel's defense-cooperation outreach this year is hardly random. Binyamin Netanyahu typically handles national security like a statesman in the Western classical mold, and it appears he is doing so here. Warming up ties with Russia and China is a way to gain leverage with the major outside powers that are putting down stakes in the Middle East as Obama's America loses energy and presence.
The Netanyahu leadership has no illusions about the character of either Russia or China. But courting Russia gives Israel an entrée with a member of the Quartet other than the U.S. Rejuvenating cooperation with China creates the potential for leverage with one of Iran's chief patrons; the link with Russia offers a similar benefit regarding not only Iran but also Syria, Turkey, Libya, and Algeria as well.
The impetus for Israel to do this now comes from the persistent inertia of the Obama administration. As painful as it is to say it, the potential is obvious for Obama's role in the Quartet to produce disadvantages for Israel. There is no rational basis for assuming Obama will take effective action against Iran or revise his approach to Syria. Exclusive alignment with the policy trend of Obama's America promises nothing but disaster for Israel. In the absence of American strength — across the whole Middle Eastern region — Israel's security situation will change. Although it means inviting Russia further into the Middle East, Netanyahu must work with reality in 2010: he must look for support — for a balancing agent with the region's radical regimes — where he can find it.
A Human Rights Breakthrough, No Thanks to the International Community
In April I wrote about the ongoing humanitarian crisis and political conflict concerning the Western Sahara. Morocco has offered an autonomy plan that would provide self-rule for Sahrawis and end the suffering of those warehoused in refugee camps in Algeria, which is actively working along with the Polisario Front (a 1970s Soviet-style "liberation" group) to thwart a resolution of the conflict. Now there seems to have been an important breakthrough. The Polisario's police chief has broken with his comrades and their Algerian patrons, according to this report:
At a press conference Monday (August 9th) in Smara, Western Sahara, Police Inspector-General Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud said that the proposed initiative to give extensive autonomy to the Sahrawis was the best possible solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
It would allow them to preserve their culture, he said.
"In the past, we had two conflicting options: either to integrate into Morocco or become independent. Today we have a third option that helps us achieve our main objective, which is the Sahrawi distinction," the police chief added.
How did this come about? Well, unlike those in the camps, who are denied full freedom of movement (you'd think the "human rights" groups and the flock of self-styled "humanitarian" groups would find this outrageous, but their focus is primarily on life in the Middle East's only democracy), Ould Sidi Mouloud was able to wrangle a short visit with his family:
"After 31 years of separation, I was able to meet with my father and my relatives in Smara. I took the opportunity to tour Morocco. I was impressed by Morocco's major progress in different sectors, and the major development boom in the Sahrawi territories, which made me change my position," he said. …
"I wish this press conference had taken place at the camps, but we have no media or communication means over there. Tindouf camps are located in the middle of the desert, an area cut off from the rest of the world, and Polisario controls everything over there," he stated. …
"There isn't one single family that has all its members in only Tindouf or only Morocco. For instance, I was abducted from Smara with my mother and my four siblings during a Polisario raid in 1979. I was only 11 years old. We left behind my wounded father and four dead, three women and a child."
Child abductions? Denial of basic human rights? You'd think the media would be interested in this sort of thing. But no, they've got other priorities.
In the meantime, however, this latest development may help weaken the Polisario's grip on world public opinion. "It is time for Algeria to let the Sahrawi refugees living in Tindouf camps express and discuss their preferences and aspirations, and come up with what is best for them," proclaimed African Federation of Strategic Studies chief Mohamed Benhamou. Yes, self-determination for those living in misery in the camps should be something the members of the "international community" would all get behind, unless, goodness gracious, there are many nations that don't share our values and concerns.
China's Naval Posture: More Good News
Iran's best friends have wasted no time trading on their naval anti-piracy presence in the Gulf of Aden to penetrate the Mediterranean Sea. China rotated its anti-piracy task forces in July and sent the homebound flotilla to the Mediterranean for naval exercises and port visits. Although the Chinese navy has sent training ships on foreign cruises before, the Mediterranean circuit being followed by the off-station flotilla is the first deployment of its kind by operational warships.
The Chinese destroyer and frigate arrived in Egypt in late July for a five-day visit. They then conducted drills with the Italian navy last week and visited the NATO port of Taranto. The task force arrived in Piraeus, Greece, on Monday.
China's not the only Asian nation dispatching its navy to the ports of America's allies in the Mediterranean. Russia expanded its traditional ties there with an agreement earlier this year to conduct joint naval exercises with Greece. India's navy conducted an unprecedented deployment to the Mediterranean and Atlantic in 2009, during which it operated with the navies of Russia, NATO, and Algeria.
The Chinese made ripples in naval circles this summer when they sent their largest warship, the amphibious assault vessel Kunlunshan, to the Gulf of Aden as the flagship of their current anti-piracy flotilla. It's understating the case to point out that an amphibious assault ship is not the platform best suited to interdicting pirates; China's choice in this case is a political test of what other nations will find acceptable. This isn't the only attempt being mounted to upend the status quo, however. Japan is establishing a forward operating base in Djibouti, and a Chinese official has floated the idea of China doing the same. Iran started this trend in late 2008 with new base facilities in Eritrea on the Red Sea, ostensibly for its anti-piracy force off Somalia.
Nations don't change their naval postures because they are content with the status quo. Nor are the world's other navies focused on building smaller, less-capable warships for low-lethality tasks like combating piracy. The U.S. Navy's retreat from the high seas since the end of the Cold War is having its inevitable consequences. Shedding our own most capable warships to save money, as Defense Secretary Bob Gates proposes, is the worst thing we could do.
From Gitmo to Algeria
Obama's cockeyed national security policy (which seeks ephemeral PR benefits from releasing terror detainees and handcuffing our own intelligence operatives) and his indifference to human rights have collided in the return of an Algerian Gitmo detainee to his home country — against his will. This report explains:
Aziz Abdul Naji, 35, an Algerian who had been held at Guantanamo for more than eight years, had appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to remain at the military detention center in Cuba. He argued that he would be tortured or killed in Algeria, either by the government or by terrorist groups that might try to recruit him.
In a unanimous decision, the justices declined late Friday to hear Naji's appeal, and the Defense Department announced Monday that he had been repatriated.
We are told not to worry about his fate:
The government said that Algeria has provided diplomatic assurances that Naji would not be mistreated, assurances that administration officials say are credible because 10 other detainees have been returned to Algeria without incident.
"We take our human rights responsibilities seriously," said an administration official.
Attorneys for Naji said they were disappointed by the transfer and vowed to continue to monitor Naji's treatment.
"We are pretty stunned; you are never prepared," said Doris Tennant, one of the lawyers. "We hope very much that the Algerian government will protect him. We plan to do everything we can to stay on top of it, and we are working with NGOs to make sure he is well protected."
Algeria takes its human rights seriously? One doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Apparently, the Obami are willing to play along with this farce. Algeria takes many things seriously — prolonging the Western Sahara humanitarian crisis, for example — but not human rights. Don't take my word for it:
France must not deport a man convicted of terrorist acts to Algeria where he may be at risk of incommunicado detention and torture or other ill-treatment, Amnesty International said on Thursday. According to a European Court of Human Rights' judgement on Thursday, Kamel Daoudi's expulsion to Algeria would expose him to inhuman or degrading treatment and would be in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. "Sending Kamel Daoudi to Algeria would put him at risk of being tortured. As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, France must not carry out the expulsion," said David Diaz-Jogeix, Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia Deputy Programme Director.
That's a 2009 Amnesty International report. Want a more authoritative source? There is this:
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
The law prohibits such practices; however, NGO and local human rights activists reported that government officials sometimes employed them to obtain confessions. Government agents can face prison sentences of between 10 and 20 years for committing such acts, and some were tried and convicted in 2008. Nonetheless, impunity remained a problem.
Local human rights lawyers maintained that torture continued to occur in detention facilities, most often against those arrested on "security grounds." …
Prison and Detention Center Conditions
Prison conditions generally did not meet international standards. Overcrowding was a problem in many prisons. According to human rights lawyers, the problem of overpopulation was partially explained by an abusive recourse to pretrial detention. In 2008 the [National Consultative Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights] conducted 34 prison visits and highlighted concerns with overcrowding, insufficient bed space, as well as poor lighting, ventilation, nutrition, and hygiene.
That's from our State Department's 2009 Human Rights Report.
No wonder a total of six Algerians (the other five are nearly certain to be repatriated) didn't want to go back. But Obama thinks it is important (at least to his own image with international elite) to eject the Algerians from a safe, comfortable detention facility. So back they will go. Good luck to them. Let's hope the NGOs are able to keep track of them and offer some protection. The United States sure won't.
Kristof Defames Another Country
As reflexively hostile and uniformed as Nicholas Kristof is regarding Israel, his bile-filled columns on the topic are a model of impartial scholarship compared to his take on Morocco. In the midst of another dreary rant on Israel and the West Bank (Does he think we don't know that Israel has repeatedly tried to give the Palestinians their own state or that the West Bank is a model of economic development in the Middle East?), he throws this in from left field: "After all, the biggest theft of Arab land in the Middle East has nothing to do with Palestinians: It is Morocco's robbery of the resource-rich Western Sahara from the people who live there."
Huh? Without recounting the entire history of the region, suffice it to say that the Western Sahara was not "stolen" from anyone. (Spain ceded it to Morocco.) The Moroccans have proposed — with the enthusiastic bipartisan cheers from Congress and the Obama administration — to afford the people living there autonomy. However, the Polisario Front, a 1970′s leftover pro-Soviet liberation group, and the Algerian government have blocked that plan. Instead, in Algeria, the Sahrawi people are kept warehoused in camps and a humanitarian crisis is perpetuated.
Come to think of it, Morocco is a lot like Israel. Both are the targets of leftists' slander, and both suffer the unfortunate fate of a diverse, open, and tolerant society whose presence is an anathema to Islamic fundamentalists.
RE: RE: RE: Leftist Soccer Agony: U.S. Victory Equals Jingoism
Although as a kid I preferred soccer to any other sport, it was because sports were mandatory, and I could see a soccer ball without wearing my glasses. Frankly, I hated all sports as a child because, as my brother put it, with more accuracy than filial devotion, I have "the hand-eye coordination of a blind snake." I don't think I have watched an hour of soccer (or, as my friend James Taranto calls it, "metric football") since. Still, like the denizens of NPR, I instinctively rejoiced when the U.S. defeated Algeria. Why? Because, like them, I am an American.
Emanuele Ottolenghi writes, "Since I am sane, I can only explain their outburst of national pride as evidence that their false conscience is their commitment to internationalism — a silly ideological pose whose fallacy just a game of soccer (football) can expose."
I think their problem is their failure to understand human nature and its pervasive, ineradicable influence over human affairs. The left, lusting to social-engineer a better world, conveniently dismisses human nature as merely an artifact of the society in which people live. Change society, argued Marx and his heirs, and you change human nature; perfect society, and you perfect humankind. In other words, humans are mere tabula rasas to be written on by the all-wise liberal elite.
But that just isn't so. Human nature, like gravity, is always in operation. No one would walk off a cliff without expecting to die, but liberals argue that aspects of human nature can be merely waved aside. Then a soccer player half a world away puts a ball into a net, and liberals give the lie to their own argument by cheering wildly — an instinctive display of the tribal loyalty they feel but refuse to recognize for ideological reasons.
War is an aspect not only of human nature but, as Reuters reported the other day, anthropoid nature, as well. The instinct to aggrandize at the expense of our neighbors lies very deep in our bones, indeed. The young of all species that play instinctively play in ways that will make them more successful as adults. (Ever see a kitten sneak up and pounce on a litter mate? He's honing skills needed to hunt.) With human children, especially boys (pace, Title 9), that means we play war games. It's just that today we call them team sports.
War has become far less common than it was in the days of hunting and gathering. (It is still endemic in the world's few remaining hunting-and-gathering societies, such as in the highlands of New Guinea.) But we have sublimated the instinct into a vast new industry called professional sports. American football is probably the most obviously warlike of all sports, involving the conquest of territory, strategy, tactics, surprise, intense teamwork, etc. But all team sports — and games like chess — are basically war by other means, an outlet for the instinct to beat up our neighbors, which is far more positive (and wealth-producing) in the modern world than war itself. It's a beautiful example — if one that developed without conscious thought — of what Sir Francis Bacon meant when he wrote that "to be commanded, nature must first be obeyed."
We are the end product of 3.5 billion years of evolution, and that evolution has produced one of the most intensely social animals on the planet. We thus not only feel an instinctive loyalty to ourselves and our families (especially our lineal descendants and ancestors) but to our social unit as well. Nearly 10, 000 years ago, that was a small tribe of probably no more than 50. Today, the tribe of Americans numbers 300 million. But the instinct to tribal loyalty remains quite unchanged. The NPR employees just proved it.
Leftist Soccer Agony: U.S. Victory Equals Jingoism
You would think that leftists who hope that American sports exceptionalism is breaking down in the face of World Cup fever would be thrilled by the big American victory in a game against Algeria. And they are. Sort of.
As leftist ideologue and soccer fanatic Dave Zirin writes in the Nation, the NPR crowd was ecstatic when the U.S. squad's Landon Donovan scored to seal the American victory that put them into the tournament's second round. As Zirin tells it, he was literally at the NPR studios in Washington waiting to go on to discuss the game when the goal was scored and "almost every cubicle and office let out an extemporaneous yelp. Yes, NPR went wild." Needless to say, there was no such demonstration at the offices of COMMENTARY.
