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The Republic of Macedonia's paradoxes in peacebuilding: being an object and/or an actor?
Since recently the debate has refocused on the issue of "national ownership"; it seems as if everybody is for it although few would know what it really means and how can one promote it into post-conflict or failing states. According to according to
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.
2. In keeping with: according to instructions.
3. the (ex-)UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1 1997 to January 1 2007, serving two five-year terms. He was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. , "national ownership is the core principle of peace-building, and the restoration of national capacity to build peace must therefore be at the heart of the international efforts". (1) This statement actually encapsulates the essence of both the peace-building and state-building strategies i.e. it proves that the global actors do not really find great difference between them. Furthermore, national ownership seems to be a desired end of both processes; they are supposed to restore peace and (re)establish capable state institutions that would be sustainable in the sense that they would be able to persist without further international assistance.
The growing debate along with the increasing cases of state-building may be indicators that ultimate solutions are still far from the reach. One could also assume that the growing interest within the international community is due to its being overstretched across the globe with very few clearly successful and sustainable examples of post-conflict peace-building. About half of the peace agreements to end civil wars collapse within five years of signing. Of 18 countries that experienced a UN peacekeeping mission Noun 1. peacekeeping mission - the activity of keeping the peace by military forces (especially when international military forces enforce a truce between hostile groups or nations)
peacekeeping, peacekeeping operation with a political institution-building component between 1988 and 2002, 13 were classified as authoritarian regimes in 2002. (2)
Peace-building process seems to be a long-term and also a reversible one. The paradox lies in the following fact: longer the international missions last, dependency syndrome is more likely. Furthermore, the roots and the essence of the initial violence/conflict tend to go through a mutation in the post-conflict environment. Therefore, the crucial aspect of external interventions is the one that concerns their successfulness. Yet the criteria for success or failure are difficult to be differentiated. The first question in the row is: who is to judge the existence of success or failure? What about objective and subjective aspects of security? Is success to be measured by absence of physical violence (even if it has been transformed into a criminal behaviour) or is presence of preconditions for positive peace necessary?
In a way, the notion of "national ownership" serves as another name for the badly needed "exit strategies" and disentanglement from regions that do not show clear signs of recovery. If it had not been the case, then "national ownership" would have been redundant, especially in the context of the so popular liberal democratic thesis. What would be more natural than to make citizens and other societal actors responsible for their own government and political system? At the same time, the national power-holders have to be accountable to the ones who elect them and give legitimacy to the government. The very insisting on "ownership issue" and empowerment of the local stakeholders implies that peace and democracy may not always go hand in hand in post-conflict societies. Peace, at least, the negative one may be reached through peace agreements and imposition of various institutional arrangements but democracy (or even a bare state apparatus) can hardly be built without a broad participation and inclusion of the local stakeholders in the process. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke"
put differently , at first sight it seems as if (negative) peace can be imposed on the conflict parties, while many theorists would agree that contemporary state-building is a contradiction in terms Noun 1. contradiction in terms - (logic) a statement that is necessarily false; "the statement `he is brave and he is not brave' is a contradiction"
logic - the branch of philosophy that analyzes inference in so far as states cannot be built from the outside: they are derived from society itself. If accepted this line of thinking it would mean that peace is not derived from society itself (sic). The elaboration of the Macedonian case of peace-building/state-building is meant to prove that it is a false presumption.
In other words, both peace and democratic state have to grow from within, from society itself. The role of the international interventions is limited and its involvement may have dubious results despite the good intentions. The so-called international community may claim successful endeavours only if it limits itself on artificial and short-term results. In terms of peace, most it can achieve is negative peace--for transformation of negative into positive peace much more than a peace agreement is necessary. Unless state-building intervention is meant to create a soulless soul·less
Lacking sensitivity or the capacity for deep feeling.
soulless·ly adv. state (3) or an empty shell (4) it cannot be successful without local participative democracy that would not rely only on designated elites that internationals usually deal with.
It goes without saying that "ownership issue" was the best defined in democratic states, where the sovereignty locus is precisely with the people. The well-known definition of democracy reads: power from the people, for the people, by the people. But what happens with post-conflict and/ or weak states? The international community operates on the assumption that the national government speaks on behalf of the entire population and territory of the state. In a failed state, this assumption may be doubtful. The formal government has little authority and control--perhaps down to as little as daytime hours in the capital--and often its legitimacy is severely damaged. Who speaks on behalf of the people in such a situation? With whom should internationals engage? Where should national ownership rest?
Part of the answer is often found in peace agreements. Studies show that the nature and quality of the peace agreements are important for the peacebuilding results. (5) Studies also show that often the agreements are inconsistent, partly because the international actors--which were instrumental in negotiating the agreements--were unclear on whether the primary aim was to achieve peace or to create legitimate democratic institutions. (6) Reaching peace agreements often involves giving the leaders of warring factions a central role in the future state or regional constellation. It is believed that such arrangements would provide them with incentives to mutate mu·tate
intr. & tr.v. mu·tat·ed, mu·tat·ing, mu·tates
To undergo or cause to undergo mutation.
[Latin m from warlords into peacelords. (7) Eventually, the facade of national ownership is usually preserved carefully but it is the international community that formulates the strategies--more or less coordinated, and with more or less input from 'local voices'. Ownership is defined "pragmatically" and there is application of something called a "principle of dynamic ownership" that allegedly "increasingly broadens the circle of participation in, and support for, the reform agenda". (8)
For the current debate, however, another issue is of central importance. Namely, the question reads: is ownership issue significant (only) as a principal aspect of successful peace-building or it is made topical because of the obvious urge for an exit strategy for the international community? The time constraint In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot. is evident in the tension between the desire to withdraw international troops as soon as possible and the desire to leave in place stable national structures capable of providing security and upholding law and order. This means strengthening the police, the army, the judiciary--i.e. the branches of the state, which often have been involved in repression and violence in the previous regime. Instead of leaving behind democratic and peaceful structures, the internationals usually rely on constitutions and embedded institutions as well as on the allegedly reformed 'security sector'. The problem here is that genuine security sector reform is usually a costly and time-demanding process, i.e. something that fragile societies do not have at hand. Thus the post-conflict states are made up quickly to look like 'real states' with all prerogatives despite the obvious need to create a peaceful and demilitarized community that should learn how to heal the wounds and traumas inherited from the violent phase.
Interestingly, having been enforced to deal with each other for more than a decade in the Balkan region, it seems that both sides ('locals' and 'internationals') are equally eager to divorce but there is still the open issue of one's success and credibility. The international community perceives itself as a principle stakeholder stakeholder n. a person having in his/her possession (holding) money or property in which he/she has no interest, right or title, awaiting the outcome of a dispute between two or more claimants to the money or property. in the region, i.e. to be the actor who invested the most (both in human and material terms) for the peace and stability of the turbulent region. On the other hand, 'locals' are often tired and unmotivated by the tutorial role of the internationals; yet the population is not very trustful into its own embedded political elites and is therefore hesitant in waving goodbye to the internationals. Chandler rightly raises another important aspect: what would happen if the invested peace-building and state-building processes fail as soon as the internationals leave the scene? Who is going to be responsible for the failure and who is going to take care of the new (possible) mess? He actually gives an explicit answer with the following argumentation: the international state-builders institutionalize in·sti·tu·tion·a·lize
To place a person in the care of an institution, especially one providing care for the disabled or mentally ill.
in weak states which have little relationship with their societies. The sterile governance is liberated from 'normal' democratic politics. It pictures the international community as unbiased and disinterested in anything but peace and stability. The 'empire in denial' (in Chandler's words) tries to avoid any investigation in its self-interest, while the justification for the interventions is easily found in the cry of their democratic public and moral imperatives. But as soon as the international actors undertake an action in a failing state the main concern is to shift responsibility and accountability on the recipient state itself. It is usually just repackaging of external coercion in the warm and fuzzy language of 'empowerment', 'partnership' and 'capacity-building'. The result is what Chandler calls a 'virtuous circle' for Western states: 'The more intervention there is, the more the target state is held to be responsible and accountable for the consequences of those practices.' (9) The end logic of this redefinition of sovereignty is bizarre: 'Governments which resisted this external assistance could, in the Orwellian language of international state-builders, be accused of undermining their [own] sovereignty.' (10)
The usual refrain of the proponents of the liberal peace from the international community is: "there is a need for local communities to acknowledge their ownership of the peace process and the democracy-building". Having in mind that the driving force of many conflicts (for which ex-Yugoslavia can serve as a good example) is the ethno-political mobilization, then a logical question arises: who are the stakeholders in a post-conflict society? If the society is expected to heal through the liberal democratic remedies then most of the ethnic elites will have to lose their privileged positions. The internationals are wary with regard to the local crooks but they are also seen as more reliable and controllable than the 'masses' and grass-root movements that may ask for more and better than ethnically divided societies and power-sharing institutional arrangements.
