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ANN ARBOR Mich. DominoŌĆÖs Pizza Inc., parent of the mostly franchised 8,394-unit DominoŌĆÖs chain, reported an earnings plunge of 90.5 percent for its second quarter on the negative impact of a debt recapitalization completed in April and legal fees in a California wage and labor lawsuit. The chainŌĆÖs same-store sales returned to positive territory for the first time in six quarters, however, which company management said was ŌĆ£particularly importantŌĆØ during a time of increased labor, ...
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Art in Residence
July 20th, 2013 Hotel Andaluz welcomes Beals & Abbate Fine Art of Santa Fe and special guest artist Michael Peralta for an evening of Art Indulgence.
Artist Reception
Ibiza Rooftop – 5-6:15pm
Hotel Andaluz and Albuquerque welcomes featured Artist Michael Peralta.
Art & Wine Dinner
Casablanca – 6:30pm – $60 per person
A delectable 3-course Art & Wine dinner with featured local winery, Gruet. Gallery Co-Owner Bobby Beals, Artist Michael Peralta and Gruet Winery will be on hand for this intimate event.
Reservations Required 505.923.9080
Overnight Packages
Overnight accommodations include welcome amenities, Art & Wine Dinner tickets (2) and complimentary reception cocktails.
Starting at $249 – Call 505.923.9013

subset: commoncrawl


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1 Cloudveil RPK3 pant
$325; cloudveil.com
Part of Cloudveil's new ski-specific Vertical collection, the RPK3 is hewn from a soft-to-the-touch, three-layer Gore-Tex fabric, so it's tough and breathable—but also quiet. Belt loops and a looser cut lend it a moto-meets-mountain-town style, though it's trim enough to keep traditionalists from crying all over their beards.
Gripes: The edge guards are too small; after only two days on the hill, there was noticeable damage to the front-cuff fabric.
Props: This pant can do it all: 3/4-length vents keep things cool in the back- country, while a thin-yet-soft lining adds a bit of warmth at the resort.
Weather Protection: 4
2 Arc'teryx Minuteman Bib
$375; arcteryx.com
Cut low, and tricked out with thoughtful touches, the Minuteman Bib is perfect for chest-deep days. Superbreathable Gore-Tex XCR, weight-reducing 13-mm seam tape, and watertight zippers combine to keep the elements out, while a drop seat and quick-to-adjust shoulder straps add to Arc'teryx's reputation for carefully considered apparel.
Gripes: The tiny thigh pockets are hard to access.
Props: One of the lightest-weight bibs around. And the just-below-your-pecs cut is ideal: not restrictive or unnecessarily bulky, but high enough to keep your backside warm and dry on the deepest of days.
Weather Protection: 5
3 The North Face Caber Hybrid
$199; thenorthface.com
Made from both hard- and softshell fabrics (stretchy, flexible material around the waist and front thighs, and a waterproof-breathable fabric on the butt, knees, and lower legs), the Caber Hybrid is ideal for Rocky Mountain—like climates where moisture protection isn't paramount. Removable suspenders are a nice touch, and three pockets (one on the thigh) provide plenty of storage space.
Gripes: Some zippered venting would make this a better backcountry pant.
Props: Still, the Caber was the most breathable of the group, making it our top pick for backcountry excursions.
Weather Protection: 3
4 Rotor Radial
$279 ($289 for the insulated version); rotor-sports.com
Don't let the Radial's loose, new-school look fool you. It's a well-made pant packed with high-end features like seam-sealed Gore-Tex fabric, articulated knees, and a fleece-lined waistband with belt loops. Fat edge guards will hold up over years of abuse—whether in the backcountry, resort, or park.
Gripes: The Radial's inner-thigh vents simply don't move air as well as vents placed on the outside.
Props: Twin hand and cargo pockets provide plenty of space to stash whatever it is you're stashing.
Weather Protection: 4
5 Mountain Hardwear Tenacity Pant
$295; mountainhardwear.com
The understated Gore-Tex XCR Tenacity Pant gives you serious weather protection in a no-frills package. Gaping leg vents, massive edge guards, and low-profile, easy-to-use shock-cord boot closures make the Tenacity a good choice for those who divide their time between the back- and front country.
Gripes: At 13 ounces, it's too lightweight for hard-charging, cold-weather lift junkies. And while we appreciate simplicity, we'd like more storage space than a single rear pocket.
Props: Removable suspenders (like The North Face's) give you bib-caliber fit.
Weather Protection: 3


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Back in June, I wrote an article dubbed "2012 Minnesota Twins: How Minnesota's 5 Highest-Paid Players Are Performing." This article evaluated the the performances of Minnesota's top money-getters based on their mid-season performances and tested that against their current season salary.
Now that the 2012 Twins season is officially over and personnel has changed, I felt the need to reevaluate the highest-paid players based on the entire season.
Therefore, this article evaluates Minnesota's current top five money-earners' final 2012 season performances and tests that against others in the same positions with similar salaries. Once again, the purpose of the article is to decide whether or not these five players are truly earning their 2012 salaries.


