text:
Welcome to our user reviews listings for Online Storage Backup service. We list reviews of providers written by their previous customers.
it may also create an issue with making payments from one e-wallet to another. This is because most e-wallet providers do not allow the stored value to be sent to another e-wallet provider.
This is on the higher end in terms of the price, when compared to some of the other providers. However, the people who want to build a good website can compare the features with those that are provided by others to see if this option suits them. I think that nowadays, people benefit a lot by having a website, even if it just has 10 pages of content.
It's good that you're not locked in for months, if you choose
This is the second time I've had a problem with my Bytesized box where they pretended there wasn't an issue. The first time, they fixed the problem and then sent me a condescending message saying there was never a problem in the first place. That was fine with me; all I cared about was the problem being fixed.
But now, the second time, they aren't acknowledging that they're throttling my download speed. I am paying more for a box that has bandwidth limits. They just ignore anyone who creates a ticket about their download speeds, saying they don't understand the technical aspects of them. But then the page which is supposed to allow you test their server speeds is conveniently no longer up. And they, of course, won't answer the ticket I made asking them to address the issue.
2 out of 5 stars. Would not recommend.
I have purchased a seedbox account past 21th february, the service is still not activated and they don't even answer, not recomended at all…
We're sorry you are having issues and we can assure none of our seedbox servers are down or have been down. Can you please send us a email with all of your information so we can remedy this at firstname.lastname@example.com ? From there we'll explain your options and if you would like we can refund you.
Biohost is garbage. The box is always down, no customer support. They are stealing your money. DO NOT BUY FROM BIOHOST. Its shit and they scam.
I created a seedbox with them a few days ago and it took paypal about 2 days to send the payment via eCheck so that isn't Obtrix's fault. I received payment confirmation this morning, and can see that I "have" a seedbox, however I cannot access it and receive an IP error and no login info, I'm assuming it is just having to wait for computers to do their thing, but I hate waiting.
Basically you end up paying for a service that just flat out doesn't work! no torrents even start & cusrtomer service 2 days no reply lucky I only paid for a month I'm giving up ! beware of these clowns!
too many of the so called seedboxes are becoming scams …
No problems so far, signed up few days ago and I'm able to max my FTP speeds easily. Great control panel to manage boxes as well!
Shared 1Gbit – 100GB : been using it for 3 days. For the moment, nothing bad to say, no downtime. Interface (ruTorrent) is responding well, speeds are very good (up to 30 Mo/s). I'll write another review it after a month of use.
Service down for a over a week. No response to ticket that was opened. And yes – the service goes down at least once a month
OK well this is my review on Seedmonster i have owned their Dedicated
Servers – 2010 – SM-KS2GB, Dedicated Servers – 2010 – SM-KS16GB, and
Custom – Custom – SM12-BestOF ( a custom order)
All boxes where great decent speeds they where all kimsufi servers at
least once a month they would stop working could not http, ftp, ssh, or
ping the ip address every month i would have to submit a ticket to get
them back online witch usually took about 3-5 days before i could
connect to the box again. once connected i noticed that the server was
not even shutdown everything would still be running even process that
are not automatically started with the system but raul would specify
that it was a hardware problem. after a few months this whole process
was getting tiresome i don't think i should have 3-5 days of downtime
EVERY month.
I will just post the ticket word for word and you can make up your own mind about seedmonster as a company.
on 14/11/2012 seedmonster ran into some serious problems started like
the usual monthy seedbox outage i submitted a ticket on 14/11/2012
14:05 no response i then sent a reply on 17/11/2012 23:03 still no
response and again on 20/11/2012 11:26 waited another 2 days and had
not gotten any response from the company i issued a second ticket on
20/11/2012 11:26
on 23/11/2012 05:13 i get a response and i quote
Raul: "i am really sorry i was supposed to inform you this bit earlier
but there were number of issues and servers down due to trouble with
our ownership and we cant retrieve them back from the same provider
anymore since we're blocked to place any new orders by the provider
I will have to place a new order for the server through a reseller for
the same config or else refund you pro rate please let me know what you
want me to do ?"
my responce 23/11/2012 10:00
Go ahead and order a new server.
29/11/2012 02:23 after 6 days i have yet to receive anything or a response
ME: "ok, i have decided that not having a server that i pay over $100
dollars each month and be inaccessible for almost 2 weeks is pretty
unreasonable and also be informed that i will have to be issued another
server because you no longer own my current server, pretty much meaning
that all the data i have on the server is gone and not recoverable you
put me in a pretty shitty situation when i have 4TB of torrents on
this server that i have to somehow seed back to the multiple private
servers or else i loose my accounts!
Waiting in access of 72hrs for a response to an urgent ticket not just once but multiple times its just ridiculous!
The payment due date for Custom – SM12-BestOF – was on 11/11/12. the
server went down and was not access able on 14/11/2012 14:05 i will be
expecting a FULL refund of 110.70 USD to my paypal account i feel this
is reasonable due to the fact that my server seems to be down for at
least 2-4 days EVERY month and i have to submit a ticket to get it back
online….. "
29/11/2012 06:59
Raul: "i know and understand your frustration over this ugly waiting, i
had offered you pro rata refund that day itself cause we are having a
bad time here and we are just short of man power to handle the current
I am willing to refund 50% of your payment for this month and i know you
wont be coming back after such a poor show but that's fine maybe we'll
just start over again from scratch and build a better reputation which
we have lost in this month over to so many clients :(
I'm here waiting your revert."
29/11/2012 11:52
ME: "50% wow use a $110 seed box for 3 days and get charged for 1/2 the
month lol that's pretty messed up but what ever enjoy my had earned $50
at a least is something……
Now what about my other seedbox Dedicated Servers – 2010 – SM-KS16GB i will be expecting a refund on this as well."
29/11/2012 22:06
Raul: "Has it been online for only for 3 days since renewal ? i don't
think so but anyway i have decided that it's fair enough to get you a
server of the same spec (BestOf) and extend your term to 23/12/2012.
do you accept that offer ?"
29/11/2012 23:14
ME: "Custom – SM12-BestOF:
Invoice #5156 Invoice Date: 03/11/2012 Due Date: 11/11/2012 $110.70 USD Paid on: 05/11/2012 20:44
Server went down on 14/11/2012 check ticket #310285
by my count thats 3 days.
Invoice #5145 Invoice Date: 31/10/2012 Due Date: 08/11/2012 $90.19 USD Paid on: 31/10/2012 02:22
Server went down on 14/11/2012
Im sorry but after losing over 4TB of data i cannot trust your services any longer. i decline your offer."
29/11/2012 23:48
Raul: " Okay
This is all i can offer on the bestof server 70% refund and on the other server straight 50% refund.
Let me know your paypal email and the refund will be processed."
30/11/2012 00:33
ME: "firstname.lastname@example.com
Thanks Raul i hope you get your company back on its feet. "
22/12/2012 07:43
ME: " I have yet to receive this refund, i will give you until the first
of the year 01/01/2013 until this will get turned over to paypal and
you may deal with them!"
26/12/2012 09:19
Raul: " We are not ignoring your request, actually i waited for your reply at the other ticket which was open for days…
anyways your refund will be processed on january 1."
( there was no message sent to me via another ticket and its impossible
for the ticket to be open more than 48 hrs as there system does not
allow it tickets are automatically closed after 48 hrs)
13/01/2013 09:17
ME: Still have yet to receive my refund………
15/01/2013 03:59
ME: Still have yet to receive my refund………
17/01/2013 11:43
ME: Reopening ticket after 48 hrs
So much for not " Ignoring my request"
20/01/2013 01:58
ME: Reopening ticket after 48 hrs and yet to receive my refund.
Still to this day i have yet to receive a refund or a response to this
ticket in my honest opinion i believe this company's customer service
is complete crap! servers are nice when the actually are online but if
you ever have any issues prepare to walk in the door bent over backwards
because you will get nothing but screwed.
Je suis chez seedunlimited de 5 semaines. Les premiers jours la vitesse était époustouflante mais c'était les premiers jours.
Aujourd'hui, depuis 3 jours, je n'ai plus accès à ma seedbox pas plus qu'au site. Il est impossible de les contacter et je n'ai aucune nouvelle de leur part. D'après mes recherches sur le net, nous sommes nombreux dans ce cas et c'est un problème récurent chez eux.
Je découvre des cas graves.
Certains ont eu 2 crash en juillet durée 5 jours avec perte de tous les dossiers. D'autres, quelques heures avec ou sans perte de dossiers. Les derniers évènements à ma connaissance datent d'il y a 15 jours.
Seedunlimited n'est que du bidulage de matériel et pompe à fric !!!!!!
I have been using biohost for the past two months. I first started out with the 48 hour trial they offer and was getting speeds I have never seen a torrent go 29mb/s. the torrent itself downloaded in less then a minute and during that minute it uploaded 3 times its size to peers. I must say i went ahead and purchased the fire box and am on my second month and am loving it. I will be renewing it as long as i am on private trackers.
Like a fool I believed SeedUnlimited's advertising & paid 12 months
in advance for a Dedicated Seedbox to replace my shared box (with
another provider).
Less than 12 hrs after gaining access & transferring files the box crashed & never recovered.
They advertise Unlimited Bandwidth & Unlimited Torrents
but when I questioned the server's suitability for the task, Eric's response:
The box is a cheap atom server, its not designed to handle so many torrents. – You have overloaded it by adding so many.
I'd have thought if a shared box can handle the files then an 'Unlimited' dedicated box should be more than up to the task
Support is woeful
Their policy is 'No Refunds' & Paypal are backing them up.
And in an attempt to blackmail me into dropping the Paypal dispute:
If illegal material is found in your account, we will be forced by law to notify the relevant authorities.
So currently I'm $349.95 USD in a hole … but I'm not beaten yet!!
Buyers beware!!
Using a seedbox from this provider since last 12 days and the performance of box has been at par.. speed fluctuates between 4 MB/sec to 7 MB/sec both up and down.. i am on SM Q2000 package FYI.
overall i rate it 4/5.
I canceled my subscription with this server because i really couldn't afford it at that time. On a there 100 plan i reach a max of 30MB/s, while the max i ever reached for upload was 12 MB/s, Averaged out to about 5 MB/s most of the time.