Forging peace is supposed to go beyond the signing of agreements between rebel groups and government. It involves the crafting of policies and programs that will respond to the decades old problems of inequity, distrust, discrimination, or ethno-political manipulation. Stakeholders are those who have an interest in the outcome of a particular process. They are those affected by the problem and affected by the solution. Therefore it is of utmost importance to identify them during the peacebuilding process and to create new peace structures that are going to replace the old forms of structural violence. The new peace structures and actors inevitably meet a paramount challenge of desecuritizing the ethnicity, i.e. dismantling the ethnic security dilemma In international relations, the security dilemma refers to a situation wherein two or more states are drawn into conflict, possibly even war, over security concerns, even though none of the states actually desire conflict. and maybe challenging the externally imposed consensual democracy. The crucial goal in this process is to identify who benefited the most from the violent conflict and its aftermath--and who is the loser? On the list of stakeholders, one usually finds enumerated political parties, civil society organisations, societal groups, youth, etc. Some authors also include the international actors--both political and non-governmental ones. Actually, they are often considered to be 'thieves of the conflict' during the process of conflict resolution. It seems like a rather complex picture of actors who have interests in the currents and reforms. Quite expectedly, some of them may have contradictory interests, viewpoints and strategies. Thus at the end of the day it is a power game that defines who is indeed an 'owner' of the peace and democracy-building processes.
1. Macedonia's path from conflict prevention to post-conflict peace-building
The violent dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1991 bypassed only one of the republics--the Republic of Macedonia. Indeed in the following ten years the country had been pictured a successful case of conflict prevention in the Balkans. Eventually it collapsed under the pressure of accumulated and unresolved regional conflicts, without ever having a real chance to benefit from the negative peace (i.e. absence of direct physical violence). The roots of the problem had already been within the country but everybody seemed to be happy there was no overt violence. The international community failed to figure out that Macedonia had been a small but yet a significant part of the three conflict triangles on the territory of former Yugoslavia. The most common and influential analyses advocated the simplification and vivisection vivisection (vĭv'ĭsĕk`shən), dissection of living animals for experimental purposes. The use of the term in recent years has been expanded to include all experimentation on living animals, rather than just dissection alone. of problems into small pieces ('salami tactics'), thereby obscuring the complexity of a picture that had never been black and white. The illusion of peace was thus grounded in a misconception that the impact of regional problems could have been prevented from spilling across the Macedonian state's borders. Having avoided being drawn into the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia, yet at the same time in the direct vicinity of the region torn apart by ethnic conflict, Macedonia received no special international attention in the first months and years of its independence. Whatever international attention Macedonia received appears to have resulted from two factors: (1) the horrific situation in Bosnia and the consequent CNN effect CNN Effect
The temporary shifting of consumer spending that occurs as a result of gripping news.
Consumer spending tends to slow during events such as the Persian Gulf War in 1991 or the terrorist raids in 2001 as people stay home glued to their televisions. and (2) the vociferous Greek ethno-nationalist reaction to the appearance of a new state whose name was viewed as an undeniable part of Greek national history. The first factor enabled President Gligorov's call for the preventive deployment The deployment of military forces to deter violence at the interface or zone of potential conflict where tension is rising among parties. Forces may be employed in such a way that they are indistinguishable from a peacekeeping force in terms of equipment, force posture, and activities. of international forces to be heard. (11) Thus, the image of an "oasis of peace" was created for the benefit of both domestic and international audiences. Local elites could claim de facto [Latin, In fact.] In fact, in deed, actually.
This phrase is used to characterize an officer, a government, a past action, or a state of affairs that must be accepted for all practical purposes, but is illegal or illegitimate. international recognition, while internationals provided a face-saving mission to compensate for all missed opportunities and mistakes in Croatia and Bosnia. The UNPREDEP UNPREDEP United Nations Preventive Deployment Force mission became a paradigmatic See paradigm. case of preventive peacekeeping and a source of great pride for the internationals (let alone numberless scholarly works, PhD theses, political careers, etc.).
The reality was a bit different. Macedonia had been far from an 'oasis of peace'. An almost endless list of problems has accompanied Macedonia's state-building efforts since 1991. These included, to mention just a few, an extremely weak economy, almost non-existent state and democratic traditions, underdeveloped political culture and a turbulent and not always friendly neighborhood. The strong impact of ethno-nationalist violent conflicts in the region played an important role in determining the conflict prevention efforts in Macedonia. These paid overwhelming attention to the country's ethnic mix, which was frequently referred to as an "explosive Macedonian salad." In sum, for a period of ten years, Macedonia witnessed and hosted an array of international organizations whose projects focused on conflict prevention and resolution, inter-ethnic dialogue and tolerance, etc., yet these projects paid far more attention to the classic cliche of inter-ethnic relations and largely neglected more fundamental conflict. (12)
In late 1992, the country welcomed a unique UN mission of preventive peacekeeping (first as a part of UNPRPOFOR mission, and later as a separate UNPREDEP--UN Preventive Deployment mission). It served as an early-warning source for the UN Security Council. At the beginning the emphasis was on troop deployment (military component), which was supposed to serve as a minimal but psychologically significant deterrent force. Soon the accent of the mission was changed in accordance with the recommendation of the UN Secretary-General: "It should, however, be stressed that UNPROFOR UNPROFOR n abbr (= United Nations Protection Force) → FORPRONU f; Unprofor f
UNPROFOR n abbr (= United Nations Protection Force) → has no mandate in relation to the internal situation in the Republic of Macedonia, which could prove to be more detrimental to the stability of the country than external aggression. Although UNPROFOR stands ready to lend its good offices in appropriate circumstances, it has no mandate to intervene in the event that internal stability results in some form of civil conflict (...) It is UNPROFOR's view that the more likely sources of violence and instability are internal and thus beyond the mandate of the Force". (13) Consequently, the UN Security Council extended the repertoire of prevention techniques, so the mission focused more on other tasks such as assistance in strengthening mutual dialogue among political parties and helping in monitoring human rights as well as inter-ethnic relations in the country. Thus, three main pillars of UNPREDEP's mandate were the following: political action and good offices (political dimension), troop deployment (military dimension), and the human (socio-economic) dimension. This is why some analysts began to pose the question "whether the operation had turned into an internal mediative, peacebuilding/development role, rather than a defensive hedge against spillover spill·o·ver
1. The act or an instance of spilling over.
2. An amount or quantity spilled over.
3. A side effect arising from or as if from an unpredicted source: effects from neighboring states." (14)
As said, UNPREDEP was supposed to assist the country's social and economic development along with other agencies and organizations of the UN system. But the chief of the mission, Sokalski rightly pointed out that "one of the causes for the precarious state of Macedonia's economy as a source of internal tensions was the cost of the mandatory sanctions against the former Yugoslavia and the unilateral economic blockade by Greece. While part of history now, they nevertheless cost the economy some $4 billions US." (15) In this respect one can say that the UN "protected" and "punished" the Macedonian society at the same time. Consequently, it was unable to contribute significantly in alleviating internal conflict potential.
Macedonia's peacefulness until 2001 was a result of a constellation of some internal and external factors: 1) the country was not a part of the core conflict structure in ex-Yugoslavia; 2) it had a wise state leadership that preferred negotiated settlement with the YPA; 3) the conflicts in Croatia and Bosnia got more complicated than expected by the Serbian side, so Macedonia was not worth military efforts; at the same time, Ibrahim Rugova's peaceful resistance in Kosovo provided some regional stability, at least until the Dayton Agreement The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol or Dayton-Paris Agreement was signed in 1995; 4) the UNPREDEP mission managed to mitigate the conflict in and around Macedonia to some extent, and 5) there was a tradition of non-violence between the dominant ethnic groups in Macedonia (65% ethnic Macedonians, 25 % ethnic Albanians and 10% members of other ethnicities). They had always been living as separate worlds, but a deep trauma had not been a part of their common history.
On the other hand, Macedonia had been doomed to a violent conflict because of the effect of some factors, such as: 1) ethnic security dilemma (ethnic Macedonians got their first ever nation-state, while Albanians sought for an all-Albanian state to be build in the region; 2) structural and inherited elements of inequality among the members of the various ethnic and social groups and intrinsically weak state; 3) lack of internal peaceful conflict management mechanisms or early warning system; 4) huge availability of arms, especially after the collapse of Albania in 1997, which discouraged delicate political negotiations among ethnic leaderships; 5) the spilling over effect from other Yugoslav conflicts, and particularly the 1999 NATO NATO: see North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization
International military alliance created to defend western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion. intervention that shaken the inter-ethnic relations and hampered the economic and social development; and 6) the impact of the organized crime and corruption on the state-building process.
