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Allied Fiber Completes Its Sixth Colocation Facility Along Florida's East Coast
Allied Fiber has made significant progress with its fiber installation up the East Coast of Florida. This past week, the sixth and final colocation facility was placed in St. Augustine. Now, Allied Fiber has facilities in West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce, Rockledge, New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine and Jacksonville.
The following are photographs from the St. Augustine colocation placement this past week, and the Jacksonville colocation facility that was placed the week of March 17th.
We will continue to update our blog with the status of the build-out, so check back regularly for the most up-to-date Allied Fiber news.
Interested in a career at Allied Fiber? View our open positions and submit your resume at this link.
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This past week, Allied Fiber completed the jetting of the fiber backbone from the NAP of the Americas in Miami to the end of the FEC duct system in the Jacksonville rail yard – a total of 1,868,267 feet (354 miles). This is a huge milestone for Allied Fiber in our build-out of Florida's east coast and the first leg of our southeast segment!
In addition to completing the jetting, Allied Fiber has also been able to review the test results for the Miami — West Palm Beach – Ft. Pierce segments. The results indicate a .18 to .19 dB loss per km, resulting in a 60 mile (100 km) span loss of only 18 to 19 dB. These exceptional results have been communicated to and well received by Allied Fiber's customers.
Allied Fiber has also completed the foundation and placement of the modular colocation facility at New Smyrna Beach, FL. This is the third Allied Fiber colocation facility to be installed in Florida.
Allied Fiber is in the process of engaging with several equipment manufacturers that are preparing to start installations and demonstrations of their equipment in a "live trial" environment on the route. This will give all network operators the opportunity to "try before you buy" the latest and greatest 100G and 400G DWDM systems available on the market today.
If there are any vendors, or network operators not currently involved in the Allied Fiber "live trial" and are interested please contact us directly to be included. email@example.com
We will continue to update our blog with the status of the build-out, so check back regularly for the most up-to-date Allied Fiber news.
Interested in a career at Allied Fiber? View our open positions and submit your resume at this link.
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Allied Fiber is off to a great start in the New Year, with continued fiber and colocation facility installation progress up the Florida east coast. In just the first half of this month, Allied Fiber has installed 142,350 feet (27 miles) of cable, bringing the project all the way into St. Johns, FL. The total cable installed between Miami and Jacksonville is now 1,829,507 feet (346 miles).
This week, Allied Fiber also completed the finishing touches on its second colocation facility located in Fort Pierce, FL.
The following are photographs of the completion work at the Ft. Pierce colocation facility.
We will continue to update our blog with the status of the build-out, so check back regularly for the most up-to-date Allied Fiber news.
Interested in a career at Allied Fiber? View our open positions and submit your resume at this link.
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Allied Fiber has steadily continued to progress with its fiber installation up the east coast of Florida. So far the company has completed over 293 route miles between Miami and Jacksonville. This week, Allied Fiber completed the installation of 114,516 feet of cable (21.7 miles) which is now the highest number of feet of cable installed by Allied Fiber in a single week. Fiber installation is now complete from Miami, FL through Bunnell, FL.
Also, on December 5th Allied Fiber completed the installation of its second colocation facility in Florida located in Ft. Pierce, FL
The following are photographs of the Ft. Pierce colocation facility installation as well as the fiber jetting in Bunnell, FL:
We will continue to update our blog with the status of the build-out, so check back regularly for the most up-to-date Allied Fiber news.
Interested in a career at Allied Fiber? View our open positions and submit your resume at this link.
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Allied Fiber has continued to rapidly progress with its fiber installation up the Florida East Coast completing over 267 route miles so far between Miami and Jacksonville. Over the past two weeks, Allied Fiber completed the installation of 184,714 feet of cable (35 miles), taking the project through Port Orange, FL and Daytona Beach, FL, and ending in Ormond Beach, FL.
Allied Fiber also completed the construction and installation of the West Palm Beach colo facility in preparation for its November 13, 2013 launch event. Nearly 100 people gathered for the event, which included a tour of the West Palm Beach facility and a luncheon at the Phillips Point Club in West Palm Beach, FL. Click here to view a slideshow of pictures taken during the launch event.
The following are pictures of the installation of the West Palm Beach colo facility:
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
Interested in a career at Allied Fiber? View our open positions and submit your resume at this link.
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Allied Fiber has continued to rapidly place fiber up Florida's East Coast completing over 215 route miles so far between Miami and Jacksonville. This week, Allied Fiber completed the installation of 98,160 feet (19 miles) of cable , ending in Titusville, FL.
Allied Fiber has also shipped the West Palm Beach colo facility from Louisiana, which is now in transit to Florida (see images below). The colo was separated into three sections for shipping and will be re-assembled when it arrives at the West Palm Beach colo site.
During the colo shipment process, construction has steadily advanced in West Palm Beach to complete the foundation for the installation of the colo early next week. (See images of the foundation work below).
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
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One Million Feet and Counting!
Allied Fiber has continued its progress up Florida's East Coast surpassing one million feet of cable installed in the Miami to Jacksonville route this past week.
Construction productivity for the week also hit an all time high with 104,719 feet of cable (20.0 miles) installed during the week. This brings the total footage installed to 1,037,339 (196.5 miles). Allied Fiber has now completed the route from Miami, FL through Melbourne, FL and Rockledge, FL, ending in Cocoa, FL.
Allied Fiber has also completed fabrication of the West Palm Beach colo and is working on final acceptance testing before shipping to Florida next week. The colo will be separated into three sections for shipping and re-assembled in West Palm Beach, FL.
The following are photos of the colo being tested and prepared for shipping:
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
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Allied Fiber's network construction has continued to progress up Florida's East Coast from Miami to Jacksonville. Last week, Allied Fiber completed the installation of 88,162 feet of cable (16.7 miles) – by far the largest amount of cable installed in a single week so far. In addition, 2,640 fusion splices were completed last week, also the largest number of splices completed in a week. With last week's installation, Allied Fiber has now completed the route from Miami thru Sebastian, FL and Grant, FL ending in Malabar, FL.
Allied Fiber has also been working to finalize the electrical equipment installations in the West Palm Beach colo facility as it is being readied for shipment from Louisiana to Florida next week. The Allied Fiber colocation facilities' power systems are designed and engineered for a 3Ø 208V 600A main supporting protected AC and DC customer power feeds.
The following pictures show some of the final electrical installation work underway:
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
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Allied Fiber has continued to progress rapidly up Florida's East Coast jetting fiber from Miami to Jacksonville. Last week, 65,976 feet of cable with 528 fiber strands was installed between Lakewood Park and Winter Beach. Allied Fiber also completed 1,056 fusion splices along the route. This brings the total install in this route to 148 miles so far.
Representatives from Allied Fiber were onsite in Vero Beach this week to observe the fiber jetting and progress at the colo construction sites. The following pictures were taken during the site visit:
Allied Fiber has also made steady progress on the fabrication of the West Palm Beach colo facility. The following are pictures of the electrical gear installations underway in the colo:
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
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Allied Fiber has continued to make steady progress jetting fiber up Florida's East Coast from Miami to Jacksonville. Last week, 64,572 feet of cable with 528 fiber strands was installed through Ft. Pierce en route to Vero Beach. Allied Fiber also completed 1,056 fusion splices and installed 3 new handholes along the route. This brings the total install in this route to 126 miles so far.
Representatives from Allied Fiber completed a walkthrough in Louisiana of the first colocation facility being fabricated for West Palm Beach. Over the next week, electrical and mechanical systems installations will be completed in preparation for shipping to Florida.
The following are pictures taken during the walkthrough of the pre-cast concrete structures before the electrical installation work began:
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
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Allied Fiber's fiber jetting in the Southeast route between Miami and Jacksonville has continued to steadily progress up the Florida East Coast. Last week, 66,652 feet of cable with 528 fiber strands was installed between Jupiter and Ft. Pierce. There were also 1,056 new fusion splices completed along the route. This brings the total install in this route to 114 miles so far.
The first colocation facility being fabricated in Louisiana for the West Palm Beach site is also well underway and starting to take shape. Allied Fiber will be doing factory inspections of the colocation later this week and expects to ship the unit to Florida late next week.
The colocation structures are made of reinforced pre-cast concrete and are formed in sections that will be assembled on-site much like a giant Lego set.
The following are pictures of several of the pre-cast sections cast over the last few days:
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
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Allied Fiber has continued its steady progress on the Miami to Jacksonville build. Last week, 66,550 feet of cable with 528 fiber strands was installed between Port Sewall and Jupiter. There were also 528 new fusion splices completed along the route. This brings the total install in this route to 102 miles so far.
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
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Allied Fiber has continued its steady progress on the Miami to Jacksonville build. Last week, 67,200 feet of cable with 528 fiber strands was installed between Jupiter and Hobie Sound. There were also 2,112 fusion splices completed along the route. This brings the total install in this route to 89 miles so far.