This server will work for any tracker for i WAS a frequent demonoid user. Site was shut down.
For support, i doubt you will never, and i mean never, get a response. There so called "24/7″ doesn't even return.
Overall i would give them a 5/10 on a rating scale. You can find better though, so going with this service is not your best option.
shared 100 Mbit 300Gb: it crashes when you try to do anything! (removing a torrent, generate a torrent etc..
The support service is really fast but they just reboot rutorrent/server (yes, unfortunately you can't do it yourself!)
The most of the times the server seems to be running and seeding but you can't connect to the gui to manage your torrents.
A total waste of money.
I think i'm going to cancel this after few hours from the setup because it's absolutely useless!
I registered for a Biohost seedbox back in Febuary of this year.
For the first month the service seemed fine, I had a couple of outages but they were resolved within 1-2 days.
I decided to take advantage of a promo that offered 2 free months if I signed up for 6 months service.
So I paid my $100 or so and thought I would be set for the next 8 months
Little did I know that the owner had (right around this time) sold the company to a guy he knew. When my seedbox went offline I recieved no response to
emails and tickets I opened and spent the next 8-10 weeks trying to get the service I had paid for restored.
Around this time the original owner (Mike) returned and said he had taken back the company because the guy he had sold it to (Mark) had screwed up so badly.
Hooray, at last the service I paid for would be returned.
When the owner (Mike) finally did contact me, he was rude, unco-operative and utterly unapologetic about the amount of hassle I had experienced. All I really wanted was
the service I paid for, and finally after many more emails and days with out response, I finally got notification that a new seedbox had been setup for me.
Unfortunately the seedbox was online for 3-4 days before it again went down. I opened a ticket. Updated the ticket a few days later. Emailed Mike, emailed Mike again.
At this point I simply accepted what should have been clear all along. I had been ripped off by a scumbag online. All I can do is chalk it up to experience.
I went and looked at reviews for other companies, found one with good comments and signed up that day. I was up and running within 15 mins and thus far the service has been exactly what I wanted, no drama, no hassle and reliable.
As to Biohost:
Customer service is atrocious, service is unreliable and quite simply they are a bunch of crooks.
The owner (Mike) seems to think I should be greateful for him working on restoring the service that I paid for, rather than doing everything in his power to address
the glaring inadequacy of his ability to run this company.
He has basically stolen the $100 I paid for the service, but its the hassle I have gone through wasting time trying to get a response out of him thats been more frustrating.
To anyone out these considering using these thieves as a seedbox/web hosting company
I suggest 2 things.
1 – Stay far, far away. There is plenty of competition out there, no need to go with a bunch of thieves who will mess you around, frustrate you and take your money.
2 – Don't take my word for it, google biohost reviews, there are a good number of people who have experienced the same thing I did.
Speeds: Awesome download and upload (I was getting 30 mb/s upload average)
Support: I haven't used it!
Other: I have heard great things about seedmybox, from torrent-invites. So I gave them ago, and the speeds have been very fantastic!
Lol, rest because your completely wrong. Why should I refund you when you never even paid me? That's like going to wal-mart and buying a pair of shoes and taking it to K-mart for a refund.
Lol…Your great. I never denied 2checkout exists. I simply told you BIOHOST does not handle your billing transactions. That is what you setup with the billing company. We CANNOT tell a company to cancel your subscription. That is called "identity theft". People are just so stupid it's sad.
Just perfect, prices, for a Bit Box are just epic (nearly 11$/months) !
140GB hard drive, unlimited slots, 2Tb monthly transfer, everything else unlimited !
Mike, Mark…it doesn't really matter. Service is still shit. Since cancelling my service on 5/12/12, I have been charged TWICE! And have been refused a refund. Mike sent out a letter to all customers, entitled, "
"Biohost to return to old management – Promises to fix all issues"
The email says many things, including, "I and my team are going to be trying our best to remedy this situation. It might take a little time but we are going to be compensating anyone that has been negelcted (sic). Why may you ask? Cause, I love Biohost. I love the customers. I love the staff. I love everything about it and do not want to leave anyone left upset." Mike then lays out a series of 7 questions to answer for him. There is more of the "we will do our best to make you happy," and "I just want you to be happy as we are setting out to do rights to all whom were wronged."
I responded by sending him the numbers of all my support tickets, and the last two invoices that should never have been paid out. I explained the situation, and stated that I wanted a refund of the last two charges.
Mike's reply was, "I myself cannot refund anyone because I do not have access to the funds that Mark earned during his time in power." I'm not sure when exactly Mark left, and Mike stepped in, but certainly the most recent charge should have been addressed. Mike then goes on to say, "Your (sic) the one who is responsible for canceling a subscription payment." and also, "You seem to be pretty foolish that you would pay an invoice for a service you never received." Seriously?? Is this guy for real? When you cancel a service, there is more than a reasonable expectation that you will not continue to be billed for it. There is absolutely nothing that says you have to contact a different company to stop payment on your account. Mike says that the system sends out invoices, and you just don't pay them if you don't want service, and seemed to imply it was my fault for having set up recurring billing (which was done through Biohost, when I signed up for Biohost. There was no warning about how foolish you will be when they continue to bill you for a service that you cancelled.)
Mike continues to deny that 2checkout.com exists. I sent the following in an email to him, " I was at the point where I was ready to just write off the first $8 mischarge, but now it seems I will be billed indefinitely unless I involve myself with YOUR billing company. I don't even have an account with 2checkout.com! It should be YOUR responsibility to contact YOUR billing agency to inform them that you have unfairly charged an account that had been cancelled. The invoices should never have been sent in the first place."
Mike's response? "Just google how to cancel a subscription payment. Though as you said you do NOT have an account with them so there would be no way you are getting billed. The only thing I can think of would be invoices being sent to your account which you do NOT have to pay."
So now he's saying I was NOT billed, or that if I was billed, it was because I intentionally paid the invoices? There are no words.
The icing on the cake? Mike's last sentence of the email, "Also if you want to act smart, spell check your message before hand."
If you like to be paid lip service about making things right, and wanting happy customers, and instead receive insults and outright hostility, then Biohost is the place for you.
P.S. Mike – before you start mouthing off about spelling mistakes, you should learn how to spell check, also.
Nat, you do realize me Mike have sold Biohost. There may be some major changes cause from what I see the new owner doesn't seem to have any passion so I will be trying to get in touch with him to see whats going on with so many upset customers. So please do not start putting words in my mouth. Also Biohost uses WHMCS as a billing platform. I will be seeing what's going on and replying here as soon as I can. Sorry to see so many of you upset but as I stated above I haven't had anything to do with my old company after I was done training them.
seedbox.fr is a disappointment. They promise everything but don't deliver. I have had a ticket open for 3 days and they refuse to reply. I am simply asking them why my ftp download speed is so slow. For almost a week I got 20KB/s. This went up to 375KB/s. That's combined download speed. If I download 3 files, I get about 125KB/s each file. I don't recommend seedbox.fr
i was with biohost for 2 years and now i have canceled. i put a support ticket in 3 weeks ago due to the server was down and not one message back. i would stay away its gone down hill.
Nat, just remember that Mike has now left Biohost and its owned by another group of people. Its a shame cause I had used the service under Mike for quite sometime, but now I've cancelled as well.
And my saga continues, aka, Biohost clearly has no f***ing clue what they're doing.
On April 23rd I requested information on another FTP account (the plan offers 5 individual FTP accounts.) I never heard back from them. On April 29th, I submitted a ticket letting them know that the server was down (and had been for at least 24 hours.) I never got a reply for that ticket, either. When the server was still down 5 days later, and I had received no answers to either of my tickets, I decided enough was enough, and submitted for a cancellation through their website. You had the choice to have the account closed then, or to have the account closed at the end of your current billing period. As I could not even access a server, I opted to have the account closed immediately. I received an (automatically generated) cancellation email. This was on May 4th.I figured all was good, until I received automatic "recurring sale" and "payment confirmation" emails on May 7th. Not only was I being charged for a service I had cancelled, per responses from "Mike", I wasn't suppose to be charged until the 20th, because of how long it took to even get the box set up. When the payment cleared the bank account, I submitted another ticket (on May 12th) informing them that they had charged me for a service I had cancelled on May 4th. There is a credit for the charge on my BioHost account, but I cancelled services, so it will do me absolutely no good.As of May 19th, I have received no refund for being charged for cancelled services. I am going to speak with 2checkout, the service they use for their billing, and if that gets me no where, I have already prepared the paperwork to submit to my bank's fraud department, including print-outs of all tickets and emails relevant to the situation. Mike is very quick to tell you that your bank cannot do anything to get your money back.I just noticed at the top of this page, in the info BioHost has written about itself "We guarantee you will love our service or your money back!" Hah! I've tried to get my money back twice from them, and could not possibly be any less in-love with their services.
It would seem since Mike has sold up, the service has gone downhill and there is little chance of getting thing activated now.
everything is fine until april 3, when my seedbox just shut down and now i can't access
all the mails i've sended from then doesn't has been answer
pastor of muppets – curious to know what server they put you on. I'm on Remix, and it's been down, along with GateKeeper, Vegas, and Assassin.
It appears good customer service is the exception, and not the rule, for BioHost.
I WILL NOT be renewing my subscription with BioHost. On 4/23/12, I sent a ticket requesting access to another of my 5 promised FTP accounts. The ticket is still open and unanswered today, 4/29/12. In addition, my seedbox server has been down going on 24 hours now (at least…I hadn't tried to access it for a couple of days, so it may have gone down days before I realized it. Again, I submitted a ticket (flagged high priority) and have yet to receive a reply.
Not worth the hassle. Buyer beware.