The NATO intervention gave impetus to the negative factors, especially since UNPREDEP had been terminated in February 1999. The economic situation deteriorated, while the international community had never compensated the country for its losses due to the regional conflicts. The identity divisions got embedded more than ever, especially among Albanians in Macedonia who got stronger sense of solidarity with their ethnic brethren thanks to their joining the battles against Serbian forces in Kosovo. In 2001 this military experience would prove 'useful' for the battles in Macedonia. The use of force was legitimized and got a heroic aura, while Kosovo's prospects for gaining independence affected Albanians in Macedonia to become even more sensitive to the developments in the region.
2. The Characteristics of the 2001 "Little War" and the Peace Settlement
Despite the long experience in conflict prevention, the 2001 crisis took by surprise many international observers. It went through a few stages: what at first looked as a clash of a limited scope with a basically criminal background (cutting off the smuggling routes near a village on the Macedonia-Kosovo border), rapidly escalated into a violent conflict. The KFOR KFOR Kosovo Peacekeeping Force
KFOR Kosovo Forces (NATO) troops failed to protect the intrusion of armed groups from Kosovo, while the Macedonian security forces fell short of using the right tactics against initially small groups. The inappropriate response provoked more mass mobilization Mass mobilization (also known as social mobilization or popular mobilization) refers to mobilization of civilian population as part of contentious politics. Mass mobilization can be used by social movements, including revolutionary movements, but also by the state of the ethnic Albanians, which was hijacked by the already established but rather secretive army led by a Swiss emigre, Ali Ahmeti Ali Ahmeti (Macedonian: Али Ахмети) (born January 4, 1959 in the village of Zajas, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia) is the political leader of the Democratic Union for Integration (Albanian: . The hostilities lasted no more than six months, while the conflict appeared to have a surprisingly low death-toll, at least, seen through the official statistics (it was estimated that each side lost approximately 100 people, military and/ or civilians). The geographic scope of the clashes was also limited to the mainly Albanian-populated areas and there was almost no inter-communal violent incidents that would involve the civilian population. Having seen the incapacity The absence of legal ability, competence, or qualifications.
An individual incapacitated by infancy, for example, does not have the legal ability to enter into certain types of agreements, such as marriage or contracts. of the Macedonian authorities and security structures to quickly stop the violence, the international community quickly shifted its attitude: from the initial condemnation of the "armed thugs who prefer bullets to ballots" (in the words of then NATO Secretary General), it started appealing for a peace settlement between the government and the NLA NLA National Library of Australia
NLA National Liberation Army (Macedonian rebel group)
NLA No Longer Available
NLA Network Location Awareness
NLA National Lipid Association
NLA National Legislative Assembly "rebels" and "freedom fighters". Prior to that, under the auspices of the international community, the four dominant political parties (two from the each ethnic block) formed a government of national unity. It manifested an alleged national consensus and unity but also blurred the responsibilities and created conditions for unprincipled policy-making and implementation. The peace negotiations involved the representatives of the four political parties, a small group of experts and two international (EU and US) facilitators. The paradox was that the peace agreement was to be settled among actors that comprised the legal government and never claimed to be in war with each other. The NLA's leadership was consulted but more importantly its political agenda had already been agreed among the Albanian negotiators. The Framework Agreement (FA) was signed on 13 August 2001 under a veil of secrecy and only later presented to the public. The FA outlined a package of political reforms to expand the rights of the Albanian minority while rebel forces were to be disarmed and disbanded under NATO supervision.
In context of the Macedonian case one can talk about the so-called 'banality of the ethnic war' (16) or to paraphrase Mary Kaldor--in its haste to fix the problem the international community fell into the trap of the local conflicting parties and rushed to embrace the thesis of ancient ethnic hatred Ethnic hatred, inter-ethnic hatred, racial hatred, or ethnic tension refers to sentiments and acts of prejudice and hostility towards an ethnic group in various degrees. See list of anti-ethnic and anti-national terms for specifical cases. between the ethnic groups and even impossibility for them to live together. (17) Thus, the simplest solution was to 'separate' the 'hostile' ethnic groups, to impose political power-sharing and territorial arrangements that would guarantee a sort of a negative peace (based on ethnicitisation of politics and ghettoisation of the citizens of different ethnic backgrounds). The simplest solution is not always the best solution, but it fulfils the criteria of a quick fix, at least, on a short-run. A quick fix is precisely what the international community is able to provide and what local elites are interested to preserve in order to govern the country as long as possible. The post-Ohrid Macedonia is already on a track very different from the one that was envisaged by the Framework Agreement. Obviously, the 'founding fathers' did not have a clear idea when drafting the document full of compromises, controversies and double-speak. Today there is almost nothing left from the idea of the 'civic approach' declared in the document; multi-ethnicity has been sacrificed and replaced by bi-nationality, while the power-sharing arrangement makes democracy a pipedream.
3. The Macedonia's Paradox: Dealing with a Success Story or with a Security Problem?
Macedonia's case is unique in terms of its being considered a "success story" both prior to the 2001 conflict and in its aftermath. Such evaluations by default come from the international and national elites. Even ten years later the expert/academic community is suspiciously silent and politically correct politically correct Politically sensitive adjective Referring to language reflecting awareness and sensitivity to another person's physical, mental, cultural, or other disadvantages or deviations from a norm; a person is not mentally retarded, but , while the public opinion polls display a different picture. The last decade has witnessed much more compliments for the 'miracle' of the peace agreement known as Framework Agreement (FA) than cool-headed reality-check of its practical implementation. The wishful thinking wishful thinking Psychology Dereitic thought that a thing or event should have a specified outcome that surrounds this case makes it impossible to draw a conclusion about the state-building and peace-building process, while the issue of national ownership has not been even tackled. For a long time (i.e. till the NATO Bucharest summit in 2008) Macedonia seemed to be doomed to be a success story no matter how imperfect it was/is. (18) Prior to the 2001 armed conflict it had been known as an 'oasis of peace', mostly because everybody needed at least one peaceful actor and alleged success in the regional nightmare, especially since the Bosnian war's horrors became widely broadcasted. The very fact that there was no overt violence and hostility was highly praised--only because this 'achievement' was so self-evident in comparison to all other cases in the region. And again, in 2001 there was no time to 'cry over the spilled milk' or to analyze why the so much praised conflict prevention failed. Instead the focus swiftly moved onto other priorities: containment of the violence, imposition of a 'solution' and affirmation of a renewed Macedonian 'success story'--this time in terms of post-conflict peace-building.
But since 2008, despite all alleged achievements, the Republic of Macedonia has been living in a rather dubious situation. On one hand she proved to be a successful story in post-conflict peace-building but given the Greek veto and the unresolved name dispute many speaks about the country's being in a precarious limbo. The 2008 NATO Summit A NATO summit is a summit meeting that is regarded as a periodic opportunity for Heads of State and Heads of Government of NATO member countries to evaluate and provide strategic direction for Alliance activities. confirmed that Macedonia had fulfilled all necessary criteria for admission, yet there was no extension of an invitation. This was also true with regard to the EU integration: by the end of 2009, both the European Commission and the European Parliament agreed that the country met the Copenhagen (political) criteria and recommended setting a date for a start of the negotiation process. In both cases the main obstacle was the so-called "name dispute". Thus, being stuck and with no clear prospects for the future, Macedonia resembles a modern Tantalus.
A retrospective look at the developments displays a clear paradox: the closer Macedonia gets to the desired strategic goals, i.e. the membership of NATO and EU, the higher insecurity and risks of destabilization de·sta·bi·lize
tr.v. de·sta·bi·lized, de·sta·bi·liz·ing, de·sta·bi·liz·es
1. To upset the stability or smooth functioning of: grow. It looks as if the NATO and Euro-integration has transformed a stimulating factor into a securitization Securitization
The process of creating a financial instrument by combining other financial assets and then marketing them to investors.
Mortgage backed securities are a perfect example of securitization.
May also be spelled as "securitisation. tool, especially in the light of the ethnic Albanian claims that they will "join NATO and EU with or without the ethnic Macedonians". Similarly, recently the international representatives have changed their rhetoric, speaking about an eventual need of bulldozer-like diplomacy, while the 'name issue" and the deadlock in the negotiations seems to have transformed the Macedonian "success story" into a "European security problem".
