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Arab Spring Raises Hope for Era of Cleaner Business
November 10, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi
AMMAN, Nov 9 (Reuters) – Gulf investor Omar Ayesh flew to Tripoli to meet Saif al-Islam Gaddafi when the son of Libya's now-deposed strongman wanted to talk business, only to be caught in a web of bribery and crony capitalism.
A deal for a beachfront resort project on Tripoli's seafront was signed with Muammar Gaddafi's government and excavation work began, but it stopped after people linked to Gaddafi began asking for payoffs, the 43-year-old businessman says. Now, Ayesh is trying to revive the project.
"I didn't expect influential figures within the regime would take over the project because it was lucrative. I just hope the new Libya will not repeat the mistakes of the past," says Ayesh, chairman of United Arab Emirates-based Nobles Investments.
Across the Middle East and North Africa, the Arab Spring uprisings have hurt many businessmen. Economies have slowed sharply as political uncertainty deters investment, new governments focus on trying to restore social stability instead of reforming economic policy, and labor unrest disrupts production and drives up costs.
But Ayesh is one of a substantial number of businessmen who say the economic climate is already improving in an important way: it is becoming easier to do business without the involvement of corrupt politicians and officials.
"Corruption was a major hurdle before the revolution and now it's much less. This has improved the business environment in Egypt. We are much more optimistic," said Issam Hijazi, chairman of Hijazi and Ghosheh, a Jordanian meat processing firm with millions of dollars of investments in Egypt and the region.
Many businessmen are not as positive as Hijazi. In Egypt, for example, some small company owners still report struggles with corrupt officials and parasitical government bureaucracies that only their larger, wealthier competitors have the money to overcome.
But to some extent, the ousting of president Hosni Mubarak has loosened the grip of a clique of politicians, officials and their businesses cronies on commercial opportunities and the licences and financing needed to exploit them.
Companies linked to the former regime face legal challenges over past deals and must operate under greater public scrutiny; this levels the playing field and allows a wider group of businessmen to compete. Egyptian trade with Sudan, for example, is no longer dominated by businessmen linked to the Mubarak regime; it has become more open and diversified, said a business consultant in Egypt, who declined to be named because of the political sensitivity of the issue.
Cases such as that of former Egyptian housing minister Ahmed al-Maghrabi have sent a chilling signal to officials and businessmen involved in improper deals. Maghrabi was sentenced to five years in jail in May over an illegal land deal in the Mubarak era; he and a businessman involved were ordered to return a total of 72 million Egyptian pounds ($12.6 million) to the state and were together fined a further 72 million pounds.
Much the same is happening in Tunisia, where members of the family of deposed president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali once owned or controlled many of the country's biggest companies, with interests in media, banking and telecommunications.
"The political support and access to funds that some of the leaders of private sector in the Arab world had has been lost," said Walid Nassan, head of the Jordan operation of Egyptian investment firm EFG Hermes.
"They now need to present themselves on their own credentials and many are tarnished. Those who exploited the system can no longer do that so openly and blatantly."
At a meeting in Istanbul last week between executives of international oil firms and Libyan officials, who discussed Libya's plans to buy nearly $3 billion of gasoline, oil traders were struck by the change in how the Libyans operated. The newly appointed managers of Libya's National Oil Corp refused invitations to lunch or dinner and kept to a tight schedule.
"Before, everything was done under the table and with bribes. Now I haven't heard anything about bribes, and tenders are being used to buy and sell," one trader said.
In countries that have not seen their governments overthrown, the change in the business climate has been less dramatic. But here too, the Arab Spring appears to be increasing popular pressure for more transparency and an end to political patronage of business — pressure that governments cannot entirely ignore.
In Morocco, King Mohammed has ordered that the antitrust authority be given more powers to enforce transparency and good corporate governance. The authority's head said it would be even-handed in dealing with firms owned by the monarchy, the biggest private stakeholder in the economy — although it may have to wait until late 2012 to obtain the power to intervene.
Usama Fayyad, executive chairman of Oasis 500, a Jordan-based investment firm which finances start-up firms in the region's information technology sector, said governments had become more careful about appearing even-handed towards companies, even in countries that have been relatively untouched by the Arab Spring.
"Abuse of authority by government entities has definitely decreased. I see it applying even to countries that don't have protests," he said.
"It doesn't mean it's disappeared, but it means that they are more careful and this holds true in Lebanon, Iraq and in the Gulf in Saudi Arabia, where people are more afraid of exercising undue influence because scrutiny is coming. They know there will be more scrutiny, definitely more than before and that creates more diversified economic opportunities."
He said big companies as well as governments had become "afraid of exercising their old methods of intimidation, influence peddling and corruption. This is helping local companies that previously were marginalized."
Omar Bitar, head of Middle East emerging markets at consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers, said bidding processes for government contracts in the region were becoming more stringent and transparent, to the point that the award of some contracts was slowing down.
It is not clear how lasting these changes in the region's business environment will be. New networks of corruption and economic patronage may form as post-uprising governments become more stable; public indignation over crony capitalism may fade as governments around the region buy off the public with subsidies and increased welfare spending.
Some businessmen suggest that in the short term at least, the cleaner commercial environment is actually hurting economies by making it more difficult for deals to get done.
"Legitimate business is being hurt by the perception of impropriety and few people dare to exercise their authority for fear of a witchhunt, and this is paralysing business," said one Middle Eastern banker, who requested anonymity.
"Graft has an economic value as you measure the cost of corruption — monetary versus facilitation of business…Although companies now don't have to buy the deal from some guy, it takes longer to secure the deal, plus the political risks have shot up.
"Business in Tunisia and in Egypt, at least on the surface, is not as tidy. You used to know someone who would facilitate business. Now it's a big muddle."
In the long term, though, a cleaner, fairer business environment could, even more than other economic reforms such as deregulation and fiscal policy changes, help to solve one of the Arab world's biggest problems: job creation.
A more level playing field could spur the growth of small and medium-sized firms, which according to a World Bank study contribute only 20 percent of the region's gross domestic product but employ 70 to 80 percent of its work force.
These firms could in turn create the tens of millions of new jobs that the Middle East and North Africa, with 65 percent of their 355 million people currently below the age of 25, will need in the next decade to avoid social disaster.
"There is no chance that the jobs needed in the years to come are going to come from government or from large businesses, because they don't generally generate jobs. So it all has to come from entrepreneurs and new companies," said Darin Rovere, president of Amman-based Sustainability Excellence, a management consultancy.
He said there were already signs that the Arab Spring was encouraging the growth of a new group of young, entrepreneurial businessmen.
"I think it's exploding around us. These are all kids, young kids. It's tech-related and you look at their ideas…and so many people just did not feel empowered or a sense of active citizenship. They are feeling different and feel an opportunity now," said Rovere.
Fayyad at Oasis 500 agreed: "The desire to launch businesses is stronger than before and as far as start-ups and new companies go, private sector entrepreneurs are seeing more opportunities. More closed systems are now open." (Additional reporting by Jessica Donati in Istanbul; Editing by Andrew Torchia)
Saudi Hails Hajj Success
November 10, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
Tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims move around the Kaaba, seen at center, inside the Grand Mosque, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on November 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) |
MECCA, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz hailed the "success" of this year's hajj despite fears of "chaos" in the wake of the Arab Spring, as remaining pilgrims continued final rites on Wednesday.
"We thank God for the success of this year's hajj, which was the best pilgrimage season to ever pass," Nayef told the commanders of hajj security forces late on Tuesday.
"Some (pilgrims) were expected to exploit the international and regional changes taking place to cause chaos. But thank God this did not happen," SPA quoted Nayef, who also holds the interior portfolio, as saying.
The hajj — the world's largest annual gathering — this year coincided with the Arab Spring democracy protests that have swept many nations in the region and led so far to the unseating of three autocratic leaders, in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, as protests continue in Yemen and Syria.
"What's going on in Syria is painful," Syrian pilgrim Abu Imad told AFP. "I'm coming here for perform pilgrimage and to pray for myself and my children."
According to the United Nations, more than 3,500 people have been killed, most of them civilians, in Syria's uprising that began in March.
Saudi Arabia itself had been slightly touched by the unrest as Shiites held sporadic protests in its Eastern Province a few times over the past months.
But their movement was quickly contained by authorities in the conservative Sunni kingdom.
"We thank all the pilgrims for proving that they are Muslims who respect this (hajj) rite and for being cooperative," the prince said.
Indonesian pilgrim Hamid Eddine also believes that "pilgrims must follow instructions to gain the rewards of hajj and to smoothly perform their pilgrimage."
Saudi security forces have several times in the past confronted Iranian pilgrims holding anti-US and anti-Israeli protests.
In 1987, Saudi police efforts to stifle such a demonstration sparked clashes in which 402 people died, including 275 Iranians.
But no incidents were reported this year as Iranian pilgrims, put at around 97,000 — the maximum allowed for Iran under a Saudi system apportioning pilgrim quotas among the world's biggest Muslim countries — held their protests inside their own camps on Saturday.
Already strained ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia became taut last month when the United States accused Iranian officials of having a hand in a thwarted plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
Iran has strongly denied involvement and emphasized "good relations" with its Arab neighbor across the Gulf.