As to me it's a bit like for Nat… I ordered a seedbox 6 days ago; they told me yesterday (after 5 days of waiting) that my seedbox has been set up… but it's absolutely not working. I can't reach my seedbox, be it via ftp or http. I thus opened a ticket yesterday and I'm still waiting for an answer… Besides I noticed that their live support team is always offline; and they didn't accept me yet on MSN (knowing that I added them the very first day of my subscription). I don't know if it will ever work or if I will be able to reach their live support team one day; but I think I won't renew my subscription anyway…
Update: I was denied a request for a refund, and was told the account could be set up within the hour. It wasn't. However, once I was able to nag them into getting it set up (it took 6 days from the date I ordered it), it is working very nicely – the torrentflux-b4rt UI is user-friendly (very important to me,) and the download speeds for my basic package have been pleasantly fast. FTP transfer has also been fast. They also credited me for the missed week, plus an additional week, which I appreciate. It's just a shame their initial customer service started this out on the wrong foot. It also makes me uncomfortable that they don't offer refunds – I had tried a previous service before them (TorGuard.net) that was not quite user-friendly enough for a torrent n00b like myself. Not only did TorGuard have my seedbox up within the hour, I was able to get live support within minutes, the multiple times I contacted them (like I said…I'm pretty new at this.) When I explained the situation and asked to cancel, they did so immediately, with a refund, and were very friendly about it, despite the fact that it was through no fault of theirs that I was cancelling. If their UI hadn't been lacking, I would have stayed…and might just go back…
I placed my order for a seedbox on April 7th. My account is still pending. I submitted a ticket on the 10th asking if there was something wrong with my payment, and why the account hadn't been activated. The payment came out of my account today, April 12th, but I still have NO SEEDBOX! Ridiculous! I'd be up and torrenting days ago if I'd chosen to go with someone else. The website looked professional and well maintained, and the price was right, but it's all an illusion. Maybe they treat their higher paying customers better; I ordered a small seedbox.
This is what happens when people with tech know-how but no business know-how are in charge of a business…
I've requested a refund, and that my pending account be cancelled. I will give them 24 hours to at least respond before I contact my bank and file a complaint.
Hello. Until today I tried 3 seedbox providers : seedbox.fr, super seed me and rapidserverz (in chronological order). I left the first two ones mostly because the rights management of the ftp was sort of problematic (hard to suppress or rename files and folders, etc…). Then I switched to rapidserverz. At first I was very satisfied : I discovered ruTorrent, was able to reboot my seedbox remotely, everything was fine with the FTP, the offer wasn't expensive at all and the service rather great (25 gb, ruTorrent, unlimited torrents and bandwith for just £6 per month, all this working perfectly…); in a word I was satisfied.
Things turned differently about two weeks ago because I discovered how crappy their customer support was. My seedbox went down on a saturday about two weeks ago (march 31st). I thus opened a ticket. At first I thought "no problem; it's written that they have a 24/7/365 support, it should be a matter of hours or at worst I will have my answer on monday". No answer until tuesday (april 3rd). On friday (april 6th) they notice that it's a HDD problem and write me to tell me that they will have to switch me to another server and reinstall it all if I'm okay with it. I answered within 10 minutes as I was on my pc. Now we are wednesday (april 11th); nothing is done yet and I have a bunch of tickets that have not been answered. I still can't access my seedbox, and I really think of changing for another provider. Not because of their slowness to restablish the service, besides, but what's the point when no-one even answers you?
Ironic, when you think that their motto is "the only choice for a great support", isn't it?
I have purchased a seed box from them (order id
3117103950) 48 hrs ago from Biohost. Still I my account is NOT ACTIVATED. Even I have not received any mail from their (except some auto generated mails). I have opened two Support Tickets but still it's same….
They are really into this business? If NOT why they are taking payments?
Anyone have updates?
I have been around for awhile looking for seedboxes/dedicated servers and Dentoo is the way to go. Mr. Dent and Staff are so helpfull and whenever you have a problem they are there to go all out and help you. I don't really like to review but I would recommend Dentoo to everybody:)
Worst seedbox i ever encountered
download speeds are ok
VERY SLOW upload speeds
service is mediocre
ONLY 24HR REFUND POLICY (so you won't make it in time)
would not recommend.


text: I was kidding...my point is that they are stingy with content...that top 7 thing is on a few channels and so is the DVC infomercial. With all of the programs they have and what they charge for a room I'd like to see more variety and depth. I remember for 3 years in a row the cartoon channel showed the same shorts over and over: A Donald Duck one with Chip & Dale, a Hawaiian themed Mickey Mouse , a short about a lion who thought he was a sheep, and cartoon about Pluto battling a coyote. They played these over and over in an endless loop. My kids laughed when we went back the next year and it was the same cartoons again. How cheap is that? They have 70 or 80 years worth of programming and they stick with the same 4 shorts for years? Come on Disney, we deserve more.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"The Israelis are Coming! The Israelis are Coming!"
August 4, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Geoffrey Cook, TMO
San Francisco–July 28th–Before your narrator begins his tale, he would like to unequivocally state that he supports the now overwhelmingly Islamic Palestinian (sub-) nationality within their seized State. Your reporter like the grand majority of the people there and most of us support a two-State solution, but time is ticking, and the ball is in Tel Aviv' court. The issue has gained an increasing pungency with the bid of the Palestinians for recognition of their statehood status at the United Nation (U.N.'s) headquarters in New York City this coming September.
J Street, who invited your scribe to this event, is pro-Israel with a progressive vision, but at the same time is strongly in favor of a two-State solution. (Of course, our reasoning is different their "whys" rom ours, but they are not so far away from our aspirations that we could not negotiate with them towards a middle ground.) J Street was the sponsor of this evening as part of their national (U.S.)tours targeted at their Jewish-American constituency of (retired) political officials, diplomats, and (that even included four) military generals, who disapprove of their current government's out-of-hand rejection of the (U.S.) Obama's Administration proposals to base future negotiations between the two contentious sides over the pre-1967 borders with agreed swaps. In the sponsor's words: "…increased tensions in the region [which is] undergoing rapid transformation [i.e., the 'Arab Spring']…is a critical time" for Israel, too.
I am urging my colleague in the Southland (that's what we call Southern California from the North to balance my reporting with hers dedicated to the Palestinian perspective) whose cause she has so fervently espoused!
The (former) Israeli Ambassador to South Africa, Ilan Baruch, resigned from his nation's Foreign Service early from his post as the Ambassador there. (Formerly, he was Tel Aviv' representative in Manila.) His action was prompted because of his inability to argue his nation's policies to an international audience with whom his homeland was becoming ever more isolated and looked down upon as a pariah entity.
Ambassador Baruch served in the Israeli Foreign Ministry for more than thirty years. Besides his exalted duties as Israel's (former) Ambassador to the Philippines and South Africa, he worked in their embassies in London, Copenhagen and Singapore. He, also, led the Bureau for Middle Eastern Economic Affairs and was the Deputy Head of the Peace Process within the Middle East Department and founded and served as first Director of the Palestinian Autonomy Division within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which position he became acquainted and worked with the (now) President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. They bounded as life-long friends. They make regular personal contact over the phone, and Ilan recently visited him at his home (fifteen minutes away!). Such integral relationships are central to resolution of the enmeshed friction between these two neighbors.
Baruck is one of most conspicuous of the high-ranking former members within previous Israeli Administrations who have come forward in opposition to the Netanyahu regime's policies – especially in regards to the peace process.
His Excellency's presentation, which was largely fielding questions, took part at a Synagogue within this Pacific-rim City.
J Streets' Northwest's Regional Director, Gordon Gladstone, began by stating that 57% of American Jews support the two-State resolution. Strategic opinion holds to Obama's proposals to negotiate along the lines of the pre-1967 boundaries with agreed land swaps are defensible (counter to their Prime Minister [PM's] protests).
Baruch noted that to be an Ambassador did not allow you to express your own opinion within hearing: It is "…a total project" in and of itself. His rather dramatic public resignation was made as a matter of principle. Therefore, he emphasized that his words at the end of last month in no way represented the positions of his PM's government. His views are from the opposing side of the Israeli Establishment and their Society, but they represent a good deal of Civil Society's unvoiced body political there opining.
The contemporary Hebrew State is more complex than is apparent to its observers in the West.
Baruch unequivocally uttered that "I am not with government [now], but have created governmental policy in the past." Unfortunately, the last several Israeli regimes "have been right-wing …[reflections] of their societies [electorates]." The present, alas, does represent the will of the people, but often they merely have become e a voice for the Settlers at that.
To a Jewish-American audience, he reiterates that so much of West Jerusalem's security resides within their relationship with the United States. Your relator's audience would be pleased to hear that he believes much of this relationship is eroding away (because of his admin's mismanagement).
The principle of "Land for Peace" means [succinctly]the end of…the Occupation…with Occupation we cannot achieve peace," but Netanyahu disagrees. Thus, there is no trust by the other side (us) to negotiate.
The Netanyahu reign demands Israel remain as a Jewish State. Also, the Palestinians look upon the West Bank and Gaza together as one (potential) State wherein Tel Aviv perceives them as separate. This could become an issue with the current or similar-minded future Hebrew governments.
In questioning, he fell into the standard Israeli (and American) position that the Gazans were at fault for the token scud attacks upon Israeli soil from the micro-"State's" territory that led to Israel's disproportionate reaction of Operation Cast Iron (December 2008-Januay 2009) when in fact it was instituted by non-State actors that Gaza City could not or would not control. This refusal to acknowledge a popular uprising there and blame the State(s) instead (that they had set up as supposed puppets nonetheless) and punish their innocent citizens for the actions of others that their elected governments were not able to contain, must cease if there is ever to be peace. He, then, asserted that the principle of "Land for Peace" cannot work without commitment, (but, conversely, commitment has been so poorly lacking by those series of Tel Aviv' right-wing governments that he mentioned previously above).
It is sheer ideology that is driving Netanyahu. The Prime Minister knows what the right thing to do is, but he does not possess the courage to do it!
The Ambassador believes that (Palestine)Statehood will be vetoed (by the American States, but that is only if it goes directly to the Security Council before the General Assembly [GA]. There are complicated legal questions if the Palestinian bid is accepted by the one and not the other.) There is a long-standing legal differentiation between a "disputed" and an "occupied" territory that is being argued domestically within Israel herself at the moment.
Baruch pointed out that Kadima, a Centrist/Liberal (Party) within their Knesset (Parliament), towards whom he appears to lean, and who holds the largest block of seats there. Yet they were forced from the present coalition – still, they have the greatest chance of forming a future Israeli government, deems that it is necessary to allow a neighboring State of Palestine to be formed as soon as possible.