(1) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's remarks on the launch of the Peace-building Fund in New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , 11 October 2006, www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10677.doc.htm
(2) Charles T. Call and Susan E Cook, "On Democratization de·moc·ra·tize
tr.v. de·moc·ra·tized, de·moc·ra·tiz·ing, de·moc·ra·tiz·es
To make democratic.
de·moc and Peacebuilding", Global Governance Global governance refers to political interaction and the creation and empowering of international organizations aimed at solving problems that affect more than one state or region, when there is no democratic power of enforcing compliance. , vol. 9, no. 2, 2003.
(3) Christopher J. Bickerton, "States without Souls. Contradictions of state-building in the 21st century", Paper Prepared for SAID Conference 'Sovereignty in the 21st Century', Oxford, 29 October 2005, http://www.said-workshop.org/bickerton.oxford.paper.doc.
(4) David Chandler, "How 'state-building' weakens states", Spiked Essays, 24 October 2005, http://www.spiked-online. com/Printable/0000000CADDB.htm.
(5) Stephen J. Stedman, "Implementing Peace Agreements in Civil Wars: Lessons and Recommendations for Policy Makers", IPA IPA - International Phonetic Alphabet Policy Paper Series on Peace Implementation, International Peace Academy, New York(2001).
(6) The Future of UN State-Building: Strategic and Operational Challenges and the Legacy of Iraq, Policy Report. International Peace Academy, New York, 2003, p. 7.
(7) Gordon Peake et al., "From Warlords to Peacelords: Local Leadership Capacity in Peace Processes", INCORE INCORE International Conflict Research
INCORE Initiative on Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity
INCORE Internet Content Rating for Europe
INCORE Integral Concept for Groundwater Remediation Report, 2004, University of Ulster The University of Ulster (UU; Irish: Ollscoil Uladh[2] [3]) is a multi-centre university located in Northern Ireland and is the largest single university on the island of Ireland, discounting the federal , Londonderry.
(8) An Operational Note on Transitional Results Matrices. Using results-based frameworks infragile states, United Nations and the World Bank, New York/Washington, 2005.
(9) David Chandler, Empire in Denial in denial Psychiatry To be in a state of denying the existence or effects of an ego defense mechanism. See Denial. : The Politics of State-Building, (London: Pluto Press Pluto Press is a progressive, independent publisher based in London. It was founded in 1969 by Richard Kuper and others as an arm of International Socialism, the forerunner of the Socialist Workers Party in the UK. , 2006): 36.
(10) Ibidem IBIDEM. This word is used in references, when it is intended to say that a thing is to be found in the same place, or that the reference has for its object the same thing, case, or other matter. IOU, contracts. , p. 37.
(11) Biljana Vankovska, "UNPREDEP in Macedonia: Diplomacy-Security Nexus in the Balkans", Romanian Journal of International Affairs The Journal of International Affairs is a leading foreign affairs periodical published twice yearly by the students at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York. , Vol. 4, No. 2, 1998, pp. 146-158.
(12) A fine analysis of the real essence of the inter-ethnic tensions in Macedonia can be found in: "Ahmeti's Village. Political Economy of Interethnic Relations in Macedonia", ESI (Edge Side Includes) A markup language for Web pages that enables elements of a Web page to be dynamically assembled in servers distributed throughout the Internet. Macedonia Project, http://www.esiweb.org/docs/printdocument.php?document_ID=36.
(13) Secretary-General's Report S/1994/300 of 16 March 1994.
(14) For instance, Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor (Born 9 March 1956 in London) was the official candidate of India for the succession to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006, and came second out of seven official candidates in the race. , "The Concept of Preventive Deployment in the 1990's", paper presented at the Workshop on An Agenda for Preventive Diplomacy Diplomatic actions taken in advance of a predictable crisis to prevent or limit violence. : Theory and Practice, Skopje, October 16, 1996, p. 12.
(15) Henryk J. Sokalski, "Preventive Diplomacy: the Need for a Comprehensive Approach", Balkan Forum, No. 1, March 1997, p. 46.
(16) John Mueller John E. Mueller (born 1937, Saint Paul, Minnesota) is a political scientist in the field of international relations as well as a scholar of the history of dance. He is recognized for his ideas concerning "the banality of ethnic war" [1] , "Banality of "Ethnic War"", International Security, vol. 25, no. 1, Summer 2000, pp. 42-70.
(17) Mary Kaldor, New and Old Wars. Organized Violence in a Global Era, Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. Press, Stanford, 1999).
(18) Biljana Vankovska, "Current Perspectives on Macedonia: The Struggle for Peace, Democracy and Security", series I-IV, (Berlin: Hainrich Boell Stiftung, 2002), http://www.boell.de/en/05_world/1733. html.
Biljana Vankovska, Full Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, Institute for Security, Defence and Peace Studies. Head of MA program in Peace and Development.
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Lena Dunham Print Dress
Lena Dunham went for an adorably quirky retro look in a black and gold floral shift during her book signing in London.
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Reviewed Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits
May 26, 2011 in Food Network Community Toolbox on FoodNetwork.com
"Man this is a great recipe, but I made a few changes to stay away from butter. I added chicken bullion cubes to the grits water to add flavor so I didn't have to use butter. Then I used olive oil, added minced garlic and mushrooms...allowed that to sautee before adding a half cup of white wine and a half cup of heavy cream. Lastly I added capers, ""
Reviewed Strawberry Shortcake
May 12, 2011 in Food Network Community Toolbox on FoodNetwork.com
"There is definantly something wrong with this recipe. I added one egg and half stick of butter, and it still feel apart. This needs to be removed and re-done before more people waste their ingrediants trying to prepare it.""
Reviewed Penne with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese
Apr 7, 2011 in Food Network Community Toolbox on FoodNetwork.com
"I didn't have the extra 45mins to bake the butternut squash and onions. Heck, it took me that long to cut the skin off the squash...lol. However, I sauteed with a little olive oil until soft...adding the onions about 10mins after the squash then sprinkled a little salt and pepper...worked out GREAT! Really liked this recipe overall. Think I'll eat..."
Reviewed Steak and Greens
Mar 23, 2011 in Food Network Community Toolbox on FoodNetwork.com
"OMG! I still had the taste of this in my mouth a week after it was all gone. I'm cooking another batch right now...by request of my boyfriend...:-)""


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Clarifying referendum misconceptions10:15 am CDT October 16, 2014 Letters to the Editor
As the co-chair of the Mokena parks referendum, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some misconceptions of a few issues surrounding the Mokena Community Park District referendum that will be on the ballot Nov. 4....
Park district referendum, yes or no?9:41 am CDT October 16, 2014 Letters to the Editor
As a tax paying citizen of Mokena, I want to be informed of the Village's issues, so I attend park district meetings on a regular basis.
I have found that I am one of the very few who attend. As a...
Letter to the editor: Sept. 112:18 pm CDT September 11, 2014 Opinion, Letters to the Editor
The St. John's United Church of Christ in Mokena Relay for Life team would like to thank all of the following sponsors for their most generous 2014 donations:
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|ISSN 1088-6826(online) ISSN 0002-9939(print)
A fixed-point theorem for asymptotically contractive mappings
Abstract | References | Similar Articles | Additional Information
Abstract: We present fixed point theorems for a nonexpansive mapping from a closed convex subset of a uniformly convex Banach space into itself under some asymptotic contraction assumptions. They generalize results valid for bounded convex sets or asymptotically compact sets.
Retrieve articles in Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society with MSC (2000): 47H10, 47H09, 54H25, 55M20
Retrieve articles in all journals with MSC (2000): 47H10, 47H09, 54H25, 55M20
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Have the smallest member of the family support the Philadelphia Phillies with this one-of-a-kind Philadelphia Phillies infant foldover-neck creeper. Made by adidas, this stylish piece features the team's vibrant color scheme and logo. It's a must-have for any die-hard Phillies fan.
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Recent Comments
Personally, I liked ISS64 a little more. But ISS Deluxe is also an all-time favourite!
This is not even a Wave Race clone, but rather a 90% copy... still, if it's inexpensive, I'll give it a try.
"The fact is, whilst Nintendo haven't been perfect, third parties can't just expect their games to fly off the shelves on Wii U with little to no effort...on Playstation/Xbox they don't have much if any competition for the most part but on Wii U there's a load of superior first party releases to choose from like Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Pikmin 3, Mario Kart 8 etc. and people can and will flock to these games if third parties shaft Nintendo formats with gimped/late releases."