Most of this year's three million Muslim pilgrims had left the holy city of Mecca after after a farewell circumambulation of the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure in the Grand Mosque into which is set the Black Stone, Islam's most sacred relic.
Others completed stoning of the devil on Wednesday — a ritual, which is carried out over three days in which pilgrims must stone the three pillars said to symbolize the devil.
In previous years, hundreds of people have been trampled to death in stampedes triggered by crowds trying to get close to the pillars to take their vengeance on the devil.
But this year, the stoning, like all other rituals, passed with no major incidents.
The ritual is an emulation of Ibrahim's stoning of the devil at the three spots where he is said to have appeared trying to dissuade the biblical patriarch from obeying God's order to sacrifice his son, Ishmael.
Saudi authorities have installed a multi-level walkway through the stone-throwing site in a bid to avoid the trampling that caused the deaths of 364 people in 2006, 251 in 2004 and 1,426 in 1990.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and must be performed at least once in a lifetime by all those who are able to.
Palestine/Gaza & the "Arab Spring"
September 19, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Geoffrey Cook, TMO
Tri-City Area (California)–San Francisco Bay Area–This is a continuation of my coverage of Lauren Booth and the AMP (American Muslims for Palestine's) dinner. Your journalist sees this as a part of his examination of the geo-political situation as Ramallah prepares herself for self-agency by marching forward to the UN in New York this month demanding statehood.
I have already presented a short report on Libya printed here on these pages with a good deal of my own research. Except for Paul Laudree (below), your reporter has refrained from using names to protect any relations who may still be left behind in their native lands, but because Paul is well known for his opposition to Israeli policy against Palestine – and especially toward Gaza – and the Israelis have already threatened him with dire consequences if he is ever caught in the Occupied Territories again, I have decided to name him.
Your reporter has written on Paul twice before. Definitely, he is one of your writer's heroes, and, he is a brave man, too, and we suffer through the same maladies of aging! Paul is one of the co-founders of the Free Gaza Movement, the American contingent of the greater international humanitarian movement to relieve Gaza by sea.
Dr. Laudree is the son of American and Iranian parents. He was born in Iran during the first year of the "baby boomers". His career was spent at the American University in Beirut. Therefore, he is wll aquainted with the Middle East and speaks Arabic fluently and probably Farsi, too.
Paul came close to losing his life after his capture during the last running through Tel Aviv' Navy's blockade into the Gaza Strip. Fortunately, he did survive a severe beating, and was deported to Turkey with a warning never to enter the (Occupied) Territories again — or else!
In the most recent attempt to relieve Gaza, most of the boats were from the Mediterranean littoral, but yet your scribe does not fully subscribe to Paul's analyst that it was Israel's big brother, the United States, who held the majority of their ships in Athens's harbor. Boat and land convoys have pierced the isolated Palestinian nation on the coastal Strip in the past. Your correspondent suspects it had more to do with the recent European Union (EU's) financial bailout of the Hellenes.
When Paul Laudree had stopped by Greece's capital, Athens, two years ago, her current Prime Minister, then out of power, and while Israel then was anathema over the Hellenic landscape and the same George Papandreou of the Panhellenic Socialist Party wished, at that time, to have photo ops with our orator. The Prime Minister still rules-over a basically anti-Israeli/America populace; thus, your author believes that it may have been more the EU who influenced their domestically unpopular foreign policy behavior.
(Emeritus) Professor Paul Laudree muses, for the present we have been forced to desist, but we still have plenty of vessels to deploy.
The planning for the million-person march to Jerusalem has commenced! He is involved in a global movement of over a thousand souls trek to the Abrahamic Holy City. There will, also, even be a contingent from the U.S.
"Look at the bordering republics, yet none will help her." Ultimately, from "Where is the defenders of our [their] rights," coming?
Lurking Dangers to the Arab Spring
August 25, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Ramzy Baroud, Gulf News
Arab revolutions are currently facing real dangers, which vacillate between lack of prioritisation, stagnation and foreign intervention.
In Egypt, there have been deliberate attempts to divide the objectives of the revolution into blurred ideological classifications. A chasm is already growing between 'liberal' and Islamic forces regarding the identity of the state. Endless debates have ensued regarding the best course of action pertaining to elections, the constitution and more.
The trial of former president Hosni Mubarak has been marketed as a major victory for the revolution. Undoubtedly this is a historic event with great psychological impact. Many in Egypt were suspicious that the military was trying to co-opt the revolution, and some believed that Mubarak was continuing to run the country from his Sharm Al Shaikh mansion. With the world having now seen Mubarak in prison garb, some of these rumours are being quelled.
Still, it must not be forgotten that Egypt's problems are multi-faceted, running deep into the very fabric of its political and social structures. Its already threadbare economy was also further devastated by recent events.
Presenting Mubarak on a stretcher for 'conspiring to kill protesters', and then falling into the trap of disputes around political semantics will not resolve the country's many problems.
The Yemeni people persist between clear objectives and unclear strategy. Yemen was already teetering on the brink of 'failed state' status before the February revolt. The opposition is clearly failing to unify the revolutionary efforts of the people. The aim has been to create a meaningful political platform capable of translating the just demands of millions into a clear roadmap.
This has no room for Ali Abdullah Saleh and his discredited government. A delay of nearly six months has allowed regional and international forces to impede the popular process aimed at democratic reforms. Frustrated by the ineptness of the opposition, and worried about the devious role played by outsiders, the 'youth of the revolution' moved to establish their own transitional political body.
This move seemed to create more confusion rather than actually address the challenge of political centrality. Saleh and his ruling party are feeling emboldened once again and are bargaining politically with a nearly-starved population. As for Libya, it has turned into a battlefield. Although the people's original demands for democracy are as genuine as ever, linking the heart of the revolution to Nato's central command has more than tainted the uprising.
It has also raised the spectre of western intervention in Libya. The billions of dollars spent to 'liberate' Libya will be recovered through political and economic leverages later on. This will prove very costly for any new Libyan government.
Three Principles
The Syrian revolution has been most inspiring. Despite the extremely violent behaviour of the army in its attempts to subdue the uprising, the people remain committed to three major principles: the rightful demands of their revolution, the non-violent nature of their efforts, and non-interventionism. That said, foreign intervention does not seek people's permission; it seeks opportunities.
It is guided by a straightforward cost-benefit analysis. As for violence, even noble revolutions with noble demands have limits. How long will the Syrian people endure before resorting to arms, at least to defend themselves against the government's thugs?
There are other Arab countries that are also experiencing their own upheavals. These are divided between betrayed revolutions (for example, Bahrain), revolutions in the making, and bashful reform movements (Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, and others).
True, each revolutionary experience remains unique. The socio-economic specificities of a wealthy Gulf country are different from those of a poverty-stricken country like Morocco. Still, Arab countries have much in common. Aside from shared histories, religions, language and a collective sense of belonging, they also share experiences of oppression, alienation, injustice and inequality.
The third UN Arab Development Report, published in 2005, surmised that in a modern Arab state, "the executive apparatus resembles a black hole which converts its surrounding social environment into a setting in which nothing moves and from which nothing escapes."
Things didn't fare much better for Arab states in 2009, when the fifth volume in the series claimed: "While the state is expected to guarantee human security, it has been, in several Arab countries, a source of threat undermining both international charters and national constitutional provisions."
It is this shared fate that makes an Egyptian woman protest the violence carried out by the Syrian regime, and which drives a Tunisian man to celebrate the trial of Mubarak.
Coupled with a joint understanding of their history — which includes the struggle against colonialism and continued oppression in the neo-colonialist era — the Arab sense of solidarity is almost innate.
There is no question that in a post-revolutionary Arab world, a new collective sense of identity will emerge, this time without the manipulation of a single charismatic leader.
Revolution is a process, a progression of realisations borne out of experience. It seeks real and lasting change. It spans in its outreach from the realm of politics into the specificity of identity and self-perception. Because Arab revolutions are real, they also represent a real danger to foreign powers and their local alliances.
The self-seeking concoctions will use all their power to impede the process of change and reforms in the Arab world. This helps to explain the shedding of doubts on the authenticity of the youth movement in Egypt; the collective punishment of Yemenis; the brutalising of revolting masses in Syria.
Arab revolutionaries must be wary of all of these challenges. They must prepare for all grim possibilities. With unity being their greatest weapon, the revolutionaries need to remember that a victory in Egypt or Tunisia is an important step in the quest for freedom in Yemen, Syria — and everywhere else.
Democracy Within Islam
July 14, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Geoffrey Cook, TMO
Tunis / Tunisia–About one and one half months ago, I was allowed to sit through the comments of a Professor Alfred Stefan here in Tunis via the miracle of cyber transmission. He has held Professorships in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Continent. Amongst many other remarkable accomplishments, he was the founder (in 2006) and currently is the Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy, Tolerance and Religion housed at New York City's Columbia University. He has authored or co-authored many books. Of the most interest to our audience is Democracy, Islam and Secularism: Turkey in Comparative Perspective (Columbia University Press, forthcoming in 2012)which he co-edited and his manuscript which he, also, co-edited — that is under consideration at the same academic press — Indonesia, Islam, and Democracy: Comparative Perspectives.
Stefan, was invited to Tunis by the Washington "think tank" the Center for the Study of Democracy and Islam whose founder / Director, Radwan Masoudi, is a natal son of Tunisia, chaired the event.
Now, the Tunisians were not only the first nation that overthrew their North African ancien regime, but have been the most successful of the emerging democracies within the Arab "Spring."
As Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Libya and Iraq went through a period of Arab-palatable socialism during the post-revolutionary period from the (former) Colonial powers which helped these nations lunge developmentally forward from their independence. These regimes, however, became more autocratic as time progressed with their increased wealth, but to hold on to power the succeeding elites increased repression and corruption against their own citizens. Yet their populations desired evermore a greater share of the wealth.
With the overthrow of the (comparatively) liberal monarchy in (non-Arabic but Islamic) Afghanistan during the 1970s, and the invasion subsequent invasion of the Hindu Kush Mountains by Moscow at the end of that decade to bolster the Communist-controlled system there from increasing resistance to the Afghan Communist Party-controlled system by civil society there. Consequently, a War of resistance ensued in which a large number of Arab "mercenaries" entered the mountainous battle theater – many of those from the very oppressive nations that they were previously battling that fell or may fall to this Arab "Spring."
As civil society in Islam now believes Socialism to be "godless," and that and the traditional monarchies to be corrupt, bourgeois democracy (there has always been an Islamic "capitalism") now has its appeals as offering a better way to achieve the hopes and aspirations of Muslims in the region. Yet, what truly is the Islamic path to such a future political ascendancy?
Alfred Stefan began his proposals by questioning the acceptance for the democratic within the Arabic-speaking world. If the Tunisians can become successful, it will make an impression upon the North American peoples of a sea-change over much of the North African / Middle Eastern world. Further, it would disprove the Israeli propaganda that Arabs are incapable of democratic governance.
The truth is that 483 million Muslims are under democratic administrations already.
As your author has been heard to say on these pages previously, Stefan, also, whose English-language books have been translated into Arabic, and, whose ideas are known amongst the intelligentsia within the Punic space stated that there cannot be a singularity of democracy or even of modernity itself. That is, as your reporter and he , further, holds Westminster or Jeffersonian democracy are not the only molds that can enfold equality, but there are other possible forms for the diverse Islamic peoples, too — not limited to the Arabic but to every ethnic sub-grouping within that religious classification. In fact Stefan and your journalist, also, have determined that this prerequisite for the success of democracy to take root under any particular soil is the opening for such a diversity of possibility. Democracy is unique to any time or place or the uniqueness of its religious environment. Although it is not necessary for "Church" and State to be synonymous, but rather the religious aspirations of the populace are vital to the form of its flowering. Muslim Indonesia is the largest Islamic country in world, and the most emancipated within ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Succinctly, Stefan declares "There is nothing that can keep countries from having a democracy… Militaristic Turkey is the most secular country within Dar al Islam, but the present government's dominating party is reversing much of Ataturk's policies. Under the traditional modern State's regulation there, a parliamentarian cannot repeat the word 'hajib' while in the legislature, yet 50% of Turkish women wear one! Still, students with religious training's application to any of Ankara's universities will be rejected." There are many incorrect assumptions about Islam's relationship with democracy within the Occident.
Most Islamic nations respect other religions. There are up to 90 paid religious holidays per annum, depending upon the nation-state within Europe, but not one public holidays is for a non-European religious observance while Indonesia has public religious celebrations for its varied belief fabric. There is a co-celebration between faith communities on the Archipelago, too.
A 100% of Christian-majority European countries support Christian religious schools. These institutions are at least partially subsidized by the State.
"In your nation [Tunisia], you have a history… of toleration." Tunisia's modern structure has come from France, and speaks in terms of Parisian democratic forms in the same breath with the nation's similarities with Sub-Saharan Senegal.
"Any country that develops democracy has to develop toleration!..Democracy has to cultivate a high-level mutual toleration…If Tunis develops democracy, she will realize the possible," and America will learn about the Maghreb (finally). "Tunisia has the best chance democratizing than anywhere else within the Arab 'Spring.'"
On the other hand, "Syria is a difficult [case]." Ethnic rules, and the fears they engender [has generated] slaughter. Egypt's success so far was based on their military to fire on their own countrymen; thus, they should inherit Mubarak's régime. Lebanon is so overshadowed by its battle for the Levant with Israel; therefore, fair elections [there] will be complex.
Whether democracy will envelop or not over the expanse, "things will never be the same."
Authoritarianism has gone and won't come back. Hundreds of millions of persons watched the Tunisian and Egyptian "revolutions" while several decades ago we turned our backs on the then Algerian elections wherein the Islamists won leading up to an unbelievably brutal Civil War. Yet, the recent two civil insurrections over Northern Africa have changed U.S. impressions.
Democracies are created through elections. "Parties must trust each other. If not, there is only a minute possibility for democracy…They will find themselves in non-democratic situations. The democratic means that a party will hold power only temporarily. After the initial period, voters will re-evaluate, and the power structure may shift."
Analysis: Arab Spring Likely to Leave Oil Firms Unscathed
June 23, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Tom Bergin
A Tunisian artisan makes tributes to the "Arab Spring" revolution by etching flags on bronze plates in the medina, the old city of Tunis, June 14, 2011. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi |
LONDON (Reuters) – Western oil firms are unlikely to face widespread asset seizures or contract revisions as a result of Arab uprisings, thanks to deft diplomacy, legal protections and efforts to depict themselves as partners of the local citizenry.
In the past, big political shifts in the Middle East have often been followed by the eviction of foreign oil producers — Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran to cite a few examples.
This time around, upheaval has hit Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and Syria — not the biggest oil producers in the Arab world but among the most open to foreign investment. Companies including BP Plc, Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell have spent billions there.
"I wouldn't describe us as worried. We're being vigilant," said Bob Dudley, chief executive of BP, echoing comments from other companies.
The new governments that have emerged, or may emerge, are expected by and large to remain supportive of foreign investment, because they will wish to maintain output and government revenues.
"I don't see there being a large nationalistic wave," said Richard Quin, Middle East analyst at Wood Mackenzie.
In the past popular anger toward a regime has spilled over to the companies that supported it, but oil companies say that over the past two decades, they have positioned themselves on the side of communities, rather than as agents of government.
"Companies now are not so closely aligned with governments," said Mahdi Sajjad, president of Syria-focused Gulfsands Petroleum, whose shares have been hit by investor fears about the unrest.
In part this has been achieved by investing in community engagement projects. Oil contracts that are more transparent and more favorable toward host nations also play a big role.
Contract Changes
Up to the 1970s, oil contracts were opaque and seen as beneficial to companies and the region's frequently corrupt governments — at the expense of citizens. Now contracts usually follow internationally accepted models.
This will help oil executives argue they are giving host nations the best deal that a new leadership could hope to get and, therefore, that existing contracts should be respected.
"We look at it (investment) from a perspective of the fundamental stakeholders, the population of the country .. rather than through the lens of the current incumbent government," said Frank Chapman, chief executive of British Gas producer BG Group.
"What we are doing in Tunisia and Egypt is sustainable," he added.
Oil companies have beaten a path to new leaders in Egypt and Tunisia, and, an Italian ministerial source told Reuters last month, even to Libyan rebel leaders. Companies say the signals received so far do not point to widespread asset seizures.
If new governments do seek to expropriate oil fields or to rewrite contracts, companies will find they have greater legal protection than they did when the last wave of nationalization swept through the Arab world in the 1970s.
Modern contracts bar governments from taking unilateral action to seize assets and can limit their ability to hike taxes. And if there is a dispute over whether the government has overstepped its authority, companies don't have to worry about arguing their cases in front of potentially biased local courts.
"Contracts usually provide for arbitration in a neutral venue," Anthony Sinclair, a partner with law firm Allen & Overy said.
Potential for Loss Still
In addition, many countries have signed bilateral investment treaties, known as BITs, which commit them to protect foreign investments in their territories.
"There are close to 3,000 of these treaties in existence," Sinclair said.
These will help deter unilateral moves against companies, but they will not protect companies against all losses. International litigation can drag on for decades, during which opportunities are lost, said Harry Clark, partner at Dewey & LeBoeuf. This suggests companies might agree to unfavorable contract changes that would not be upheld in court.
Also oil companies can face a big financial hit if instability delays production.
"The oil industry values everything in net present value terms … (and) because you are pushing things out, on a discounted cash flow basis, that will erode value," said Quin.
BP and other companies have suspended operations in Libya, while French oil major Total said it lost production at one field in Yemen due to the conflict there.
Sajjad said Gulfsands' operations in Syria were unaffected, but the conflict could create difficulties in importing equipment there and in other countries — especially if new sanctions are imposed against governments fighting revolts.
There is little companies can do to limit such losses.
Yet some executives say the problems thrown up by the Arab Spring simply reflect the intrinsic nature of the oil business.
"It is always like that in exploration, you can always face different kinds of issues .. This is part of life for an oil and gas company," said Total head of strategy Jean-Jacques Mosconi.
The Quiet Corner of the Mideast (Surprise)
June 16, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Helene Cooper
Washington — In the Arab democracy movement, there is a dog that has not yet barked. And whether or not it does — and how loudly — is causing a lot of heartburn among American policy makers.
Egyptians, Tunisians, Libyans and Syrians gathered in their respective city squares and neighborhood streets to demand democratic rights, and the Western world cheered, if with varying degrees of diplomatic or military support. But by and large, so far, the Palestinians in the West Bank, who see Israel as the source of their grievances, have not.