In summation, Palestinians – largely Islamic with a vibrant Christian minority therein – have common interest with liberal political elements within Israel herself as well with a majority in the American Jewish community and others over the West.
The American government should be cultivating these elements within the Israeli military and their Civil Society to pressure their Middle Eastern "ally" to accept President Barrack Hussein Obama's Administration's proposals for bi-lateral dialog towards peace. Influential former members of past Tel Aviv governments support our hopes and aspirations for peace in our mutual Abrahamic homeland.
Not all Israelis or Jews are our enemies. We should, subsequently, embrace those whom we can as friends and allies, and ask how we can work together for our common good!
Libya Rebels Retake Village South of Tripoli
July 14, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Peter Graff
ZINTAN, Libya (Reuters) – Rebel fighters said on Wednesday they had retaken a village south of the capital they lost to forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi earlier in the day, boosting rebel plans for a march on Tripoli.
The retaking of Al-Qawalish, about 100 km (60 miles) from Tripoli, came at the end of a day of bitter fighting that killed five rebels and wounded 15, according to rebel sources and hospital officials.
The back-and-forth fighting underlined the fragile nature of the rebels' advances in the west that has led some of their Western backers to push for a political solution to the conflict.
Rebel spokesman Abdurahman Alzintani said pro-Gaddafi forces had been pushed back to where they were before they took the village earlier on Wednesday, or perhaps even further.
"It is the same, maybe one or two hills further," he told Reuters.
A Libyan government soldier taken prisoner by the rebels said that pro-Gaddafi forces were massing nearby, potentially setting the stage for renewed fighting soon, according to a Reuters team in the western town of Zintan.
The counter-attack to retake Al-Qawalish was carried out by hundreds of rebels in pick-up trucks, who fanned out into the hills about 10 km (6 miles) north of the village, under fire from mortars launched by government troops.
Rebel forces want to use Al-Qawalish as a staging post to take the nearby town of Garyan, which controls access to the main highway heading north to Tripoli.
On the other main battle front, near the western city of Misrata, a burst of missile and mortar fire killed five rebels and wounded 17, hospital spokesman Khaled Abu Talghah said.
"This is just a normal day's work for Gaddafi," he said.
The conflict in Libya started out as a rebellion against Gaddafi's 41-year-rule. It has now turned into the bloodiest of the "Arab Spring" uprisings convulsing the region and has embroiled Western powers in a prolonged conflict they had hoped would swiftly force Gaddafi out of power.
The Libyan leader is refusing to quit and the rebels have been unable to make a decisive breakthrough toward the capital despite support from Western warplanes.
Libya charged the head of NATO with war crimes for killing innocent civilians and bombarding civilian targets in Libya.
Libyan General Prosecutor Mohammed Zekri al Mahjoubi described NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen as a war criminal during a news conference in Tripoli on Wednesday.
France said on Tuesday a political way out of the conflict was being looked at and that Gaddafi's emissaries had been in contact with NATO members to say he was ready to leave power.
"A political solution is more than ever indispensable and is beginning to take shape," French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said in Paris.
But it was not obvious how negotiations could persuade Gaddafi to quit, especially at a time when the Western alliance ranged against him is showing signs of wavering.
A report on Libya's official JANA news agency described statements by Western officials about Gaddafi potentially stepping down or leaving the country as "elusive dreams."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is under pressure to find a quick solution. He gambled by taking a personal role in supporting the rebels, but is now anxious to avoid costly military operations running into the start of campaigning for the April 2012 presidential election.
Washington expressed doubts about peace overtures from Gaddafi emissaries. A State Department spokeswoman said the "messages are contradictory" and there is no clear evidence "Gaddafi is prepared to understand that its time for him to go."
Revealing fresh strains inside NATO about the cost and duration of the Libyan operation, British Defense Minister Liam Fox said other alliance members were not pulling their weight and described some states' contributions as "pathetic."
"The United States is willing to spend on defense, Britain is willing to spend on defense and deploy. Far too (many) of our European partners inside NATO are still trying to get a free ride, and they should regard Libya as a wake-up call," Fox said in London.
The rebel National Transitional Council, based in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, received a diplomatic boost on Wednesday when Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands recognized the council as Libyans' legitimate representative.
The Benelux countries joined more than 20 nations that have already granted the council recognition.
At a meeting in Brussels, the European Union executive offered Libyan rebels help with democratic reforms once the war was over and said their Benghazi-based council was gaining credibility.
(Additional reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed in Algiers, Nick Carey in Misrata, Justyna Pawlak and Christopher Le Coq in Brussels, John Irish in Paris, Souhail Karam in Rabat, Mohammed Abbas in London; Writing by Christian Lowe and Giles Elgood; Editing by Robert Woodward)
Libyan Rebels Push Towards Tripoli on Two Fronts
July 7, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Peter Graff
A Libyan boy flashing a victory sign attends a rally against Muammar Gaddafi in Misrata July 6, 2011. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani |
AL-QAWALISH, Libya (Reuters) – Rebel fighters seized a village south of the Libyan capital and another group advanced toward Tripoli from the east on Wednesday in the biggest push in weeks toward Muammar Gaddafi's main stronghold.
Rebels firing their rifles into the air in celebration poured into the village of Al-Qawalish, 100 km (60 miles) southwest of Tripoli, after a six-hour battle with pro-Gaddafi forces who had been holding the town.
Rushing through an abandoned checkpoint where government troops had left tents and half-eaten bread in their rush to get away, the rebels ripped down pro-Gaddafi flags.
Farther north, rebels pushed westward from the city of Misrata to within 13 km of the center of the town of Zlitan, where large numbers of pro-Gaddafi forces are based.
But they came under artillery fire. Doctors at the al-Hekma hospital in Misrata said 14 fighters had been killed on Wednesday and about 50 were injured.
The advances came amid reports that Gaddafi — under pressure from a five-month uprising against his rule, sanctions and a NATO bombing campaign — was seeking a deal under which he would step down.
His government has denied any such negotiations are underway, and NATO's chief said he had no confirmation that Gaddafi was looking for a deal to relinquish power.
A Libyan official told Reuters on Wednesday there were signs a solution to the conflict could be found by the start of August, though he did not say what that solution might involve.
In the rebel-held cities of Benghazi and Misrata, thousands demonstrated against Gadaffi, waving European and rebel flags and calling for the end of his four-decade rule.
The rebel advances followed weeks of largely static fighting. Heavily armed Gaddafi forces still lie between the rebels and Tripoli, and previous rebel advances have either bogged down or quickly turned into retreats.
But with Al-Qawalish now in rebel hands, they can advance northeast to the larger town of Garyan, which controls the main highway leading into Tripoli. Libyan state television reported on Wednesday that NATO hit targets in Garyan as well fuel tanks in the town of Brega, 200 km (130 miles) west of Benghazi.
The previous big advance in the region was last month, when rebels pushed 20 km (12 miles) north from their base in the Western Mountains to the town of Bir al-Ghanam.
Misrata Push
At the frontline on the outskirts of Zlitan, a unit of fighters had built a sand-bank behind which they could shelter while firing at government troops. There were still sounds of intermittent shelling as night fell.
Unit commander Tarek Mardi, a 36-year-old former banker, said pro-Gaddafi forces had tried to push his fighters back but they had held their ground.
"Why isn't NATO doing its job, where are the Apaches?" he asked, referring to the attack helicopters the alliance had deployed to Libya. "We are protecting our people, our country. We want to save our land from Gaddafi. He is a criminal."
More than 100,000 rebel supporters spilled into the streets of Benghazi waving European and rebel flags and chanting slogans against the Libyan leader.
Gaddafi, who has ruled oil producer Libya for 41 years, says the rebels are armed criminals and al Qaeda militants. He has described the NATO campaign as an act of colonial aggression aimed at stealing Libya's oil.
Deal Talk
A Russian newspaper this week quoted what it described as a high-level source as saying Gaddafi is sounding out the possibility of stepping down on condition there was a political role for one of his sons.
A Libyan government spokesman denied that report, saying Gaddafi's future was not up for negotiation.
Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told Reuters in Tripoli that a solution to the conflict could be found before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins early in August.
"There are signals that the crisis will find a solution in the coming weeks. We will do whatever possible so that our people will spend Ramadan in peace," he said.
"Currently the key hurdle to a solution is the NATO military campaign, and we hope that our friends in the African Union organization will do whatever possible to convince it to stop its aggression against our people."
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he had no confirmed information that Gaddafi had sounded out the possibility of stepping down.
"But it is quite clear that the end state must be that he leaves power," Rasmussen told a news conference in Brussels.
(Additional reporting by Nick Carey in Misrata, Hamid Ould Ahmed in Algiers, Lamine Chikhi in Tripoli, David Brunnstrom in Brussels, Maria Golovnina in Benghazi, Joseph Nasr in Berlin and Moscow bureau; Writing by Christian Lowe and David Dolan; Editing by Diana Abdallah)
Lunch with the "Devil"
June 2, 2011 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Geoffrey Cook, TMO
Jerusalem—May 19th—Your scribe has cultivated a collegial relationship with a progressive American Jewish group, J-Street, who advocate a strong Israel next to a viable independent Palestinian State. They wish to be able to communicate with American Muslims as natural allies, too, towards concluding a mutual peace throughout the Levant.
On the date above, Jeremy Ben-Ami of J-Street in Washington invited me to be on a Conference call with Major General Nat Sharoni (retired) of the IDF (Israeli Defense Force); now Director of the Council for Peace and Security and with Taras Hassan, a ranking member of Tel Aviv' Justice (sic!) department.
Your essayist's stance is close to theirs, curiously enough. Therefore, although not Jewish by religion, I support their position, and, thus, consider myself as a "fellow traveler."
Admittedly, it is a "Disaster," though, that the Jewish State (20% of its population are not Jews) was established in this profusely populated region in the Middle East even though Stalin, only as an example of another possible alternative, had a functioning (Jewish nation) within Central Asia at the time of the latter State's establishment (1948) built upon the Foundation of the British (Palestinian Arab) Mandate.
If you remember your writer's study of the Hindu M.K. Gandhi upon the founding of Israel which was published on these pages a bit over a year ago, your researcher was of the opinion that, if the Zionist faction, would have seriously contemplated Gandhi's propositions, Israel could have emerged as an admirable multi-sectarian( Middle Eastern) entity.