That's the point, the big third party companies like EA and Ubisoft just want to make money with preferably little effort. They already did so in some cases (not all of them) on the Wii. While this may work on other platforms, it sure doesn't on Nintendo consoles since its fans are used to a higher level of quality from the first party games.
I really don't get why the big publishers just do boring ports of existing titles instead of using the Wii U's creative potential and make more games like Zombie U, Rayman (WTF Ubisoft?!) or - to pick an example from the Wii era - Red Steel.
I have WD on PC and while it's not a GTA-killer (actually it's a completely different type of game for me), it's still a good game though the hype was maybe a little too much.
I don't really care about any DLC since I haven't even finished the main story on PC, besides I'm no friend of DLCs in general (with rare exceptions worthy of their price like the Addons for GTA V).
I maybe even would buy WD for a second time on Wii U for a small price, though I'm not happy at all with Ubisofts decisions and the constant whining about their AAA games not selling properly. Well then dedicate yourself more to this console and make better games! Only then you're gonna make more sales. Simpel as that.
But the good thing is: Nintendo already has so many great titles released or coming for Wii U, that the performance of third party developers doesn't really matter. Big N have plenty of financial reserves, so they can easily rely on their own games and continue to offer a great platform for indies, especially for games based on Unity.
Oh I loved this game as well, the same goes for F-Zero X and Wipeout (though I didn't play this title that often)! I think I never actually owned them, but my Dad rented me some N64 games every weekend.
If I recall correctly, XG2 was even better, maybe because of the graphics. But I absolutely loved the thrill of speed the XG-Games offered /F-Zero X was already fast, but XG beat it).
I'm not sure who posseses the rights for the old Acclaim titles right now, but a VC release would be awesome! The same goes for Turok 2 and Shadowman.
But I highly doubt this, since porting N64 games to VC seems to be a hard task because of the architecture of the console.


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|Name: _________________________
|Period: ___________________
This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 36, In the Carriage of M. Colbert, Chapter, 37, The Two Lighters, and Chapter 38, Friendly Advice.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. When Fontaine tells his companions of his first duel in Chapter 6, what is their response?
(a) They burst out into laughter.
(b) They are saddened for the humiliation Fontaine suffered.
(c) They are indifferent to his story.
(d) They are angry at the hardship to befall Fontaine.
2. Why doesn't Porthos leave the room when D'Artagnan desires to speak secretly with Aramis in Chapter 14?
(a) Aramis asks him to stay.
(b) He is fast asleep in a chair.
(c) Porthos demands to stay and D'Artagnan conceeds.
(d) Porthos is hidden from view and D'Artagnan does not know he is in the room.
3. How did the prisoner discover that the lady who visited him monthly during his childhood was the Queen?
(a) He overheard his caretakers discussing her.
(b) The Queen herself told him.
(c) His nurse told him.
(d) A servant from the village informed him.
4. Who does Baisemeaux think that Aramis resembles in Chapter 7?
(a) Fouquet.
(b) D'Artagnan.
(c) Cardinal de la Rochelle.
(d) Monsieur de la Fere.
5. Why won't the guards allow Fouquet to enter the Bastille in Chapter 22?
(a) They do not believe it is Fouquet.
(b) They dislike Fouquet.
(c) They are under orders to prevent Fouquet from entering the prison.
(d) There is a riot going on in the prison and no one is being allowed in or out.
Short Answer Questions
1. What do Fouquet's friends give him in the end of Chapter 15?
2. What two things does Aramis ask of Athos in Chapter 26?
3. How much money has Fouquet borrowed and not repaid?
4. How much taller is Porthos than Mouston?
5. What does D'Artagnan think will be the fate of all of those who know the secret of Philippe?
This section contains 376 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)


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During a breast reduction, how does the doctor determine how much tissue to remove from each breast to make sure that after surgery, the breasts are the same size? Do they usually just "estimate" and if you are lucky, then they will be the same size after the surgery. If not, and one is either larger or smaller than the other and not symmetrical, then what? This is my fear of undergoing breast reduction!
There is some judgment involved as you say but the tissue is weighed after it is removed so that we know exactly how much was taken off. Most breasts are at least a little bit asymmetrical to begin with so the number is not always the same from each side. The tricky part is that breast volume does not correlate to cup size the way people think so discussing how much to remove for planning purposes is difficult.
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Hello Swans fans. Join us for all the action from the Liberty, kick off at 7.45pm.
The Liberty is ready for action...
VINE: From which stand will you be watching tonight's game at the Liberty? https://t.co/FNr1ZSGbFk— Swansea City FC (@SwansOfficial) August 26, 2014
#Swans team in - Fernandez & Carroll to make debuts, Gomis & Montero first starts pic.twitter.com/8Uc3RvSZqv— Chris Wathan (@ChrisWathan) August 26, 2014
Evening and welcome to the Liberty for a bit of Capital One Cup action.
The teams are out and the omens are good. Namely in that the last time Swansea started at home in this competition to Yorkshire opposition they ended up winning the competition.
Then Championship Barnsley were seen off 3-1 in 2012/2013 and this time it's the chance for Steve Evans' Rotherham to try and pull off a second-tier shock against a much-changed Swans.
In terms of those changes, only Nathan Dyer survives from Saturday's Premier League win over Burnley, the winger taking the skipper's armband in the process for the first time in his Swansea career.
Federico Fernandez goes from the World Cup in Brazil to League Cup action in South Wales to make his first start in British football following his £7m-plus move from Napoli.
There is a debut for loan signing Tom Carroll while there are first starts for Bafe Gomis and Jefferson Montero following their own summer moves.
Swans team in full: Tremmel; Richards, Bartley, Fernandez, Tiendalli; Fulton, Carroll; Montero, Sheehan, Dyer(capt); Gomis.
Subs: Fabianski(gk), Amat, Taylor, Ki, Shelvey, Bony, Sigurdsson.
So ten changes but that's a pretty strong bench….
Rotherham make five changes themselves from the side that beat Millwall at The Den on Saturday, Wales international Craig Morgan one of the six survivors, captaining the Millers from centre-back.
Former Swan Febian Brandy is on the bench for Steve Evans' side whose last visit here was back in December 2006, the big man Bayo Akinfenwa getting a last minute equaliser in a League One clash.
It shouldn't go amiss that Josh Sheehan is also making his Swans debut. The 19-year-old has long been highly-rated at the club but has never made a senior appearance. Will likely fill the Sigurdsson role and is capable of this….
There is a 10 minute delay to kick-off at the Liberty.
No reason given as yet.
Vale attack first but Cardiff start brightly...
Vale fire in a cross and Simon Moore out to collect comfortably. Moore has looked good pre-season and v Coventry. He is now City's number two with Lewis on loan at Blackpool
Will be interesting to see what team Solskjaer goes for at Fulham on Saturday, I think he will still add another centre-half, but maybe not in time for the match at Craven Cottage
The January transfer window ends next Monday - City have until then to bring in their man. I am sure chairman Mehmet Dalman is on the case.
It's been a bright start for Cardiff at Port Vale. They are on the front foot.
And we're off...
The delay was because of the large number of fans who have come to buy tickets on the night.
There is a larger than anticipated crowd already in stadium, many more still outside.
As expected, Sheehan is operating in the No.10 role, Carroll in the centre and Fulton - back from injury - is deep.
Swans dominating
The Swans are dominating possession early on, with Fernandez and Carroll getting their first touches of the ball.
First shot to Rotherham!
The first shot of the night falls to the Millers'Tidser, but his volley is sliced well wide.
Ten changes for Swansea yet side still contains five full internationals including two who were at the World Cup.— Chris Wathan (@ChrisWathan) August 26, 2014
Superb flowing move by the Swans but Tiendalli's cross just evades the outstretched foot of Gomis.
Dyer's shot is then blocked.
That first half chance was created with some typical Swansea passing.
Fernandez pinged it to Gomis' feet from deep, Dyer fed Tiendalli whose cross was just missed by the Frenchman while Dyer's follow-up was blocked.
A decent moment in a game that has not come to life yet.
Then we saw a good interchange between Montero and Sheehan on the left flank.
But after making his way into the box, the former's cutback was cut out.
The wonderful ball inside from Dyer meant Gomis had all the time in the world to turn and place it into the corner.
Swansea City 1-0 Rotherham United
Swans very much in control although, like Saturday, have taken their foot off the gas somewhat.
Rotherham's long throw is causing problems and Lee Frecklington - a one time Swans target - fires over from a resulting penalty box scramble.