In part, this is because the Palestinians' own leaders — elected, but weak — have another timetable in place, for a diplomatic campaign against Israel in the fall that turmoil on the ground could complicate. But some other prominent Palestinians are beginning to say that the moment of the Arab Spring offers a more urgent opportunity to join fellow Arabs in the streets. And that worries policy makers and experts here, as well as the political leaders in Hamas and Fatah, whose own authority could be undermined.
"If you're looking for a game-changer, that would be it," says Robert Malley, the program director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group. "At a time when the entire world, including President Obama, is applauding nonviolent popular protests from Cairo to Tehran, it would put Israel in an acute dilemma about how to react if tens of thousands of Palestinians started organizing protests in the West Bank, or marching on Israeli settlements or on Jerusalem demanding an end to the Israeli military occupation."
Even more significantly, Mr. Malley said, "it would put the United States in an equally acute dilemma about how to react to Israel's reaction."
And it would box President Obama into a corner, penned in by his own words: on one side, that the democratic aspirations of people in the region must be heeded and that Palestinians deserve their own state, and on the other side, 44 years of American national policy that strongly sides with Israel on issues involving its security.
The biggest worry for Mr. Obama is that Israel would react with violence toward nonviolent Palestinian protesters in the West Bank. Last Sunday, Israeli forces fired at pro-Palestinian protesters on the Syrian frontier as they tried to breach the border for the second time in three weeks. The Syrian news agency SANA reported that 22 protesters were killed and more than 350 wounded; Israeli officials said that they had no information on casualties, but suggested that the Syrian figures were exaggerated.
Israeli and American officials both said those protests were instigated by Syria, in a move to draw attention away from the violent crackdown on its own democracy movement. By and large, there was not a huge outcry over Israel's decision to fire on the protests, in part because of the role that Syria is believed to have played, and partly because the march on the border was viewed as a hostile and provocative action on a sovereign country with which Syria is still legally at war.But the West Bank is a whole different ballgame. This is the disputed territory captured in 1967, the land occupied by Israel after its three southern and eastern Arab neighbors united to fight it 44 years ago. It is the land that Israeli settlement blocks have since sprouted throughout, in an ever-growing reminder that the longer a peace deal remains elusive, the more the facts change on the ground. And now, Palestinians there have started to draw a direct line between the Arab Spring movement and their own push for an end to the Israeli occupation.
"You will see waves," Mustafa Barghouti, a former Palestinian Authority presidential candidate and independent member of Parliament who has been critical in the past of the Fatah leadership, said in a telephone interview. "It's already happening. We, the Palestinians, have inspired Arabs many times in the past, and now we're getting inspired by them."
On Sunday, a few hundred Palestinians in the West Bank tried to organize marches around the territory, but were stymied by the forces of both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, neither of which are eager to see widespread Palestinian democracy protests. That is in part because leaders of both Hamas, the militant Islamist organization that controls Gaza, and Fatah, the party that controls the Palestinian Authority, fear that a popular Palestinian uprising could upend their own authority in the West Bank and Gaza.
"We have been talking to the youth movement in Tunisia," said a Palestinian activist in Ramallah who asked to be identified only by his initials, F. A., because he said he has been threatened by both the Palestinian Authority and by Israeli officials. "They are telling us how they did it, and when we tell them our situation, they say, 'Wow, your situation is much more complicated." ' He said his house, in Ramallah, had had no running water this month, but he could see Israeli settlers in a nearby settlement enjoying the summer in their swimming pool. Because of such daily indignities, he said: "We will do this. Our time will come."
In Israel, the political discourse in the past two weeks has centered on the increased fear that the Palestinians in the West Bank will join the Arab Spring movement. On Sunday, Aluf Benn, the influential Israeli editor at large for Haaretz wrote: "The nightmare scenario Israel has feared since its inception became real — that Palestinian refugees would simply start walking from their camps toward the border and would try to exercise their 'right of return.' " Mr. Benn was referring to the Syrian border episodes, but many Middle East experts say that a West Bank uprising would actually be more seismic, for both Israel and the United States.
In Washington, Obama administration officials have been fretting about how the United States would respond. In many ways, Mr. Obama's decision to come out in favor of Palestinian statehood based on Israel's pre-1967 lines, with land swaps, stemmed from a desire at the White House to give both Palestinians and the world at large a place to park their grievances. That, they felt, might help forestall both a United Nations resolution in September recognizing a state of Palestine within the 1967 boundaries, and a popular uprising among Palestinians in the West Bank.
That such an uprising hasn't happened yet, Mr. Barghouti and other Palestinians say, goes beyond the simple Hamas-and-Fatah-won't-allow-it reasons. Palestinians in different West Bank cities are disconnected from each other, separated by Israeli checkpoints that don't allow freedom of movement even within the territory. Israel's security fence also inhibits movement among Palestinians.
Beyond that, Palestinians may be exhausted from the two intifadas — the second one, in the last decade, extremely violent — that ended with the Israeli construction of the security fence and the imposition of increasingly strict restrictions on movement throughout the West Bank.
But exhaustion from the violence may feed more nonviolent uprisings. "There is now a growing belief," Mr. Barghouti said, "that nonviolence is the only form of struggle we should use. Or, at least, that it is the most effective form of struggle we should use."
Peter Bergen on Pakistan and Afghanistan After the Death of Osama bin-Laden
May 26, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Geoffrey Cook, TMO
New York City–May 5th–Although your columnist regards the subject of his article herein to be worn out, (he had contemplated placing it next to his Op-Ed of last week on the death of Osama when the event was au courant,) but instead your essayist has decided to concluded his material on this important incident by this report he has garnered during his recent wanderings.
The Asia Society chapter in (N.Y.C.'s borough of) Manhattan, the very City of 9-11 presented Peter Bergen, the author of the popular Holy War, Inc. and the equally acclaimed The Osama bin Laden I Know with the authoritative the Longest War: The Enduring Conflict between America and Al-Qaeda which has only recently been released. That journalist relayed his subject honestly with great insight that night.
His discourse there concerned itself on how the death of the commander of Al-Qaeda, the infamous Osama bin-Laden, might change the strategy of global terrorism and the counter-insurgency that it generates — especially within Afghanistan and the chief worldwide counterterrorist, the United States' relationship with its second most dependable ally since the Second World War (after Great Britain, of course), Pakistan. There is a sense here in the West that their Pakistani ally's bilateral commitment to the United States has become problematic with bin-Laden's discovery by U.S. intelligence living comfortably and openly within the Islamic Republic. American commandos (the U.S.' Navy's Seals), then, moved in for the "kill." (The American public has always shown a prejudice against Islamabad due to Indian propaganda while the regime(s) in Washington has (have) strongly relied upon this Islamic country to defend their mutual interests. Osama's domicile in the Punjab Province was due to rogue elements [possibly with connections to that Government whose seat is only down the road from Osama's home], but it was not the South Asian nation's Administration's policy [or knowledge] to have him there as a "guest!")
Bergen's background includes the Directorship of the National Security Studies Program at the New American Foundation. He is, also, CNN's (the Cable News Network's) national security analyst and a fellow at New York University's Center on Law & Security, too.
Peter Bergen has reported extensively on al-Qaeda, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and counterterrorism in the past. In fact, he was of the few news commentators to have actually have interviewed bin-Laden himself.
As your author here has written on these pages in the past, and now Bergen has confirmed to this impressive and imposing assemblage that "Al-Qaeda's ideology had already [started] to be slashed by the blossoming Arab 'Spring."
The Arab "Spring" has become a problem for Al-Qaeda in that it has invalidated their violent techniques to most of their "fellow-travelers," and their "True Believers" that the "Base's" methodology is redundant; and, therefore, its support has dwindled as Arab democracy has asserted itself!
Egypt had always been troublesome and hostile to the (violent) Jihads. Now, with the reforms, hopefully, democratic change, if it is a finely-tuned, will discourage, the necessity for violently overthrowing the State. So far, the Arab "Spring" — in the areas of its success — has largely chased gratuitous aggression from those regions of the Middle East.
Al-Qaeda was formed at a meeting during September of 1988. A sub-national (not even that, but an organization that advocated bloodshed to those who did not believe as they — in essence, Takfrs. Their odium was strongly against the majority of Muslims whom they considered heretics while the majority of Islam considers their movement as heterodox.) "bin-Laden was the commander of the violent Jihadi cluster". Bergen concludes that there is no one to replace him. Something that your reporter is not so sure, but Peter Bergen, who had conversed with Osama before his death, conjectures that currently "After the commander's demise…[Al-Qaeda will] never [be able] to unite as a popular resistance!"
Further, "bin-Laden orders and strategy [for post-his-extinction] are well-known." Al-Qaeda is immigrating towards the African country of Somalia. Bergen felt, alas, his death would be "…a positive [change in the chance] for Israel's survival…The longest War just got shorter!"
United States intelligence from Quetta and Karachi expose a robust anti-Americanism a over the expanse of the Pakistani State, but "The Obama Administration has handled the state of affairs well." His indictment of the Bush Regime was as an appalling aberration. "They refused to look at dispute as it actually was." W.'s" Bush assertion of WMDs within Iraq was based on his willful imagination. "The District of Columbia became a self-correction agency [i.e., state]! Obama, now, is trying to make changes in foreign policy. Peter Bergen deems that he has Afghanistan and Libya correct since, as he believes that "Khadafy is the worse mass murderer in the Middle East!"
In the Hindu Kush where the Taliban thinks more in national terms whereas Qaeda looks into an international vista, it is a rural, therefore a more effective, insurgency where the fighting season is demarked between the end of the poppy and the beginning of the marijuana harvest.
The Afghan (National) Army is a reconfiguration of the old Northern Alliance. Military service has become more economically attractive, and, thus, a more credible fighting service.