That is, of course, hardly surprising. In the NPR universe, the reluctance of the vast majority of Americans to embrace the so-called "beautiful game" is a symbol of our Bush-like arrogance and refusal to march to the same drummers as those enlightened soccer hooligans from Europe, South America, and even North Korea (whose representatives made the 32-team final in South Africa). For soccer lovers who see the sport's minor-league status here as an affront to their globalist sensibilities, the World Cup is the quadrennial chance to boost its status, so the fortunes of the American team are a matter of deep concern to them. If the Americans succeed, as they have so far in this World Cup, then they hope that somehow this will translate into more prestige for U.S. soccer or at least a chance that the sports manifestation of American exceptionalism is in decline. Notwithstanding our sympathy for the boys running around the fields of South Africa in red, white, and blue, that is an outcome we should not desire. Soccer is just a game (albeit a boring one), and there's no need for patriots to abuse it or its fans. But let's just say that as long as Americans don't share a common sports culture with Algerians and Iranians or even Europeans, we need not fear for the future of the republic.
But there's the rub for hardcore leftists like Zirin, who hope that one day we will be no different than the rest of the world. Zirin wrote last week that the real reason that most Americans don't like soccer is racism and looked forward to Glenn Beck's dilemma when America was a World Cup favorite, as the right-wing broadcaster would have to choose between supporting the flag and his anti-soccer faith. But American successes, such as yesterday's U.S. victory, provide Zirin with his own problem. In order for soccer to do well here, he's got to root for the American team against Third World victims like Algeria (he admits he's really an Argentina fan) and be subjected to jingoist soccer rhetoric about America's "cultural supremacy" on sports talk shows. He confesses that is why international competitions leave him "with such a sour taste."
While I find Zirin's soccer evangelism as well as his aversion to rooting for his own country risible, he's actually right about that last point even if he doesn't follow it to its logical conclusion. While I wish the American World Cup team well, as I would any endeavor in which my fellow citizens represent our country, the business of wrapping team sports in national flags is sheer humbug. Which is why I despise the World Cup in the same way I detest other instances of sports globaloney, like the Olympics or our beloved national pastime of baseball's own World Cup, whose absurd out-of-season international tournament has produced little interest here the two times it was played. It is far better to leave this nonsense to the denizens of Old Europe, unstable South America, and the despotic Middle East, whose one democracy, Israel, is not allowed to compete against its neighbors in soccer but must instead play against the powerhouses of Europe to get into the World Cup, and thus has never been allowed to participate.
Israel Can Win Every Battle but Still Lose the War
In the Wall Street Journal today, I write about the disastrous consequences of Israel's boarding operation off Gaza. Although the Israelis were perfectly justified in trying to stop Hamas from receiving outside aid, the way they went about it resulted in a public-relations catastrophe. A friend asks me in essence, So what? Is growing international approval really a problem for Israel? I believe it is.
Israel cannot afford to become another South Africa, Burma, or North Korea. Come to think of it, even South Africa couldn't afford to become South Africa: an international pariah regime. It was too democratic and too Western to bear such isolation indefinitely in the way that absolute dictatorships like Burma or North Korea can. The international embargo ultimately led to a crisis of confidence within Afrikaner leadership circles and to the negotiated end to the racist regime. Israel, I stress, is no South Africa: it is not an apartheid regime. It is in fact the most liberal and democratic regime in the region, offering Arabs more rights than they are offered in any of its immediate neighbors. And Israel is, mercifully, not yet subject to the kind of international opprobrium that South Africa (rightly) received. Unfortunately, it is heading in that direction.
Other CONTENTIONS bloggers have noted that liberal Gentiles long ago turned on Israel; now it's the turn of liberal Jews. Israel already faces the most hostile administration in Washington in decades — perhaps ever. This is an ominous trend. Israel depends on trade and interaction with the rest of the world; its people are liberal and Western in their outlook — they need to feel a part of the "West." That image is furthered when Israel joins the OECD, the club of advanced industrial countries, as it just did. But incidents such as the Gaza flotilla fight set Israel back and further the propaganda war being waged against it by its enemies. Israel cannot afford to provide its foes further ammunition.
That doesn't mean it should refrain from legitimate acts of self-defense (such as killing Hamas big shots or retaliating for Hamas rocket strikes), but it should be ultra careful to manage public perceptions of its actions. Unfortunately, the Israeli Defense Forces have always shown more competence at tactical kinetic operations than at information operations. That deficiency was revealed during the 2006 war with Hezbollah and now more recently in the botched raid on the Gaza ships. Granted, Israel is getting better about managing the consequences of its actions; the IDF gets kudos for posting video of the raid online quickly and making some naval commandos available for interviews. But if Israel were strategically smarter, it would have avoided the raid altogether, with all the possibilities of something going wrong, and used more stealthy means to prevent the Hamas activists from reaching their objective. The IDF should be mindful of the French experience in Algeria and the American experience in Vietnam: it is possible to win every battle and still lose the war.
The Limits of Anti-Israel Activists' Compassion
For those who wish to end the continued existence of a sovereign Jewish state on the shores of the Mediterranean, there is only one cause worth caring about: breaking the limited blockade that both Israel and Egypt have placed on Hamas-ruled Gaza. No one in Gaza is starving. All are fed by a United Nations Agency — UNRWA — specifically set up to ensure the continued existence of a Palestinian refugee problem. Gaza is poor, but the region, which Israel evacuated in 2005, is now an independent entity ruled by the Hamas terrorist group. For years, it served as a launching pad for missile attacks on Israeli civilians in southern Israel. But after Israel's counteroffensive in December 2008, the Islamists who run Gaza have mostly held their fire. This is done partly out of fear of more Israeli counterterror operations and partly because the blockade imposed on the area — a blockade that allows in food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies but not construction materials that could aid Hamas's homegrown weapons industry — has made it difficult for them to replenish their arsenal.
Thus, efforts to break this blockade and the international isolation imposed on this Hamasistan, created to force Gaza's rulers to renounce their allegiance to a program pledged to the violent destruction of Israel, have little to do with sympathy for Gazans and everything to do with fueling anti-Israel propaganda. Though European sympathy for the "plight" of besieged Gaza is commonplace, support for breaking the blockade means freedom for Hamas, not the people who must live under the rule of Islamist tyrants.
But that hasn't stopped anti-Israel activists from attempting to stage propaganda incidents highlighting their opposition to the blockade against Hamas. The latest is a so-called Freedom Flotilla of eight ships that left Istanbul, Turkey, this week. Al Jazeera, whose peppered a "news" report about the launch editorialized about how the "issue of Gaza moves Turks more than any other single issue," noted that the convoy "is from the UK, Ireland, Algeria, Kuwait, Greece and Turkey, and is comprised of 800 people from 50 nationalities." Though the rhetoric from the organizers centered on the supposed lack of food and medicine in Gaza, the report also noted that the ships are carrying 500 tons of construction equipment. Omitted from the Al Jazeera article was the fact that high-ranking members of the Hamas leadership also attended the festive launch of the ships. It is no surprise that Israel has said its Navy will prevent the ships from landing at Gaza and delivering their cargo. If they persist in trying to land, they will be diverted to Israel, where the passengers will be sent home, and any actual humanitarian supplies (as opposed to construction material) will be sent on to Gaza.
But though they claim they are trying to help people in need, there are limits to even the boundless compassion for humanity exhibited by those taking part in the Freedom Flotilla.
A lawyer representing the family of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas in 2006, approached the organizers of the Free Gaza flotilla. The Shalit family asked the pro-Palestinian group to bring letters and food packages to the kidnapped soldier, who has been denied Red Cross visits by his Hamas captors. In exchange, the family, which has the sympathy of all Israel and the ear of the Israeli government, offered to lobby to give the flotilla docking rights in Gaza. The response from these humanitarians: no!
Had they agreed to pass on the letters and packages from Shalit's family, the pro-Palestinian group could have bolstered their shaky credibility as humanitarians. But by refusing, they have revealed themselves as nothing more than people bent on aiding and abetting an international terrorist group.
Millions for Defense, Not One Cent for Tribute
Seth Cropsey of the Hudson Institute has written twice in the last few weeks (here and here) on a topic integral to U.S. national security: our declining naval dominance. His point at Pajamas Media on Tuesday — that Defense Secretary Gates's May 3 call for a smaller navy got little attention or criticism in the press — resonates with me. Americans have trouble remembering that we are, most fundamentally, a maritime trading nation. Naval power is a core element of our own national security as well as of the global stability we seek to promote. We can maintain naval dominance or we can fight to get it back, but our position and character as a nation are impossible without it.
The proximate reason for the current debate is the ongoing shrinkage of the U.S. Navy, which has declined nearly 20 percent in the last decade while other navies are expanding and modernizing. China has had a very successful naval expansion program during this period. Russia and Iran have accelerated their efforts at modernization and new construction. Nations from Vietnam to India to Saudi Arabia and Algeria are making major investments in naval weapon systems.
Moreover, the navies of Russia, China, and India are operating in distant waters and cultivating their images as "power projection" forces. Russia has resumed visiting its Cold War-era haunts in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Pacific, and Western hemisphere. China's navy conducted its largest and farthest-flung fleet exercise ever in March and April 2010, twice operating provocatively in a Japanese strait. India dispatched a naval task force in 2009 to conduct unprecedented joint drills with European navies in the Atlantic. All three of these navies are now operating in the international antipiracy effort off of Somalia, as are navies like Iran's and Saudi Arabia's, which formerly kept to their own coastal waters.
Nations don't expand their navies or the scope of their operations because they are satisfied with the status quo. Although the Somali piracy problem has been a key catalyst for unprecedented naval deployments, there is no question that the fastest-growing navies — those of China, Russia, India, and Iran — are being enlarged because their political leaders envision an alternative to U.S. maritime dominance.
RE: The Middle East Vacuum
The Michael Young piece cited by Emanuele Ottolenghi in his insightful post echoes the concerns a number of us have had for some time. Russia's inroads in the Middle East have been expanding for several years; in 2010, we are seeing an acceleration of moves that Moscow would once have been more tentative and covert in undertaking.
The civil-nuclear deals with Syria and Turkey continue a trend that has been underway since 2006-2007. It's more efficient today to list which countries in the region do not have civil-nuclear agreements with Russia. Since 2007, the Russians have concluded civil-nuclear cooperation deals with Egypt, Jordan, Libya, and Algeria, along with Syria and Turkey. Russia is training nuclear engineers, bidding on reactor contracts, and mining uranium.
Nuclear cooperation takes a back seat only to oil and gas deals and arms sales. Turkey's geographic position has long made it an object of Russian gas strategy. As the Wall Street Journal points out today, the deals signed this week represent the culmination of a years-long Russian effort to co-opt Turkey as a pipeline partner, potentially compromising Ankara's commitment to European pipeline sponsors. Russia's intensive cultivation of natural gas giants Libya and Algeria gives Moscow leverage over nearly 100 percent of the natural gas supply to much of central and southern Europe. The sale of big-ticket weapon systems to Algeria, Libya, and Syria serves to isolate Israel – and to complicate any U.S. effort to provide military support to Israel if it becomes necessary.
Now Russia is negotiating a huge arms sale – including the S-300 air-defense system, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and assault helicopters – with U.S. partner and long-time client Saudi Arabia. This development and others are disquieting harbingers of a Russia unconstrained by worry about either offending or alarming the U.S. Two recent events highlight this loss of diffidence. One is the announcement in March 2010 that Russia and Greece would conduct joint naval exercises in the Aegean Sea this year. Turkey is not the only NATO ally being aggressively courted by Moscow.
The other event is Dmitry Medvedev's May 12 meeting in Damascus with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal. There could hardly be a more overt declaration of Russia's posture and interests in the Middle East. The Russia of Medvedev and Putin intends to join forces with the regional actors who want to disrupt the status quo; their targets are Israel and the U.S. network of partnerships and influence in the region.
We will see Russia engaged in more unabashed maneuvering in the coming days. The pace of events is quickening. One thing we must understand is that Russia's influence over Iran's nuclear program is no longer being exercised primarily as a dynamic in Russia's relations with the U.S. The Arab nations that fear a nuclear Iran are Moscow's audience now. The implication is that Russia is the great power that can keep Iran in check. Obama's America is sitting on the sidelines.
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Why the Western Sahara Matters
Most Americans know little or nothing about the conflict over the western Sahara or the self-styled "liberation" group the Polisario Front (originally backed by the former Soviet bloc). The Obama administration and Congress are focused on other problems in the Middle East. But the conflict that has ensnared Morocco, Algeria, and tens of thousands of Sahrawi (natives of the disputed territory) refugees warehoused in camps in Algeria poses a humanitarian crisis and creates another hotbed of terrorism and the narco-smuggling that accompanies it.
To read the rest of this COMMENTARY Web Exclusive, click here.
The Women of Morocco
We have had a series of horror stories reminding us of atrocious treatment of girls and women in a great number of Muslim countries. Whether it is Yemen or Turkey or Saudi Arabia, the picture of brutality is grim, indeed. But there is an exception in the region, one that gets little attention.
I had the opportunity to meet today with two Moroccan female legislators (yes, that's noteworthy enough). Morocco suffers what might be considered the fate of pro-Western, modernizing countries of the Middle East — it is ignored rather than held up as an example and an alternative to the oppression and repression of Muslim fundamentalism and to the institutionalization of misogyny one finds in so much of what Obama lumps into the "Muslim World." Zahra Chagaf is the elected representative from Tarfaya in southern Morocco, which is the focus of the dispute over the fate of the Western Sahara (and the dangerous exploitation by the Polisario Front and Algeria. More about all that in a later post.) She is fluent in multiple languages, and on the topic of women, she speaks in French. (My rusty high school French is assisted by an able translator.) She explains that twelve years ago, a huge legal and political change occurred in Morocco. " There were only two female legislators in parliament in 2000," she explains. "Now there are 40 of us. On the municipal level [the equivalent of our state level], 0.5 percent were women in 2000. Now there are 12 percent, about 4,000 people." She emphasizes that this was accompanied by a new family code that afforded women new rights, and by the outlawing of sexual harassment and discrimination. Five government ministers are women, and there are 15 female ambassadors.
How did this come about, I ask — why is Morocco so different? She explains that it came from "civil society." The groundswell came both from "women in the country and men with an open outlook." She emphasizes that in the south, her own region, women have always been involved in the "social, political, cultural" life of the country, and unlike in other Muslim countries, within the home, Moroccan women also exercise power and influence. She stresses: "It is the women who raise the children… Education is more important than any legal change."