Pre-fabrication construction of the first colocation facility is almost complete at the manufacturer's site in Louisiana. Electrical conduit and mechanical gear installations will continue this week in preparation for an early September ship / install at West Palm Beach. Once the first unit ships, fabrication will immediately begin on the Ft. Pierce and Rockledge facilities.
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
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Allied Fiber has made steady progress on the Miami to Jacksonville build. Last week, 49,184 feet of cable with 528 fiber strands was installed and 1,056 fusion splices were completed. This brings the total install in this route to 76 miles at this point.
On the colocation facility construction side, preparations are underway at each of the 6 Florida sites (West Palm Beach, Ft. Pierce, Rockledge, New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville). With West Palm Beach being the first scheduled to be on the ground early September. Pre-fabrication of the colocation facilities is taking place in Louisiana with AF personnel on site this week to begin the walkthroughs and electro / mechanical systems inspections.
We will continue to update our blog on the status of this development, so check back regularly for the most up to date Allied Fiber news.
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Julius Kamara, the project coordinator of the West African Regional Communications Programme has announced that despite recent delays, their strategic plan to implement fiber infrastructure is still on track for completion. To read the full article, click here.
This is yet another excellent example of the exact same patterns and process that is required to be followed in any country, state, or province to achieving proper network connectivity for the common benefits stated. Everywhere the challenges and rewards are the same. The most valuable assets, the submarine cable systems that link the continents, need an execution plan in and of themselves. Once in motion, the countries, states and provinces that they touch and their neighbors that touch them must all plot a course to interconnection. This is the basis of a proper fiber network infrastructure. The necessity to be connected is inherent for any land with people and machines that wish to participate in the world economy. This pattern applies globally and is only limited by politics, vested interests, access to capital, a solid plan and execution.
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Antel (Administracion Nacional de Telecomunicaciones) recognized the importance of FTTH (Fiber to the Home) and is implementing a systematic plan to better connect homes throughout Uruguay.
Examples such as this prove that everyone needs fiber to achieve higher networking speeds and reliability to expand opportunities. Every country should strive for a dense fiber infrastructure that connects to towers, businesses, towns, homes, etc.
Most people in the United States (living in somewhat connected regions) do not realize that our country is home to several "remote" areas that are unserved by fiber-based networks. The quality of access in these areas is so minimal that you would be better served trying to connect to a network in the middle of a dense jungle in some foreign land.
Even in the faraway town of Colonia, Uruguay there are now better connections than some regions in the United States. This proves that when it comes to fiber, the third world is right here in the United States.
The fiber infrastructure in this country is a significant issue that gets far too little attention. If the U.S. does not implement a systematic plan, similar to Antel's plan we will continue to fall farther behind as the rest of the world advances its fiber infrastructure and thus its connection speeds and reliability.
For the full article, click here.
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Construction for the Miami-Jacksonville-Atlanta segment of Allied Fiber's Southeastern route is underway. Allied Fiber is currently jetting up to 340 feet of fiber per minute (5.6 miles of fiber per day). The Miami to West Palm Beach segment is expected to be completed during the first week of August 2013. The Miami-Jacksonville-Atlanta build is anticipated to take 6 to 9 months to complete.
Allied Fiber's Southeastern route marks the first network-neutral, fully integrated, nationwide dark fiber and colocation system in the United States.Allied Fiber Construction Photos July 2013
The following gallery of images were taken during the fiber construction/cable jetting at Lantana.
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AGL Magazine posted an article on former U.S. chief technology officer to the Obama administration, Aneesh Chopra's recent speech at the Virginia Wireless Association's 4G 4VA? wireless seminar. The speech discussed how it is necessary for the tower industry to enter into public/private partnerships to help keep FirstNet within its budgetary constraint. Both the speech and article give light to more clues on FirstNet for public safety and commercial use.
For the full article, click here http://agl-mag.com/tower-owners-can-play-role-in-firstnet/.
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A recent article on BuySellBandwidth titled 'Countries Most Vulnerable to an Internet Shutdown' examines Forbes' research on this topic.
Allied Fiber understands the current risks, vulnerabilities and present danger to the US terrestrial fiber systems and carrier hotels. Achieving maximum, realistic, physical diversity is one of the primary drivers of the Allied Fiber system for these reasons.
For the complete article, visit the following link:
America Needs a Real Fiber Plan
Allied Fiber has said this repeatedly, but don't take it from us. Susan Crawford says so – and she would know!
Click here for Susan's full article:
A recent column on Wired looked at the Bandwidth Race and Allied Fiber agrees with author Susan Crawford's take. Spot-on Susan!
For the full article, click here:
Allied Fiber understands and agrees with these issues that the United States faces – and we are doing something about it!
The first step is to educate the masses about the reality. Ignorance is our greatest enemy. Beyond enlightenment is where the Plan is executed.
Keep on going Susan!
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A recent Telegeography news report entitled, "Switch it off, switch it on again: internet 'restored' in Syria" highlights the role that physical infrastructure plays in the Internet and all networks. It is the central component. Without it, there is no Internet and apparently no revolution.
The vulnerability of total loss, whether by nature, or man-made occurrence, is real and the results can be catastrophic on many levels potentially even determining the future of a country.
To read the full article, click here:
It is more than just worth noting, it is alarming how the subsea cable community can be so well aware and organized as to avoid specific places due to political unrest, geological issues, network congestion and avoidance of outright surveillance and data interception. Nothing brings the reality of these actions to light more than this article.
Light Reading
Avoiding Egypt: Where Cables Fear to Dredge
Peering is local. It always will be. The world is literally in the 1st inning of IP networking. For thise that don't know, the Allied Fiber model drives the ability to provide peering/caching further down in to smaller markets which has inherent, proven benefits.
Just as Africa has cut out routing through the USA and now goes through Europe it will one day keep its local traffic local, but only after the infrastructure has been built to support it.
The following article by Bill St. Arnaud explores this further.
"Up to 98% of Internet traffic now consists of content that can be cached locally on servers"
[It is interesting to see this report from Analysys Mason that
confirms my analysis several years ago that most Internet traffic is
moving to the edge delivered by Content Distribution Networks (CDN)
delivered at Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) around the world. "In a
paper released yesterday, UK analyst firm Analysys Mason estimates
that 98 percent of internet traffic now consists of content that can
be stored on servers, such as streaming video or web pages. These
servers can be located in multiple locations around the world, and
then delivered to users faster and at lower cost. The result is a
shift in usage patterns and global Internet traffic flows. This
combined with deeper penetration of IXPs and caching means that the
way traffic flows across networks is changing too. The paper was
written to persuade governments that the proposed ITU regulatory
changes would hinder the growth of the web, but the report is well
worth reading as a way of understanding how the web has changed over
time. For example, 70% of international Internet bandwidth originating
in Africa went to the USA in 1999, but by 2011 this figure had plunged
to less than 5% as bandwidth shifted to Europe. Now, content is
increasingly being stored on servers in Africa, where it can be
accessed domestically or regionally."
"Applying unwarranted static voice regulations to the dynamic
Internet would negatively impact users across the globe and slow or
reverse current growth trends. Furthermore, the rate regime system
would be difficult to design and expensive to implement, and even then
would increase the cost of content delivery and hinder network
investment at the expense of end users."
It is not only CDNs but commercial clouds and social software
services like Facebook, Twitter, etc are part of this evolution. This
evolution in Internet traffic will have a major impact on Internet
architectures, addressing and naming. Please see
for more details. Research and Education networks can play a critical
role in developing open standards for CDN networks to distribute
research, education and public broadcast TV and radio. Please see my
previous blog on this subject
For example At the last NANOG (North American Network Operators
Group) meeting in Vancouver CBC engineers gave a great presentation on
how they use Akamai and other CDNs (Content Distribution Networks) to
deliver CBC TV and Radio content over the Internet in Canada and
around the world.
This type of delivery of CBC broadcast content is called OTT (Over
The Top) is the same technique used by Netflix. OTT is critically
important in Canada, especially for Canadian broadcast content and
cultural material as we continue to see media consolidation in Canada
(re Bell takeover of Astral media). The larger commercial telcos and
cablecos hate OTT, have little interest in supporting Canadian
broadcast content, other than that they are required to carry by
regulation. When we eventually relax our foreign ownership
restrictions on telecom and cable, there will be greater push by
telcos and cablecos to be relieved of all Canadian content
restrictions. OTT may be the only way we can insure that a Canadian
voice will be heard in the future multi-media cacophony of competing
services delivered over the Internet.
IXPs as being developed by the Canadian Internet Registration
Authority (CIRA) and a number of regional networks will be critical
for delivering Canadian content OTT via CIRA's integrated of Akamai
with the IXP. Smaller ISPs and community networks who have a vested
interested in promoting Canadian values and content need to
distinguish themselves from the oligopolistic telcos and cablecos .
CIRA's leadership in deploying IXPs across Canada employing Akamai
CDN will be critical for the survival of those smaller ISPs and who