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Parmesan Bacon Gougères From 'Down South'
@tamidon and @yaya41: It's best to freeze the shaped dough before cooking. You can bake them without defrosting. Just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
@whiskey boy, @Jonathan King, and @Tipskykit37: Since this photo was from the book, and didn't have a caption, I can only venture to guess what the sauce is that they're using on the gougeres. There's a recipe in the same chapter for hot mustard sauce that looks like it could match up. Sounds like it'd be tasty to me!

subset: commoncrawl


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found a new home!
Plenty of my friends are looking
for one too. Find a pet to adopt.
Find a pet to adopt |
My name is Frost!
Facts about Frost
- Breed: Domestic Shorthair
- Color: White
- Age: Adult
- Sex: Male
- Hair: Short
Frost's Info...
I am already neutered and up to date with shots.
Brrrr, with the cold weather upon us a cute kitty like Frost is the best heater to have during the winter. He is a year old male cat who has a personality that is anything but chilly. He loves to play with his toys and prance around. He is neutered, micro-chipped, up to date on his vaccinations, and he is litter trained. Frost would be a wonderful companion to have to stay warm through out the years. Come visit him today!
Other Pets at Cascades Humane Society
Why Adoption is a Great Option
Frost, a Jackson Domestic Shorthair cat was adopted! Here's how you can benefit by looking at adoption as an option to buying a Domestic Shorthair for sale in Jackson, or seeking a Domestic Shorthair cat from a breeder in Jackson.
- Rescues and shelter volunteers in Jackson already know the personality and tendencies of their pets. This means they can match you with the right pet. That will makes it much easier transition to owning a pet for yourself and your new pet.
- On average adoption fees are much less than you'd pay a Jackson breeder, or pet store. Plus most often rescue pets have already been to the veterinarian for a check-up, had a round of vaccinations, and are spayed or neutered. That is a lot of savings!
- You will become a hero, and give a needy dog or cat a loving home. In fact, there are even Domestic Shorthair breeders who help with Domestic Shorthair rescue. One puppy or kitten adopted in Jackson paves the way for another one to be saved.


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It is a true honor and privilege to serve as your 2014 W.A.C.E. Chair. We have an outstanding Board of Directors and Executive Committee that are committed to taking our organization to the next level. Your volunteer leadership and excellent W.A.C.E. staff stand ready to work with you in accomplishing this in the coming year. Our number one goal is providing you with the education and information you need to continue to lead in business organizations within your communities. We have set some exciting program priorities for the coming year that will assist all of us in advancing our chambers so we will continue to be this leader in our communities. Highlighted Priorities: • Convening a Political Action Boot Camp April 11 in Phoenix • Launching the Emerging Leaders Advisory Council. Giving new insight regarding industry trends and association programs • Conducting several webinars throughout the year that will focus on helping our chambers to grow and provide value to our members • Holding an Executive Leaders Roundtable on May 15 in Denver focusing on what the "Chamber of the Future" will look like • Offering W.A.C.E. Academy which will be held August 3-6, 2014 in Sacramento providing a high-quality training program for chamber management • Partnering with University of Oklahoma offering our Economic Development Essentials program in August • Developing a rating system for all chambers working with our friends at ACCE and the US Chamber • Planning for our Annual Conference February 4-6, 2015 at the Disneyland Hotel As you can see, we have set an ambitious set of priorities for the coming year, and these are just the highlights! I hope you will take advantage of as many as your time will allow this year. The Executive Committee, Board of Directors, along with Dave Kilby and his exceptional staff, and many other volunteers will be leading this charge. I would like to thank each and every one of them for what they do for our organization in keeping it vibrant, sustainable and innovators for our industry. Your volunteer leadership understands we are here for you our members. Please let us know if there is something we are missing in our programs that will help your chamber grow and prosper. Following the lyrics of one of my favorite bands The Doobie Bothers, we are here to "Listen to the Music-YOUR MUSIC"! Please tell us what we are doing well and what we can do differently. We will do all we can to bring your music-new ideas to future board of directors meetings and to the staff at W.A.C.E. for advancement. After all, this is your organization. By working together and being more engaged with one another, we will continue to make W.A.C.E. the premiere organization for education and professional development!
Steve Van Dorn, IOM President/CEO Santa Clara (CA) Chamber and Convention Visitors Bureau email@example.com
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This product does not offer full coverage, so if you want something thick to cover up imperfections, this is not the product for you. That being said, I like a foundation that lets my natural skin show through. I don't like looking made-up. I usually use a squirt of this and mix with a squirt of my moisturizer and then apply. It doesn't feel thick, heavy or greasy. It makes my skin look like a nicer version of itself. And it lasts a long time, I've been on the same bottle for almost a year.
I am a MAC NW25 - Smashing Oak matches my skintone perfectly. It is a nice liquid with medium coverage, and comes in a pump bottle with a cap. One pump is usally enough to cover my entire face. The foundation wears well throughout the day - in the summer I do have to blot, but I have to do this with any foundation since I live in the south. This is a matte foundation - no shine or shimmer.
This is my new favorite foundation. They (used to) sell it at selected Shopper's Drug Marts in Canada, but I can't find it anywhere anymore. Is anyone aware of any discontinuations?
After applying the foundation onto my face, although it could cover upmost of my acnes and blemishes, but it had this really thick kind of texture, and it seemed quite obvious that I had foundation on.
But I would buy this foundation again, because I know that it wouldn't look that obvious if I applied the right amount. It didn't cause any break outs on my face, and it really made my skin look smooth. But about every 3-4 hours, powder needed to be applied to stop the oil shining on my face too much. Overall, I would say that it is a good foundation.
More reviews by CaptainObvious
Oh my god, this foundation is absolutely amazing. It lasts throughout the day, and it makes your skin look PERFECT. It is honestly the best foundation I've seen so far. I am buying it again soon along with some of their other products! :)
I was so excited to try out the Smashbox liquid foundation, so I bought it as soon as I heard about it. I wore it for approximately 3 days, and after that I was so broken out that it was scary. This product made my face extremely oily, and I had to deal with the aftermath of hideous pimples. This is not worth the EXPENSIVE $35 or so. It also seemed like I was buying almost nothing for the money because the foundation came in a very small bottle.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No
I'm not too impressed with this foundation. I like the color, Petal 1.25, but the foundation doesn't seem to last throughout the day even if I use a light brushing of powder over it. The Petal 1.25 color has a very nice pinkish undertone. The other colors were too yellowish. I've had a couple of blemishes since I started using this foundation but I'm not sure if it's the foundation or one of the other products I've been trying.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No
This foundation is rather sheer, somewhat moisturizing, and provides a smooth appearance. Doesn't seem to cause blemishes. When my skin is cooperating, I reach for this.
I like this foundation for days when I'm in a hurry and need to get out the door fast.
It goes on smooth and blends well.
I believe it's coverage is supposed to be light to medium, but I think it doesn't quite make it to medium.
My skin is combo to dry and this does not give me any problems with blemishes.