Just last week (May 16th – 21st), as your columnist, was preparing this week's column, your reviewer received a request out of the University of Bethlehem by a group of impressive Palestinian intellectuals to sign onto a call for a one-State solution. Your commentator did not, even though I had proposed a Constitutional schema to resolve such an eventuality last year in reply to a memo to the Chair of an assemblage who desired such a resolution to the conflict.
It is true a one-State solution would destroy Tel Aviv as the Center of a Jewish State. Instead Israel-Palestine would revert back to the acceptable cultural constitution of the multi-sectarian Ottoman Province and the similar structural mix of the later pre-Partition British Mandate.
Such leading personalities as Judge Richard Goldstone himself, the lead author of the Goldstone Report on the IDF (Israeli Defense Force's) aggression against Gaza, and Richard Falk, the former U.N (United Nations') Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories during the incursion (Operation Cast Lead) from the middle of December 2008 until end of January 2009, believe that a One State solution is the only possible endgame, unfortunately, due to the Settlers' illegal theft of land from its rightful residents. Also, a similar posture — based upon dissimilar rationale — is held by leading Palestinian thinkers as, curiously, by some right-wing Jewish individuals. (The latter consider it to be the only way they could – in any way — ultimately be able to hold onto those settlements.)
This past week the Libyan Civil War, further, raged while NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) continued its ferocious intervention. In Yemen one of the major tribes is in open revolt against the government. Syria is close, too, to an out and out civil conflict. The rest of the lands around the Southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea are at different levels of upheavals or crises.
The Key to the success or failure of the Arab "Spring" lies here within non-Arab Jerusalem. Whatever reaction Israel might make, very well will determine the success or failure of the "Spring," and this past week has been a momentous one for the United States, Israel and Palestine (the "Occupied Territories").
The U.S. President's Special Envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, resigned while on the Palestinian side their two violently competing parties, Fatah and Hamas, reconciled to the trepidation of Tel Aviv. The Israeli Prime Minister Netanayhu came to Washington to address the combined houses of Congress after the U.S. President made an important address on Holy Land peace, also. The conversation, which will be described in future sections of this extended article, occurred shortly after the latter's speech.
That middle week of last month was an important period for those from the three above mentioned countries – individuals within them who are striving for a bi-national conclusion to the Arab-Israeli conundrum of the past sixty-three years. Furthermore, all progressive peoples in these three lands are preparing for this September's upcoming scheduled crucial vote in the United Nations (U.N.) for Palestinian independence.
Within the Hebrew-speaking populace a twofold homeland outcome is becoming ever more accepted and apparent.
The American President Barrack Hussein Obama proposed an amazingly even-handed practical basis for negotiation, but the Hebrew Prime Minister instantly — with a politically tactless rebuff – insulted the President's proffered rational peace principles. In effect, the latter man rejected any possible proactive participation toward solving the problem; and, thereby, any possibility of a peaceable co-existence between the two populations soon. In essence, Netanyahu ensured that no motion towards the cessation of hostilities will be made while the current government in Tel Aviv remains. Furthermore, it is unlikely that there will be a better time than now to begin to reconcile the two sides with the most even-handed American Presidency in Washington since the Nakba (of 1948).
It was a bad week for all who desire peace. Most of all, it was a bad meeting for the Israelis for it will guarantee that their "Eternal War" will continue which can only conclude in an unimaginable violent end to their national ambitions at its current pace. Fortunately, there are high ranking dissidents in the Jewish State whose propositions would be more acceptable to the Palestinian parties, and in future segments of this study you will be able to listen to those.
The Obama Administration's central plan to begin the dialogue was that the borders for a new State of Palestine would be based on the pre-1967 borders. Prime Minister Netanyahu's repudiation of that request was that those borders were indefensible for Israel, but some of his best military advisors disagree with him, and your reporter will bring influential high-ranking Israelis' arguments against their P.M. (Prime Minister) in future sections of this extended article.
Obama to Hold Global Summit if Latest Middle East Talks Fail
May 6, 2010 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Catrina Stewart in Jerusalem
Barack Obama could call a world summit by the end of the year to pave the way for a Palestinian state should hoped-for peace talks bring no breakthrough in coming months.
The US President is understood to have informed European leaders of his plan to break an Israeli-Palestinian deadlock if negotiations have not borne fruit by September or October, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz cited unidentified Israeli officials as saying.
The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday told reporters that special envoy George Mitchell would be returning to the Middle East next week, when she said that proximity talks – the first since peace talks stalled in January 2008 – would begin again. The planned return to the negotiating table was delayed last month after a row over Israeli plans to build new homes in East Jerusalem.
If those talks are again knocked off course, a broader summit will become more likely. The four members of the Middle East Quartet negotiating group – the US, the UN, the EU and Russia – would be expected to play a leading role in the summit to present a united front, the paper said. The summit would address core issues, including Jerusalem and final borders.
The bold move reflects Mr Obama's resolve to find a solution to the decades-old conflict that has eluded his predecessors and raises the possibility that Washington might seek to impose its own settlement on the parties, a prospect viewed with hostility by Israeli politicians.
Mr Obama has placed negotiations at the forefront of his political agenda while acknowledging that a continued stalemate threatens the US's own security interests.
After months of intense US diplomacy in the region, the indirect "proximity" talks represent the best chance of a breakthrough in the peace process.
While a final settlement has appeared tantalisingly close in the past, few Palestinians believe that a solution can be reached without outside help, and Israelis repeatedly insist they have no partner for peace.
"Leaving the peacemaking hostage to agreements between both sides is not a good idea," said Ghassan Khatib, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority. "The international community has to play a larger role."
Earlier this month, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Mr Obama to impose a peace solution, a plea that will have worried Israeli officials, who insist that a negotiated solution between the two parties is the only way out of the impasse.
Mr Obama's efforts to bring both sides to talks have stalled over the critical issue of Jewish settlements in Arab-dominated East Jerusalem, which Israel captured and later annexed after the Six-Day War in 1967. Palestinians covet East Jerusalem as the future capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Mr Abbas backed out of talks in early March after Israel announced plans to build 1,600 Jewish homes in East Jerusalem during a visit by the US Vice-President Joe Biden. The resulting row plunged relations between Israel and the US, its closest ally, to their lowest point in recent memory.
A US State Department official declined to confirm back-up plans for a global summit, saying: "Peace must be made by the parties and cannot be imposed from the outside. Our focus remains on seeing the discussions that are under way lead to formal negotiations that will address all of the complex issues."
Muslim Observer Writer Takes Part in Conference
April 15, 2010 by TMO · Leave a Comment
By Susan Schwartz, MMNS
The Muslim Observer's Dr. Geoffrey Cook took part in a conference sponsored by the South Asia Studies Association this past weekend. The two day event was titled: "South Asia and the West: Entwined, Entangled, and Engaged" and took place on the campus of the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles.
Dr, Veena Howard of the University of Oregon was the other presenter. Professor Dean McHenry of the Claremont Graduate school was the moderator.
Both scholars spoke on India's M K Gandhi, his philosophy and his teachings and influence. Dr. Howard was the first speaker.
Dr. Howard's specialities are comparative religion and Hindu thought. She is associated with the University of Oregon and Lane Community College in Eugene. She has delivered papers at other symposia including the Peace and Justice Studies Association and the Darma Association of North America.
She began by describing the eclectic sources of the philosophy of M K Gandhi. Yet, the philosophy he espoused and taught was his own. His passive resistance or satyagraha can be easily misunderstood if examined through the filter of Western values. Here it would imply a do nothing approach even in the face of injustice and oppression. Quite the contrary, Gandhi mobilized the masses including groups within India that were normally marginalized. He did this with "soul force"
His call to vows of chastity, simplicity and fearlessness resounded within the religious traditions of his country. They empowered rather than deprived his followers.He believed that Truth was the only perfect description of God.
"The soul is supreme", said Gandhi and compared the soul to a to a superior steel sword. He appealed to the Indian collective and urged the people to pit their strength against evil through inner force.
Dr. Cook told his audience that Gandhi was as concerned with the welfare of Muslims in India as he was with Hindus. He wrote about Palestine from the 1920's through the 1940's. He also favored a caliphate in Turkey.
Gandhi's opposition was not to Jews living in Palestine. He believed that friendship between Jews and Arab Muslims was possible – indeed the perfect solution -, and history would seem to support it. He opposed the assertion by Zionists of sovereign rights and the imposition of governance by them. His opposition was to Zionism as a political branch of Judaism and supported only by a small percentage of Jews. Making allowances for the time in which he lived, his bias was toward a one state solution (though the term was not in popular use then).
Dr. Cook spoke of his meeting with Dr. Richard Falk, the United Nations Human Rights Rapporteur for the (Israeli) Occupied Territories. Dr. Falk was denied entry into Israel despite his standing. He favors a one state solution for the Israeli conflict, a point which Dr. Cook disputes. Dr. Cook suggested to Dr. Falk that he read Gandhi's central essay
Dr, Cook described M K Gandhi as having a mind that was "a curious mixture of the practical and the impractical". He developed his methodologies on non violence in South Africa. His commitment to truth and to justice would permeate his thoughts and his proposals.
Gandhi sympathized with Jews, but his devotion to truth and justice would not permit him to sanction Zionist entry into Palestine under "British bayonets". He regarded Palestine as a British possession in the same way that his own country of India was a British possession.
Dr. Cook spoke of how much different the world might be today had we listened to Gandhi; how much freer from the conflicts that seem to be endless, in South East Asia and in the oPt particularly.
A question and answer session followed the two presentations.
Al-Quds Univ. to Cut Ties with Israeli Academia
August 20, 2009 by TMO · Leave a Comment
Maan News Agency
Jerusalem – Ma'an – Al-Quds University will cease all forms of academic cooperation with Israeli academic institutions soon, the school's board determined on Sunday.
"In cooperation with all sides and under an accepted timetable," the university will phase out programs and cooperation, the university board said in a statement.
It added that, "If the two-state solution is as far away today as it was ten years ago, there is no justification for continued academic cooperation based on reaching that solution."
"And there is no justification for continued official and non-official cooperation in other fields, foremost security coordination between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel," the board noted.