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Van Ness construction could close sidewalk for 2 years
The last time the sidewalk by the Van Ness Square demolition site was closed to pedestrians, it was a temporary measure. But the latest closure could last much longer.
Photo by Pat Davies.
Developer Saul Centers will tear down the shopping center and replace it with a new apartment building. At a pre-construction meeting last week, representatives from Saul told the community that the Connecticut Avenue sidewalk alongside the construction zone will be closed for two years. DDOT regulations won't allow a covered walkway because of underground construction that was too close to the street.
Instead, pedestrians would have to cross to the west side of Connecticut at Albemarle and Windom. By last Saturday, Saul had already closed off the sidewalk, and it was clear how dangerous this situation was going to be.
I saw a blind man walking north in the street and a man with a toddler on his shoulders coming toward him. Of course, the blind man could not see the large sign announcing the closed sidewalk, but the father definitely could.
ANC commissioner Sally Gresham was also out on Saturday afternoon and spent an hour monitoring "how folks were dealing with" the sidewalk closure. "The results are very scary!" she wrote. Gresham counted 102 people walking on Connecticut Avenue itself, including 6 young teenagers on skate boards, 22 strollers with 1, 2, or 3 adults, 35 people carrying bags of groceries or small children, 26 elderly people, and 13 people using canes, walkers, or leg braces.
Luckily, this was the weekend, and parked cars did provide something of a buffer between traffic and pedestrians. But I wondered about the march of pedestrians on automatic pilot during the Monday morning rush hour.
When asked if there will be a police presence to monitor the situation, Commander Reese of the 2nd Police District said the agency would pay attention to it, but did not have enough officers to have them out on the street.
On Monday morning between 8:30 and 9 a.m., I decided to take a look. Most pedestrians were crossing where they should:
All photos by the author unless noted.
But there were quite a number crossing mid-block and walking in the street.
People crossing mid-block on Connecticut Avenue.
People walking in the street.
And with no police in sight. I forgot they were only monitoring the situation.
I emailed the photos to DDOT, and Director Terry Bellamy replied, "I am alerting our Public Space Team to investigate and make recommendations." According to Saul Centers' Kimberly Miller, construction superintendent "Jason" met with DDOT inspectors, who noted that pedestrians weren't following the posted signs, but that the project still complied with DDOT requirements.
This is not a satisfactory outcome. After pondering the issue, and thinking of the places I have traveled that control pedestrian crossings a lot better than we do, the solution came to me on my afternoon walk. I went home and dashed off another email proposing that pedestrian path be controlled through fencing that allows people to enter stores but prevents pedestrians from crossing the street mid-block.
New legislation may also improve pedestrian safety around construction sites as well. The Bicycle Safety Amendment Act of 2013, which will take effect December 20, requires anyone seeking permits from DDOT to block a sidewalk or bike lane to also provide a "safe accommodation" for pedestrians and bicyclists to use instead.
As of today, the sidewalk is open again, but it's unclear for how long. Will the council's new legislation make a difference for pedestrians on Connecticut Avenue over the next two years? We will keep you posted.
A version of this post appeared on Forest Hills Connection.
I don't understand what this means. What stores? What sort of fencing would prevent you from crossing a street mid-block? Or, in this case, not cross the street but walk in the traffic/parking lane.
Closing the sidewalk for 2 years is obviously very unfortunate (not least because it interferes with one of my preferred running routes!). But if you have an idea for a feasible workaround, you're going to need to clearly articulate it.
Also, people crossing Connecticut mid-block is nothing new - it happens all the time and has little to do with the Van Ness Square project. Most of it occurs in the 500-foot stretch between Veazey and the Windom Place stub, and much of the time it is people who don't want to walk the extra 100 feet from Epicurean or Starbucks to cross at Veazey and would rather dodge traffic instead. Not sure what the solution there is.
The area has a large portion of elderly residents, who are particularly inconvenienced by having to cross CT Ave twice - it really seems like we should be forcing the developer to take on some additional costs, rather than forcing them on the community.
In other words..go pound sand, we can't be bothered with street safety in this "high crime" area.
Why is the solution that peds have to cross, instead of taking out a lane?
Fecking A-MEN! This solution, however, would mean that the District Department of TRANSPORTATION would have to acknowledge that motor vehicles aren't the only form of mobility, and they're not about to do that. SNAFU.
Obviously also the construction requirements could also be reexamined, we just don't have enough information here to go on really.
"Terry, were you aware that pedestrians were walking in Connecticut Avenue?
"Did those planning guys go ahead and close the Cleveland Park Service lanes? I specifically told them that no matter what the data said, they could not do that."
"No Terry. This is up further north on Connecticut, just above UDC."
"Well, I was not aware. I'll get right on that one."
"Will we need to wait as long as it has taken for the M Street bike lane?"
SO MANY other cities simply don't allow this. What is wrong with DC?
Since this construction is going on for two years, it seems prudent for DDOT to make similar arrangements. Yes, this new construction corridor includes a signalized intersection at Connecticut Avenue & Yuma Street, so it's tricky, but if DDOT made the signalized intersection at Connecticut Avenue & Devonshire Place work during the Klingle bridge reconstruction, they can surely make some lane-shift work here, too.
Seriously, no sidewalk for TWO YEARS? Are you f-ing kidding me?
DDOT was reluctant to permit pedestrians to mix with trucks in that limited space, so the sidewalk and parking lane were closed for a few months. I don't know if these circumstances apply to this site, but that could be a contributing factor.
Yeah, ok...take a lane from a road that services 42K vehicles a day in that stretch to serve the handful of people who think too highly of themselves to do the safe thing and cross the street as directed.
People are more than welcome to take their lives into their own hands and walk up the street. It is pretty clear the sidewalk is blocked, its sigage is clear so if you decide to jaywalk, or walk up the street with your groceries or your kid when you could have simply taken 30 seconds of your life and crossed the street, thats on you.
If its important, they will find a solution.
Why are people driving through an area more important than people walking through an area? Sidewalks are obvious two way but removing the sidewalk here literally halves the capacity of the roadway for pedestrians. Who already face enough hardships on a good day (like the fact they can be easily killed by a car). If instead DDOT just went ahead and took the car lane would people be demanding that it be restored and saying that pedestrians shouldn't complain they can just cross the street?
It's creating an inherently dangerous situation that can probably be avoided, though I agree removing a travel lane is problematic. I'd prefer a covered walk.
Because they're not poors who have to walk, of course! Why should some titan of industry be delayed by 10 seconds just because the peasantry can't be bothered to cross the street?
You better believe they would.
I'm already feeling the love.
CPer: Yeah, ok...take a lane from a road that services 42K vehicles a day in that stretch to serve the handful of people who think too highly of themselves to do the safe thing and cross the street as directed.
Agree with that.
SJE : If its important, they will find a solution.
What would you suggest? The only access to the site is from Connecticut Ave. and maintaining pedestrians through conflicts with construction vehicle access.
Crickey7: They won't realize it until they're mid-block, and then would have to walk back to the light.
They'll repeat that for two years?
Crickey7: Or they just don't feel like waiting for a light, then crossing 5 lanes of traffic, not once, but twice.
You can't seriously be using this as an argument.
People will definitely walk in the road to save 6-8 minutes a day.
And they can't file a legitimate injury claim against the city if they do and get hit.
If we would have built a flippin expressway parallel to Connecticut or through Rock Creek Park, we wouldn't have this problem because Conn Ave wouldn't be a traffic sewer (and for that matter, neither would 16th street).
Go go go!
by Douglas Andrew Willinger on Nov 20, 2013 8:20 pm • link • report
Connecticut Ave has not only Metro rail (subway), but strong Metro bus service to downtown already. Future BRT stations if ever built would be at the Metro stop, to provide additional and emergency fall back capacity for Metro rail, near this building.
This building site is walking distance to a Giant grocery store, CVS pharmacy, and several lunch options in minimal walking distance. There is a WholeFoods premium grocery store one Metro stop away, also above its Metro station, or 20 minutes walk. One Metro stop in the other direction is the very desirable street level commercial fabric of bars and restaurants and Uptown movie theater, in Cleveland Park.
The opportunity cost of not permitting drastically more people to live here, to the DC economy, and DC tax base, is shockingly high, and will last decades.
by Nathaniel Pendleton on Nov 21, 2013 12:07 am • link • report
Or something.
So to build just a 6 story building instead of a 10 story building is IMHO just irresponsible and stupid.
But that is what you get from decades of opposition from unreasonable folks to very reasonable development proposals - another example of a lessor matter of right project.
Add a Comment
- Are public spaces really public when not everybody can use them?
- Cell service in tunnels, junking old rail cars, getting finances in order. Here's what's in Metro's Back2Good plan.
- If racial inequities didn't exist, DC would look like this...
- Metro now has an official plan for getting better in 2017. It's called Back2Good.
- WMATA recommended express bus service along 14th Street NW four years ago. Is it time to make it happen?
- The DC reps on the WMATA board might veto late-night closures
- What happens when people without cars move to places built for driving?