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I made a chili last friday and one of the ingredients was cooked quinoa. I was thinking of doubling the recipe so I doubled the quinoa and then of course it was too much so I had some leftover and planned to make a quinoa tabouli (sp?) later this week. Well it was a very bad week and I never had time to do so and the quinoa is still sitting in my fridge. Is it safe to eat? I did a search and am getting different answers. Melissa |
Follow-Up Postings:
Well, I would . . . As long as it doesn't smell or taste off, if it is pasty that's a bad sign. |
It depends on how cold is you refrigerator, how much salt you used, and what else is in it. If it is just quinoa, what is the worst thing it can turn into, wine? dcarch |
Personally, I would toss it, but would consider it borderline safe if: -The refrigerator temperature has been colder than 39-degrees F. -Not a lot of opening and closing the refrigerator (which raises the temperature each time). -It doesn't smell sweet(ish) or fermented, or has mold growing on it, -It hasn't been in-and-out of the refrigerator - moving from a safe cold temperature to room temperature several times during the week. As an example, families who take milk out of the refrigerator and let it sit for a prolonged time at room temperature before placing it back in the refrigerator may find their milk sours faster than someone who uses what they need and immediately places it back in the refrigerator and maintains the colder than 40-degrees F food safe temperature. The longer it sits at an unsafe room temperature, the faster bacteria grows. -I would also suggest it be thoroughly cooked if you decide to use it, and not used for a cold salad type dish. There are so many spelling variations for "tabouli", they all look misspelled to me no matter which one I use ;-). Tabbouli, Tabbouleh, Taboula, Tabouleh, Tabouli, Tabboulé or Taboulé (and probably others) -Grainlady |
There's only one spelling, so far as I know, it's just not in our alphabet: تبولة t :D |
- Posted by Melissaki5 (My Page) on Sat, Apr 5, 14 at 22:36
Thanks for the replies I decided to toss it because I again did not have time to use it today and figure I'd rather not risk getting myself or Dh sick to save a dollar in quinoa. Dh's father past away last Friday night and it was quite a rough week. Today we had to meet the priest at the grave site for a prayer and ritual of eating koliva (wheat berries mixed with raisins walnuts and parsley) and tossing some of it on the grave. |
Condolences to you both. |
- Posted by islay_corbel (My Page) on Sun, Apr 6, 14 at 3:14
I'm sorry to hear about your FIL. |
- Posted by sleevendog (My Page) on Sun, Apr 6, 14 at 7:22
Sorry about your stressful week and loss. I'm glad you tossed it. Sometimes emotional stresses can weaken your defenses and leave an opening for digestive turmoil. A normal healthy week and all might pass fine but i have a 3 day limit, DH will take that to 4days. My pups have no limit. I treat any cooked grains just like any other leftovers. Cool quickly and into the fridge. Freeze what i don't think i will be used within a couple days. After 24hrs i like to bring any leftover back up to a hot temp before using. A forum exists somewhere for chefs and caterers that help each other through some trying recipes dealing with large quantity. Pretty interesting and difficult getting all the elements prepped and safely. One company does prepared meals for the elderly and has in-house testing. They have witnessed a change in cooked grain after 36hrs even quickly cooled and kept very cold. So they limit the use to 24hrs for safety reasons. Our systems are designed to easily deal with day to day toxins/bugs/environmental crud. |
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johnd800 has reviewed 1 products.
did they test these things?
bought these for $50 before my miami vacation. i liked the way they looked more than anything and initially they felt comfortable. Went to the mall a week later to shop and experienced some discomfort after doing all that walking around the mall. gave me a slight blister. figured maybe i just needed to break the shoe in.
on vacation i wore them to walk around south beach in and it was a bad mistake. they gave me horrible blisters and i ended up having to walk barefoot on the hot pavement. it was not fun needless to say.
so my final opinion is that they are ok until you actually have to walk somewhere in them. you might make it a few blocks without pain but keep on walking and see if this shoe doesnt tear up your feet.
Runs Narrow
Runs Wide
Runs Small
Runs Large


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USL News Release Thursday, January 29, 2009
LAREDO, TX – The biggest name in United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), Laredo's Felix Garcia, is headed to Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo. Now an 18-year old target forward that finishes instinctually, Garcia came of age in the PDL with his hometown Heat the past two seasons, scoring 18 career goals in 33 games, all but one of which came before his 18th birthday.
"Back in 2006, Felix came to our practices two or three times per week," said Laredo Heat Owner, Shashi Vaswani. "He was a high school kid just looking to get better, but in the beginning of 2007, we all got together to discuss whether or not to put him our roster."
His first appearance with the Heat was on Saturday, May 5, 2007 at the age of 16 – a 3-0 win for the Heat at home in front of 742 spectators. He got a pair of shots off in eight minutes of action.
"He had a lot of problems adjusting to the differences of the game at first," said Vaswani. "I mean he had only ever played high school soccer, there are no clubs or anything down here. When we put him on the roster, we decided to give him half a game or so and he just continued to get better and better until he moved out of the midfield and fit perfectly into that role of a target forward."
After Garcia's first career appearance, the teenager's minutes per game continued to rise until he broke into the starting lineup and played 72 minutes against the DFW Tornados on Saturday, July 7, 2007. He registered five shots that match, but was held scoreless for another week until finding his scoring touch and first career goal in the 89th minute of a 3-1 win over the Austin Lightning.
Just three months after his first appearance, Garcia helped Laredo pack 7,000 into UISD - Student Activity Center to watch him sink one of the Heat's most unlikely adversaries, the Michigan Bucks, with a sixth round shootout goal from the mark that claimed the 2007 PDL Championship for the Heat (Minus Garcia, the Heat advanced to the 2006 PDL Championship, but fell to the Bucks in Part I of the clubs' rivalry that was won by Michigan, in Laredo, 2-1).
"We had our first five shooters out there with [Juan de Dios] Ibarra being the fifth," said Vaswani. "He has never missed a penalty shot, so at 3-3 with our last shot still to come, we were thinking it was all over. Then [Steve Clark] makes a save and we need to come up with a sixth shooter."
"Right away Felix stepped up and said 'I'll take it,'" said Vaswani. "He was honestly one of the only guys willing to take that shot. When he sank it, it catapulted his career."
"We talked to the [U.S.] National Team guys and got him a tryout in Brownsville [Texas], added Vaswani. "They loved him, he started playing with the U.S.U20's, and in 2008 he took the PDL by storm."
Minus Garcia's nine "warm-up" games he used to adjust from his high school/street soccer standard, Garcia has averaged 0.75 goals per game in the PDL in 24 games. Against premium defenses in the 2007 PDL Playoffs he netted one goal, a game-winner over the Fresno Fuego in the semifinals. In his finale, the 2008 PDL Playoffs, Garcia showed his dominance by netting a goal per game on his way to leading the Heat to a third straight PDL Final. Now officially a member of the Houston Dynamo, Garcia's incredible upside lies in his raw talent.
"In high school, he was so much better than the rest of the players that he never needed to pass the ball," said Vaswani. "Last season with the Heat, he would draw two or three defenders and still blow by all of them, so it was difficult for us to convince him to do otherwise."
"In Houston, he is in a great situation," added Vaswani. "This should be another transition year for him, like the 2007 season was with us. But once he adjusts to the pace and learns the game at the next level, I think he can double or triple his effectiveness." If Garcia continues to blossom at that rate, he would become one of the U.S.'s greatest talents, a nightmare for defenders on an international scale.
Even scarier is the fact that, as Vaswani puts it: "If the USL, the PDL and the Laredo Heat were not in place, this kid could have been overlooked."