"Ending academic cooperation is aimed at, first of all, pressuring Israel to abide by a solution that ends the occupation, a solution that has been needed for far too long and that the international community has stopped demanding," the board said.
It also noted that the decision came "in response to the prior Israeli onslaught [on Gaza]; the acts and policies of Israeli governments over the past ten years, including settlement construction in East Jerusalem, the tightening of the siege on the occupied territories and thwarting any negotiated peace process that will lead to an independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel."
It also affirmed the necessity for all those involved, including government organizations, civil society groups, domestic and international, to focus on a just and prompt solution for the Palestinian cause. The statement insisted that all parties involved press for a solution according to "international legitimacy and Arab and international efforts."
The board called for the international community to pressure the Israeli government to comply with international legitimacy and call for taking legal and political action for Israel's "dangerous crimes and violations in Gaza," as well as Israel's "illegal acts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem."


text:
About | Projects | Docs | Forums | Lists | Bugs | Get Gentoo! | Support | Planet | Wiki
Hello, On an ordinary keyboard, the extended function keys, F13 to F24, should be accessible as Shift + Fn, where Fn are the keys F1 to F12. Well, up until a few days ago, the Shift+Fn combination was working as it should. Then suddenly, Shift+Fn stopped working correctly. I noticed it when using the Midnight Commander (MC) file manager where I extensively use Shift+F5 and Shift+F6 to conveniently rename and copy files. MC is a terminal program but the problem also shows up in some X programs that use Shift+Fn combinations. Because I have no need to closely monitor changes on my system I can't actually pinpoint any new install that may be responsible. My first guess would be a new version of xorg-server-1.11.1 that was emerged on October 2. I need to know how I can debug this situation further. Using xev to record key presses gives the following output when using Shift+F1: KeyPress event, serial 40, synthetic NO, window 0xe00001, root 0x121, subw 0x0, time 6919279, (23,152), root:(463,411), state 0x0, keycode 50 (keysym 0xffe1, Shift_L), same_screen YES, XLookupString gives 0 bytes: XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes: XFilterEvent returns: False KeyPress event, serial 40, synthetic NO, window 0xe00001, root 0x121, subw 0x0, time 6921351, (23,152), root:(463,411), state 0x1, keycode 67 (keysym 0xffffff, VoidSymbol), same_screen YES, XKeysymToKeycode returns keycode: 63 XLookupString gives 0 bytes: XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes: XFilterEvent returns: False The data for the F1 keypress is not correct. Compare this output with the expected output that is shown in this forum thread: http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-524537-start-0.html It appears that the X server is at fault. Can anyone using xorg-server-1.11.1 very that the Shift+Fn keys are broken? Frank Peters
Updated Jun 28, 2012
Summary: Archive of the gentoo-amd64 mailing list.
Donate to support our development efforts.
Your browser does not support iframes.


text:
A photo of a Rainbow over a Maldives Island for 2011
We Wish You
a Happy New Year 2011 !
Peace, Health, Joy and Prosperity…
…and a lot of Dreamy Travels !
Best Wishes,
Sakis & Rozenn.
We are preparing you many new Dreams of Maldives …so if you want to keep on Dreaming…Stay Tuned !
A Comment ? A question ? Leave it here
Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not represent the views of Dreaming of Maldives.
All submitters agree not to submit inappropriate content.
We do not alter the substance of any posted comment but we reserve ourselves the right to reject any comment if we consider to be inappropriate : containing personal information (street addresses, phone numbers, etc.), obscenity, offensive or that advertise or promote a company or service.
By commenting here, you agree that you submit your comments in a spirit of respect and honesty for the others.
Let's keep Dreaming of Maldives nice and informative. Thank you !


text:
It seems like everyone has something about which they're paranoid.
One of my coworkers is convinced that if even one person sees her consume an alcoholic drink in public, all her professional credibility will be lost.
My friend Michelle always worries that she has something stuck in her teeth and no one is telling her.
Dylan constantly suspects that I'm going to leave him home alone and unsupervised.
(I swear to you, I have never done that.)
Sydney thinks that bumblebees mysteriously fly around her room at night, waiting to sting her.
(Okay, that may have happened once.)
My paranoia?
That I have lice.
I know.
I've never even had lice.
My brother did, though. We called him maggot-head for weeks.
Anyway, I remember being so anxious in elementary school when we were asked to line up for our bi-annual head inspection by the school nurse.
Which always occurred immediately following the video in which close up shots of vile, creepy-crawly critters embedded on every single strand of hair were displayed.
But because I was super bright, the thought did occur to me that some people had hair on other parts of their body, not just their head.
For example, my third grade teacher, Mr. Dobler, had a hairy chest, as evidenced by the curls protruding from the top of his v-necked sweater.
How could I not help but think about how perfect that chest hair would have been for a breeding ground?
Anyway, I do remember periodically having flare-ups of paranoia and insisting that my mother probe around my scalp in search of the little critters.
I even made my brother poke around once, and he promptly shrieked and batted at my head with a rolled up newspaper. It turned out he was just messing with me, but I do blame him for contributing to the regression of my mental stability for the next ten years.
Well, the last couple of days I've been feeling a little itchy. At the crown of my head, specifically.
Everyone knows those little buggers love the crown of the head.
Itch, itch.
I noticed the itching on and off over the span of a day or two.
I didn't want to overreact. I mean, I don't share combs usually.
Although I did use my friend Kelly's hair straightener at the gym.
And she does have those two kids. They don't appear to be lice infested, but really, how could I possibly be sure?
Itch, itch.
At least I never wear hats.
Well, except on Saturday when Sydney and I playfully tried on about 10 different Easter-like bonnets in Walmart.
Walmart, folks.
Itch, itch.
And then while flipping channels on the television today, I paused on The View, where they were discussing the lice epidemic that's prevalent in schools today.
Wait. Sydney goes to a school. Dylan goes to a preschool. I work in a school.
Obviously the television gods were sending me a clear message that I certainly have lice.
Itch, itch.
Well, by the time 6pm rolled around, I was 110% convinced I had lice. I could feel that my scalp was positively crawling with millions of the little vermin.
I compulsively checked Sydney and Dylan's scalps. They looked okay, although Sydney did say, "Hey–our school nurse does this sometimes!" It should be noted that I wasn't wearing my contacts. It's entirely possible that I just couldn't see them.
I stared at both of them unabashedly for long moments, just waiting for them to itch their heads.
Of course, my scalp felt like it was on fire. I kept having thoughts about the little bastards crawling into my ears while I was asleep and eating all the important parts of my brain. You know, like the parts that help me control my calorie intake and remember how to type.
So, after mentally going through the list of whom I felt comfortable enough to call to ask if they would comb through my hair in a quest to find lice, I came to the obvious conclusion that it would have to be Kelly or Drew.
Kelly was originally first on my list, but then I remembered how I had ridden around her car, laid on her couch, used her hair straightener, and hugged on her kids, um, today.
Plus, her husband would have totally made fun of me. Like, hardcore. And since he's bald, he wouldn't have had the same sense of panic that Kelly would have had if an infestation was present.
She's got shampoo-commercial hair, people. If the night shaped up like I was suspecting it would, I was probably going to be hunched over her sink at midnight, brandishing my bottle of "Lice Begone" and trying to think up reasons as to why she should remain friends with me even after I combed the maggots out of her hair.
So, that ruled her out. Which meant I had to ask Drew. I figured that was only fair because, 1) his children were probably the ones who gave it to me, and 2) if it turned out I had lice, he would have been summoned to assist me with clean-the-house-top-to-bottom duty, since a) he still owns 1/2 the house (and therefore 1/2 the lice) and b) lice obliteration is a two-parent job, regardless of who may or may not have precipitated the original contamination.
So, I call him and whisper that I suspect I may have L-I-C-E (I didn't want Sydney to overhear me and tell everyone tomorrow at school that her mom has lice. I'd rather have people focus on my Botox® injections, thank you very much) and he's needed to come over and check my head.
He asks, "You think you have lice in the hair on your head?"
I'm like, "Yes. Where else would it be?"
(We both pause and think about that, which obviously makes me think about Mr. Dobler again.)
He sighs, "Okay. I'll come over, but you'd better not give me lice."
So, he comes and dutifully digs around in my hair with a comb, commenting that my scalp is super red and obviously appears irritated.
I'm like, "I know. My head is all crawly feeling. Are you sure you don't see anything?"
He's like, "I don't see any larva or egg-thingies or anything crawling."
Me, "Then why am I so itchy?"
Him, "I don't know, but it's making me feel itchy."
Me, "Look closer."
He says, "I'm close enough. Did you change hair products? Are you having some sort of allergic reaction?"
I think about that.
I then I remember that I temporarily lost the travel-sized bottle of shampoo that I normally use when I shower at the gym and as a result, was forced to use body wash on my hair.
Yeah, don't do that.
Unless you totally want to make your estranged husband panicky at the idea that his entire family may have lice.
Then you should totally do that.


text:
When a sudden rainstorm disrupts an archeological dig at a remote Mayan site, site supervisor Deborah Miller makes an astonishing discovery: a collection of rubies so precious that generations of men have died - and killed - to possess them. Some believe the jewels harbor occult power; others believe they are the key to the arms race; still others see merely their potential for profit. But Deborah doesn't want power or money - she only wants the truth.
And so she sets out to trace the stones' complex history across four centuries and two continents, from Mexico to northern England, where the rubies once played a harrowing role in the Lancashire witch trials of 1612. But she is not the only one obsessed with the jewels; close on her heels is a notorious arms dealer who will stop at nothing, not even murder, to claim the prize for himself.
©2012 A. J. Hartley (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
"Don't waste a credit"
I bought this as a "deal of the day" and I regret the purchase. The plot is needlessly complicated and far fetched. The narrator is a slow speaker, combined with the glacial pace of the plot, I actually moved the narration speed on my ipod up to 2x to muscle through the end.
"Light Hearted unoriginal Adventure"
I can't say I loved anything. The pace was pretty good and the storyline kept me mostly engaged although it felt like other stories of its type and not at all original. There was nothing to love.
The Nosferatu Scrolls.