believe OTT is the future of delivery of broadcast content.
Gigacom on Analysys Mason Report
100 Terabytes a Day: How CBC Delivers Content to Canadians
How does Canada's Public broadcaster deliver content to millions of
users a day as efficiently as possible?
This talk will touch upon the technologies, systems, and policies
used at CBC to deliver high quality streaming audio, video, and web
content as quickly and cheaply as possible to Canadians:
- Using CDNs to bring the content as close as possible to end users
- The nature of "news" generated network traffic and how to prepare
for it.
- Why peering with CBC directly (or any news organization) might be a
bad idea.
- Front End Optimizations (FEO) that are done to ensure minimal
traffic/bw usage between end users and the origin.
- Caching and how to best take advantage of it.
This talk will give attendees a look at how a large news organization
manages and deals with unpredictable network traffic at the
application level.
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It should come as no surprise to anyone in the world that practically everyone in the world wants and needs faster connectivity. Most people outside of Zimbabwe might not know, or care about what is going on there, but it is quite telling. As remote and disconnected to some as this country may seem there exists a clear vision and path to an interconnected future. The basic elements are in place and now begins the path to execution.
For all of those too busy, or too smart to care to notice, there are many places just as remote and disconnected right here in the USA. If your response is, "Well, that's why I don't live there", consider that those Americans contribute to the GDP of the country and a stronger US economy means your life wherever you do live improves as theirs does. A logical and methodical investment in fiber to enable global connectivity is the way forward for everyone. Just ask Zimbabwe.
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This is the perfect example of how in this industry everyone uses the same words and terms, but also have different definitions for them.
Apparently some carriers intentionally use words and terms very loosely purely for marketing reasons.
Other words, like Broadband, are poorly defined in the public marketplace, but get very specifically defined in State legislatures by incumbent carriers as a very low-speed, copper-based service to protect the incumbent's interests and, or as something that is "illegal" for certain entities, such as municipalities, to provide themselves.
Fiber is such a word. It has no single meaning, or definition when referenced in the context of a product, or service provided by a carrier. The word fiber could mean dark, lit, or managed and it says nothing of the age, type, count, access points, cost of the fiber, or if it is aerial, or underground. These are the critical details that make all of the difference.
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Look around the US and it is unfortunately easy to find unhappy people that are not satisfied with their current situations. Wireless service is on that list. Sadly, although everyone seeks better options, there do not happen to be any at the moment. A clear plan to "create" options, which by the way also creates jobs, creates productivity and creates GDP growth, is in high demand.
Read on for an excerpt from the report.
More Than 50 Percent of Consumers Are Unhappy With Their
Wireless Provider in New Study From U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular Launches New Campaign to Help Those in
Dysfunctional Wireless Relationships
CHICAGO, July 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A study announced today by
U.S. Cellular (NYSE:USM) indicates that 43 percent of individuals are
in the "seven year itch" phase with their wireless provider, noting
they are comfortable but suspect they are missing out on something
better. Out of the 1,208 participants polled across four regions of the
country, 56 percent of the respondents admitted to being unhappy with
their carrier over the past year but only 35 percent of all respondents
have ever broken up with their provider. In spite of this overall
dissatisfaction, respondents are hesitant to call it quits. It's no
secret that people are frustrated with their wireless experience, but
people tolerate less because they don't believe there is a better
option. More than one-third (37 percent) of respondents say they stick
with their current provider because they believe all carriers are the
same, it is too much trouble to switch carriers, or they don't want to
sign a new contract.
For the complete report, visit the following link, http://www.uscellular.com/about/press-room/2012/MORE-THAN-50-PERCENT-OF-CONSUMERS-ARE-UNHAPPY-WITH-THEIR-WIRELESS-PROVIDER-IN-NEW-STUDY-FROM-USCELLULAR.html.
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There is no fiber glut and those that ignore reality will find themselves on the outside looking in to the rest of the world that has made the proper plans and investment.
Every element of the fiber network globally needs a proper plan and investment. It is not just one country, or another – aside from those that already have a plan underway. It is not wireless verses wired, it is not just FTTP, FTTT, or fiber to the data center. It is a need for fiber everywhere.
Wired's recent article 'UK plans for superfast broadband neither super nor fast' takes a look at the fiber need further. Here is the link to the complete story: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-03/22/uk-superfast-broadband-is-neither-super-nor-fast
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This recent article from CNN Money is very curious. http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/21/technology/spectrum_crunch/
The issue with spectrum is that it has been misallocated and is therefore being inefficiently utilized. Yes, it is finite, but that is all the more reason to treat it carefully.
The thought that this somehow sunk up on us, has taken America by surprise and that no one anticipated it may be partially true, but is a "Chicken Little", "sky is falling" attitude. With proper planning it can be managed.
What is ironic is that there is concept held by some of a fiber glut in the USA, but at the same time there is a wireless spectrum exhaust. Neither are accurate statements.
In reality there is plenty of spectrum, it is just being misused, and there is actually a scarcity of dark fiber available for lease by any and all network operators – including wireless carriers. Unlike spectrum, dark fiber cannot be created just by signing a license agreement, as it is for the airwaves. Spectrum is a Right of Way in the air just as a duct is in dirt Right of Way.
Wireless in the mobile device definition is obviously very convenient and desirable, but it requires fiber for backhaul in order for it to work. So again, the irony is that the article never mentions the need for fiber beyond getting the spectrum issue sorted out which is odd because if a national fiber plan for Fiber to the Tower existed it too would easy the pain of spectrum exhaust by making the spectrum more locally efficient. With more wireless access points fed by fiber there are less mobile users vying for airwave capacity on a long distance basis letting the fiber do that work.
The bottom line is that we need a real, national plan for spectrum as well as dark fiber and physical layer interconnection and colocation in order for the USA to effectively manage demand and its disparate need to add jobs, grow productivity and GDP to be competitive on the global stage. One without the other is not going to produce the results.
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Cowen Group had a conference call to review the DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit against AT&T with Telecom lawyer, Andy Lipman of Bingham McCutchen. Below is the overview of this call as well as feedback from Hunter Newby, CEO of Allied Fiber.
Takeaways from DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit Review Call
Conclusion. Yesterday, we hosted a conference call with Andy Lipman who heads the telecom practice and Frank Lamancusa who specializes in enforcement at the law firm Bingham McCutchen. The purpose of the call was to discuss the announcement by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that it has decided to file an antitrust lawsuit to block AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA (Tmo). The DOJ stated that it was concerned that approving the transaction would reduce competition resulting in higher prices, poorer quality services, and fewer choices/innovative products for consumers. Our key takeaways from the call are summarized below. While we continue to believe the fundamental outlook for standalone AT&T is improving and that its 6.2% dividend yield is highly attractive, we believe continued uncertainty surrounding the deal including potentially having to pay Tmo a sizable break-up fee (see below) will continue to weigh on the stock. Maintain Neutral rating.
Unlikely that lawsuit is being used as a bargaining chip. While some may view the lawsuit by the DOJ as a bargaining chip, Mr. Lipman believes this is unlikely for several reasons including 1) the DOJ is seeking a permanent injunction as opposed to a preliminary injunction, 2) the team that the DOJ has assembled to preside over the case includes top litigators as well as a trial specialist, and 3) in his opinion the complaint filed was well drafted, implying that the decision was well thought out. While AT&T has stated that it expects divestitures and has agreed that the $39B deal price would not change if divestitures were below $3.9B, and could not walk away if divestures were below $7.8B, it appears the DOJ did not feel divestures alone would be enough to maintain a competitive environment noting in the complaint that the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) suggests that 96 of the top 100 markets were overly concentrated and in 15 markets the combined company would have >50% market share.
It is more economical for AT&T to fight than to walk away. AT&T released a statement noting that it was surprised by the lawsuit and that it plans to ask for an expedited hearing and that the company intends to contest the matter in court. While Mr. Lipman noted that AT&T has not been formally served and has 21 days to respond he believes it will try to meet with the judge over the next several days. Considering the large break-up fee associated with the transaction which we estimate in total to be ~$6B we are not at all surprised that AT&T has chosen to go to trial. Recall, the break fee includes three parts including 1) AT&T would pay Deutsche Telekom $3B, 2) AT&T would transfer highly valuable AWS spectrum to Tmo that covers 110 markets, including 17 of the top 30, and 3) AT&T would sign an attractively priced wholesale 3G roaming contract with Tmo giving them coverage outside their current ~220 POPs.
A decision could still come in 1H12. While Mr. Lipman stated that the government has historically won the majority of cases that have gone to trial, he also referenced the Oracle/PeopeSoft (2005) and Whole Foods/Wild Oats (2007) mergers that ended up in court but were eventually approved. He believes that the trial will likely take an extensive amount of time especially when considering the amount of economic issues that will be heavily debated such as how to look at competition on either a local (AT&T) or national (DOJ) basis as well as how many providers are needed for a market to be considered competitive. Mr. Lipman also views the Oracle case which lasted about seven months from complaint filing to court decision as a decent estimate as to how long the trial could take. This would imply that the merger could still hypothetically be approved in 1H12, which would still be in-line with AT&T's original time frame.