Mbarka Bouaida is another member of parliament, elected to represent TanTan, also in southern Morocco. She could be any New York investment banker or associate in a large law firm, smartly dressed in a gray pantsuit, sporting shoulder length hair. She also speaks multiple language and converses with me in fluent English. What's different about Morocco? She smiles. "It is a matriarchal society," she begins. She also emphasizes the role of women in southern Moroccan society but adds that Morocco is also a Mediterranean country, culturally distinct from much of the rest of the Middle East. In southern Morocco, she notes: "Women were much more active in society before the legal environment changed. Women have been active in business. Most of the business people in the south are women. Women have always acted very freely in deciding matrimonial aspects and who they marry." (The contrast to other Muslim countries is plain.) Even in the naiton's resistance to French and Spanish rule, women were active, she continues, and also recalls that in the 1950s, the princess was among the first Muslim women to give a speech in public without the veil.
The challenge to Morocco, the women explain, is to expand the role of women and hold back the threat of Muslim fundamentalism that would reverse the nation's progress. Mbaraka explains: "We need to have more [freedom for women] and protect against extremism. We see extremists interpreting the Koran… We need to continue to communicate and provide education." And what of the women in the rest of the Middle East? Well, Zahra explains that they do meet with women from Yemen, Syria, and Saudi Arabia — where she emphasizes, "The women have no rights!" The effort of other Muslim countries to repress and brutalize their own women is made more difficult in the modern era. As she explains, "You can see what is going on [in other countries], and you don't have to put up with it."
The Morocco example leaves one with mixed emotions. On one hand, it is a shining example of reform and modernization, one we hope is emulated by its neighbors. But as the women made so very clear, Morocco is different than many of his Muslim neighbors. And in emphasizing the differences, one comes back to the bleak condition of women in those other Muslim countries in which the cultural and social predicate for the advancement of women is sorely lacking. As another commentator observed with regard to Afghan women, the challenge for America (and one could say for enlightened nations like Morocco as well) is great, namely to help women:
"…unravel themselves from centuries of complicity in their own oppression and see themselves not as defiled, unclean, perpetually wanton creatures to be hidden away as if they were carriers of plague, but rather as noble members of the human race endowed with greatness and blessings: the giving of life, the tending to it mercifully and lovingly, and, most important, the imparting of lessons in real virtue—self-acceptance to their daughters and just plain acceptance to their sons—that would be gaining hearts and minds indeed."
We and our Moroccan allies have our work cut out for us.
UPDATE: An informed reader emails to add that the King of Morocco deserves a share of the credit for this societal transformation — "for siding with these women against the more reactionary forces in society. In a poll last year that found him very popular, the one area where there was a lot of criticism was… women's rights! Lots of men thought he was going too fast." (More on the poll and on the family code can be found here.) If only other Muslim nations were fortunate enough to have such leadership.
"Rescue" Jerusalem
What a difference a year makes. In January 2009, Arab League summitry was in disarray. Members assembling to discuss the Gaza crisis couldn't even agree on holding a single, unified summit: "moderates" met in Kuwait that month and "radicals" in Doha, Qatar, with factional differences centering on suspicion of Iran and the rift between Fatah and Hamas. When the annual Arab League summit convened in March 2009, observers largely agreed with this assessment that the meeting ended ingloriously, yielding no decisions of substance.
The atmosphere is markedly different as the 2010 summit opens this week in Sirte, Libya. For one thing, with Libya acting as host, it appears that longstanding disputes between Muammar Qaddafi and the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Egypt are being papered over. Lebanon's President Suleiman will not attend the summit due to a Lebanese grudge against Qaddafi dating to 1978, but he's the only holdout. Lebanon will probably send a lower-level delegation; pressure is mounting for a show of unity by the league's membership. Saudi Arabia is also hard at work on brokering a last-minute reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas so that a unified Palestinian delegation can be assembled for the leaders' meetings on March 27 and 28.
The push for unity, in conjunction with Libya's de facto readmission to the ranks of the respectable, distinguishes this summit from its predecessors over the past decade. And there is no mistaking the basis on which Libya has been restored to the fold: Qaddafi has spent the past 18 months accusing Israel of fomenting strife in Africa, charging Israel with genocide in the UN, and agreeing with Bashar al-Assad that the Arab nations must "unite against Israel."
Reports this week have concentrated on the upcoming summit's agenda of unifying Arabs to "rescue Jerusalem." The wording of that theme seems to have emerged after the Obama administration overreacted to Israel's March 9 announcement on construction in East Jerusalem. A presentation outlining the "occupation" of Jerusalem since 1967 is now promised as a summit event, with the yet-to-be-assembled Palestinian delegation on the hook to brief it.
In light of the energy building for this summit, Tuesday's news that the Arab League is seeking closer cooperation with Iran strikes an ominous note. The impetus for that move comes as much from the regional perception that U.S. policy is ineffective as from any other source. Obama proposes, moreover, to shore up the Arab nations against Iran by arming them, an approach hardly calculated to act as a brake on anti-Israel rhetoric or actions. With Russia making landmark arms deals with Saudi Arabia and Libya (as well as Kuwait and Algeria), conditions are ripening for partisan saber-rattling — as they deteriorate for honestly brokered negotiations and a peaceful resolution.
Support for Israel in the U.S. Congress is an encouraging sign after the barrage of rhetorical attacks from the Obama administration. But it's the president whose signals are typically decisive for both allies and opponents abroad. The Arab League's members have been reading Obama's signals for more than a year now. Their posture in Sirte this weekend will be a reflection of the effect he has had.
How NOT to Wage a Counterinsurgency
As part of the research for my book on the history of guerrilla warfare, I have recently — and belatedly — read Street Without Joy by Bernard Fall. Originally published in 1961, this is considered a classic account of the French Indochina War written by a Jewish journalist-historian who was born in Austria, moved to France as a child, fought with the French Resistance after losing his parents to the Nazis, and later emigrated to the United States.
Fall was, by all accounts, a sterling individual who had great insight into Vietnam; he was an early skeptic about the American war effort. Street Without Joy was disappointing, however. I found it pretty disjointed, a mix of history and memoir that never quite jelled. That said, it does offer some interesting perspectives on how counterinsurgency á la française worked. He recounts, for instance, what happened when a transport aircraft on which he was flying took some flak from a Viet Minh anti-aircraft battery. Two French fighters immediately swooped down to deal with the ground fire. On his headset, Fall could overhear one of the pilots saying to the other that he had spotted a village:
"Can't see a darn thing. Do you see anything?"
"Can't see anything either, but let's give it to them just for good measure."
Another swoop by the two little birds and all of a sudden a big black billow behind them. It was napalm–jellied gasoline, one of the nicer horrors developed in World War II. It beats the conventional incendiaries by the fact that it sticks so much better to everything it touches.
"Ah, see the bastards run now?"
Now the village was burning furiously. The two fighters swooped down in turn and raked the area with machine guns. … Scratch one Lao village–and we didn't even know whether the village was pro-Communist or not."
I would guess if that village wasn't pro-Communist before this napalm attack, it would have been pro-Communist after. No wonder the French couldn't win in Vietnam or Algeria. This wasn't the whole story, but certainly one of the crucial factors was that they were so indiscriminate in causing civilian casualties.
That's a lesson that General Stanley McChrystal has taken to heart. That's why he has imposed such restrictive rules for the use of airpower in Afghanistan — rules for which he has been criticized by some who would no doubt like our aircraft to indiscriminately napalm villages. After all, that strategy worked great for the French, didn't it?
A Good Choice for a Bad Job
I am not sure that the U.S. should be sending an ambassador back to Syria, which continues to play the old game of saying it wants better relations with the West while simultaneously meddling in Lebanese affairs, trying to acquire nuclear arms, stockpiling chemical weapons, repressing all internal opposition, working with Iran to arm Hezbollah and Hamas, facilitating Sunni terrorist operations in Iraq, and generally harming the overall prospects of peace and stability in the Middle East. Damascus is likely to see the appointment of a top American diplomat as a reward for its disruptive behavior — especially when, as Michael Young notes, the U.N. investigation into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which could have put serious pressure on Syria to reform, is going nowhere fast. The Bush administration withdrew our ambassador from Damascus in 2005 to protest the Hariri assassination, which was undoubtedly engineered from Syria. No one in Syria has been held accountable, and yet here comes our ambassador calling.
That said, if we are going to send an ambassador to Damascus, it is hard to think of a better choice than Robert Ford. He is currently deputy chief of mission in Iraq, and it was in that capacity that I met with him on my visit to Baghdad last fall. I came away extremely impressed by this career diplomat, who speaks fluent Arabic and has previously served as the U.S. ambassador in Algeria. I realize that State Department Arabists have a checkered reputation — see Robert Kaplan's fine book on that subject, which makes it clear that too often the Arabists have adopted a "see-no-evil attitude" toward the Arabs while displaying unremitting hostility to the Israelis. Bob Ford isn't like that at all. I found him to be a singularly shrewd, insightful, and clear-eyed analyst of Iraqi politics. In fact, I left his office wondering why he wasn't appointed ambassador in place of Chris Hill, who has no background in the Middle East.
Ford will be the best possible American representative in Damascus. I just hope he will not be forced to front for an Obama-esque policy of appeasement. It is possible that after the failure of engagement in Iran, the administration will now redouble its efforts to reach some kind of accommodation with Syria that will enhance rather than diminish the troublemaking capacity of the Alawite clique at the center of Syrian politics.
Flotsam and Jetsam
Jim Geraghty observes of Obama's appearance in Ohio that the president was "defensive, prickly, almost indignant that he's found himself in the tough spot that he's in." That's pretty much par for the course when things aren't going well. I think that superior temperament thing only works when he's on top.
Mickey Kaus: "What do presidents do when they should fire themselves? They fire their advisers and bring in a new crew. That's what may happen here. I'd guess we're about 36 hours away from a Beltway call for 'wise men.' … If it wasn't for his role in the Massachusetts Senate debate, I'd say we're a week away from David Gergen's touchdown at Reagan National." But first Obama would have to acknowledge something is wrong — well, other than all those stubbornly angry people out there who don't understand how hard he has been working.
The Obami never seem to learn anything. Andy McCarthy tells us: "The Justice Department has announced the release from Gitmo of a terrorist who conspired to bomb Los Angeles International Airport in the 2000 Millennium plot. Hassan Zumiri, who was part of an al-Qaeda affiliated terror cell in Montreal, has been repatriated to his native Algeria — a country so rife with terrorists that it was recently placed on the list of 14 countries whose travelers warrant enhanced screening at airports."
They never learn anything because they avert their eyes from inconvenient truths. Tom Joscelyn on the Fort Hood report: "The report lumps all sorts of deviant and problematic behaviors together as if they have the same relevance to the events of November 5. Thus, we find a discussion of alcohol and drug abuse, sexual violence, elder abuse, and the disgusting methods employed by child molesters. We also learn of the deleterious effects of events 'such as divorce, loss of a job, or death of a loved one," all of which "may trigger suicide in those who are already vulnerable.' . . .What is relevant is Hasan's religious and political beliefs. He is a jihadist, although you would never know it by reading the Pentagon's report."
The Obama presidency has been a disaster for Big Labor. No card check. And now this: "Organized labor lost 10% of its members in the private sector last year, the largest decline in more than 25 years. The drop is on par with the fall in total employment but threatens to significantly limit labor's ability to influence elections and legislation. . .Labor experts said theunion-membership losses would have a long-term impact on unions and their finances, because unions wouldn't automatically regain members once the job market rebounded. In many cases, new jobs will be created at nonunion employers or plants." Maybe union bosses should have spent less time and money lobbying for card check and for ObamaCare and more effort on pro-job measures.
Obama may find the public unreceptive to his populist pandering. Gallup finds: "Americans' broad views about corporate spending in elections generally accord with the Supreme Court's decision Thursday that abolished some decades-old restrictions on corporate political activity. Fifty-seven percent of Americans consider campaign donations to be a protected form of free speech, and 55% say corporate and union donations should be treated the same way under the law as donations from individuals are." (A majority still think it's more important to limit campaign donations.)
And meanwhile he hits a new low in approval (47 percent) in Gallup.
George Will anticipates Obama's next ill-advised gambit: "If Obama can now resist the temptation of faux populism, if he does not rage, like Lear on the heath, against banks, he can be what Americans, eager for adult supervision, elected him to be: a prudent grown-up. For this elegant and intelligent man to suddenly discover his inner William Jennings Bryan ('You shall not crucify America upon a cross of credit-default swaps') would be akin to Fred Astaire donning coveralls and clodhoppers." Unfortunately, in a year, the only time we've seen the "prudent grown-up" is on the Afghanistan surge — and then only with a lot of adolescent angst and ill-advised lefty rhetoric.
Still cringing over Sen. Arlen Specter's "act like a lady" blunder, Gail Collins notices: "If the Democrats are looking for a wake-up call from Massachusetts, the big rooster in the room is the plethora of underwhelming candidates they are fielding." Well, in this climate, it's hard to recruit the cream of the crop.
Al-Qaeda's Resiliency No Excuse to Abandon Afghanistan
Bruce Hoffman of Georgetown had an important report in Sunday's Washington Post on al-Qaeda's emerging strategy, which can be glimpsed in such plots as the Christmas Day attempted airplane bombing and the suicide bombing at the CIA base in Afghanistan. He notes that such attacks suggest that al-Qaeda is exceedingly resilient and that reports of its demise are premature:
While the United States remains preoccupied with trying to secure yesterday's failed state — Afghanistan — al-Qaeda is busy staking out new terrain. The terrorist network sees failing states as providing opportunities to extend its reach, and it conducts local campaigns of subversion to hasten their decline. Over the past year, it has increased its activities in places such as Pakistan, Algeria, the Sahel, Somalia and, in particular, Yemen.
He's right about al-Qaeda's ability to fill vacuums in undergoverned countries, but I disagree with the implication that the war in Afghanistan is a distraction from the wider campaign. If we were to lose in Afghanistan, it would become tomorrow's failed state, as well as yesterday's, and that would constitute a massive win for al-Qaeda. Among other things, it would further destabilize Pakistan, which is already facing a horrific threat. (A new think-tank report finds that in Pakistan, "terrorist attacks killed 3,021 people and injured 7,334 in 2009. There were 87 suicide bombings amid 2,586 terrorist strikes, a 45 percent increase over the previous year.")
The answer isn't to give up in Afghanistan but to do better on those other battlefields where we will have to fight without benefit of large numbers of our own ground troops.