The accents were appalling which made any parts of the story not involving Americans hard to stomach. Couldn't figure out why the British MI5 agent sometimes sounded slightly Scottish, other times Irish and then slipped into Dick Van Dyke cockney from time to time. This was the same for the Lancaster accent, ARRRGGHHH! The Spanish accents were off too.
This is a light Adventure story, fairly well paced, but a bit too interwoven in places and lacking something, I went with the flow and was entertained though annoyed by the narrators accents. I was surprised not to like the main character more, in fact, there aren't any really strong or likeable characters in this book. Perhaps that's what is missing?
"I give up"
This was on sale, and looked like a good $3.95 fun time. I quit. I thought at least it would get me through the weekend chores, but it is just too dumb. I give it 2 stars for effort.
I'm a bibliophile since early childhood. Love speculative fiction, odd premises, mystery novels that teach about different places and times.
"The Most Delightful Potsticker"
This is not great literature. Any time I try to describe the plot everyone in the room bursts out laughing. But it is one of the most fun reads I've had in quite a while. It strings together'
Mayan Digs
Charles the 1st
Brittish Witches
Serbian Gun men
Women grieving for dead teenage daughers
Brittish secret agent men disguised as camera men
Drugged archeologists
Lost crown jewels
I'm not making fun. I loved this book. It was an over the top delight.
It reminds me strongly of the Prendergast books. The same very improbable world view, but just so much fun. I can't wait for the next book. Or for the movie. Whichever comes first.
"Couldn't finish it."
I bought this on the "Daily Deal" I figured it cost $3 so why not try it. It wasn't worth what I paid. I listened to about half of it and finally gave up. I don't know if it was the story, the writing or the narrator but I can say the combination was not good. Save your money and find something else.
"Just couldn't keep listening"
A better narrator! I couldn't make it past a half hour - I couldn't take it.
I may try reading it on my Kindle so I can give the story a chance
I don't know I couldn't keep listening
I don't try write a review as if it were the only review a potential reader will see. I write things that I noticed.
"Good narrator, but not for this book"
Mostly. I wouldn't re-listen though, because of the accent issue. I would instead find the paper book or eBook to re-experience it.
Probably, but not one with British characters. Her overall style and pace are great, but she has an underlying accent--I think Midwest or maybe Canada--which doesn't work for a main character who is supposedly from Boston. The characters from northern England sound like either confused cockneys or in one case, like a man from Northern Ireland.
Also, the pronunciation of some of the Mayan/Mexican names and places didn't sound quite right. My knowledge on the Mayan/Mexican is from a couple brief visits to the area, so it is real, but slight. On the other hand, though I am American, my father was English and from the north--Lancashire, and I watch tons of British TV including things set in Yorkshire (James Herriot series for one) so I have pretty darn good sense of those accents.
Probably. The book is interesting and fairly well paced. I like the combination of locales.
Overall a good mystery/thriller. Some aspects a bit far fetched.
"Archaelogical Thriller"
The story starts out on an archaeological dig in the Yucatan. A new discovery is made and soon the problems start. Artifacts are stolen, people are killed. Deborah wants to learn more about what was found in the tomb so she follows the trail from Yucatan, to England, back to Mexico. There's plots and subplots that come together at the end. You learn about different places in both Mexico and England that were quite interesting.
The narrator was pretty good, although I was thinking Nick was English but at least half the time it sounded like she gave him a Scottish accent.
Yes....fascinating, kept me on edge of seat
Prey of the eagle, much accurate history as well as a plot
the heroine
would like to listen to another by this author
"A Decent Airport Reader lowered by Vocal Perf."
That's tricky. I knew what type of book I was getting into. Meaning that I got it on a Daily Deal and it seemed like a fun "leave your mind at the door" adventure. If the author comes up on sale again, I probably get him. Full price? Most likely not.
Sure, the logic was strained and there were a lot of subplots going on at the same time. But the history was interesting and the pace kept moving. It's an airport reader less sophisticated than Crichton, Brown or Preston & Child.
Absolutely not. I'm sure that Ms. Eby's voice lends itself well to the YA and romance genre but she was out of her element in this story. Her delivery is remedial and juvenile, particularly reading the men. I could almost see her puffing her chest, tucking in her chin and squaring her arms as she delivered those lines. And her British.....oh boy. I've read other reviews where they said that they could not finish the book because of the performance and I can understand why. I paid for it, so I finished it. After a while, I just learned to accept her voice. But I think Samantha Power would have been a much better choice.
If it was made into a movie, I would probably check it out, yeah. Mireille Enos type being the Deborah miller and Mae Whitman as the punky student.
If you can punch through the vocal performance, and I'm glad I did, it's a pretty fun book. It seems like it may be trying a bit too hard at times, but at least it's trying. C+ to B-
There are no listener reviews for this title yet.


text:
- Start seated in dandasana (staff pose) with your legs strong and your chest lifted.
- Bend your right knee and place your heel near your right sitting bone.
- Grab the sole of your right foot with both hands. Keep your leg bent and lift your foot so that your shin is parallel to the floor. Keep the knee drawn into the chest. Push your foot into your hands and your hands into your foot, to create and maintain muscle energy.
- Keep a hold of your foot with both hands and widen your right knee to the right and draw your knee back behind your armpit. Reach your chest forward as you draw your knee back. Maintain strong legs and even though you are widening your right knee to the right, squeeze the leg into the midline.
- Keep a hold of your foot with your left hand, and free up your right. Take your right hand under your calf muscle and hook your right leg over your right shoulder. Give this several attempts to help get the leg as high up your arm as you can.
- Place both of your hands on the floor slightly in front of your hips. Squeeze your legs strong towards the midline.
- Press your hands down and claw the floor. Draw your shoulders on your back. Pull your hips back and lift your legs up off the floor. The more you squeeze your legs towards one another, the lighter you will feel.
Have fun!


text:
As many as 100,000 Americans suffer from a disorder called pseudotumor cerebri or idiopathic intracranial hypertension that can cause permanent blindness and chronic headaches. The disease primarily strikes obese women of reproductive age with symptoms of daily headaches, visual symptoms including transient blurring or blindness, double vision, and pulsating noises in one's head. Up to 5-10% of these patients may have permanent visual loss due to optic nerve damage.
A recent national trial funded by the National Institute of Health's National Eye Institute has shown that a common water pill, acetazolamide, combined with a moderate but comprehensive dietary and lifestyle modification plan can restore and preserve vision in women with this disease. I was one of the local investigators for this trial along with Dr. Eugene May.
The symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri are thought to be due to high spinal fluid pressure around the optic nerves and brain due to impaired reabsorption of spinal fluid that is continuously being produced within the brain. This results in chronic headaches and swelling of the optic nerves that can lead to permanent blindness if left untreated. Patients typically are ...
'Neuroscience Institute' posts
Drug treatment and weight loss restores vision in a blinding disorder linked to obesity
Supporting patients with Parkinson's Disease
Swedish is proud to partner with the APDA to support research, education, programs and services that stay in our community to benefit those living with Parkinson's Disease.
Weak link between epsilon toxin and MS
A recent article has been published suggesting that MS may be caused by a bacterial toxin. The bacteria is Clostridium Perfringens, a common bacteria found in soil and a cause of food poisoning. This bacteria can produce a number of toxins, one of which is the epsilon toxin.
This study found that about 10% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) had antibodies to the epsilon toxin, compared to 1% of people without MS. In pathology specimens from mice, the epsilon toxin was found to bind to blood vessels in the retina of the eye, and to myelin in the brain. The authors also reported a single case of a woman with MS who was infected with Clostridium Perfringens and that was producing the epsilon toxin.
Though this study has been widely discussed online, I think that it is unlikely that this will be the answer to the MS problem. This study was primarily in pathology tissue, which found that the toxin was able to bind to myelin. Many more studies will be needed to determine whether this toxin is capable of causing damage to myelin of the type that is seen in MS. There are many other known toxins to myelin, but so far none seem to be the cause of MS.
They tried to show that ..
Pituitary Tumors: Diagnosis and Management
The Swedish Pituitary Center at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute is one of the country's largest centers for treating disorders of the pituitary gland – including pituitary tumors. The center brings together endocrinologists, neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists to offer a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of these tumors.
Tumors in the pituitary gland are quite common and many of them are so small they may go undetected throughout life. Although 99 percent of pituitary tumors are benign, the associated symptoms can be
debilitating, especially with hormone-secreting tumors. Regardless of the type of tumor, individuals with pituitary tumors may experience headaches, blurred vision, impotence/infertility, and mood changes.
Update from essential tremor (ET) forum
Swedish MS Center design recognized
Less than two years old, the Swedish Multiple Sclerosis Center has already received an overwhelming amount of praise from patients and physicians alike for its holistic approach to world class care.
Now we can add one more accolade to the list.
Healthcare Design magazine recently recognized the MS Center's patient and family waiting area as a finalist in the Family Spaces category of its Healthcare Design Remodel Renovation Competition.The entire piece beautifully encapsulates the approach, design and ultimately the quality of care that the MS Center strives to deliver. Here is an excerpt of one of the judge's comments:
"The entire design is a phenomenal reflection of a deep understanding of the unique needs of patients with multiple sclerosis. It is apparent the design team did their research, listened to the voice of the patient and caregivers, and integrated evidence-based design principles…."
That's high praise, and it is rewarding to know that the attention we paid to every detail — from furniture and flooring to treatment and waiting areas — was noticed. But it is even more rewarding to know that the center has become an incredible resource in treating those diagnosed with MS, a degenerative disease that strikes the central nervous system.
Debilitating Facial Pain May Be Trigeminal Neuralgia
In many cases, trigeminal neuralgia is caused by compression of the facial nerve most commonly by the superior cerebellar artery or the anterior inferior cerebellar artery, although trigeminal neuralgia can be due to compression by a persistent permanent trigeminal artery or odioectatic basilar artery. Other causes of Trigeminal Neuralgia can include demyelinating disease (such as multiple sclerosis) and tumor. In some cases, the cause of Trigeminal Neuralgia is ...


text:
By Bill O'Neil
You can expect the run-up in prices at San Antonio gas pumps to coninue for the next couple of months.
The analysts at Gasbuddy.com told 550 KTSA News bitterly cold temperatures in much of the country did keep prices reasonably low for a little while longer than usual.