FCC is likely to reach same decision as DOJ. Yesterday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski released a statement noting that his agency also has serious concerns about the impact that the proposed transaction would have on competition although he also pointed out that the agency's process is not complete. Mr. Lipman believes that the FCC was only recently made aware of the lawsuit. Mr. Lipman and Mr. Lamancusa also pointed out that while the DOJ largely focuses on whether or not competition would be harmed when deciding to approve a transaction the FCC is more open to negotiations since they look at variables beyond competition such as efficiencies created through the deal, public safety and broadband build-outs. That said Mr. Lipman believes that while the FCC may simply be at a different point it is likely that they are on the same path as the DOJ. We would point out that the FCC has always come to the same decision as the DOJ.
Hunter Newby Feedback: I have serious concerns about the impact that the litigation will have on infrastructure investment for 4G wireless in the USA, both the timing and scale of it.
I suppose it comes down to the same question, "How long is it supposed to take to do something right?"
The DOJ (and FCC) clearly sees the monopoly/control issue, but must balance that with the need for investment in a real 4G LTE network.
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In South Africa there is FiberCo. They "get it" and are making it happen. Now BT wants in.
Open-access long haul fiber makes sense.
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France – ARCEP Asked to Step in as Fibre Disputes Escalate
It's all about control. The control of fiber. The control of quality. The control of the underlying economics of "broadband" which in any segment if you have enough lit capacity you must control the fiber, or else you don't have a business.
This applies in any country in the world. The larger the country, the more critical physical access is.
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This is the new model, the logical and necessary approach to data center development and deployment. It is one that legacy brick and mortar designs and models do not and cannot have.
In addition, the need for distributed cloud computing is driving the need for distributed data centers for which this is perfectly suited – as long as there is direct access to power and dark fiber.
For more information on this topic, please see Data Center Knowledge's recent article on Modular Data Center demand. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2011/05/13/citing-modular-demand-io-continues-expansion/
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If you connect this article to the Allied Fiber Container/Modular Data Center cartoon it is easy to see that these modular design sites can be shuttled along the Allied Fiber route to wherever the conditions are perfect for any application (inexpensive power, availability of power, tax incentives, state incentives, rebates, job creation, diversity, video distribution, mobile data distribution, peering, low latency, etc.). The power of modular data centers is unleashed through intermediate access to a flexible Nationwide dark fiber system. The combination of the two is unbeatable.
For the complete Data Center Boom article, click here.
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For those that do not believe there is a real, immediate need for new dark fiber investment in every segment of the "global network" take a look at the latest news from TeleGeography in the link below.
The reality is well beyond the investment thesis for new fiber and now has reached a level for those "in the know" that their entire country's economy is tied to the connectivity thus in addition to new fiber there are now new laws protecting that fiber.
The rest of the world can, should and hopefully will follow the lead of Uruguay.
Submarine cable risk from vessels given 'das boot' by new regs
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The Heartland Institute's article titled "AT&T Acquisition of T-Mobile Seen As Boon for Customers, Competitors" by Phil Britt included comments I provided on the topic. This article can be found at the following link, http://www.heartland.org/full/29637/ATT_Acquisition_of_TMobile_Boon_for_Customers_and_Competitors.html Below is some additional feedback on AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile and the impact it will have on the United States.
I believe the AT&T/T-Mobile deal is good for the USA and good for consumers in the medium-long term.
Many individuals are focusing on the immediate impact of consumer mobile service. They are shortsighted. Yes, there will be one less choice for service (for now) which may lead to higher prices, etc, but the real issue is the challenge of justifying the CAPEX/OPEX to grow a proper 4G network in the geography of the USA. This is what we really need as opposed to being stuck at 3G service, but having lots of inexpensive offerings from several providers. We can't have it both ways today. There is a price to pay.
The fact is that DT wasn't spending/going to spend the CAPEX necessary to get to 4G LTE across the entire USA. They have no justification for it. They really only have mobile in the USA. T-Systems uses Type II for backhaul and really only for PoP-to-PoP (60-1 Wilshire) and large enterprise customer tails. They have no other business lines here unlike AT&T which has FTTH, wireline, video, mobile, data centers, etc. Therefore for every dollar DT spent for mobile backhaul in the USA was 100% allocated to that purpose. AT&T can spend $1 and allocate funds for transport across many business units by combining purposes and bringing down the effective cost. Also, with one less provider there is less churn, so they have a better chance of keeping their 40% mobile market share and getting a ROI.
Why would AT&T spend the non-recurring cost's (CAPEX) to get FTTT only to have T-Mobile piggyback on that and get Ethernet backhaul without the upfront spend? It would mean that AT&T's costs are higher, margins are lower and they have enabled a competitor that has no real fiber investment in the USA to trade. AT&T is much less concerned with Verizon Wireless as they cut deals for reciprocal backhaul in the incumbent markets (ie. Verizon Wireless just awarded AT&T the wireless backhaul contract for a 50 mile radius around Atlanta).
The gift for American consumers is that with this near term control AT&T will be able to justify the CAPEX/OPEX increase in spending to get a proper 4G backhaul network in place. This is sort of like "Broadband Relief" in 2003 where the RBOC's received protection for their FTTH investments which led to FiOS, U-verse, only that ATT doesn't build its own FTTT, they usually have a transport provider build it and they lease Ethernet circuits. That's the gift. Once the CAPEX is spent to bring FTTT it is there. As the fiber penetration increases it seeds the towers for future mobile operator entrants that will not have the same mountain to climb. They will be able to enter the USA with only needing capital for the leased lit (OPEX) and not the capital for the builds to the towers (CAPEX). This is a huge savings and what mobile operators in "fiber-developed" countries around the world enjoy today.
Inside this deal is the secret that no one knows, or is willing to talk about – the USA's position in the world for broadband is driven by the size and population of the country (population density) and the cost to build, maintain and operate the network which are directly related.
This is actually the exact formula for how to determine why every other country is where they are on the OECD list. In larger, more populated countries there are fewer providers, higher prices, lower levels of service speed and lower penetration levels as a result of the ratio.
I believe this deal is a necessary step in getting the USA to where it needs to be in the world – at the top.
Hunter Newby, CEO, Allied Fiber
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Below is a link to an article from the online issue of the great AGL Magazine. It covers lightRadio, AlcatelLucent's technology that is making waves with its form-factor design for the airwaves.
A section of the article…
"….lightRadio is somewhat of a DAS system implementation, seemingly protocol agnostic and connected by fiber back to the network smarts point."
I like this point, "by fiber." Reads like "buy fiber" to me, or "build fiber," but for sure "access to fiber" is essential.
The point is that in order to get in to the fully meshed, fully redundant mobile cloud world there needs to be a very logical, systematic investment in real, physical infrastructure. These advances are a part of the natural evolutionary process that is always occurring.
The mention of fiber in a wireless context has been somewhat taboo – up until now. It seems as if the world is waking up to the reality that the two do and must co-exist in order for mobility to function properly end to end.
This is all good! Now let's build something logical!
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According to an article in the New York Times, "In the United States, costs would come down if several companies shared the financial burden of putting fiber into the ground and then competed on the basis of services built on top of the shared assets. That would bring multiple competitors into the picture, pushing down prices."
This is a good article comparing the USA to Hong Kong
I know Niq Lai, CFO City Telecom. We sat on a panel together at an Oppenheimer conference last year.
Population density is one part, but geography is the other. Proximity factors in to costs. That's why HK can have a gig for $26. Everyone is jammed in there.
Population | Size in Sq KM | Population/sq km | |
Hong Kong | 7,003,700 | 1095 | 6396 |
That's quite a difference. The USA is a "country" and it is compared to other countries of much smaller size therefore they have an advantage when it comes to a capital plan for fiber to everything and real broadband everywhere.
Maybe a better comparison to Hong Kong in the USA would be the cities of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago
Population | Size in Sq KM | Population/sq km | |
Chicago | 2,851,268 | 606 | 4705 |
Hong Kong | 7,003,700 | 1095 | 6396 |
NYC looks to be the closest in population and size, but is there a provider like City Telecom / HKBN in New York offering 1 Gig for $26 per month? No.
It is difficult to imagine how 8 million Gigs would get on to the public Internet even if there were such a service and provider. The end user might have 1 Gig of "broadband access" from their home, but they certainly would not have 1 Gig of "Internet Access".
The Internet is a collection of networks and all links, the ends plus the middle (core) must have the capacity to deliver the speed, or the entire thing does not operate at the same rate.
Once people figure this out rational, logical discussions can begin to occur.
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Nintendo subsidiary The Pokemon company has released a Pokedex app for iOS, allowing buyers to browse information on more than 650 different Pokemon.
The Pokedex app is, according to Pocket Gamer, essentially a port of Pokedex 3D Pro for the Nintendo 3DS. For the moment it is only available through the Japanese App Store.
The app costs 170 Yen (around £1.49), although Pocket Gamer says that in order to access the full database user must also buy four additional Dex of Pokemon profiles, at a cost of 500 Yen a piece.