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|Download the pdf Guide of Provo
|Print the pdf Guide customized with attractions and things to do
|Brigham Young Univ. Earth Sciences Museum
Overall rating:
Rank: 1 About 4
The Brigham Young Univ. Earth Sciences Museum showcases various fossils which are from the Jurassic Period and spans for a period from roughly about 210 to 410 million years ago. This museum also houses one of the top 5...
Reviewed by: Jò
|Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum
Overall rating:
Rank: 2 About 4
The Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum is a dynamic repository and also a trustee for a remarkable group of biological collections. Such collections are used to enhance the students learning capacity and to mentor and...
Reviewed by: Laalamani
|Seven Peaks Resort Water Park
Overall rating:
Rank: 3 About 4
The Seven Peaks Resort Water Park is the largest water park in Uttah having 16 waterfalls and a 500,000 galloon of wave pool. There are also swimming areas and slides and group pavilions along with cabanas. There is also a...
Reviewed by: Laalamani
|Crandall Historical Printing Museum
Overall rating:
Rank: 4 About 4
The Crandall Historical Printing Museum is a unique one of a kind museum in the whole world. It offers more than just a printing museum of various methods and also offers some hands on exhibits. This museum is also a...
Reviewed by: Laalamani
Attractions close to Provo
|Orem Heritage Museum - 3 mi
Overall rating:
The Orem Heritage Museum is a history type of museum. Here, visitors are exposed to free tours and video regarding the establishment of Orem city. Knowledge is given regarding the Indian and pioneer artifacts, a village blacksmith shop,...
Reviewed by: Laalamani
|Pioneer Memorial Museum - 5 mi
Overall rating:
Normal 0 ...
Reviewed by: Angha
Distance: 8.1
|American Fork River - 12.1 mi
Overall rating:
American Fork River is the most attractive place in Utah. It flows out of the American fork canyon. It is around 35 miles from the Salt Lake City to the southwest. The river flows from the foot of the Timpanogos Mountain...
Reviewed by: Editorial Staff
|American Fork Canyon - 13.2 mi
Overall rating:
American fork canyon is a place where one can visit the famous Timpanogos cave national monument. This lies In the Wasatch Mountains. The various camping places in this canyon are the tibble fork reservoir and the silver lake...
Reviewed by: Editorial Staff
Neighbouring places: Provo
|Orem - 3.4 mi
In the North-Central portion of the Utah State in the United States, Orem is a city that is located in the Utah County. Orem is situated 45 miles towards the South of Salt Lake City and is adjoining Vineyard, Lindon and Provo....Distance: 5.5
City: Orem
|Springville - 6.8 mi
The city of Springville is located in the Central part of Utah State which in turn lies in the northeastern region of the United States. The city is placed under the county of Utah. The city is known for its art. Springville...Distance: 10.9
City: Springville
|Pleasant Grove - 8.6 mi
The city of Pleasant Grove is located in the Central part of Utah State which in turn lies in the northeastern region of the United States. The city is placed under the county of Utah. Pleasant Grove city has a total area of...Distance: 13.8
City: Pleasant Grove
|Spanish Fork - 9.8 mi
The city of Spanish Fork is located in the Northern part of Utah State which in turn lies in the northeastern region of the United States. The city is placed under the county of Utah. Spanish Fork city has a total area of about...Distance: 15.7
City: Spanish Fork