Great play Montero
Almost a very cheeky goal from Montero who is very much up for this one. A lovely turn of pace and drop of the shoulder from Gomis and his pass to Montero sees the winger stop it dead and nonchalantly swing a leg at it. Scott Loach reads it though and plucks it out of the air. Nevertheless, Montero is loving life against the lumbering Millers right-back, the 6ft 3in former Scotland cap Kirk Broadfoot.
Meanwhile, enjoy this picture of Gomis celebrating his first Swans goal.
Still Swans 1-0 Rotherham
The pick of the images from the first half...
Tiendalli hits into the side netting after good play by Gomis, Sheehan and Dyer
Half Time: Swansea City 1-0 Rotherham United
A fairly quiet end to things but the half-time whistle is about to blow with only the odd long throw for the visitors to get excited about. The hosts are dominant but without getting too much right in the final third. One-way stuff in the main though.
Free kick is cleared and the whistle goes.
A bit of breaking transfer news for you...
L'Equipe says Montpellier's Benjamin Stambouli wants a move abroad and prefers a move to Swansea over Marseille.— Transfer Central TNC (@TransferNewsCen) August 26, 2014
Fulton comes off for Shelvey as the second-half gets underway
There are now six internationals in the Swans XI.
Rotherham attack
Good last-ditch challenge by Bartley to deny Revell a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Shelvey rifles a shot at goal from 25-yards, but Loach does well to parry.
At the other end, Pringle's free-kick into the penalty area was headed well over by Wood.
Gylfi Sigurdsson replaces Josh Sheehan
A nasty clash of heads sees Nathan Dyer go down in a heap and he requires attention.
Thankfully Dyer appears OK and has got to his feet after a magic sponge job.
Still Swans 1-0 Rotherham
Wilf is on
The third and final change for Garry Monk's men comes as Wilfried Bony replaces goal hero Bafetimbi Gomis.
Chance Swansea
Montero hits into the side netting after the hosts catch the visitors unaware with a quick corner.
The crowd thought it was in.
Still Swans 1-0 Rotherham
Chance Swans
Rotherham skipper Morgan does well to divert Shelvey's dangerous cross beyond the reach of Bony.
Still 1-0 Swans
Chance Rotherham
Newton blasts over from just inside the box.
Good chance for the visitors.
There will be five minutes of added time.
Full Time: Swansea City 1-0 Rotherham United
The Swans move into the third round thanks to a goal from Bafetimbi Gomis.
Look out for the draw tomorrow night.


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Prime river views trump flood protection
CLARKSVILLE, Mo. — Her Missouri hamlet soon to celebrate its 200th birthday, Mayor Jo Anne Smiley embraces Clarksville's perilous place along the Mississippi River, never mind that that the waters again threaten to wipe it and its potpourri of specialty shops off the map.
In places like Clarksville and the Illinois town of Grafton just across the river, it's always been the clear views of the Mississippi drawing the tourists, unobstructed by a permanent levee. But that's left both communities north of St. Louis vulnerable.
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Bibimbap Chain Launches in London to Spread Korean Cuisine in Europe
An outlet of Korean restaurant chain bibigo in London /Courtesy of CJ Foodville
The restaurant chain bibigo, which specializes in the popular Korean dish bibimbap, has made its way into the heart of London. CJ Group launched an 80 sq. m branch of its flagship restaurant on Great Marlborough Street near Oxford Circus on July 25. With 86 seats, it is the first branch of the Korean franchise to open in Europe.
While its domestic chain serves mid-priced dishes (W7,000-15,000), the restaurant in London is little more upscale: Appetizers and bibimbap range from W15,000 to W25,000, with main dishes like bulgogi stake and galbi going for W30,000 to W50,000 (US$1=W1,138).
"The U.K. is well known for adopting foreign cultures, and we believe Korean cuisine will take off across Europe if it can succeed there", said Noh Hee-young, executive director of CJ Brand Communication Lab and the woman responsible for overseeing the launch.
Chef Kang Leo, best known for his role as a judge on the cable TV reality show "Master Chef Korea", will serve as the restaurant's main chef. CJ selected Kang In light of his colorful resume, which includes stints working with British chef Gordon Ramsay, giving him a deeper insight into the local market. "Fourteen local chefs were hired, five of whom are of Korean descent", said Noh.
Some recipes will be modified for local customers, and the restaurant will also offer a variety of Korean liquor and side dishes as Britain is known for its pub and drinking culture.
"The menu is not yet quite ready. We'll modify and add to it according to customer feedback", said Noh. "We're planning to launch up to five branches in London to create a strong brand presence and raise awareness of Korean cuisine among foreigners".


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It idles like 1500-2000 when it's cold suddenly. After driving a few minutes it comes down to normal (600rpm) . Someone said check my throttle body it could be getting stuck on carbon. How do I check this and clean it?
View questions for:All Toyota
1998 Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Q&AAsk Your Question
1998 Toyota 4Runner Question: High idle when cold. Throttle Body?
damonsax, 3.4L V6, Fort Myers, FL, January 31, 2010, 13:50
2 Answers
Answer #1dandd January 31, 2010, 18:57Master
It is your Idle Air Control Valve. They stick often in Toyota. Sometimes you can spray some crab cleaner down the Idle Air Passage, but really for the most reliability, replace the Idle Air Control Valve, but, it is not cheap, say $350 plus labor.
Answer #2dgarci24 October 23, 2010, 19:58Rookie
Mine does the same thing, but its the cars way of heating up so let it its normal, it goes down after a while because if its high its going to be accelerating while in drive.
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Important: Please read this update (link), and continue to report images that break our underage rules.
Anonymous1: Ballion, worse than avatar but better than F-zero.
Anonymous2: reminds me of bobobo bo bo bobobo and Frylock. :|
Anonymous3(1): My name is ballion and i'm an anime!
xXsynystergatesbitchXx: what...the...fuck . _. .....
traffik: Is 'anime' really a legit tag on this? Normally, I'd just assume that it's not, but the tags have been locked *with* 'anime' as one of them. Seems weird.
Anonymous4: :-)-8
Anonymous5: BAALIIIOOOONNN THIS IS A PORNO ABOUT BAALIIIOOOONNN
Anonymous6: what the fuck is this, i put anime and hope to see HOT nude girls but this???? its not anime. now i will try something new like some of the hot anime girls on tv
Anonymous7: I came here by writing anime and all I see is a watermelon getting raped.
Anonymous8: What the fuck....... See well Google and. Fakku.com to the rescue!
Anonymous9: get rid of this shit
Anonymous10: CIRCLE 'N SQUARE AFFAIR!
Anonymous11: I was hoping for something good but i found a watermelon and a Mexican box having sex by looking up anime
Anonymous12: I'm guessing you're here because you typed in the search: anime
Anonymous13: Butt fucked huh...?
Anonymous14: eeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Anonymous15: LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Anonymous16: I SEARCHED FOR ANIME AND I GET THIS SHIT?
Anonymous17: Giratin:What the... Ok why not try in to search Hentai


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January 13, 2014 - Products
Navistar International Corp. announced the availability of its new, re-designed online truck configurators for International ProStar, DuraStar, and TerraStar models on Internationaltrucks.com. The configurators allow customers to virtually design, build and customize their International Truck's cab, exterior, interior, powertrain and more.The new configurators build on earlier versions of the tool with high-resolution, 3-D images, additional spec'ing options and an improved user experience and interface. To start, users select their cab type and bumper-to-back-of-cab length followed by options for bumpers, mirrors, aerodynamic package and other exterior features.
Next, a preferred powertrain configuration is selected, including engine, transmission and axle options. Finally, there's a prompt to select an interior trim and creature comforts of choice. When complete users may request a pricing quote, schedule a test drive with their local dealer, share their spec'd truck with their local dealer or view new and used truck inventory meeting their specifications.In the coming months, Navistar plans to offer configurators for additional models in International's lineup of Class 4-8 commercial trucks including the International WorkStar and International LoneStar.
Customers can spec their International ProStar, DuraStar and TerraStar models by visiting www.internationaltrucks.com/buildmyprostar, www.internationaltrucks.com/buildmydurastar,and www.internationaltrucks.com/buildmyterrastar, respectively.
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Aging skin is one of the most frustrating skin issues. It can vary in severity based on genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Exposure to the sun, lack of sleep, or stress can increase the depth of fine lines and wrinkles on your face. DermaQuest Skin Therapy Age Management Products work to boost your skin's natural collagen production, leaving delicate areas of skin smoother and firmer. DermaQuest Skin Therapy Age Management Products also improve your skin's moisture levels, leaving your complexion looking more even and youthful.