subset: commoncrawl


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George J. Hunzinger was perhaps the most progressive American furniture designer of the second half of the nineteenth century. He secured tw...
Hiroshige's One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Hiroshige's 118 woodblock landscape and genre scenes of mid-nineteenth-century Tokyo, is one of the greatest achievements of Japanese art.
On View: Cylindrical Stand for Offering Table
This object, like the tall cylinder to the right, may have been a container but was more probably used as a stand for a disk-shaped stone of...
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052
Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum
Wednesday: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Friday–Sunday: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.


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Adventure Passport Grand Prize Draw
Thank you to all who completed the 2014 Adventure Passport and Special Thank You to ALL 74 Sponsors!!
2014 Grand Prize Winners!
1. 5 nights by the campfires
Min. 12 Stops.
Winner: Joanne Lippert, Cargill
2. Stay, Cruise and Dine
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Simon Costley, Burlington
3. Cultural Retreat
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Stan Vanalstine, Owen Sound
4. Dine in the Bruce
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Steve Sherphers, Kincardine
5. 3 Year Seasons Pass
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Julie Alchison, Hepworth
6. Trust us, It's Big Kincardine Prize Package
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: K. Eby, Southampton
7. Anchor in the Tub
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: John Dutchesen, Holland Centre
8. 2 Nights at Sauble River
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Rose Caton, Kitchener
9. Dine in the Vines and a Bruce County Canvas
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Jeremy Weber, London
10. Summer House Park Mini Getaway
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: John Park, Southampton
11. The Paddle Package
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: John Higgins, Port Elgin
12. Walkerton Outdoor Adventure Package
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Rob Knebel, Fullarton
13. The Bee's Knees Excursion, Queen Quilt Kit
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Hugh Evans, Chatsworth
14. The Bike Prize
Min. 5 Bike Stops.
Winner: Danielle Angel, Paisley
15. The Gold Motorcycle Prize
Min. 7 Motorcycle Stops.
Winner: Jan Cameron, Bognor
16. Silver motorcycle Prize
Min. 7 Motorcycle Stops.
Winner: Jeff Borton, Elmwood
17. Stay, Golf, and Shop
Min. 12 Stops.
Winner: Joanne Tolton, Elmwood
18. 1 weekend Cottage Rental with a guided excursion
Min. 12 Stops.
Winner: Jodi Brenndorfer, Tilsonburg
19. Southampton Stroll Package
Min. 5 Southampton Stroll Stops plus Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Emily Perreira, Kincardine
20. Bruce County Staff Prize
Min. 7 Stops.
Winner: Dean Lachance, Sauble Beach
We will contact all the winners within the next few days!
Have a safe and happy winter! For more information on cross country ski trails or winter festivals visit our winter trips page.
Contest Dates: May 1st – October 31st, 2014
2015 Dates: May 1st, 2015 – October 31st, 2015
Welcome Adventurer!
To date over 66,000 people have used the Adventure Passport to get out there and Explore the Bruce by car, motorcycle, and bicycle and on foot.
This year marks the 10th Anniversary!
This year's passport includes 12 Adventure Passport Stops. The Adventure Passport is a big scavenger hunt all over Bruce County. Participants are to visit a minimum 7 of the 12 Adventure Passport Stops to win an Official Explore the Bruce Adventure Passport T Shirt. Please read each stop carefully and don't be afraid to park your vehicle and run, walk or bike to find the punch.
NEW! This year we have added five new features:
1. Southampton Stroll – Get out of your car and take a stroll around Southampton. Visit all 5 Southampton Stroll punch in order to win the Southampton Stroll Prize, prize value of $1400.00
2. Paddle Punch – This stop is for you hardcore Adventurers. There is a secret Paddle Punch located at by shipwreck along the Sauble River. All you have to do is paddle in get your punch and you will be eligible to win A Kayak package, sponsored by Thorncrest Outfitters.
3. The Bike Tour – Visit a minimum of 5 stops on your bike and take a picture of you by a Passport Box with your helmet on. You will still have to still visit a minimum of 7 stops (all together) to be eligible for an Adventure Passport T Shirt. You will be eligible to win The Bicycle Prize, sponsored by Martin's Bicycle Shop.
4. 2000 Official T Shirts – The first 2000 participants to complete the 2014 Adventure Passports will receive a T Shirt! That's right! You asked for it!
5. Explore the Bruce Exhibit at the Museum – Can you believe it? 10 years ago we launched the 1st ever Adventure Passport. Did you know it started as a school project? Learn more about how the contest evolved at the Bruce County Museum & Culture Centre between June 14 – September 3rd. More information about Adventure Passport Exhibit.
Join our Facebook group. Upload your photos, videos, and share secrets on how you completed your Adventure Passport.
Adventure Passport Facebook Page
Follow us on Twitter. Get updates on what's going on in the Bruce and find the Summer Patrol driving the Explore the Bruce Adventure Tundra to receive your free bonus punch. The Summer Patrol also has tons of instant prizes and the infamous walking sticks. Flash the peace sign to get them to pull over, and please obey the traffic laws!
Don't forget contest ends October 31st, 2014!
Your Adventure Starts Now!


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Cut, rake, bale; cut, rake, bale; cut, rake, bale. Result: lost yield.
Whatever your alfalfa harvest cadence, you get the picture. Research shows it's time to take aim at reducing the stress of 10,000 lbs of heavy metal and rubber on alfalfa plants trip after trip. Why? Yield losses as high as 70% in research plots.
"I was shocked at the amount of yield loss due to wheel damage that we've seen in our first two years of study," says Dan Undersander, University of Wisconsin extension forage agronomist. "That's why a cooperative research effort is under way across six states to collect more data on plant damage and soil compaction caused by specific traffic patterns."
In the two years of trials, Undersander found some big genetic differences among varieties in how they handle traffic. One commonsense belief is that varieties with strong grazing tolerance will be best at handling the stress of wheel traffic.
"We're not just researching grazing-type varieties," Undersander says. "I would say as a general rule that maybe the grazing types will do better in this type of test than others, but that's not necessarily the case.
"For instance, Geneva (not a grazing-type variety) did almost as well as some of the grazing types in our trials," he says.
Will "traffic tolerance" climb to the top of the varietal selection criteria ladder, ranking up there with yield potential and pest resistance?
Jim Moutray, director of research with America's Alfalfa, believes traffic tolerance should be a standard selection trait, "kind of like standard equipment, so to speak," he says. "Traffic occurs on every alfalfa field, and yield loss from wheel damage occurs with every variety, so this is valuable information for every alfalfa producer."
Moutray's company discovered the potential of a traffic trait several years ago while working on grazing tolerance. Now it's marketing several varieties as "traffic tested," and other companies are beginning to follow suit.
Undersander's best advice is to ask companies for research to justify the claims.
"We really don't have enough data at this point about which plant traits help a variety better survive traffic," he says.
"I think maybe there are certain characteristics, such as crown height, that seem logical. Frankly, we haven't identified the traits that are important yet. But this year's six-state project will help us gain this information."
Until more research provides better varietal answers, Undersander lists a few things a farmer can do to better-manage traffic in alfalfa fields:
Avoid unnecessary trips across the field when harvesting.
Consider using larger equipment. This could be another benefit of contract harvesting. However, there's some question about it because, while the wheels of big equipment affect less area, they carry more weight.
Do necessary driving on fields as soon after cutting as possible.


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You might have heard that BSA is once again providing theme based Pack meeting plans for Cub Scout leaders. I think this is a great move. While I didn't use the theme based material much as a den leader, when my husband was Cubmaster we often just went straight to the theme based Pack meeting for our material.
So in addition to the generic core value based Pack meeting plans, there will also be about three different supplemental theme based plans available for each month. While the core value will still be the focus for the month, there will be a set of theme based activities to highlight the core value.
Rumor has it that BSA will be rolling out an Abracadabra theme for January's core value of Positive Attitude some time in the near future. So this month I am going to highlight some ideas to go along with that magic based program theme also. This was one of the Cub Scout monthly program themes a few years back, so I'll dig through my old notes to find what I saved.
This theme will really work out well for the Bears. They can work on Bear Elective 13 – Magic. And requirement e for Bear Achievement 22 – Tying It All Up is "Learn a magic rope trick." And Tigers can use some of this material for Tiger Elective 19 – Magic Fun when they do the requirement to "Learn a magic trick and show it to your family or den. "


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Urban Meyer to Step Down as Gators' Coach
Categories: Sports
From a statement released by the University:
"I have been a Division I football coach for the last 25 years and, during that time, my primary focus has been helping my teams win titles," Meyer said. "I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and I am a fierce competitor to my core. At this time in my life, however, I appreciate the sacrifices my 24/7 profession has demanded of me, and I know it is time to put my focus on my family and life away from the field. The decision to step down was a difficult one."Meyer came to UF in 2005, and racked up a pair of national titles and SEC championships in his time there. Previously he coached at Utah and Bowling Green.
Meyer had previously announced his resignation last year, but quickly changed his mind and instead took a leave of absence. He was back on the sidelines this year.
This announcement, like last years, appears to be related to Meyer's health. Meyer was admitted to a Gainseville hospital shortly after his teams loss in the the 2009 SEC Championship game. Meyer linked many of his health problems to stress.
While trying to rebuild from the loss of star QB Tim Tebow, the Gators had a disappointing 7-5 season. The same record racked up at Miami by Randy Shannon who was fired following a loss to USF.
No word on Meyer's replacement, but it should be interesting to see two of Florida's three traditional power houses on the hunt for a new coach at the same time. There may be a few candidates UM was looking at who may also have interest in the UF job.
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text:
PodonisDragonmaster |
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About Me
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Frank Lozano
Three tenors (Frank, Ted and Donny)
Last night I caught and very much enjoyed the NAC Fourth Stage show of the Frank Lozano Group. The Montreal-based, Ottawa-raised tenor saxophonist (centre) and the boys put on an imaginative, free-wheeling show. -
Take Five: Frank Lozano
Every now and then, Thriving on the Riff will be featuring quick-hit interviews with jazz musicians who are a) coming to Ottawa, and b) willing to indulge me by answering the same tidy set of five questions.