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Tereza M. Minasyan, 87, of Amarillo died Friday, March 16, 2012.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday in St. Luke Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Jim Wallace officiating.
Tereza was born Sept. 11, 1924, in the Soviet Union. She graduated from high school in 1943 and joined the Army during World War II.
In 1952, she graduated from college and worked as an accountant the rest of her life. She married Aram Minasyan in 1953 and had two children.
After retirement, she moved to Amarillo to live with her children and grandchildren.
Survivors include a daughter, Mila Abbasova; a son, Leon Minasyan; a son-in-law, Emin Abbasov; a daughter-in-law, Layla Panakhova; four grandchildren, Laleyna, Michael, Emil and Mac; and a great-grandson, Jude.
Amarillo Globe-News, March 21, 2012


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Cast: 15 or more, fewer with doubling. This exciting, new musical version of Charlotte's Web brings a new dimension to E.B. White's beloved classic. With music and lyrics by Charles Strouse (Annie, 'Bye, 'Bye Birdie) and book by Joseph Robinette (national award-winning children's playwright) your audiences will thrill to a musical score which includes "Eating," Wilbur the pig's humorous yet poignant song about growing up; "Who Says We Can't Be Friends," an enchanting duet between Wilbur and his new-found companion Charlotte; "Welcome to the Zuckerman Barn," featuring all the story's unforgettable animals in a hand-clapping, toe-tapping hoe-down; and "Summer," a haunting, nostalgic chorus number which evokes a time and place from everyone's childhood. This joyous musical offers your audiences a very special experience. Unit set. Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.
Also Available:
Full-length playbookTouring playbookSound effects CD
TitleMP3Sheet Music
Nice to Meet YouWho Says We Can't Be Friends?County Fair (Reprise)You're You


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Origin : Cuba
Format : Edmundo
Size : 135 x 20 mm (5.3 x 52)
Ring : 52
Release : 2014
Box code : ARB NOV14
Price : $392 for a box of 25
More info about purchasing Juan Lopez cigars...
Recently I mentioned this smoke in a review I did for a different release from this same manufacturer. Where the other stick failed miserably, the Juan Lopez Don Juan redeemed this cigar manufacturer in my eyes. Care and craftsmanship were self-evident with this limited edition robusto. I want to reinforce my previous recommendation. This smoke would satisfy most palates and is quite a bit more economical than its limited edition competition.
Read the full review of Juan Lopez Don Juan (Regional Edition Benelux)...