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Will San Francisco tag Pro Bowl safety again? Brad Biggs
Dashon Goldson played under the franchise tag this season and the San Francisco 49ers safety doesn't see any reason why he will not return to the club in 2013.
It's impossible to say at this point of the Niners will play tag with Goldson again or if he will receive the kind of long-term extension all players ultimately seek. But while preparing for Super Bowl XLVII, Goldson said he expects to be around next season.
"We haven't spoken anything about a contract, but I don't see why I wouldn't be around," Goldson said, according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.
The Niners tagged Goldson for $6.212 million this season. He was selected as a Pro Bowl player for the second straight season and received first team All-Pro honors as well. The price for tagging Goldson again rises by 120 percent to $7.454 million. Or the Niners could think about a multi-year deal.
"Those guys understand what I've done, and how can you say I don't deserve anything I might receive," Goldson said.
First, there is one big game remaining.
Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs
Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune
MAR 07 Joel Corry
The three-day window opens Saturday
Front offices and agents of soon-to-be free agents can begin discussions this weekend.
MAR 04 Jerry Angelo
Why GM-head coach relationships fail
At some point, even the best partnerships in the NFL will begin to dissolve.
MAR 04 Jeff Fedotin
Could Jonathan Martin end up in Indy?
Amidst swirling rumors, Colts would serve as perfect team for embattled tackle.