This range of cleansers, moisturizers, treatments, and other products work to restore dull, tired, and aged skin. DermaQuest Skin Therapy Age Management Products help to enhance your skin's lipid production and rate of cell regeneration. This will cause your skin to retain its elasticity and radiance, leaving you with a young-looking complexion. The products in this line are formulated using peptides and enzymes that are known to help with the maintenance of healthy cells. Antioxidant ingredients offer long-term protection against future damage that is commonly caused by free radicals, bacteria, dirt, air pollution, or other environmental factors.
To add one or more items to your bag, check the box to the left of each desired
item and then click the "Add to Bag" button at the top or bottom of the page. Items
are listed in SKU number order.
Aging skin is a frustrating prospect to face, but you can keep a youthful complexion with proper care. DermaQuest Skin Therapy Age Management Products work to improve your skin's texture and appearance, leaving your skin firm, even, and smooth.
Due to the delicate nature of the skin around your eyes, it is ideal to use an anti-aging product that is specifically suited for this area of the face. DermaQuest Skin Therapy Peptide Eye Recovery moisturizes skin and delivers a powerful blast of peptides, leaving your skin reinvigorated and brighter. This formula works to firm the skin near your eyes and reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. In doing so, your face will appear brighter, younger, and more energetic.
For an all-over anti-aging treatment, add DermaQuest Skin Therapy A-M and R Facial Recovery to your skincare regimen. This peptide-rich serum strengthens the collagen and elastin in your skin's dermal matrix, leaving it firm and even. The serum also helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles that have developed and to prevent future lines from developing.
Environmental free radicals can damage your skin, leaving it dull and tired and causing premature signs of aging. DermaQuest Skin Therapy C-Lipoic Antioxidant Serum is packed with antioxidants, working to prevent future skin damage and protecting your skin at the cellular level. This serum helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles from the inside out. After being pampered with antioxidants and hydrating ingredients, your skin will appear firmer and more even. Long-term use will only improve your results.


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As the top cement and ready-mix concrete manufacturer in Mexico, we have nationwide market coverage. Modern plants on the country's Atlantic and Pacific coasts enable us to take advantage of low-cost marine transportation to the US, Central and South American, and Caribbean markets.
Cement is primarily a retail product in Mexico. Retail sales of cement through distributors account for more than 60 percent of Mexico's demand. Because individuals account for as much as 30 percent of Mexico's total demand, strong brand identification and an extensive distribution network are necessary for success in the market. CEMEX owns the registered trademarks for Mexico's most popular cement brands such as Cemento Monterrey, Cemento Tolteca, and Cemento Anáhuac.
In September 2006, we announced a plan to construct a new kiln at our Tepeaca cement plant in Puebla, Mexico. The current production capacity of the Tepeaca cement plant is approximately 3.1 million tons of cement per year. The construction of the new kiln, which is designed to increase our total production capacity in the Tepeaca cement plant to approximately 7.2 million tons of cement per year, is expected to be completed in 2018.
In 2001, we launched the Construrama program, a registered brand name for construction material stores. Through the Construrama program, we offer to an exclusive group of our Mexican distributors the opportunity to sell a variety of products under the Construrama brand name, a concept that includes the standardization of stores, image, marketing, products and services. As of December 31, 2013, approximately 703 independent concessionaries with more than 1,827 stores were integrated into the Construrama program, with nationwide coverage.
|Cement Plants
|Ready-Mix Plants
|Aggregates Quarries
|Marine Terminals
|Cement Terminals
Thursday, December 18, 2014
CEMEX announces CLH capacity expansion project in Costa Rica
Thursday, December 04, 2014
CEMEX presents "The IUCN Red List: 50 Years of Conservation"
Monday, December 01, 2014
CEMEX to resume Tepeaca plant expansion
Thursday, November 27, 2014
CEMEX announces "Crecimientos", a social business development platform
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
CEMEX is helping to build a Greater Britain
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
New state of the art brewery in Germany uses CEMEX's specialty concrete
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
New high-tech stadium for 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil built with CEMEX specialty cement
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
CEMEX participates in the construction of largest AUDI showroom in North Germany
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
CEMEX announces early tender results for certain senior secured notes and early settlement of...
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
CEMEX announces tender offer for 9.250% senior secured notes due 2020 and 9.000% senior secured...
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
CEMEX announces pricing of €400 million and U.S.$1 billion in senior secured notes
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Friday, October 24, 2014
CEMEX is recognized as employer of the year in the Philippines
Monday, March 31, 2014
CEMEX takes next evolutionary step in concrete operations with proprietary Ready Mix Solution
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
CEMEX innovates with mobile system to sort solid waste for use as alternative fuels in Mexico
Monday, May 20, 2013
CEMEX named most Innovative Enterprise at 2013 Manufacturing Leadership 100 Awards
Friday, May 23, 2014
CEMEX signs new partnership with United Nations World Food Program for over 4,000 beneficiaries...
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
CEMEX delivers 640 new homes as part of major affordable housing initiative in Colombia
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
CEMEX supports reconstruction projects for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
CEMEX wins first place at the 2013 Eagles of the Polish Construction Industry Awards
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
CEMEX in Colombia begins new era by reinforcing its commitment to provide world-class building...
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Top Czech Architecture Students Experience CEMEX's Global Research Center in Switzerland
Monday, April 25, 2011
CEMEX in the Dominican Republic is recognized by the United Nations
Thursday, May 13, 2010


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Communicating with a Business Partner: Ask Noah
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Q: Noah... My business partner and I share good communication and productivity. We're confident in one another's strengths, intelligence and conceptual ideas.
Yet, we handle things very differently. I am a bit more mild-mannered. I bet he would say I don't always speak my mind. He is a more straight-forward negotiator, which in my eyes sometimes comes across as a bit too aggressive (loud!). These defining characteristics sometimes cause conflict over small issues which then become big issues. How can we communicate better to fortify our partnership? Thanks.
A: At the start of your question, you stated a confidence in one another's strengths. Acknowledging those strengths to one another is an excellent place to start improving communication.
Like any committed relationship, there was probably something innate and somewhat indescribable that brought you two together.While you may approach a problem or situation differently, it's essential that you continue to have confidence not only in each other's intellect, but in each other's core motivation for being in business together. I encourage you to keep looking at your relationship through this lens. It's essential to remember that you're each bringing your individual histories into the partnership. You've both experienced conflicts with co-workers in the past and have obviously found intelligent strategies to overcome them. Perhaps a good course of action is to look closely to see if your old ways need editing. According to your question, you and your partner are both asking for paradigm shifts from the other. Therein lies the raw material to truly communicate and begin meeting on fresh, shared ground. Since you've asked the question, my tips will address your voice opposed to that of your partner's. 7 Tips: 1. Attempt to listen without judgment. When you separate your feelings from your partner's direct critiques and focus on the content, you'll be more effective for the partnership. 2. Surrender your defenses. When one tries to anticipate their partner's reactions or behaviors, they will often go into a defensive mode. This mode will automatically encourage the dynamic to reoccur. This results in a zero-win scenario. 3. Rather than being fearful of potential conflict, assure your partner that you hear what's being said. This alone will diminish his excessive volume. 4. Focus on the present. A miscommunication about a simple task can so quickly turn into a discussion about your entire relationship! Keep the discussion focused on the topic, not the entire history of your business. If every single decision becomes a verbal sparring match, your productivity suffers.
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Carrot Orange Pecan Delight
This dessert is a great way to enjoy actual cake that is not only healthy, but delicious as well!
The main ingredients in this cake are carrots and pecans. Carrots offer a multitude of health benefits. In fact, it is one of those vegetables that just can not do any wrong because just a few carrots per day can offer such a boost in anyone's health, despite their condition...
Raw Carrot Cake: http://rawfoodhealthwatch.com/raw-vegan-recipes/carrotorangepeca...
More raw vegan recipes: http://rawfoodhealthwatch.com/raw-food/raw-vegan-recipes/
Cake Ingredients:
- Carrots: 4 Medium Sized
- Raw Pecans: 2 Cups
- Raisins: 1/4 of a Cup
- Nutmeg: 1 Tsp.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: 1 1/2 Tsps.
- Dates: 1/2 of a Cup (soft)
- Orange Juice: 1/2 Cup
- Sea Salt: 1/2 of a Tsp.
- Orange Zest: 1/2 of a Tsp.
- Desiccated Coconut: 1/2 of a Cup
Frosting Ingredients:
- Raw Cashews: 1 1/2 Cups
- Water: 1/2 of a Cup
- Raw Honey: 2 Tbsps.
- Coconut Oil: 3 Tbsps.
- Vanilla: 1 Tbsp.
- Sea Salt: 1/4 of a Tsp.