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Driver: Renegade
What parents need to know
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Driver: Renegade is one of the rare Nintendo 3DS games that is M-rated because of its violence, blood, sexual themes, and strong language. It isn't for kids or young teens. The mature themes involve killing kingpins and their henchmen in and around New York City, primarily through driving-based missions, which show loads of violence and blood-splatter. Cussing is heard throughout the dialogue and some scenes are sexually suggestive.
User reviews
Parents say
Kids say
What's it about?
In DRIVER: RENEGADE for the Nintendo 3DS, players step into the shoes of John Tanner, an ex-undercover cop who decides to take the law in his own hands. New York City is overrun by organized crime and so Tanner, with his vehicle as his main weapon, vows to take down five kingpins, including an arms dealer, human organs trafficker, drug lord, and other seedy villains. Taking place between the stories of Ubisoft's Driver and Driver 2, the relentless renegade will also work with other characters we'll meet, each of whom helps Tanner in his dangerous missions.
Is it any good?
Driver: Renegade is good, but the action is over way too soon. While the gameplay is fun and intense for the targeted audience of older gamers -- featuring mission-based driving that has you racing around NYC's streets, engaging in car chases, destroying property, performing jumps, and filling up your "Rage" bar to add a boost and punish enemy cars even more –- the main story mode is over in less than 3 hours. And while there's also a career mode, where you can complete challenges for gold medals and new vehicles, the game offers very little replayability.
Visually, the stereoscopic 3D effect works well -- without requiring 3D glasses -- for both the gameplay and the cinematic cut-scene sequences, plus the Nintendo 3DS' accelerometer sensor can be used to help control Tanner's vehicle, too. The frame rate is fairly smooth, as well, which is very important for a racing game. But because of the game's brevity, it's hard to recommend it -- especially as it's a $40 cartridge.
Families can talk about...
Families can talk about whether adult games for the Nintendo 3DS platform make sense given their primary demographic of young players. Is it smart to release games like this, and other mature titles like Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, to broaden their gamer base, or do they sell well enough to justify the investment?
What is the impact of violence like the kind found in this game?
Game details
|Nintendo 3DS
|Available online?
|Not available online
|Release date:
|September 6, 2011
|ESRB rating:
|M for Blood, Drug Reference, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
About Our Rating System
Great handpicked alternatives
Clever puzzle-action title with 3D effects, some violence.age 10+
Racer focuses on driving rather than crashes or weapons.age 7+
Extraordinary remake of a classic adventure -- now for 3DS.age 10+
For kids who love handheld games
Browse more games
What parents and kids say
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines


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Call forwarding lets you forward the incoming Skype calls to a landline or mobile you choose. When you set up call forwarding, your friends can reach you at any time, even if you're not signed in to Skype.
You can choose up to three mobile or landlines numbers worldwide, even in different countries, or you can choose to have calls forwarded to another Skype contact in your contact list.
Ready to start using call forwarding? It's easy to set it up.
The following questions and answers will explain how call forwarding works with Voice Messaging, your Skype Number and the cost of call forwarding:
It's free to forward incoming Skype calls to another Skype contact - all you need is to have that contact in your contact list.
To forward your incoming calls to a mobile or landline, you'll need a little Skype Credit or subscription.
If you use Skype Credit as a payment method, the forwarded calls will be charged at the Skype's great pay per minute rates. For example, if you forward your incoming Skype calls to a mobile number in the United States, you'll be charged exactly what it costs to call a mobile in the United States from Skype.
You can also purchase a subscription for calls to a country where you want to receive the forwarded calls. For example, if you want your incoming Skype calls to be forwarded to a number in the United States, simply choose a subscription covering calls to the United States.
No matter which payment method you prefer, the person who's calling you on Skype will still call you for free.
Yes. Any call to your Skype Number can also be forwarded to a mobile or landline number of your choice.
If you set up call forwarding and you've activated Skype Voice Messaging, the incoming calls will first be forwarded to the number(s) you've entered and, if there's no response, the call will be received as a voice message in Skype.
If you've set up call forwarding to another Skype contact and the contact is offline, the incoming calls will not be forwarded and the caller will hear a message that the contact is offline. However, if that contact has an active Voice Messaging, the caller can leave a voice message.
Learn more about call forwarding.
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Best of 2010
Phunk_King: Best of 2010
These are sort of loosely in order. I've spent the last 20 minutes shuffling it around and around and have decided I'm just going to leave it alone now. Depending on my mood and that day any one of these could be my number 1 so though a game may be lower on my list I would still give them all at least 4 puppies.
While putting this together I was really surprised how many downloadable, smaller games made it on (or in the case of a couple, almost made it on).


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This perennial Nike favorite never goes out of style. The tank offers the contrast border details, V-neck, and back mesh panel for ventilation, tonal woven tennis label on left hem, and Swoosh embroidered on left chest.
Hear about the newest women's footwear and apparel and specials as soon as they hit.
All email addresses are kept confidential and used solely by Tennis Warehouse for the above purpose.