subset: commoncrawl


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I have a job that is a 6 Day rotation, working 4 days then off 2. Most workouts I have found utilize all 7 seven days. Although I'm sure that is ideal, my best motivation is after work since I am already out and about. So I'm posing the question about a workout that has me going to the gym for 4 straight days and resting the days I am off work. My first thought was Days 1 and 3 upper body, Days 2 and 4 lower body with a little cardio everyday, but I am a beginner and admit I know quite little. Any help, any advise will be greatly appreciated.
Thread: 6 Day Workout
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+ LRHS to host free hoops clinics
Lakewood Ranch High School will host free basketball clinics for students in fourth through seventh grades, beginning March 19.
Clinics will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, in the Lakewood Ranch gym, through the remainder of the school year.
Players will focus on fundamentals, skills, drills and competitive play.
For information, contact boys basketball coach Jeremy Schiller at firstname.lastname@example.com.
+ ODA remains unbeaten
The Out-of-Door Academy girls tennis team improved to 6-0 with wins over Clearwater Central Catholic March 4 and Sarasota March 5.
Maria Ross, M'Balia Bangoura, Alana Sherman, Savannah Sleight, Cheyenne Kerekes, Morgan Woods and Chloe Ruppert all recorded singles victories over the two-day span. Bangoura and Sherman and Caroline Whitten and Charlotte Dixon earned doubles victories over Sarasota.
+ Leadbetter takes on new role at Concession
David Leadbetter was recently named instruction adviser at The Concession Golf Club.
Leadbetter has coached more than 100 top PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour and European PGA Tour professionals.
On March 8, Leadbetter led a clinic with the LPGA's Sandra Gal and Champions Tour players.
+ Birdland golf event raises $39,000
More than 86 golfers teed off for the Third Annual Birdland Golf Classic Feb. 20, at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.
The event, which is sponsored by the OriolesREACH program, raised more than $39,000 for the Miracle League of Manasota.
KUDOS: Lakewood Ranch Athletics
Lakewood Ranch High School continues to lead the Florida High School Athletic Association Academic Team Standings in Class 6A, following the culmination of the winter sports season.
The Mustangs have 90 points — four points more than Fort Myers.
The Lakewood boys basketball team won the academic state championship with a team grade-point average of 3.37.
Currently 0 Responses
Tick Tock
Daylight Saving Time starts 2 a.m. Sunday, so be sure to set your alarm accordingly. -
Good vibrations
The Tabernacle Christian School middle school student Lauren Medred, an East County resident, earned top vocal honors, taking first place in vocal solo female category of the Florida League of Christian School's Festival of the Academics and Arts Feb. 28 and March 1 at Southeastern University in Lakeland. -
Tech takeover
Manatee County schools dominated a state technology competition with five of six top-three finishes earned by Manatee County schools during the 35th annual Technology Student Association State Competition late February.