text:
Dictionary » R » Robust Robustrobust 1. Evincing strength; indicating vigorous health; strong; sinewy; muscular; vigorous; sound; as, a robust body; robust youth; robust health. 2. Violent; rough; rude. While romp-loving miss Is hauled about in gallantry robust. (Thomson) 3. Requiring strength or vigor; as, robust employment. Synonym: strong, lusty, sinewy, sturdy, muscular, hale, hearty, vigorous, forceful, sound. Robust, strong. Robust means, literally, made of oak, and hence implies great compactness and toughness of muscle, connected with a thick-set frame and great powers of endurance. Strong denotes the power of exerting great physical force. The robust man can bear heat or cold, excess or privation, and toil on through every kind of hardship; the strong man can lift a great weight, can give a heavy blow, and a hard gripe. Robust, tough sinews bred to toil. . Then 'gan the villain wax so fierce and strong, That nothing may sustain his furious force. (Spenser) Origin: L. Robustus oaken, hard, strong, fr. Robur strength, a very hard kind of oak; cf. Skr. Rabhas violence: cf. F. Robuste. Please contribute to this project, if you have more information about this term feel free to edit this page Results from our forumRe: Lonza MycoAlert testThis assay is quite robust but like all products has a few pitfalls. Questions: 1.) are you using a multifunction plate reader with a luminescence setting or a dedicated cuvette luminometer? 2.) Are you using MycoAlert or MycoAlert ...
See entire post
Re: Is complexity inevitable?... my argument is indeed that in general, complex systems have greater potentiality, which helps them cope with change better, rendering them more robust in the long run. Of course the environment may permit or even force complexity reduction under certain conditions but, in general, variety and ...
See entire post
Re:... staggeringly small. Three things make it likely (maybe even inevitable at large timescales) : that physical laws permit such complexity to be robust, the vastness of the universe and ample time. We haven't seen the rest of the universe, so we have no idea as to how common intelligence is. ...
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Evolution or De-evolution?... over time. Therefore, extrapolating that to organisms should mean starting with nearly immortal and highly adaptable (=more genetically robust) organisms and ending with organism of a relatively short lifespan with highly limited ability to adapt. I am talking about humans and our evolution.
See entire post
Re:... than the bear, just faster than your slowest friend. I can use other terms if you like... Let me rephrase my question: Are we more genetically robust, more mentally agile, better adapted to environment, more physiologically efficient than our ancestors?
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Our little house needs some tweek'in (pic)
As empty nesters we are looking to purchase a small house 794sf which we will use 6months a year. We don't expect houseguest, and if we do, we can use our RV which is parked on the other side of the patio.
I've tried to draw the plan ... but I'm not very professional, but hopefully the layout can be understood.
I keep fighting with two areas of the house and with every inch at a premium I just wonder if there is a way to rework them and ask for your help.
The first is the kitchen. The fridge sits right next to the wall which means we will have difficulty opening the fridge door more than 90o. I would really like to see this changed somehow.
The second is the utility room, we are considering adding a little computer area, but there is so much space - can it be used better? I have considered re-arranging the utility and kitchen, but I don't have the vision.
Finally, and not quite as important, the hallway between the bath and bedroom is really wide.. about 5', can this space be improved upon???
I should also mention the main/front door is near the bedroom and we are considering adding the second door to stop the walking thru the L.R. which I have drawn next to the kitchen
I cannot move the exterior walls (we are on a slab), but I think we can modify some of the interior walls. So, my question: Can improvements be made to improve the flow, maximize space and enjoy our little house even more??
Thanks in advance for the help
Here is a link that might be useful:
I'm not sure about how to fix the fridge issue -- maybe swap the location of the fridge and the range? But then (unless you get a counter-depth fridge) you've got the fridge sticking out in the middle of a run of cabinets.
Regarding the hall to the bedroom: How about taking the short wall that has the bathroom door and moving it in toward the hall so it is along the other side of the box that holds the HVAC. This leaves room for another linen closet in the bath, or facing the hall.
Then, get rid of the second door to the patio that opens off the short hallway -- just make it a window. Then, take the window from the bedroom onto the porch and make it a door onto the porch. It would make more sense to access the porch from the bedroom than from an odd spot in the hall.
It would help a lot to know which of your walls are load bearing and which are not, and therefore free to come down if you do decide to reconfigure things. For instance, the wall between the Utility room and kitchen - if it were to come down, you might have a whole new option for how your kitchen's laid out and the fridge might well be able to move (along with other things). A good kitchen designer (from a dedicated kitchen 'store') could advise you best once you know if you can tap into all the U. room space or not. And the same might even apply to the door/bedroom problem. You're not going to figure out all possibilities just by looking at them hard (tried it, too untrained to see the whole picture as it could be!) but someone in the business could come up with scenarios you never thought possible and it could be worth calling on 'designers' (not decorators), who will be less expensive than architects, but still trained to see more options (if they're any good) than we are.
I would 1. Enclose the W/D behind wooden louvered bi-fold doors if there is enough room/depth. 2. Assuming the wall between the kitchen and laundry is load-bearing, completely open the wall from the closet to the other side leaving only a foot of wall left. 3. Install a laminated "I-beam" header, frame it out, and have a 12" deep cupboard built-in accross the newly-made 5'10" wide X 12" deep niche...with lit-up glass-front doors for display on the top over a counter that could provide extra serving space for the dining table, and lower cabinets for extra pantry storage, etc. Then, next to it, in the current niche in the kitchen area, either a built-in counter to make a desk under the window, or if there is not enough space, possibly a built-in window seat w/storage. This leaves the fridge where it is. When I moved into my small house 6 years ago, I was very concerned about the same problem; my fridge was in the same corner and my side door is right next to it, where the door to your laundry is located. I found a GE Profile stainless steel refrigerator with features that made the placement work. There is only 2 3/4" space on the right which allows for greater than 90 degree opening. The door is hinged on the right, obviously, and the bottom freezer rolls out. The fridge opens enough to fully extend both crispers, but it doesn't open enough to allow the right-hand crisper to be pulled completely out -BUT after the left hand crisper is removed, the right-hand one SLIDES to the left, allowing full removal of both. Other refrigerators may now offer these features. Frankly, despite all my initial concerns, I had completely forgotten that this was once an issue for me until I read your post! I like your idea of moving the front door as it will be away from opening next to the bathroom, and will allow closer access to the patio from the kitchen. Jakabedy's idea is great, to switch the door and window if there is enough room in the bedroom, and if you would feel safe with a door in your bedroom - a french door would be pretty. The present arrangement you have with the space between your bedroom and bath seems really nice! There is room for artwork or family photo's on the walls, or maybe a corner bookcase. Please keep everyone posted on your decisions! - Penny.
If the wall next to the refrig is not load bearing I would get rid of it. Leave the refrig where it is and than put a built in desk area to the right of it. I would get rid of the door between the laundry and kitchen and close off the space at the other end of the utility room from where the desk would be for the laundry. Does that make sense?
Speaking completely off the cuff, I would knock down the wall between the utility room and kitchen and if possible move the w/d to the other end of what is now the utility space, enclosing it in a closet. (Our "laundry room" is about 5x5' and is perfectly sufficient, and will be even more so once we get someone in to stack the machines.) I am told that the French-door style fridges are much more comfortable to use in tight spaces than regular ones and much more efficient for storage than regular side-by-sides.
I would completely eliminate the exterior door that opens onto the vestibule by the bedroom and replace it with a window. (BTW, that vestibule's corner is perfect place for a tall block of shallow cabinets to work as a linen closet.) I would relocate the main entrance to the middle window in the living room, below where you have the outward-swinging door on this floorplan, although if you have the budget for it a wall of French-door type windows there with one as the entrance would be positively dee-lish.
Consider using laptop(s) and a wireless Internet connection instead of a space-eating desktop computer. They are IMO SO much more space-efficient for small houses because you can just stuff them in a cabinet or the bottom shelf of an end table when you're not using them! There are folding laptop desks that can pop behind a chair when not in use, and Ikea has one that folds up to slip under the couch.


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My first impression after I grudgingly finished the article was one of insult. Not my being insulted, mind you, but insulting to Mayor Suarez and Jorge Mas Canosa. It's incredible to me that Mullin cannot come to grips with the idea of Mayor Suarez making an individual decision based on what he feels is the right thing to do.
The problem some people are having is in trying to understand how a politician in Miami, accepted by the Miami Herald as mainstream, has the audacity to actually scrutinize the Herald.
It really takes a cynical mind to have to find an ulterior motive for the decision Mayor Suarez made. The easiest action for Mayor Suarez to have taken is to pander to the Herald the way every politician panders when they have something to hide and are afraid to get attacked. Since he has nothing to hide, he was able to look at the situation objectively, and he decided to take the courageous, moral road.
It will truly be a sad world when community leaders cannot make decisions without considering what the Herald's retribution may be. The Herald has become South Florida's dictator, not heroic men that have given up most of their lives for a cause like Jorge Mas Canosa.
Mullin works for a paycheck by smearing people like Mayor Suarez and Mas Canosa. I don't think that is what the founders of this country had in mind when they fought for freedom of speech.
New Times must go beyond one-sided, distorted, and insulting articles. I challenge New Times to interview all parties involved, not just those with a political axe to grind.
Jorge A. Alvarez
Rafael Navarro, in his review of the film My Cousin Vinny ("Meatball Hero Up the Wazoo," March 18), writes: "And, of course, there's good ol' Alabama racism."
There is no love lost between Alabama racism and me, but who does Navarro think he is? Mr. Spic-and-span? He complains about racism but calls me a "meatball." He's all wet. Back in Alabama they also make fun of Yankee racism.
Don't fall for it if he claims that some of his best friends are "Eye-talians."
Mario TreCoglioni
Tsk, tsk. All you people picking on Rafael Navarro. He's okay, even if he does believe there are caribou in Vietnam, not to mention in Apocalypse Now.
Maidel Barrett
I am an acting apprentice for the Education Department at the Coconut Grove Playhouse. I must admit that I read with relish the very insightful expose by Sean Rowe and Steven Almond of the evildoings of the Playhouse ("Backstage Drama," March 11). I should let you know, however, that the struggling theater community in this city has known for a long time what was revealed to your readership.
We theater people are supposed to seek truth constantly in our profession, but hastily turn our cheek when questions of our own artistic integrity come up. Therefore, "justice" in the arts is very rare. Those who can change things for the better don't want to make waves, and everybody else doesn't give a damn. For example, after gulping through the article that for weeks they knew was going to come out, the actors around me looked up from their papers and chanted methodically, "Well, at least there will be changes." But will there?
The late and great theater practitioner Peter Brook coined a word for theaters like the Coconut Grove Playhouse. That word is "deadly." However, "Backstage Drama" summarized only half of the definition of a deadly theater. Not only is the Playhouse an artistically defunct "road show" house where the talent is imported and the shows are trivial and tired, but the audience (which, by Brooks's definition, accounts for one-half of a theater's existence) is also the kind of audience that comes to see the theater for all the wrong reasons: people come out of a cultural obligation to see live theater.
The thing they don't realize is that the true essence of why we go to see theater has been long lost. Senior citizens (who, by the way, account for the majority of the box office at the Playhouse) come out to see nostalgia. Yuppie husbands come because their wives nagged them to. They don't come any more for the real reasons - that a theatrical experience should be like no other and that it should present truth; and they can't anyway, because this theater fails to give it to them. So here is our truly deadly scenario: Actors on-stage performing lies to people in the house who are there because of lies.
However, in the light of this morose portrait that I paint, there is a small but powerful fact of the Playhouse that ironically escaped your observations. In the womb of this deadly theater there is a small but strong voice for hope, and it is in the educational programs. The article, although understandably on the offensive about evildoings in the administration and the lack of artistic clout in the productions, failed to mention the activities of the only aspect of the Playhouse that has been consistently profitable since Judith Delgado took it over.