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Yo yo lay-dees!!
So I got a TON of responses and emails from my L'Oreal HIP matte and metallic eyeshadow duos review. Which tells me….y'all really like L'Oreal HIP. Which is a good thing. I think this is a great drugstore brand that delivers higher end quality. I highly recommend purchasing L'Oreal HIP products when they go on sale at your local drugstores. I know for a fact that Walgreens and CVS regularly have L'Oreal HIP products on sale every week or so.
Time to review the paints!
Price: 3 out of 5 ($3-$12 at drugstores, Target stores and of course, online)
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
What it claims: "Paint a new world of color with HiP high intensity pigments™ Cream Shadow Paint. Use the perfectly smooth shadow alone for luminous all over color or use as a base under HiP shadow for a more intense look." (source)
The truth: This is a pretty fantabulous base. Wait….forget base, it works well as an eye shadow too!
What I loved about it: The packaging makes me feel like some artist. And my face is the drawing board. HA!
What I didn't like: There isn't much that I don't like about these things. Well….wait, they could be a little cheaper. Actually, a lot cheaper.
Overall: So if you are a total newb to these paints, I know you're lookin' around like,
Okay okay…let's go back to square one. These paints can be used as an eye shadow base. Or even as a cream eyeshadow. They in assist in ensuring that the eyeshadow you do use on top of it lasts all friggin' day. I'm talkin' NO creasing. If you decide to wear it alone, it works well too.
They are easy to apply. You can use a stiff brush or opt for your fingers. I find that the latter works easiest. I feel more in control when I am using my fingers. While application may be easy, it is important to blend these paints in. Nothing worse than looking in the mirror and noticing that your base is unblended. It can throw off your entire look. And y'all know I know from experience. LOL!
Now let's see this bad boy in action.
Here is L'Oreal's Cream Paint in Witty blended on my hand….
Do you see how this color in particular doubles so nicely as a base AND a shadow? It has enough color to make for a nice neutral eye but not TOO much color to where it would dramatically change the color of an eyeshadow.
*two snaps for the kid*
My eye with nothing on it…
My eye with Witty paint on it…
And then if I'm in a hurry but want to do a little somethin'-somethin' to the lids, I'll pull out a fluffy brush and a brown shadow….
Apply a highlight and you are good to go.
So yeah….L'Oreal HIP paints aren't so bad at 'tall. I loves 'em.
For a comparison video of L'Oreal HIP's cream paints and MAC's Paints, click here.
Whatcha think?
Own these things?
Where do you buy them from?
Got any other colors?
My other L'Oreal HIP product reviews:
Matte & Metallic eyeshadow duos
Color Presso lip glosses
B'Rittany is HIP (lol),


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NYFW: Black & White T Dress
September 25, 2013
15 comments:
What a cute dress Devon! I love it :) xoReplyDelete
I LOOOVE this dress! I really like the back hemline on you.ReplyDelete
FUN dress, the Ts make such a fab print! I'm so jeally of those uber long legs of yours!ReplyDelete
Cee. ♥
Code Overdressed
I love this dress! What a great print. Also obsessed with that jacket-I love moto detailing like that.ReplyDelete
B&W will never go out of fashion. Like how you added a pop of colour with shoes though. That's what I'd do.ReplyDelete
Adela x
I am 5"9 & on the hunt for a leather jacket that is Actually long enough....so far no good...I looked at Zara but haven't found one that will hit my hip at the right spot...the search continues !!!ReplyDelete
I couldn't agree more - there's nothing I love more than a black & white outfit with a pop of color! This dress is gorgeous! And I can't wait to see the details of your wedding! How exciting!ReplyDelete
Love the dress paired with the leather bomber! So cute!ReplyDelete
Classy Chic & Chardonnay
Couldn't agree more - love black + white! Such a great outfit!ReplyDelete
LOVE the dress!!ReplyDelete
Black & white is the best combo - especially with that beautiful purse to accompany!ReplyDelete
THAT print. Love it. You look so chic!ReplyDelete
Great look!ReplyDelete
love this dress!ReplyDelete
kw ladies in navy
Lovely monochrome with a great pop of color! You look amazing :)ReplyDelete
Renate from http://thecuriousklutz.blogspot.com


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Friday, January 18, 2008
middle ground
I also have a sense of responsibility. I can't shake it. Sometimes I wish I could live like all the people I see who make decisions and thumb their noses at consequences. But I can't.
It's an interesting combo. Adventure and responsibility.
At first glance they are at conflict. But I guess like all things there is a middle ground.
I am in the middle of a new adventure right now, with more to come. But I can't turn off my responsibility switch. I still have to do what I have to do and take care of the things that need care.
One bite at a time.
One step at a time.
One decision at a time.
Day by day looking for the leading of God in my life.
Assume nothing.
Keep asking and praying and moving forward.
and now I must go clean my house. and by clean my house I mean get rid of half of everything I own. lol. good night nurse.
1 comment:
So Much to Love
I love people. I love bright eyes. I love my sons, Judah & Lucas. I love laughing. I love my ringtone. I love love. I love Jesus. I love tattoos. I love milk. I love creative expression. I love smiles. I love Philippians. I love bridges. I love my house and haven. I love a rainy night. I love doing nothing. I love almonds and banana chips. I love music. I love cowboy hats. I love Anna Maria Island. I love (diet) dr.pepper. I love a good story. I love wildflowers. I love to fly. I love rod iron. I love babies. I love going to the movies. I love midnight. I love allegra. I love sunsets. I love long kisses. I love the color red. I love starshollow. I love community. I love doing life with friends. I love witty banter. I love jessilynn.com. I love my family. I love pretty things. I love cruisin' with my girls. I love remembering when. I love authentic individuals. I love hot tamales. I love when kids giggle. I love Lance. I love bonfires. I love finding people I thought I'd lost. I love yard sales. I love tacobell. I love seeing people do good. I love violins and steel guitar. I love driving to the airport. I love seeing people around me succeed at their dreams. I love being included. I love flipflops. I love blogging. I love long talks. I love dreaming.