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Leopold Schepp established the Foundation in 1925. His objectives were to encourage young people to develop good character and to help them complete their high school education, an opportunity he never had.
The Foundation grants approximately 200 individual awards each year to both full time undergraduate students enrolled in four year bachelor programs and to full time graduate students.
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Third Millennium Bible (TMB) | New International Version (NIV) |
1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. | 1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. |
2 Nevertheless to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. | 2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. |
3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence, and likewise also the wife unto the husband. | 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. |
4 The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife. | 4 The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. |
5 Defraud ye not one the other, unless it be with consent for a time only, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not through your lack of selfrestraint. | 5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. |
6 But I speak this by permission, and not by commandment. | 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. |
7 For I would that all men were even as I myself am. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one in this manner and another in that. | 7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. |
8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I. | 8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. |
9 But if they cannot contain themselves, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn. | 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. |
10 And unto the married I command (yet not I, but the Lord): let not the wife depart from her husband. | 10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. |
11 But if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. And let not the husband put away his wife. | 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. |
12 But to the rest I speak (not the Lord): if any brother hath a wife who believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. | 12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. |
13 And the woman who hath a husband who believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. | 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. |
14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Else yourŒchildren would be unclean, but now they are holy. | 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. |
15 But if the unbelieving spouse depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases, for God hath called us to peace. | 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. |
16 For how knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? | 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? |
17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all churches. | 17 Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. |
18 Is any man called, being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called, being uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. | 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. |
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. | 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. |
20 Let every man abide in the same calling as when he was called. | 20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. |
21 Art thou a servant when called? Be not concerned; but if thou mayest be made free, then make use of it. | 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you--although if you can gain your freedom, do so. |
22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman; likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. | 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. |
23 Ye are bought with a price; be ye not the servants of men. | 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. |
24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. | 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to. |
25 Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord, yet I give my judgment as one who hath obtained mercy from the Lord to be faithful. | 25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. |
26 I suppose therefore that in this present distress, I say, it is good for a man so to be. | 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. |
27 Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife. | 27 Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. |
28 But if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless, such shall have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you. | 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. |
29 But this I say, brethren: the time is short. It remaineth that those who have wives should be as though they had none; | 29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; |
30 and those who weep, as though they wept not; and those who rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and those who buy, as though they possessed not; | 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; |
31 and those who use this world, as not abusing it. For the fashion of this world passeth away. | 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. |
32 But I would have you be without cares. He that is unmarried careth for the things which belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord; | 32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord. |
33 but he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. | 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife-- |
34 There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit; but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. | 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband. |
35 And this I speak for your own profit, not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and so that ye mayattend upon the Lord without distraction. | 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. |
36 But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age and need so require, let him do what he will--he sinneth not: let them marry. | 36 If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. |
37 Nevertheless, he that standeth steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. | 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin--this man also does the right thing. |
38 So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well, but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. | 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even better. |
39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth. But if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will, but only in the Lord. | 39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. |
40 But she is happier if she so remain, in my judgment; and I think also that I have the Spirit of God. | 40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is--and I think that I too have the Spirit of God. |
Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved. (Third Millennium Bible Online) | 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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casper wells - Page 2
Schenectady's Casper Wells Continues Hot Streak As Mariners Defeat Oakland
Schenectady's Casper Wells Hits First Homerun With Mariners [VIDEO]
Tigers Trade Schenectady's Casper Wells To Mariners
Tigers Send Schenectady's Casper Wells To Minors
In what Tigers manager Jim Leyland called a painful decision, Detroit sent Schenectady native Casper Wells down to AAA Toledo.
Wells became the odd man out in a numbers game as the Tigers called up left-handed starting pitcher Duane Below. Below made his Major League debut last week.
Schenectady's Casper Wells Leads Detroit To Win Over Kansas City
Schenectady's Casper Wells Steals Ball From Fan
Casper Wells is making quite an impression with the Detroit Tigers this season. The Tigers rightfielder is batting .260 with 4 homers and 12 RBIs.
But the Schenectady native is also making some great plays in the outfield. His catch against San Francisco on Friday was good enough to make ESPN's Weekend Web Gems.


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Unlock the following Avatar Awards by performing the corresponding tasks:AVATAR AWARD - HOW TO UNLOCKGas Mask - Complete the first level on Campaign mode. Pickelhaube hat - Complete Campaign mode.
ACHIEVEMENT - HOW TO UNLOCKJumped the Bags (10 points) - Complete level 1. Old Contemptible (20 points) - Defeat Tsar Tank. Flying Pig (20 points) - Defeat Zeppelin. Old Sweat (20 points) - Defeat Uber Tank. Coffin Nails (30 points) - Complete the Campaign. Foot Slogger (10 points) - Earn General Rank on any level. Pickled Monkey (15 points) - Win a Multiplayer Match on every level. Throw a Seven (15 points) - Complete any level in Elite mode. Pip, Squeak & Wilfred (5 points) - Survive until Round 5. Fire in the Hole (10 points) - Guide a shell to its destination. Sweet Fancy Adams (20 points) - Earn General Rank on all Campaign levels. Brass Hat (25 points) - Complete Campaign+ and earn all Ration Tickets. "The Kaiser's Battle" achievementsACHIEVEMENT - HOW TO UNLOCKBase Rat (15 points) - Find all of the golden cubes in The Kaiser's Battle. Land Ship (25 points) - Defeat the K-Wagen. Grass Cutter (10 points) - Get a 40x blast combo. "Invasion" achievementsACHIEVEMENT - HOW TO UNLOCKFoo Fighter (10 points) - Shoot down 40 UFOs with your P-51 Mustang. Mr. Roboto (25 points) - Defeat RoboBob. Rocketman (15 points) - Find all of the golden rockets in Invasion.
Unlock the following gamerpics by performing the corresponding tasks:GAMERPIC - HOW TO UNLOCKAllied Toy Soldier - Complete the first level. Central Toy Soldier - Destroy all 24 Golden Cubes.


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Men's Study: Raising BoysFirst United Methodist Church Winter ParkSunday, September 15, 2013 at 11:00 AM (EDT) |
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Event Details
Men's study on Raising Boys
Beginning , Sunday, Sept. 15 through Nov. 3, 2013 from
11:00am-12:00pm (316 MFLC)
(Childcare for ages 5 and under is already available on Sundays -registration for childcare is not necessary)
Facilitator: Chuck Costar
Have questions about Men's Study: Raising Boys?
Contact First United Methodist Church Winter Park
When & Where
First United Methodist Church Winter Park
125 North Interlachen Avenue
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Sunday, September 15, 2013 at 11:00 AM (EDT)
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Why marketers should use "true" video in email
According to comScore's recently released July 2012 U.S. Online Video Rankings, 85.5 percent of the U.S. Internet audience viewed online video in July. That's a record of more than 184 million U.S. Internet users who watched 36.9 billion online content videos.
And it's not just consumer audiences going nuts over video. A Social Media Examiner survey of 3,800 marketers found that a full 76% named YouTube and video marketing as their top areas of investment in 2012. That's because, thanks to their engaging nature, videos are great for promoting everything from products, to webinars, to events and much more.
Even business executives are succumbing to the power of video. According to a Forbes Insights study, more and more executives are embracing the "Non-Text Web" and are now just as inclined to take action based on viewing a video than they would be based on reading an article.
The power of video is so bewitching, that according to Experian's 2012 Digital Marketer Benchmark and Trend Report, simply including the word "video" in an email's subject line saw an increase of 7%-13% in overall click-thru rates in 2011, and embedding a video in an email itself generated an average conversion rate (CVR) that was 21% higher than emails containing a static image alone.
Put all of these resounding stats together and you have a pretty clear message: Video is a must-have element in today's marketing content mix, whether you're targeting B2C of B2B audiences, and since email is still the #1 preferred marketing communication channel, it makes perfect sense to use the two together to create killer user-engagement.
Using video in your emails could increase CTR by as much as 67%, so if you're not already using video in your marketing initiatives, you might want to re-think your strategy if you want to compete with those who are.
But is all 'video in email' truly video in email? Apparently not.
Read more


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Fri, Aug 26, 05 at 12:47
I have mature Native azaleas brought back from Georgia. I planted in July and have black spots on top of leaves and now the leaves are falling off..What is this stuff?? Thanks.. |
Follow-Up Postings:
Sounds like a fungal problem to me. Check out the Azalea Diagnosis Page at http://www.azaleas.org/index.html and then check the Azalea Problem Page for a suggested list of things that you can do (apply fungicides, etc): http://www.azaleas.org/azdiseases.html Luis |
Or is it sunburn and/or water stress? Can you post a picture? |
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Sunday, March 3, 2013
Washington's C.J. Wilcox seems to pull a ballet move as he is tripped up in the lane by WSU's D.J. Shelton. The University of Washington Men's Basketball team defeats the Washington State Cougars 72-68 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle Sunday March 3, 3013.
© The Seattle Times Company


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Get 10 free worksheets per month plus activities, articles and science projects.
Can you spell using just your hands? American Sign Language is the language of the deaf, but is a great tool to have and use! Practice your alphabet signs by decoding the famous quote.
Stumped? Jog your memory with this alphabet cheat sheet.


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(5 comments) |
I forgot to mention, Onyx is an extra large mule and the sunflowers were over ten ft. tall. I grew from seeds by placing right next to the well pump then put electric wire to protect them from being eaten by the mules and horses. This photo won a prize and was printed in a big book of photos. I love my Onyx!
Posted by sagafarms on 2008-11-29, 11:36:43 .
Lovely picture,but Horse much more than lovely.
Posted by halaeva on 2008-12-09, 11:40:02 .
beautiful photo!
Posted by alsemoff on 2009-05-21, 21:27:00 .
You really do deserve a big 1st place blue ribbon! That's a great photo. I like Photos of Mules and Donkeys, and sunflowers too.
Posted by walkinwoods on 2009-08-02, 16:02:38 .
Before I read the comments, I was going to tell you that this is one of the prettiest pictures I have ever seen. haha I guess I am not alone! The color and arrangement are just perfect and I love mule faces. So much personality!
Posted by rachealluvsflowers on 2010-04-12, 17:43:27 .