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English translation of: KHIMIYA PRIRODNYCH SOEDINENIJ
Vols. 36-49. New York, 2000-2013. Reprint. $ 9900
- CHEMISTRY OF NATURAL COMPOUNDS explores the structures of the various classes of natural compounds - the chemical characteristics of botanical families, genus and species - to better understand the comparative laws, as well as the connection between the structures of substances.
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> Disney Reveals More Dream Details
Date Published: January 26, 2010
More current news for Disney Cruise Line:
Disney Cruise Line Brings Star Wars to Sea in 2016
Disney Cruise Line
Profile and Reviews
Cruise News
Disney Reveals More Dream Details
Disney Cruise Line
today trickled out more details on its upcoming
Disney Dream
-- the family line's first new ship in over a decade. The AquaDuck, the industry's first "watercoaster," which was unveiled at a special
last fall, will actually be part of a full sports deck and water play area.
What else can you expect onboard?
Golf Lessons with Goofy and his son, Max.
A nine-hole miniature golf course on Goofy's Sports Deck (Deck 13) will offer special tee-off points -- one easier and one a bit more challenging -- so both novice and experienced players can participate. Each hole will have two tee boxes: Goofy's (for more experienced golfers) and Max's (for beginners). At each tee box, a "lesson" placard helps guide golfers based on their level of expertise. The examples include "Handling a dog leg," where guests avoid a fire hydrant and use Pluto's dog bone to guide them to the hole and "Stuck in the rough," where Goofy demonstrates how to avoid the tall turf -- and a pesky lawn mower. The big-eared characters themselves will often show up to play.
Goofy's Sports Deck also features two digital sports simulators -- soccer, tennis, basketball, golf and more -- where guests can kick, swing and throw, virtually (no more losing the ball!). Also, there are two mini-sized sports courts, called Max's Courts, for younger kids to engage in group sports play. Other features include a walking track, full-court basketball (that can double as a mini soccer pitch or volleyball court), table tennis and foosball.
Enhanced Quiet Cove area for adults.
Disney spokesman Jason Lasecki tells us that more water features have been added to the adults-only Quiet Cove based on guest feedback. The Quiet Cove areas on Disney's current ships feature both a pool and a shallow "wading" area -- just a couple of inches of water -- for kicking back in loungers. Because the latter feature is so popular, the Quiet Cove area on Disney Dream will feature three water settings, all circular in shape -- a four-foot plunge pool; a six-inch sunbathing pool that Lasecki describes as a "cold" hot tub, with built-in benches to sit on and misters; and a Quiet Cove Pool with a "splash up" bar at the shallow end, so guests can get a beverage without having to get out and dry off.
Nemo's Reef "water park" for the tykes.
Children get their own water park area, too, themed to Disney's "Finding Nemo" film. Features in this shaded 1,500-square-foot spot include moving, interactive water sprayers, such as Pearl the octopus; an undulating water "curtain" that mimics the East Australian Current; and a pint-sized water slide, shaped like Mr. Ray, a smiling stingray from the movie.
This news comes just a few weeks after Disney announced a total overhaul of its family programming, eliminating age restrictions for its onboard programming and categorizing activities by interests instead. For more information on the changes -- and a firsthand account from a family of four who just gave the program a go on
Disney Wonder
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Trendwatch: Disney Cruise Line's Revolutionary Changes in Kids Programming
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Dale Doggett
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I started researching the Doggett family and have traced back to our emigrant ancestor, the Rev. Benjamin Doggett In addition, I'm researching the other surnames on my families list. Any information would be appreciated. I am also willing to share the information that I have. This is still a work in progress. |
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text:
Upgrade or replace your 70 oz (2L) reservoir with the Antidote® Reservoir -- the ultimate cure for dehydration.
The new Antidote Reservoir with Quick Link™ System - the ultimate cure for dehydration.
Antidote features:
NOTE: Antidote reservoir spec varies in packs, as some do not include the Quick Link System. Please check the specific pack's reservoir details for Quick Link spec. All Antidote reservoirs sold as a separate accessory include the Quick Link System.
RESERVOIR CLEANING The best way to care for your reservoir is to clean and dry it after every use, especially if you fill the reservoir with anything other than water. However, if a reservoir has not been cleaned after every use, and mold or discoloration develops:
These steps will make your reservoir safe for use. If there are still spots left behind, these are permanent mold stains that may not be removable. However, your reservoir is still safe and usable after you've cleaned it.
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Lack of instructions
By Ted
from London, UK
About Me Casual/ Recreational
Best Uses
Comments about CamelBak Antidote® Reservoir 70 oz/2.0L:
No instructions in the pack on how to use. The photograph is actually misleading since it shows the product upside down for drying, shows a component that isn't included (the hanger) and does not show the tube connected. The photo on your website makes it much clearer but it's not on or in the packaging.


text:
Newt Gingrich biggest geek in GOP primary race, says Scientific American
(Read article summary)Newt Gingrich – also known as 'Newt Skywalker' – topped the Scientific American ranking of six GOP candidates. Ron Paul came in third.
Newt Gingrich – a.k.a. "Newt Skywalker" – is by far the biggest geek in the GOP presidential field, according to a Scientific American ranking.
Mitt Romney comes in second, and Ron Paul is third among the six candidates reviewed.
The ranking makes much of Gingrich's immersion in science fiction, including his love of Issac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. Here's what Newt wrote about this seminal work while he was Speaker of the House in 1996:
While Toynbee was impressing me with the history of civilizations, Isaac Asimov was shaping my view of the future in equally profound ways….For a high school student who loved history, Asimov's most exhilarating invention was the 'psychohistorian' Hari Seldon. The term does not refer to Freudian analysis but to a kind of probabilistic forecasting of the future of whole civilizations. The premise was that, while you cannot predict individual behavior, you can develop a pretty accurate sense of mass behavior. Pollsters and advertisers now make a good living off the same theory.


text:
We stayed there for 4 nights and had excursions in Cefalu, Afrigento and Castelamare. It has all you need - nice bathroom, good beds and the rooms are charming and nice size. Free parking is just 50 m away. For breakfast dont expect much. Every day they serve juice, coffe, tea and great croissant.
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Priceline and Odigeo so you can book your Jardin de France reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Jardin De France Palermo, Sicily