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The New ABCs of Branding
When most people think of a brand, they tend to focus on "artifacts" such as the logos, names, slogans, colors, icons, shapes, sounds, and products of a brand. For example, … Continue reading
The "Why I Love Reno" Campaign
I originally moved to Reno-Tahoe in 2003 because I was so impressed with the area, as did countless of other Californians (dozens of whom I've since met) who were looking … Continue reading
5 Reasons to Use TweetChat for Your Business
Earlier this week I participated in my first TweetChat with none other than Erik Deckers and Jason Falls, two well-known, no-nonsense social media experts who most recently wrote the the … Continue reading
Millennial Marketing Perspectives with Chelsea Hejny
Earlier this week I interviewed Chelsea Hejny, who is a business student majoring in marketing at the University of Nevada, Reno. She currently serves as the student chapter president for … Continue reading
The Core Marketing Strategy of Apple
I was first introduced to Apple in the mid-1980s, when I would visit my uncle Tom's house and play "Dungeons and Dragons" on his Macintosh for hours. Complete with a … Continue reading


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Carter: Obama has given up on Middle East peace
Former President Jimmy Carter is not at all impressed with Barack Obama's efforts toward Middle East peace. Speaking Tuesday at the LBJ library's annual Harry Middleton Lectureship series, Carter said that in terms of the peace process in the Middle East, "nothing is going on."
Answering a question about Egypt, the former president praised President Obama's handling of the situation there saying he's "done quite well" and that Obama has handled it "about the same way I'd have handled it if I'd been in office."
However, on the broader question of the Middle East peace process, Carter was much less complimentary saying, "President Obama has basically given up on peace in the Middle East."
Pointing out that Obama had started out well, Carter blasted Obama by claiming that he'd now become "more accommodating to Netanyahu and Israel than George W. Bush was." Trying to dampen his critique of the Obama administration, Carter said he really wasn't there to criticize, but he'd been asked a question and that was the answer. "I don't have any feeling of success for what President Obama had done in the Middle East", Carter concluded.
The session was an hour long question and answer period on a wide range of topics including Carter's run for the presidency, his term in office and his work after he left office. In it Carter's most pointed remarks came during the discussion of the Middle East peace process.
Often cited as someone who cozies up to dictators, Carter admitted to having "lunch or dinner" each time he went to Egypt with Omar Suleiman, the intelligence chief, because he knew "more about the Middle East than anyone", and he described Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad as a "young, fairly progressive president" who had "inherited" the presidency from his father.
But it seems that even the likes of Jimmy Carter knows an empty suit when he see's one and a person from whom you would expect to see fairly significant support can't find it in himself to say anything positive about the Obama Middle East peace initiative – or lack thereof.
Why the attempt to make the Muslim Brotherhood acceptable?
I guess, perhaps, it is a function of being brought up during the Cold War and watching one "people's revolution" after another – each promising democracy, freedom and enlightened rule – turn into murderous and oppressive regimes which has me highly suspicious of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt.
I'm also fascinated and perplexed by those who would accept at face value the MB's declarations in that regard. Carefully reading the words of MB leaders doesn't at all leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Instead I see much of the West falling hook, line and sinker for pernicious propaganda designed to fool them into believing something that isn't at all in evidence.
For instance, Dr Muhammad Badie is the new leader of the MB. From their English language site (which I understand is much less inflammatory than their Arabic language site) he is quoted:
He concluded by telling reporters that the movement was open to new ideas hence their promoting of reform. The Brotherhood rejects violence and aims to achieve gradual reforms in a peaceful and constitutional way.
"We totally reject violence and denounce it in all its forms," the new leader concluded. [Emphasis mine]
Sounds great. Of course he is quoted as saying things like this on the MB Arabic website:
-Arab and Muslim regimes are betraying their people by failing to confront the Muslim's real enemies, not only Israel but also the United States. Waging jihad against both of these infidels is a commandment of Allah that cannot be disregarded. Governments have no right to stop their people from fighting the United States. "They are disregarding Allah's commandment to wage jihad for His sake with [their] money and [their] lives, so that Allah's word will reign supreme" over all non-Muslims.
–All Muslims are required by their religion to fight: "They crucially need to understand that the improvement and change that the [Muslim] nation seeks can only be attained through jihad and sacrifice and by raising a jihadi generation that pursues death just as the enemies pursue life." Notice that jihad here is not interpreted as so often happens by liars, apologists, and the merely ignorant in the West as spiritual striving. The clear meaning is one of armed struggle.
Mr. "non-violence" advocating … violence, as recently as October of last year.
Flip over to a little controversy of words between Conor Friedersdorf and Andy McCarthy. Friedersdorf is upset about the way McCarthy worded a particular claim in a recent article. In it McCarthy says, "Hamas is not merely colluding with the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas is the Muslim Brotherhood." . Friedersdorf responds with:
When Andy McCarthy says that The Muslim Brotherhood is Hamas, the point he's making is that we can anticipate how the group will act if it comes to power in Egypt, because we know how Hamas acts in Gaza, and the two groups are the same. In contrast, Eli Lake doesn't believe we can know how the Muslim Brotherhood will act in Egypt if it comes to power, he describes a moderate faction of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt that is quite different from Hamas, and even in the clip you cite, he isn't arguing that The Muslim Brotherhood is Hamas – he is arguing that one of its chapters – the one in Gaza – is Hamas, and that an Egyptian government headed by the Muslim Brotherhood might strengthen the hand of Hamas in its ongoing conflict with Israel.