"That created kind of a temporary plateau in gas prices up until this past week" said Gasbuddy.com's Gregg Laskoski.
Yearly maintenance operations have begun at Gulf Coast refinieries--which is expected keep upward pressure on prices over the next several weeks. Mwanwhile, European oil will also add to the equation.
"It's likely we're going to see a little bit less Brent Crude making it's way in to the United States, and we're likely to see a little bit more (of our crude) being exported" Laskoski said.


text:
| Email | Full Article (TrendHunter.com/id/27150) |
Advanced Style is a photoblog that catalogues the fashionistas of a bygone era, who remain well-dressed and fabulous in their golden years. While Advanced Style's contributors are largely based in New York City, submissions are posted from other locations.
Advanced Style proves that seniors can be fashion-forward and not frumpy—the gentleman who leads off the photo gallery is proof alone that there are no age limits on style. So many other blogs focus on all that is hip and young. These individuals showcase the fashion potential of seasoned veterans.


text:
MIPS is a stock market timing model that signals its members at the end of the day when the market (as measured by the S&P500) has changed direction from up-to-down or down-to-up (Signal Date). The individual investor trades on this signal (long or short or out) on the opening of the market on the following day (Trade Date). Members then simply keep the position that they acquired on the trade date until the next Signal email from MIPS. It really is that simple. To get the full benefit from our MIPS stock market timing system, we recommend using our flagship model MIPS3/MF with a buy/short/cash strategy, trading a mix of your choice from the SPY, IWR, IWM, QQQ ETFs. This gives the member an ETF Trading System to time the stock market. But, for investors that want to trade less frequently, or do not want to go short, etc., we offer the following market timing services options (or "Trading Profiles"). MIPS Trading Profiles When trading with MIPS (or trading any way else for that matter), investors need to have defined: (1) which stock market trading model use, (2) which stock market trading strategy to use (buy/hold, buy/short, etc), and (3) which equities (or ETFs) to trade. Once an investor has decided on ALL of the above, we call it the investor's "Trading Profile". This section is to help you decide upon the MIPS Trading Profile that is right for you.
FROM THE ABOVE MEMBERS DECIDE: A.) Which Stock Market Timing Model to Follow (all included in one low price) * 1. Very Low Frequency - MIPS1/VLF - 1 trade every 1-3 years (beats buy/hold long-term) 2. Low Frequency - MIPS2/LF - 5 trades/year (trades a little more, but beats buy/hold by a lot) 3. Medium Frequency - MIPS3/MF - 15 trades/year (trumps buy/hold, but trades more) * Note: All of the above MIPS models are included in one subscription fee. Read on and follow the one that is right for you. B.) Which Strategy to Follow 1. Buy/Sell - Long/Cash only, or 2. Buy/Short - Long/Short/Cash C.) What to Trade (buy and/or short) 1. Buy just one of SPY, MDY, IWM, QQQ ETFs on Long Signals, or 2. Buy a mix of SPY, MDY, IWM, QQQ ETFs (like 1/3 of 3, or 1/4 of each), and 3. Short the ETFs you bought in #1 or #2 above (or buy the corresponding "inverse ETFs") * Inverse funds not recommended with MIPS1/VLF. 4. Short just SPY ETF (or buy just SH)
5. Short another ETF (or a mix from those on this page)
6. Don't short at all (stay 100% in cash)
TRADING FREQUENCIES FOR INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS As mentioned under the "MIPS Basics" tab, MIPS caters to low-frequency and mid-frequency investors. This is described in the following table: New MIPS4/MF+
Here Now
15 Trades/Year MIPS STOCK MARKET TRADING MODELS MIPS4/MF+ After about 6 months of development and testing, we are releasing our newest model (which is a slightly faster trading model). - we are most pleased to officially introduce our new "MIPS4/MF+" model - the name comes from: (a) MIPS4 to identify a new model, and (b) MF+ meaning medium-frequency "plus" - MIPS4 is an offshoot of MIPS3, but uses algorithms from all MIPS models As with all of the MIPS models, with MIPS4 you can trade any ETF that "correlates" well with the SPY - and, MIPS4 is a little smoother ride than MIPS3 (i.e., with less "volatility") - as a result, the MIPS4 model produces very "smooth" results For this reason, we feel comfortable approving the use of MIPS4/MF+ signals to trade leveraged ETFs But, of course, you do NOT have to trade with leverage... - if you do use leverage, however, we recommend double leverage long, but single leverage short for more conservative use of leverage. (MIPS3.org in the graph below is MIPS3/MF without the improvements in 2011-2012) MIPS3/MF MIPS was designed and developed to be a medium frequency stock market trading model with a buy/short/cash strategy, trading ETFs. Our original and now "flagship" model is MIPS3/MF (new name). We usually use MIPS3/MF with a buy/short/cash strategy, trading a "mix" of 1/4 each of SPY, MDY, IWM, QQQ ETFs. This profile trades an "average" of 15 trades/year over long periods (but with a range of 10-25 trades/year in any one year, or even maybe 2-3 times in any one month). We recommend this profile for active investors and it will produce the best results in the long term.
We realize that there are many investors who do not want to trade as often as a medium frequency-model requires. So, we decided to offer models that would be more appealing to these investors. Our two other models are (a) the low-frequency trading model (MIPS2/LF) whick trades about 5-6 times/year, and (b) the very-low-frequency trading model (MIPS1/VLF) which trades an averge of about only once a year. MIPS2/LF Our low-frequency stock market trading model was developed for the average investor who does not want to make 10-20 trades/year. MIPS2/LF trades an average of 5 trades/year (but occasionally can trade as many as 2-3 times in any one month). When coupling MIPS2/LF with a buy/short strategy, it will produce really good results, but not quite as good as MIPS3/MF (but with fewer trades). Over time, the MIPS2/LF low frequency trading service should produce results that are at least 80% as good as the MIPS3/LF model, with only 1/3 as many trades. MIPS1/VLF Our very-low-frequency stock market trading model was developed for the long-term investor who wants to trade only the long-term cycles in the stock market, and hence trade an average of 1 time per year! Obviously, this model cannot produce results as good as the other MIPS models, but it can still trump the buy/hold strategy over long periods of time (see the "Studies I and II" under the Performance tab). For example, in the 5-year period of 2006-10, the MIPS1/VLF performance with a buy/short strategy was +90% versus +1% for buy/hold SPY (with only 6 trades). *Using Inverse ETFs not recommended with the MIPS1/VLF model. Even without "shorting", MIPS1/VLF with buy/sell beat SPY buy/hold in the 8 year period of 2003-10 to the tune of +102 vs +43, respectiely (see "Study IV"). This model is good for 401k accounts (without shorting) and this is why we call it "The 401K Saver". AVERAGE TRADING FREQUENCIES YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO "SHORT" Most average investors use the buy/hold strategy and watch their stock market gains seriously erode every 4-5 years. In other words, they watch their 401K accounts become 201K accounts!!! And then they "start over", again-and-again. MIPS was designed to correct this trading "habit" that the average investor has been taught (erroneously) to follow. How do we know that it is erroneous? Mainly because the "teachers" do NOT follow that strategy themselves. They themselves follow the buy/short/cash strategy, and so can you (with MIPS). We certainly understand that some risk-averse investors to not want to (and possibly should not) be "short' in their portfolios. No problem, these investors should simply use their chosen MIPS model with a buy/sell strategy. That is, they simply sell and hold a 100% cash position on Cash and Short Signals from MIPS. An intermediate option for investors who are buying say 1/4 each of SPY, MDY, IWM, QQQ ETFs would be to short just the SPY on Short Signals from MIPS. The bottom line is that you decide on your strategy and there is no right or wrong. WHAT TO TRADE A short list of ETFs that are well-correlated to the SPY include (but are certainly not limited to) the ETFs in the chart below. Click here for more on what to trade and what NOT to trade.
Long Signals
Short Signals
Short SPY or Buy SH*
Short MDY or Buy MYY*
Short IWM or Buy RWM*
Short QQQ or Buy PSQ*
* These funds are Inverse Funds (not recommended with MIPS1/VLF) ** Click here for "Alternate ETFs" to those above
By definition, large-cap stocks are companies with annual revenues over $20 billion; mid-caps have annual revenues between $10-20 billion; and small-caps have revenues between $2-10 billion. Companies with revenues under $2 billion are called ultra small-cap or micro-cap. So, none of the ETFs above contain really small companies (like revenues of say $50-100 million) Investors can use the MIPS models to trade any one of the above ETFs or they may buy a small "basket" containing 3-4 in a mix of their choice (like investing 1/4 of their money in each of the above, or 50% in one and 25% each in two others, etc.). You can basically trade any equity whose price behavior correlates well with the SPY. Usually these would be certain Index ETFs. A short list of these are presented in the Services section, and a more comprehensive list is provide under the "Alternate ETFs?" button in the Services section. Again, MIPS is not a stock picking system and we do not recommend any individual stocks or ETFs that our members should trade, but we do offer some "guidelines". Viable trading profiles include: - Conservative investors trading SPY long and short.
- Average investors trading IWM long and short. - Average investors buying 1/3 each of SPY, IWM, QQQ on long signals, and buying their inverse* ETFs on short signals. - Aggressive investors buying 1/3 each of SPY, IWM, SSO on long signals and buying their inverse* ETFs on short
signals (except buy SH instead of the double leverage inverse fund for SSO).
- Definition of "Inverse Funds" http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/inverse-etf.asp * Using Inverse ETFs not recommended with the MIPS1/VLF model.
When new members first start using MIPS, the information above will help them decide on what MIPS model they want to follow. The complete MIPS Trading Profile includes: (A) which model to follow (VLF, LF, MF), (B) whick strategy to use (e.g., long/cash or long/sjort/cash), and (C) which ETFs (or which "mix" of ETFs) that they may buy. Still uncertain, click here for more help on the above
These decisions are solely made by Members for themselves. This does not mean that Members can't change from, say, the LF model to the MF model, but they should pick one and stick with it for a while (like 3-5 months each time they switch). The good news is that all of the MIPS options are included in the same subscription fee, so the users' decisions do not affect their cost.
MIPS Timing Systems P.O. Box 691047 Houston, TX 77269