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When the Framingham police responded to a call just before 2 a.m. last month that a house had been egged, the culprits weren't juveniles, but experienced, off-duty Newton police officers. Newton officials would not provide the names of the officers or specify how they were disciplined, saying it was a personnel matter.
However, two of the officers involved have been disciplined before and will receive harsher punishments.
The agency is also dealing separately with one off-duty officer who was drunk, he said.
Reached on Friday, the mayor sounded fatigued over the number of behavior issues that have involved the police department in recent months. The city has been billed as one of the safest in America.
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Review: Play at TheatreWorks in Memphis examines voting rights, sacrifice
Prior to last November's election, several states were criticized for making changes to their election procedures, such as requiring a valid photo ID to vote or reducing the number of early voting days. To liberals at least, these tactics smacked of old-fashioned voter suppression.
These days, making it easier for people to vote may not seem like a pressing national matter.
But historically, hindering minority voters has been so critical to people in power that it took four hard-fought Constitutional amendments to arrive at a point in American history when men and women, age 18 or older, of any color, can vote without being taxed for it.
The right to vote is, in a way, the heart of the stage drama "The Left Hand Singing," now running at TheatreWorks.
Barbara Lebow's play is set during the Freedom Summer movement of 1964, when hundreds of college students and activists, mostly from northern states, flooded into Mississippi to help black people register to vote. White politicians in the heavily African-American state had many schemes to retain power: poll taxes, literacy tests and widespread voter intimidation.
When that didn't work, locals turned to violence, even murder.
Death — let's call it a kind of martyrdom — links two separate struggles in this drama of idealism. On one side of the TheatreWorks stage, three college kids debate whether to go to Mississippi for the summer. Black, white and Jewish, they envision a utopian America just on the horizon. In the bubble of a dorm room, they listen to classical music on the record player, giggle over people's funny accents and see themselves as the future of the country.
On the other half of the stage, three of their parents — also black, white and Jewish — come together in the aftermath of the students' journey to Mississippi.
Their kids have vanished without a trace.
The parents have some of their children's idealism, but find themselves stumbling over themselves at times.
On the kids' side, black student Honey (Noby Edwards) isn't convinced that she'll do much good in Mississippi, while Jewish student Linda (Leerin Campbell) has an almost romantic notion of the trip. Both are persuaded to go by white law student Wesley (Ian Goodwin), the son of a liberal-minded preacher.
After the disappearance, the preacher (S.A. Weakley) looks for spiritual meaning in his son's fatal mission. The Jewish mother, Bea (Karin Barile), devotes her life to liberal causes, even though her friendship with Honey's mom, Maddy (Claire Kolheim) experiences road bumps and misunderstandings.
Directed by Playhouse on the Square's Dave Landis, "The Left Hand Singing" is not the most focused of scripts or productions. Overly sentimental in places, and plodding in others, the most elusive element is a clear antagonist.
A handful of films such as "Mississippi Burning" (also based on the real-life murders of Freedom Summer workers) have a more clear-cut enemy: prejudice, hatred and injustice.
Like the parents of the missing college kids, we find ourselves searching for a resolution while clinging to the notion that those who died in the fight for basic voting rights did not die in vain.
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Thursday, April 9 2009
Dennis Potter: 3 to Remember
Potter crafted unsettling suburban-gothic morality tales that polarized audiences while attracting heated denouncements from numerous politicos and pundits.
Monday, July 30 2007
Longford: Next to Godliness
If Longford were just the story of a flawless saint, it wouldn't be very interesting. Instead, we see a nuanced portrait of a complicated and imperfect man.


text:
- Prison Planet.com - http://www.prisonplanet.com -
NYPD and Seattle Police Beat Up Protesters
Posted By admin On October 6, 2011 @ 7:07 am In Featured Stories | Comments Disabled
Washington's Blog [1]
October 6, 2011
New York Police Beat Up Protesters AGAIN
Occupy Wall Street Arrests; Fox 5 Crew and Protesters Hit by Mace, Batons: MyFoxNY.com [2]
Occupy Wall Street Arrests; Fox 5 Crew and Protesters Hit by Mace, Batons: MyFoxNY.com [2]
As Alexander Higgins reports [3]:
This video shows Luke Rudkowski and other Occupy Wall street protestors being beat with Batons by White Shirts as the NYPD pepper sprays other members of the crowd. [Rudkowski is the lead reporter for We Are Change [4].]
This photo shows the crowd being pepper spayed.
Seattle Police Rough Up Protesters
Also Seattle Police roughed up protesters today:
Article printed from Prison Planet.com: http://www.prisonplanet.com
URL to article: http://www.prisonplanet.com/nypd-and-seattle-police-beat-up-protesters.html
URLs in this post:
[1] Washington's Blog: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/10/nypd-and-seattle-police-beat-up-protesters.html
[2] Occupy Wall Street Arrests; Fox 5 Crew and Protesters Hit by Mace, Batons: MyFoxNY.com: http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/occupy-wall-street-protest-broadens-scope-20111005
[3] reports: http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/10/06/luke-rudkowski-occupywallstreet-protestors-beat-batons-nypd-pepper-spays-crowd-76301/
[4] lead reporter for We Are Change: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/03/real-journalism-versus-professional-journalism.html
[5] Occupy Wall Street protesters march against police brutality: http://www.prisonplanet.com/occupy-wall-street-protesters-march-against-police-brutality.html
[6] Chicago Police Beat NATO Protesters with Batons, Arrest Other Protesters Who Were in Possession of … Beer-Making Equipment: http://www.prisonplanet.com/chicago-police-beat-nato-protesters-with-batons-arrest-other-protesters-who-were-in-possession-of-%e2%80%a6-beer-making-equipment.html
[7] Report: 100 New York Police Officers Boycott In Solidarity with Wall Street Protesters: http://www.prisonplanet.com/report-100-new-york-police-officers-boycott-in-solidarity-with-wall-street-protesters.html
[8] Police 'beat' pro-Mousavi protesters: http://www.prisonplanet.com/police-beat-pro-mousavi-protesters.html
[9] Denver Police Use Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets, Batons and Pepper Spray On Protesters: http://www.prisonplanet.com/denver-police-use-tear-gas-rubber-bullets-batons-and-pepper-spray-on-protesters.html
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2013 PrisonPlanet.com. All rights reserved.


text:
Letter Maze: U
A pretty unicorn needs a pretty rainbow! Kids draw a path from the unicorn to the rainbow by following the U's in the letter maze. This worksheet helps kids recognize and name capital and lowercase letters. Kids also exercise thinking skills and fine motor skills as they navigate the maze.
Like this letter maze? Browse the complete series here.
Common Core:
Updated on Jan 3, 2011
Recommended Learning Products
Trust Education.com to find smart things kids love


text:
ISLAMABAD - Recent attacks on Pakistan's Shiites are deepening the sectarian divide in the south Asian Muslim country, a phenomenon blamed for what analysts see as a proxy war between Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia.
This is a strong impression that Pakistan is the hub of a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Ghazi Salahuddin, a Karachi-based political analyst, told OnIslam.net.
Nearly 200 Shiites were killed in bomb attacks in the southwestern city of Quetta this month.
Islam: A Religion of Peace?
The Different Groups in IslamIt Is Politics, Not Religion, That Teaches Hate
The outlawed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LT), a Sunni extremist group, has claimed responsibility for the attacks on Hazara Shiite community.
The killings came a month after 86 Shiites were killed in similar attacks in the city, prompting protests for the protection of the minority against militant attacks.
This is a horrific scenario, where a particular community is being subjected to an organized genocide, Salahuddin said.
Hazara community has been the target of extremist groups for last various years. Not only through bomb blasts, but they are being targeted in other ways too.
It seems as if the government and the law enforcing agencies do not understand the dire consequences of this phenomenon, he said.
The Shiite protests were followed by similar demonstrations by Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jammat (ASWJ), a new name of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), blocking main roads in Balochistan against killings and arrests of their members in connection with Quetta blasts.
Tracing the roots of sectarian divide in Pakistan, analysts believe that it was triggered by Iranian revolution in 1979, when Tehran started financing Pakistan's Shiite organizations for promotion of their political ideology.
This, analysts observe, propelled Saudi Arabia to finance Sunni groups to counter Iran's influence in Pakistan's political arena.
Salahuddin opines that the whole Muslim world, except a few countries, has been facing the sectarian divide as Iraq, and Syria.
He said that after Iraq, the highest number of Shiites have been killed in Pakistan during last decade.
Currently, the worst example of Shiite-Sunni divide can be seen in Syria, he said.
Pakistan, home of 180 million people, is a Sunni majority country with 85 percent Sunnis.
Shiites make up 10 percent of the total population.
But some analysts reject the idea that Shiite Muslims in Pakistan are facing a pogrom.
Genocide is a totally different term, where people belonging to a sect, religion, or region are killed under state protection, Abdul Khalique Ali, a Karachi-based political analyst, told OnIslam.net.
For instance, Jews were killed by Hitler, and Bosnian Muslims were killed under the patronage of Serbian government.
This is not at all the case in Pakistan.
Ali said that Shiite Muslims in Pakistan have equal opportunities vis-Ã -vis jobs, education, and other fields of life.
If there had been a genocide of Shiites, then how come Shiites could become presidents, prime ministers, and even army chiefs of this country, he said, referring to President Asif Zardari, who himself is a Shiite.
He sees the roots of attacks on Hazara community in Afghanistan.
Hazara are a smaller community in Afghanistan as compared to Pashtuns, Tajiks and Uzbeks, he said.
However, in current Afghan setup, they have been given disproportional representation in bureaucracy, army and police.
For instance, in army, the Pashtuns, who are 50 percent of Afghanistan, have less than 10 percent representation, while the smaller communities like Hazara have a huge representation in armed forces, especially at upper level, he said.
This (attacks on Hazara community in Pakistan) is a bid to settle the score by those who feel haunted and attacked by Hazaras, Tajiks and Uzbeks-led army in Afghanistan, he said, referring to the Taliban.
Ali also co-relates the handover of strategic Gawadar port to China, a gateway to Gulf and Central Asia, despite a categorical opposition from US and India.
Those forces, which are unhappy with this agreement, too do not want this region to remain stable.
No Civil War
Analysts, however, rule out that the attacks would lead to a civil war in Pakistan.
These are organized killings by organized groups. No common Sunni or Shiite is involved in these attacks, Salahuddin said.
I do not see any chances of a civil-war between Shiites and Sunnis in Pakistan.
I believe that despite mass killings of Shiites, and targeted killings of Sunnis, there is a collective wisdom among common Pakistanis, and they are not going to fall prey to this phenomenon.
Sharing a similar opinion, analyst Ali says that the so-called Shiite-Sunni clashes in Iraq were sponsored and are no different in Pakistan too.
Sectarian killings can be controlled by a better law and order because true religious forces are not involved in these killings. They are handful of sectarian extremists who are doing this all, he said.But unfortunately, in a situation where the country has been grappling with growing militancy and terrorism, it is a tough task for law-enforcing agencies to get hold of these extremists.
Reproduced with permission from OnIslam.net