- Nutmeg: 1 Tsp.
Cake Directions:
- Grate the carrots very finely until you have a total of three cups full of grated carrots.
- Put the carrots in a large bowl.
- Pour two cups of pecans in the food processor, grind them up, and put them in the same bowl as the grated carrots.
- Now, chop up the raisins and add it to the large bowl as well.
- Next, take the soft dates along with the orange juice, and add it into the food processor. Grind it until it is a nicely smooth paste that we'll call 'date paste'.
- Add the date paste into the large bowl as the carrots, date paste, and grated carrots.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the same large bowl and start mixing it all together.
- Take the mixture and shape it into a one-layered cake (e.g. can be rectangular or circular).
- Place the one-layered cake onto a dehydrator sheet for at least 8 hours (but no more than 12 hours) to dehydrate. Ensure the temperature is set to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
Frosting Directions:
- While the cake is dehydrating, take all of the frosting's ingredients, and blend it in a bowl.
- Proceed to put the bowl's now blended contents into the refrigerator.
- When the cake is done setting and the frosting's consistency is just right for you, then spread the frosting on the cake.
- Take the nutmeg and sprinkle it on the frosting that's on the cake.
- Cut the cake into slices and enjoy.
1 response to "Carrot Orange Pecan Delight"
1. Instead of dessicated
Instead of dessicated coconut, which has the fat removed and prob isn't raw, use truly raw organic coconut. Can be obtained online.
The recipe sounds better than just "average" to me, even though it seems to be a "traditional raw cake." Thanks for posting it.


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|Lexham English Bible (LEB)
|New International Version (NIV)
|4 In him was life, and the life was the light of humanity.
|4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
|5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
|5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
|6 A man came, sent from God, {whose name was} John.
|6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.
|7 This one came for a witness, in order that he could testify about the light, so that all would believe through him.
|7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.
|8 That one was not the light, but [came] in order that he could testify about the light.
|8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
|9 The true light, who gives light to every person, was coming into the world.
|9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
|10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, and the world did not recognize him.
|10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
|11 He came to his own [things], and his own [people] did not receive him.
|11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
|12 But as many as received him--to those who believe in his name--he gave to them authority to become children of God,
|12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
|13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a husband, but of God.
|13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
|14 And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.
|14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
|Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software. (Lexham English Bible)
|Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online)


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Save an average of $6 with 5 coupon codes & deals for welkes.com. Welkes House Of Roses and Flowers is an online flower shop that offers all spring flowers, luxury bouquets, spring plants and tulips for different occasion such as anniversary, wedding, birthday, graduation, holiday, valentine's and funeral.
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Contract Management, a monthly, full-color magazine, is NCMA's number-one member benefit. Not only do members receive this publication each month, they also can access past articles of interest in our archives. (Please note that articles only go back to 2002.)
Written and edited specifically for contract management professionals, and established in 1977, CM is NCMA's flagship publication, providing comprehensive reporting on current issues and trends relevant to both public and private sectors.
Editorial is presented from both government and commercial viewpoints. CM articles keep readers on top of late-breaking developments. Editorial "departments" present opinion pieces, information for beginners and for legal scholars, information for small businesses, as well as rich and varied feature material.
Inside the December 2014 issue...
Ghost in the Machine: The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Federal Procurement
The role of the contracting officer in terms of current federal procurement policy, the artificial intelligence (AI) state of the art in the near-term role of a standalone policy resource, and the potential role of AI in trusted business agents for simplified procurement/administrative transactions.
By: Christopher Robey
Suspension of Work Fundamentals in Conflict Areas: A Primer
The continuing adventures of John Jones, a contract attorney for the XYZ Company, this time performing contracting duties for a construction contract in a conflict area.
By: David Newsome and John Adzema
The Five Faces of Procurement Fraud, Abuse, and Noncompliance
Five personality types of people who are likely to place procurements at risk for fraud, abuse, and/or noncompliance.
By: Tom Caulfield and Sheryl Steckler
Acquisition Reform and the Golf Ball: Updated Again
Six years after the initial report on the empirical experiment illustrating the need to stay "on par" with the latest acquisition reform news, the golf ball has now surpassed the size of a bocce ball.
By: John Krieger and John Pritchard
Rethinking the Workforce Dilemma
After years of reforms and revamped workforce training and development programs, the critical thinking and innovation skills of the acquisition workforce are ceding ground to the rigid, rules-based practices of the past. It's time to rethink how we train and develop our workforce.
By: Stan Soloway
What Every Government Contractor Should Know About the Tax Implications of Settling a False Claims Act Case
The top 10 tips for the deductibility of compensatory FCA settlement amounts.
By: Roger S. Goldman, Miriam L. Fisher, David R. Hazelton, Anne W. Robinson, and Nicole B. Neuman
Our Chat with David Gragan, Senior Procurement Executive, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
NCMA Executive Director Michael Fischetti recently interviewed David Gragan to discuss the ins and outs of acquisition within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
By: Ryan Burke
Using eOffer/eMod Without Going "eMad"
GSA Federal Supply Schedule contractors must understand their obligations and the potential risks and inherent limitations of GSA's ever-changing systems and paperless processes.
By: Robert Austin and Julia Ewart
Speaking Out
A War on Profit in DOD Contracting? It's All in the Eye of the Beholder
By: James Gill
Professional Development
How to Boost Your Contract Management Career
By: Allie Stanzione
Legal Forum
The Princess and the "Fee": Part 2
By: Jack Horan
To join NCMA and start receiving Contract Management magazine, simply fill out our online membership application. CM readers write CM articles. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer author, please review the CM Editorial Guidelines.


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The Lakeside Learning program is an educational field trip for 4th grade students. Our field trip season runs April 15 through 15 October. Other dates may be available upon request. Trips are approximately 2.5 hours long and take place at Antelope Island State Park. Trip size is limited to 75 students.
Our typical field trip program starts off with a visit to the playa, where we talk about wetlands, adaptations, the water cycle, and the unique features of Great Salt Lake. Next, students learn how to use binoculars and we travel over the causeway for birding activities. Our trips conclude with a visit to the beach at Ladyfinger Point where students learn about oolitic sand and wade in the lake for a hands-on experience with brine shrimp and brine flies.
Thanks to the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation for supporting the Lakeside Learning program.
Submit your info and preferences
Lakeside Learning FEES AND Transportation Grant Policies
We are pleased to offer financial assistance to public schools by offering FREE field trips PLUS bus transportation grants. For private schools and homeschool groups, we charge a small instructional fee and are unable to offer transportation grants at this time.
Field trip fees and transportation grants are as follows:
Group Type
Antelope Island Park Admission Fees
FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake Instructional Fee
Transportation Grant Given to School by FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake
Public School and
Public Charter School
paid by FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake
$150 per field trip
(field trips with less than 40 students do not qualify for a transportation award)
Private School or Homeschool
paid by FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake
$50 for groups of 30 students or less
none offered
**Notes regarding transportation grants: The transportation grant will be paid out after the Lakeside Learning field trip takes place; the visiting school group is responsible for making all transportation arrangements.
How to Apply for a Lakeside Learning Field Trip
We are currently accepting applications for Spring 2015.
Submit your info and preferences online
Questions about field trips, applications, transportation grants, etc.? Contact us at or 801-583-5593.


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Duke Energy said Friday it will build the natural gas-fired power plant in South Carolina that regulators approved in April.
The 750-megawatt plant will go up at the existing Lee site in Anderson County, S.C. North Carolina Electric Membership Corp., which supplies power to electric cooperatives, will own 100 megawatts of the output.
The go-ahead continues Duke's move away from coal-fired power plants and toward cleaner-burning natural gas, a fuel that has dropped in price recent years.
The combined-cycle plant to be built at Lee makes electricity by burning natural gas and also by making steam from exhaust heat. It's expected to open in November 2017 and cost at least $600 million.
Construction will employ a peak labor force of at least 500 people, Duke said, and about 25 employees will run the completed plant.
The Lee complex includes three coal-fired units and two other gas-fired units. Two of the three coal units will be retired in 2015 and the third converted to gas fuel. The existing gas units will continue to operate.
Henderson: 704-358-5051; Twitter: @bhender
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Category:1966 establishments in Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Organizations, places, awards and competitions founded or established in Australia in the year 1966. See also: 1966 disestablishments in Australia.
|1960s establishments in Australia:
|← 1960–1961–1962–1963–1964–1965–1966–1967–1968–1969 →
This category has only the following subcategory.
Pages in category "1966 establishments in Australia"
The following 72 pages are in this category, out of 72 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).