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TAPCO Intrafuse T6 Rifle Stock 6-Position Collapsible Ruger 10/22 Standard Barrel Channel Synthetic
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Policy Papers - June 30, 2008
Governing the Global Economy: Strengthening Multilateral Institutions
This paper takes a focused look at the multilateral mechanisms geared toward managing international finance, trade, and development.
Panel Discussions - June 30, 2008
The UN Security Council and War: Evolution of Thought and Practice Since 1945
IPI recently held a panel discussion to launch the new volume, The UN Security Council and War: Evolution of Thought and Practice Since 1945, edited by Vaughan Lowe, Adam Roberts, Jennifer Welsh, and Dominik Zaum.
Panel Discussions - June 23, 2008
The African Union and its Institutions
The International Peace Institute recently held a panel discussion to launch a new volume, The African Union (AU) and Its Institutions, edited by John Akokpari, Angela Ndinga-Muvumba, and Tim Murithi.
Panel Discussions - June 18, 2008
The Inside Story of UN Peace Operations
The International Peace Institute recently held a panel discussion to launch a new book series, the "IPI Histories of UN Peace Operations." Initiated by the UN Departments of Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Operations, this series aims to fill a critical gap in institutional knowledge in the field of peacekeeping.
Speaker Events - April 17, 2008
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Addresses First Meeting of the Turtle Bay Club
The Turtle Bay Club is a new series of evening receptions hosted by IPI at its new conference facility, the Trygve Lie Center for Peace, Security, and Development. Each reception features a leading personality in international affairs speaking on current issues and engaging with a select group of Ambassadors and other members of the UN Community.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was the guest of honor for the inaugural meeting of the new series on April 17, 2008. He congratulated IPI for its new conference center and spoke about some of his priorities for the UN, including climate change and food security.
Following the Secretary-General's remarks there was a lively question and answer session, moderated by IPI President Terje Rød-Larsen.
Slide show: Image 1 of 9 | ||||||
Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon addresses the first Turtle Bay Club | ||||||
Conferences - April 14, 2008
Constructing Political Space in Iraq: Examining the UN's Role
The Middle East Program at IPI recently held a Policy Forum aimed at dissecting and better understanding the role of the United Nations in Iraq. Entitled "Constructing Political Space in Iraq: Examining the UN's Role," the event was part of a series convened by IPI with leading intellectuals and political figures from or engaged in the Middle East.
The Global Observatory
South Sudan, Back in Crisis, Finds Advocates in Former Child Refugees
Two former child soldiers from Sudan discuss how they are working to provide assistance to the South Sudanese displaced by the conflict that began December 15.
Key Global Events to Watch in March
A list of key upcoming meetings and events with implications for global affairs.
2014 Top 10 Issues to Watch in Peace & Security: The Global Arena
A list of ten key issues to watch that are likely to impact international peace and security in 2014, compiled by IPI's Francesco Mancini.
The Global Observatory, produced by IPI, provides timely analysis on peace and security issues, interviews with leading policymakers, interactive maps, and more.


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Friday, March 07, 2014
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A New Jersey Man is dead after crashing his car in a Colonie parking garage.
Police say 23-year-old Matthew Reilly hit a concrete pillar at the Latham Circle Mall garage just after 7 p.m. Friday. He was taken to Albany Med, where he later died.
Reilly was the only person in the car at the time of the crash, according to police.
No word yet on a cause.


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Robotic surgery extends its reach in healthcare, hospital marketing
If robotic surgery is the future of medicine, many in the healthcare industry would like you to know that the future is already here. In 2010, an estimated 220,000 U.S. procedures were assisted by a robotic device called the da Vinci surgical system. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration 11 years ago, da Vinci is the only equipment of its kind on the market, with more than 1,300 systems installed across the country. A surgeon operating the system sits at a console several feet away from the patient, and with the aid of a TV-like 3-D visualizer and joystick-style controls, uses the robot's arms to maneuever instruments through small incisions. It's a major change from traditional, or open, surgery, in which large incisions are made to access various parts of the body. The company that makes the system says it yields less scarring, pain and blood loss, among other benefits. And surgeons say that with its dexterity and precision, the robot's performance may be better than minimally invasive procedures done by human hand.
- Hospital Groups Strike Back at Hospital Rating Systems
- AHIP: Enormity of HIX Challenges Sinks In
- The Secret to Physician Engagement? It's Not Better Pay
- 5 Hot Healthcare Ideas from SXSW
- Another SGR Patch Likely, Lawmaker Says
- How Succession Planning Boosts Employee Retention Rates
- 4 Reasons PCMH Principles Aren't Going Away
- Two-Midnight Rule Must be Fixed or Replaced, Say Providers
- Don't Underestimate Emotional Intelligence
- Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research: Avoiding Confusion


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CHICAGO — State treasurer Dan Rutherford (ROOTH'-ur-furd) is addressing harassment allegations against him head on.
The Chenoa Republican brought up the issue himself in the opening moments of a debate in Chicago with his three rivals to be the GOP nominee for governor.
A former employee in Rutherford's office has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Rutherford of sexual harassment and forcing him to do work on campaign time.
Rutherford denied the allegations, saying "nothing like that has ever occurred." But he said he couldn't provide proof until the election is over.
Rutherford initially promised to release the findings of an investigation into the issue but an attorney advised him to stay silent.
Rutherford faces state Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard and businessman Bruce Rauner (ROW'-nur) in the March 18 primary.


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Houston Performing & Visual Arts Fair
Oct. 22, 2013 UTC | |
Rice University, Alice Pratt Brown Hall
6100 Main St. | |
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Students have the opportunity to meet admission representatives from a variety of colleges and universities to discuss degrees and programs of study, admission requirements, financial aid options and other information relevant to selecting the right college. College fairs are typically free and open to the public.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Register to attend at the NACAC website.


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Emotional Intelligence (EI-CU) Prework
None. Description
We are all governed by our emotions, both personally and professionally. Emotional Intelligence, like technical skill, can be developed through a systematic, consistent approach to building competence in personal and social awareness, self-management and social skill. Participants will acquire greater understanding about how their thoughts, feelings, and behavior affect themselves and others, by either enhancing effectiveness or creating roadblocks to communication. Additional Information
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TTS Voice Problem
I am developing a project where TTS is used.
Microsoft Anna can be used without any problem.
But the other installed voices cannot be used. It shows error.
"Cannot set voice. No matching voice is installed or the voice was disabled."
As I test the voice from Control Panel, I find that only Microsoft Anna and Sample TTS Voice are working.
But in my project Sample TTS Voice is also not working.
VoiceGender.Female is only working. VoiceAge.[...] does not work at all.
//voice.SelectVoice("Microsoft Mike");
voice.Volume = 100;
voice.Rate = -10;
.NET 4.0 is the development framework.
How can I change Voice?
Any help is appreciated.


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The following people were fined $25 and $114.50 in court costs for
violations. All costs are approximate.
Seat belt: Rodger F. Wappel, 63, Medaryville; Cody J. Campbell, 17,Logansport; Jeanie L. Good, 32, Logansport; Kevin A. Good, 39, Logansport; Alexandra N. Martin, 17, Camden; Ronald R. Ousely Jr., 24, Peru; Leighandra N. Rottet, 19, Peru; Mark A. Bernfield, 39, Logansport; Christopher A. Jones, 26, Logansport; Stephen L. Ross, 25, Monticello; Marcos Madrigal, 23, Logansport; Franciso N. Corrales, 23, Kokomo; William L. Bockover, 53, Twelve Mile; Mary J. Gutierrez, 46, Bacliff, Texas; Aaron R. Miller, 24, Galveston; Chadrick M. Sailors, 24, Walton; Sergio Gonzalez, 33, Walton; Craig D. Griffith, 28, Logansport; Devin S. Craft, 22, Peru; Joshua L. Kistler, 29, Logansport.
Speeding: David S. Burns, 35, Monticello; Karen E. McDonald, 50, Galveston; Brandi L. Mowery, 26, Monticello; Wesley A. Scott, 31, Logansport; Gerardo Arellano, 36, Coloma, Ill.; Alejandro Orozco, 36, Logansport; Deanna J. Norenberg, 36, Logansport; Luciano Cruz, 24, Logansport; Ricky J. Wright, 29, Logansport; Janet Tocco, 41, Logansport; Denisse A. Santillan, 19, Logansport; Gregorio Z. Garcia, 22, Logansport; James A. Trauner, 41, Martinsville; Chad A. Toney, 26, Peru; James A. Scott, 23, Logansport; Baishov Xin, 21, East Lansing, Mich.
Other violations: Salvador Moreno-Garcia, 29, Logansport, no valid license; Cory D. Reed, 25, Bradenton, Fla., failure to stop; Jordan K. Wisler, 20, Walton, failure to stop; Brian J. Roark, 30, Kewanna, disregarding stop sign; Erik K. Roler, 19, Logansport, driving left of center; Guillermo R. Gomez, 41, Logansport, child restraint violation; Jorge Grimaldo, 43, Logansport, child restraint violation; Deborah I. Mohler, 54, Logansport, expired registration; Mason C. Ruble, 16,
Logansport, operating a snowmobile without a valid license; Mario Perez, 46, Logansport, false or fictitious registration; Christopher W. Hizer, 38, Logansport, disregarding a stop sign; Billie Jo Smith, 36, Logansport, false or fictitious registration; Lasalle Jackson III, 27, Logansport, driving while suspended; Justin M. Landis, 23, Logansport, no valid license in possession; Donald L. Bookwalter, 40, driving while suspended; Alejandro Selis, 40, Logansport, operating without valid license; Cody A. Truax, 19, Logansport; Jennifer D. Haskew, 36, Logansport, disregarding stop sign.
Court records
Cass Superior Court I (Honorable Thomas Perrone presiding)Mickey E. Roberts, 27, Idaville, pleaded guilty to conversion, lesser included, pursuant to a plea agreement. Roberts was sentenced to 90 days in the Cass County Jail. He was ordered to pay $264 in costs. He received 45 days credit.
Makenzie Ann Hickman, 18, Logansport, pleaded guilty to conversion pursuant to a plea agreement. Hickman was ordered to pay $364 in costs.
Marriage licenses
Lucas A. Beach, 24, and Angela M. Jones, 33, both of Royal Center.William J. Dubois Jr., 20, Logansport, and Crystal A. Wood, 18, Peru.
Ryan D. Funk, 30, and Holly M. Winters, 37, both of Royal Center.
Jake B. Hall, 72, Logansport, and Regina L. Vanderveen, 64, Indianapolis.
David P. Mercier, 37, Walton, and Susan A. Sommers, 31, Logansport.
Andres G. Perea-Anaya, 18, and Michelle Vasquez, 21, both of Logansport.
Manuel A. Ramirez, 21, and Maria G. Gaitan, 19, both of Logansport.
Michael S. Strong, 26, Logansport, and Jamie L. Smith, 27, Monticello.