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weld drop crotch sweatpant
by ACNE STUDIOS
Acne (Ambition to Create Novel Expression) is a creative collective founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1996. The collective became established as a clothing line in 1997, when co-founder Jonny Johansson created 100 pairs of jeans in raw denim with red stitching and distributed them to friends throughout Stockholm. These novel jeans became the foundation of the brand and lead to the launch of Acne Studios' first full collection in 1998. The concept behind the line is a tone of subtle luxury in understated styles feeling as though they were borrowed from another person's wardrobe. Each piece in the collection is simplistic yet stands out on its own while pairing easily with others.
Back To Product View All From This DesignerWomen's Size Chart
Product Details
Weld is a modern rendition of men's long john trousers. Constructed in cotton fleece with a stretch waistband and long john fly with binding. Dropped rise and straight leg finished with long double cuffs.
• welt pockets at sides
• inset at crotch
• front rise: 12.5", inseam: 27"
• 80% cotton, 20% polyester
• imported
• model wears size Small
• model's height: 5'10", bust: 32", waist: 24", hip: 34"
In this look: Acne Studios Dania Raglan Mohair Sweater, Acne Studios Cleo Emoticon Sneaker


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Summary: In 1558, she inherited a business in trouble. Burdened by runaway inflation and a debased currency, bereft of strategic alliances, torn by internal dissent, and eyed greedily by competitors bent on takeover, her business -- England -- was on the brink of ruin. Forty-five years later, England was the richest and most powerful nation in Europe and well on its way to becoming the greatest empire the world would ever know.
How did she do it? Elizabeth I, CEO co ...show morendenses Elizabeth's leadership wizardry into management lessons today's business leaders can employ in their own quests for excellence and supremacy. Written by Alan Axelrod, author of the national bestseller Patton on Leadership, this fascinating story of one woman's meteoric rise from illegitimate birth and imprisonment to the throne of the greatest nation on earth unfolds to reveal fresh insights into the art of leading people to business success.
Anyone in a leadership role will find much to emulate in Elizabeth's long, challenging, and highly successful reign, including leadership strategies for developing and communicating a vision of excellence, nurturing creativity, turning crisis into triumph, and creating common cause without tyranny.
Be inspired by the beloved monarch who built an empire and shaped the enduring destiny of a people ... and lead your own people to greatness. ...show less
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Hello, welcome to Boardseeker Windsurfing Magazine please use the links below to jump to a specific section.
Navigation Search Content Other Mpora SitesWINDSURFING!! Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Anyone any thoughts/ tried these new concept sail? > If they work sounds awesome... Coach Outlet Store"It would seem Coach Factory Storesto me thatCoach Factory Outlet the district Coach Factory Online attorney is Louis Vuitton Purses almost pandering Coach Factory Online to the judge to Boss Belts tryby onlybylove - GENERAL DISCUSSION


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With their gym now closed until further notice, Cleveland hosted Soddy-Daisy in their first District 5-AAA home game of the season down the road at Cleveland Middle School.
The change of venue may have taken the teams out of their comfort zone, but by the end of the night a clean sweep was had by the Cleveland basketball teams.
The Lady Raiders got things started for the evening with a 52-33 win over the Lady Trojans.
"I'm excited for them to continue to win ballgames. I've heard on Sports Center that it doesn't have to be aesthetically beautiful, it just matters how pretty the scoreboard is at the end," head coach Mindy Kiser explained. "Our kids had an extremely emotional day. It was an interesting environment, but it was good. A lot of the kids went to school here (CMS) and we were able to play on that and have some pride in it."
Jenna Scoggins got things started for Cleveland with a quick 3-pointer in the first 30 seconds of play.
By the end of the first quarter and following a pair of treys by Nora Berry, the Lady Raiders had a 17-10 lead over the Lady Trojans.
"I thought Jenna Scoggins and Nora Berry played extremely well," Kiser said.
Soddy-Daisy was able to shave Cleveland's lead to five points with just under four minutes left, which only intensified things on the court.
Moments after netting a 3-pointer, Cleveland junior Bre Ware and Hannah Smith of Soddy were ejected from the game following a brief physical altercation on the court with 1:11 left in the first half.
The Lady Raiders still had a firm 30-19 lead over the Lady Trojans going into the half.
In the third quarter a trio of Soddy-Daisy 3-pointers resulted in the visitors outscoring Cleveland by two points, but the Lady Raiders still finished with a nine-point lead.
The fourth quarter was solidified for Cleveland by a plethora of fouls on Soddy.
In the 15 points added to the Lady Raiders' scoresheet, 11 of those came from the free-throw line.
Berry racked up a total of 21 points Tuesday evening, with Scoggins netting 10 points.
While pleased with the final outcome of the game, Coach Kiser is glad to have the rest of the week to practice before the Lady Raiders head to Bradley Central on Tuesday.
"Our effort was misdirected at times I think, but we'll work it out, keep practicing and plug it away. The good thing is that we have some time to practice this week before we play Bradley next week," Kiser commented. "We're going to have to work with different lineups and continue to work on the fundamentals."
Tuesday marked the third game of the season for the Raiders, but for head coach Jason McCowan, if felt like the first game.
"To me this was our first game of the year. We're extremely rusty and had about a practice and a half to get ready for this game. We've got a lot to work on and that's obvious," McCowan said. "I think our effort was good, but it was just sloppy. We're fortunate in our schedule that we don't play the rest of the week so we can iron out some of the kinks."
With football season officially over, Cleveland welcomed back Isaiah Beaty, Rod Dennard and Jake Gibson back to their roster.
The Raiders were able to start the evening out strong, as four 3-point bombs in the first quarter gave them a quick 16-7 lead over the Trojans.
Two of those treys came from Kendrick Johnson, with Colby Tatum and Gibson netting one apiece.
Soddy battled back in the second quarter, outscoring Cleveland 17-11 and narrowing the Raider lead to just three points at the half.
Fifteen points later, the Raiders were able to maintain control of the game as Anfernee Scott netted two 3-pointers and Thompson banked his third and final trey of the night.
While the Trojans added 18 more points to the scoreboard in the final quarter, Cleveland was able to net 11 points from the free-throw line, as well as a trio of baskets and another 3-pointer by Scott to hang on and get their first win of the season.
Thompson finished the game with 19 points, while both Scott and Tatum each had nine points.
"I was really pleased with some of the shots that Colby Tatum took in the first half. You've got to give Kendrick credit, each and every night he's going to be faced with the best defensive players. He gives a great effort out there," McCowan commented.
With a 1-2 overall record, Coach McCowan has some key things to work on before heading to Bradley next week.
"We need to work on communication and shot selection. We're still having trouble picking up who we're going to guard," McCowan explained. "If we don't communicate well at Bradley it will make for a long evening. We could've taken it to the rim a little bit better, and we kind of settled."
Cleveland and Bradley Central will face off at Jim Smiddy Arena on Dec. 10, with the girls' game beginning at 6.
Soddy-Daisy 10 9 9 5 — 33
Cleveland 17 13 7 15 — 52
LADY TROJANS (33) — Mallory Wade 11, Hale 9, Hopkins 6, Hancock 4, King 3, Harris, Sims, Smith, Ward, Phillips, Woodward.
LADY RAIDERS (52) — Nora Berry 21, Jenna Scoggins 10, McClendon 6, Walkup 5, Morman 4, Ware 4, Phillips 1, Stamatiadis 1, Crump.
3-POINTERS: Soddy 6 (Wade 3, Hale 2, Hancock); Cleveland 5 (Berry 2, Ware, Scoggins, Walkup).
FREE THROWS: Soddy 8-of-17; Cleveland 15-of-25.
RECORDS: Cleveland 3-1, 1-0 District 5-AAA.
Soddy-Daisy 7 17 12 18 — 54
Cleveland 16 11 15 20 — 62
TROJANS (54) — James York 15, Marshae Jeffries 11, Andy Wright 10, Floyd 8, Whymer 3, Eller 3, Amos 2, Carter 2, Landreth, Kearney, Shaughnessy, Treadway, Flippo.
RAIDERS (62) —Kendrick Thompson 19, Scott 9, Tatum 9, C. Ware 7, T. Ware 6, Beaty 5, Vecchio 4, Gibson 3, Brown, Bracero, Dennard, Munoz, Oliver, McRee.
3-POINTERS: Soddy 5 (Floyd 2, York, Whimer, Eller); Cleveland 9 (Thompson 3, Scott 3, T. Ware, Tatum).
FREE THROWS: Soddy 3-of-5; Cleveland 11-of-23.
RECORDS: Cleveland 1-2, 1-0 District 5-AAA.


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Gary police say a man was fatally shot there by officers after he charged at them with a knife.
The Post-Tribune reports the confrontation happened Wednesday night after police received calls about a man threatening neighbors with a knife.
Police Lt. Sam Roberts says two officers arrived and told the man to drop the knife, but he refused and at least one officer fired his gun. The man died at the scene.
Roberts told The Times that other officers were familiar with the man, who had been reported to police Tuesday for similar behavior.
The man's name wasn't immediately released.
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