text:
Community Member Profile
- Profile: /members/10744-Sunshine-Lewis.htm
- Comments: 2
- Points: 22
Recent Blog Comments By Sunshine Lewis
The User Experience (UX) Of Manually Sorting Data
Posted on Sep 20, 2013 at 2:57 PM

As a User Experience (UX) designer, it's my job to examine that user-pain, trace it back to its source, and then solve the problem that the user is actually having, which is rarely a need to manually sort data.
 Even when the user is stuck on their soluti... read more »
Multi-Step Form Demo In ColdFusion
Posted on Mar 13, 2013 at 10:50 AM
Hi Ben (and community), This snippet has been very helpful to me but I I'm curious about use of session variables. If I'm understanding correctly you create a reference to request.formdata in the session during the initialization of the form. That persists the data across the se... read more »


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DLynx at Rhodes College > Academic Affairs, Office of > Psychology >
These Honors Papers were completed as partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with Honors in Psychology.
Rhodes College owns the rights to the archival digital objects in this collection. Objects are made available for educational use only and may not be used for any non-educational or commercial purpose. Approved educational uses include private research and scholarship, teaching, and student projects. For additional information please contact firstname.lastname@example.com. Fees may apply.
"After this I learned…". Moral and Cultural Voices in Chinese Children's Personal Narratives about Peer Conflict
"Im gonna tell you all about it": Capturing Children's Voices in Written Assessment
An Examination of the Implicit Comprehension of Gender-Biased Language
Transformational Leadership in Sport: Coaching Behaviors, Team Cohesion, and Student-Athlete Commitment
I Narrate, Therefore, I Am: How the Construction of a Storied Self Bridges
How Domain Differences Impact the Mode Structure of Expert Tutoring Dialogue
Psychological Health Among Volunteers, Non-volunteers
Caffeine Physiolology Arousal, and Mood: The Effects Of Caffeine and Induced Mood on Brain Activity, Heart Rate, and Attitude Change
The Experiences of Belonging in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,and Questioning College Students
Understanding Student Affect during Learning
White and Male Privilege: The Consequences of Increasing Awareness of Privilege


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US: Steve Madden Q4 sales up but lowers FY guidance
By Michelle Russell | 13 January 2014
Footwear business Steve Madden has booked an increase in fourth-quarter sales but lowered its earnings guidance for the full year, on the back of soft retail traffic and sales trends.
In the three months to the end of December, sales reached US$342.6m, an 8.6% increase on the prior year period.
In the group's wholesale division, revenues grew 10.5% to $273.1m, while retail sales rose 1.7% to $69.5m. Retail comparable store sales, however, dropped 6.7%.
For its fiscal 2013 year, net sales reached $1.314bn, a 7.1% increase on fiscal 2012.
For the full year, Steve Madden said it now expects diluted EPS to be around $1.97, at the lower end of its guidance range of $1.97 to $2.03.
For fiscal year 2014, the company expects that net sales will increase 5% to 7% over net sales in 2013. Diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $2.05 to $2.15.
"Our wholesale business met expectations during the fourth quarter, but our retail segment was below plan primarily due to softer-than-anticipated performance in December," said CEO Edward Rosenfeld.
"Looking ahead, while we are confident that we can maintain solid momentum in our wholesale business, we are cautious on the near-term outlook for our retail segment given the recent softness in traffic and sales trends."
Sectors: Apparel, Finance, Footwear
Companies: Steve Madden
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This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Footwear in US$ Million and Million Pairs by the following Product Categories/Segments: Athletic Footwear (Aerobic, Baseball, Basketball, Cricket, Cross-Training, Soccer, Running, Tennis, Walking, Hiking...


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Added to Bag!
We'll let you know if it's back in stock!
Added to Wishlist!
Splish, 'Stache Swimsuit Top
Final Sale: This item cannot be returned or exchanged.
- Shell: 80% Nylon, 20% Spandex. Lining: 100% Polyester.
- Sizes XS through XL run true to size. Size XXL runs small. Fabric provides stretch.
- Hand wash.
- Fully lined. Padded bust cups.
- Imported


text:
Unisex Fitted Tee (More Styles...)
American Apparel 100% cotton t-shirt with a fitted / vintage fit. The medium-lightweight jersey fabric is made of ultra-soft combed cotton. Sizes: SM-3XL
Mens & Unisex Jump to: Tees Long Sleeve Tanks Sweatshirts Juniors / Women's Fitted Kids & Babies Accessories Description: Maybe it is time we start to spell Pittsburgh Pirates a little bit differently. There seems to be a new place for that Zoltan Z in the name. Let's go Bucs! Search: Zoltan, Pittsburgh, Pirates, Bucs, MLB
More designs in Pittsburgh Shirts


text:
Similar Styles
- Sport a chic active look in Nike's Gym Vintage sweats! The cropped fit and cozy fabric create must-have style as you workout. Cotton/polyester. Machine washable. Imported. Low rise: approx. 8-1/2 inches. Slim fit through hips and thighs. Skinny leg is cropped at mid-calf. Pull-on style; elastic waist with drawstrings. Slit pockets at hips. Logo at left thigh. Approximate inseam: 25 inches.
- Sporty style with wow factor. This GUESS watch features structured steel and sparkling stones. Stainless steel bracelet. Round silver tone mixed metal case, 41mm, bezel embellished with stone accents, stainless steel case back. Mother-of-pearl chronograph dial with silver tone numerals, stick markers, three hands, date window and three subdials (stopwatch, 24-hour/international time) Quartz movement. Water resistant to 100 meters. Ten-year limited warranty. Women's Watch Size Guide. Request warranty information.
- Get all tied up in the casual look of this women's t-shirt. It has a knot detail on the hem, plus a Trefoil on the front with rose details, a wide U-neck and roll-up sleeves. Wide U-neck. Roll-up sleeves. Trefoil on front with photo-print infill. Knotted detail on left hem. Relaxed fit. 95% Cotton / 5% organic cotton single jersey. Imported.
- Our signature logo sport collection was created for the woman always on the go and features our signature ck logo. Sporty hobo. Ck logo throughout. Raised calvin klein logo plaque. Dual handles. 3 Compartments. Zip close center compartment. 2 Button-snap close compartments. Front compartment features: pouch pocket + cell phone pouch. Back compartment features: zip close pocket + mini logo pocket. Fully lined. 6" Handle drop. 14" Wide x 11" tall x 5" deep. Nylon. Imported.
- Dive into comfort with these skinny athletic pants, brought to you by Under Armour. Showcasing a semi-fitted, slimmer athletic cut, which delivers better mobility by eliminating the bulk of extra fabric, lightweight Charged Cotton; fleece delivers superior quick-dry comfort. Highly water resistant Storm technology repels rain to keep you drier, longer, while a ribbed elastic waistband with an external drawcord ensures a signature, secure fit. These pants are completed with an allover marble heather pattern, an elastic hem for an adjustable fit, and a back yoke for a streamlined silhouette. Cotton/polyester. Machine wash cold. Imported.
- $149 macys.comSimilar itemAs the official timekeeper of the 2013 U.S. Open, Citizen has created this sporty and precise limited edition timepiece. Powered by Eco-Drive, harnessing both natural and artificial light, never needing a battery. Blue nylon strap with red and white stitching. Round stainless steel case, 42mm, engraved bezel. White dial with luminous numerals, dot markers, three hands, red accents, date window and tennis-inspired scoring scale at outer ring. Quartz movement. Water resistant to 50 meters. Five-year limited warranty. Men's Watch Size Guide. Request warranty information.
- Medium sized hobo. Allover faux snake print + solid color trim. Front pocket. Raised calvin klein logo + contrasting hardware. Dual handles. Center zip close compartment. 2 Button snap closure compartments. 3 Compartments total. Front interior compartment features pouch pocket + cell phone pouch. Back interior compartment features zip close pocket + mini logo pocket. Fully lined. 7" Handle drop. 12" Wide x 9.75" tall x 5.25" deep. Faux leather. Imported.
- Live for today. Display your here-and-now attitude with this girls' tee. Part of the NEO for Selena Gomez Collection. Twisted crewneck. Curved hem. Photo print and two color graphics. Regular fit. 51% Cotton / 49% viscose single jersey. Imported.
- $225 saksfifthavenue.comSimilar itemFrom the Henry Collection. Three chronograph sub-dials and a touch of glitz enhance this signature wear-everywhere design. Quartz movement. Water resistant to 5 ATM: Round silvertone stainless steel case, 40mm diameter (1.6"). Crystal bezel. Brushed silvertone dial. Logo hour markers. Three chronograph sub-dials. Second hand. Date window near 4:00. Silvertone stainless steel link bracelet. Made in Japan.


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christy |
Evolution of Jason Statham
ABBS-SOLUTELY NOT, WINKER. KICK IS A HATER. jASON COULD kick box her right off of TMZ and what's… -
Evolution of Jason Statham
Hey ***********, also known as #31, clean up your mouth. TMZ, plese kick off all JASON STATHAM… -
Evolution of Jason Statham
Hey KICK, Nope, i'M not his mother, but definitely would not mind JASON STATHAM in my family. Who… -
Evolution of Jason Statham
Hey #19 You are an idiot. You sound superficial. First of all, you dont know what you are talking… -
Evolution of Jason Statham
Jason is supreme hotness! Human Erectus, Yeah ! More transporter movies needed. Keep it going… -
Rihanna Surfaces South of the Border
she needs an umbrella ella ella....her bruises are getting sun burned ! -
Today for Show & Tell ... Hotness!!!
#37, I agree with all you say, and #38 you are an idiot - she is not even wearing a bra. She is a… -
Today for Show & Tell ... Hotness!!!
Her pants look like they are about to fall off, and is that a TATOO on her arm? GROSS ! -
Perper: Anna's "Anus Is Unremarkable"
Hysterical ! I LOVE this site. TMZ the PHOTO with this "STORY" is what made it ! Hillarious ! Where… -
The Anna Nicole Smith Movie -- Dr. Joshua Perper
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Corsicana —
New Tigers football coach Steve Hoffman completed his first week in Corsicana on Friday.
He likes what he sees, starting with his new players, who went through an intense early morning workout session in the Tiger Field House weight room on Thursday.
"They are extremely respectful," said Hoffman, who started work Monday after arriving from Del Rio. "They are hard workers so that's a plus. And I expected for them to be hard workers coming from a program like Corsicana. That doesn't surprise me. But they do work hard. They get after it."
Hoffman praised the Tigers' assistant coaches, led by Randy Smith, for helping the players through the transition period from when Phil Castles left for Henderson in late February to when Hoffman was officially hired two weeks ago.
"Transition is difficult," Hoffman said. "You don't ever know what's going to happen when a guy comes in. The new guy may want to come in and clean house. They've done a great job. You can tell the kids have been working hard in the weight room."
The Tigers were in the weight room Thursday morning during their athletic period because of rain. But they have spent time on the practice field this week.
Hoffman was seen Wednesday with his hat on backwards and working with the Tigers' defensive linemen.
"I like to coach," Hoffman said. "I'm not going to walk around and just watch. I'm going to coach the defensive line and work with the offensive line a lot too because that's what I've always done. I like doing that."
The coaches have started putting in Hoffman's spread offense and 4-3 defense, which will have some different wrinkles from the past.
Hoffman wants to be balanced on offense and keep things simple on defense.
"We're going to try and put in our offense and defense and try to put it in before we get out of school," Hoffman said. "So when we come back for two-a-days we can kind of pick up where we left off. The last three days we've been trying to implement parts of our offense. And next week we'll start with some of our defense and still move along with our offense. It's going to be a tedious process. But that's what we have to do. We have to be able to get it in."
The players have to learn a new playbook, yes. And there will be more passing, Hoffman said. But he expects everyone to be ready for it.
"The terminology is different," Hoffman said. "But kids pick it up. We're going to throw the ball a little more. We're implementing our passing game."
The Tigers will play in a 7-on-7 league this summer and will play in a qualifying tournament to get to the 7-on-7 State Tournament in College Station in July. Corsicana didn't try to qualify during Castles' four years.
It will take some work to get that going, Hoffman said. Coaches aren't allowed to run 7-on-7 teams. It has to a be a parent or a group of parents.
"We're going to compete in it," Hoffman said, "and try to be as good as we can be at it."
The Tigers' quarterback for 7-on-7 will be senior Devontay Bell, who is one more doctor's trip from getting full clearance after six months of rehabbing an ACL injury.
Bell said Thursday morning that he is feeling good and ready to go.
"He's been out there throwing with us," Hoffman said.
Hoffman gets right to work, says to expect more pass
- Sports
Morgan: Compare and contrast Cowboys and Rangers
Spring is here. What better time to compare and contrast management techniques of the Rangers vs. the Cowboys?
Outdoors: Kevin Reese —Stick and string turkeys: Shotgun range is bow range
Bow addicts can take heart; there's plenty of turkey hunting in the spring.
Navarro Baseball: Lewis delivers in 10th, Bulldogs beat Angelina 2-1
Navarro's Bulldogs pulled out a critical Region XIV baseball game on Friday afternoon, beating Angelina 2-1 in 10 innings to open a three-game series with the Roadrunners.
CG Baseball/Softball: Roundup
Mildred's softball team and Wortham's baseball teams both win.
CHS Basketball: Two Tigers make All-District first team
Corsicana's Tigers capped off an emotion season in which they finished in a tie for third and then battled for a playoff spot by placing two players on the District 16-4A All-District first team and three more on the second team as postseason honors were announced.
CHS tennis: Tigers playing well as they host tournament
Corsicana High's rich and storied tradition in tennis is in good shape as the Tigers have made strides during the spring tennis season.
The Tigers, who have played well this spring, will be the hosts to one of the top tournaments of the spring on Friday when 16 schools and 256 players will compete in the Corsicana Spring Break Slam. -
Frost's Blenden leaves for AD job in Valley Mills
Frost football and basketball coach Eric Blenden is leaving school for job at Valley Mills High School.
Region XIV Tournament: Navarro's season ends with first-round loss to Angelina
The Bulldogs were stunned by Angelina in the opening round of the Region XIV Men's Basketball Tournament at Tyler Junior College's Wagstaff Gym, where Navarro's season ended in a 82-76 loss to the Roadrunners, who are the No. 12 seed in the tournament.
GC Boys Basketball: District 18-1A DI: All-District team
Wortham's Brian Coffman is named Coach of the Year, Kerens' Nate Betts is MVP of 18-1A DI.
GC Basketball: Kerens dominates 18-1A DI girls All-District team
The Kerens LadyCats, who went undefeated in district, dominated the District 18-1A DI All-District girls basketball team that was announced Tuesday.
Not only did Denise Lincoln win the Coach of the Year but Breanna Baxter was named the district MVP and Marqueshia Kelly was the district's Defensive MVP. - More Sports Headlines
Morgan: Compare and contrast Cowboys and Rangers


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Home » News » Politics » City Hall
Ted Siefer's City Hall: A time for ideas and budget matters, large and small
Not all of the ideas put forward last week were grand ones. Several came from Keith Hirschmann, the newly elected - or reelected - Ward 12 alderman. He held the seat from 1996 to 2002, and based on his involvement on Tuesday, the first regular day of meetings for the new term, he was making up for lost time.
Speaking of Martineau, he appeared before the full board Tuesday to request the immediate transfer of $100,000 in contingency funds to deal with said budget deficit. The better news was that Welfare's projected deficit for the year had gone from close to $300,000 to $200,000. This was enough to prompt the aldermen to table Martineau's request for the time being.
There was a time when commissions in Manchester were powerful entities. That's not the case these days; it has become the mayor's regular ritual to put the call out for volunteers to fill seats on the panels.
In the end, the committee approved the more modest request of $1,250. But later in the evening, at the full board meeting, Alderman-at-Large Dan O'Neil, chairman of the board, said he didn't like the precedent this would set. Instead, he proposed that members of the commission go to the mayor's office for postage and work with the Planning Department on the GIS system.The aldermen, perhaps not surprisingly, liked this idea better.
It looks like the Manchester Animal Shelter will be getting the long-term lease it has sought with the city. The shelter leases city property on Dunbarton Road for a $1 a year (after all, it serves as the Manchester area's primary animal shelter). With plans to upgrade and expand the facility, the shelter's leaders sought a 40-year lease for the same token price.
The issue is clearly close to Gatsas, and it bears mentioning that his wife, Cassandra, is the co-president of the Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter.
The school board will hold a special meeting Monday, and on its plate, ahem, will be school lunches. District Food Service Director Jim Connors is to make a presentation on how newly relaxed federal guidelines for healthy school meals might affect its menu.
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Paula's record was quickly reinstated.
if there's an official 5k split time then yeah that counts!
There's that new one starting in Liverpool next May too. Gotta be worth a look.
Brooks Racer ST5 is a flat with a touch of support. Not that light for a flat, but very durable! Top shoe, and pretty cheap for how much mileage I get out of them.
You have priority in this situation. It's their job to look, and their problem if they have to wait.


text:
UK breakdown cover
– buy online
Get a quoteArrange cover over the phone
Call us on 0800 085 2721
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Located in Woodchurch just a couple of miles from Tenterden, this 17th-century listed house benefits from five acres of attractive gardens, and an outdoor swimming pool is available during the summer ...
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