Note the irrelevance of the argument in terms of the big picture. The fact remains, and even Friedersdorf admits it, that the Gaza chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood is Hamas – a violent terror group (and one which fits perfectly in the new MB leaders "jihadist" framework, no?) We can quibble about whether or not that chapter represents the MB as a whole or not, but the fact remains, it gives total lie to the claim of the MB's new leader eschewing violence (as do his own words, of course). You see, when it comes to Israel, the MB makes an exception to this declaration.
Don't believe me? Here's a translated clip of Muhammad Ghanem, Muslim Brotherhood Representative in London, calling for civil disobedience, including "halting passage through the Suez Canal … and preparing for war with Israel"
Here's an interview with Khaled Hamza, the editor of the Muslim Brotherhood's official website. He is described by the interviewer as "a leading voice of moderation within the party, and is central to its youth-outreach efforts."
One of the things the MB has talked about is "secular government". They're for it, well, sort of. I mean that's what they talk about, but what do they mean when they say it? Well, here's what they mean:
So the Brotherhood would support the maintenance of a secular government?
When the Muslim Brotherhood uses the word "secular," it does not mean no religion — we are talking about what we call a "civilized state." [emphasis mine]
Uh huh … and what makes a "civilized state?" Read between the lines, people.
Here's the former MB leader introducing the new MB leader:
Akef addressed a word to the press conference, which had convened for the historical announcement of the eighth Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement. He asserted that the movement was bound by a set of regulations however were and still are open to reform and progress suitable to specific incidents and specific times stressing that flexibility is a must for the success of any trend.
He called on the members of the movement to holdfast to its cause and not to waver or flinch in the face of possible oppression and tyranny. "Continue in your cause with head held high and follow through with integrity and reciprocated respect so that the banner of Islam may be raised. Support your leaders who are as one within your ranks". [emphasis mine]
There's your "civilized state".
Back to the Hamza interview:
Do you support the establishment of sharia (Islamic law) in the way the government of Saudi Arabia has established it?
The Brotherhood does not agree with the monarchy in Saudi Arabia, because it is simply not democratic.
So you believe that there has to be a certain way to put sharia into place, but that establishing it through monarchy or by force is unacceptable?
Yes, democracy is the only way.
So the veneer of democracy is to be used to install what they all know they plan on installing – sharia law as a part of a "civilized state". Once sharia is "chosen", then they have inoculated themselves against criticism from the West. And, of course, as long as they're in power, sharia will never be "unchosen". Democracy is very useful in this way as most of those "people's revolutions" demonstrated during the Cold War era. Organize for the post-government era so that the MB has the best political organization out there, ban the opposing party (that would be Mubarak's party which the MB says would be banned from running for office), and win the election. Then implement the agenda:
What role would the Muslim Brotherhood have in creating a new state if it participated in the political process?
We would take part in Parliament and run in the elections for it. [Under Mubarak's ban on the group, members of the Brotherhood must run for office as independents – Ed.) When people choose the Muslim Brotherhood, the West must understand that the people want it. [Emphasis mine]
There you go. And check out this sleight of hand in that same interview. The interviewer asks about the establishment of government in Egypt and whether or not the "Iranian model" is one the MB would follow:
What about the Iranian model?
The Iranians follow the Ayatollah; we do not believe Islam requires a theocracy. In our view, the ulema (clergy) are only for teaching and education — they are out of the political sphere. Iran has some good things, such as elections, but we disagree with all the aggression. We disagree also with the human rights abuses from the government and attacks on the population.
Remember, the former chairman invoked raising the banner of Islam, and this fellow has already told us that "secular" doesn't mean "no religion". And anyone who has studied Islam even a little bit understands there is no separation between the religion, law and governance. In fact, that's how a country becomes a "civilized state". So this statement is disingenuous at best. So is claiming that the clergy are only "for teaching and education". And in fact, later on in the interview, he slips a bit. This in a discussion on the role of women in politics:
If the Brotherhood were in power in Egypt, what would be the rights of women to participate in politics? Could a woman serve in Parliament, or as President?
We believe in the complete participation of women in political life — except the presidency.
Except the presidency? Why is that?
Most ulema agree that the president must be a man. Women can run for any political office except president…In Islam there are ideas and options, and Islam says it is possible [for a woman to serve as President], but for now we choose the other option. We say it is a choice, from the religious thinkers or schools of thought. But there are other options and different choices. Some [Islamic] scholars say a woman can be President, but the Muslim Brotherhood, now, at this moment, does not agree with this. Maybe after some years they'd accept this. I think so. For myself, Khaled, I personally think a woman can be President, no problem. [Emphasis mine]
The "ulema agree"? Uh, if they're just for "teaching and education" who cares? Or are they making "decisions" that government abides by? Sounds like the latter to me. And notice how casually he throws women's rights to the political process under the bus with "but for now we choose the other option". What's to say "we" won't choose any number of other options for the "civilized state" as decreed by the "ulema"? Stoning. Killing gays and infidels. etc.
Finally, on the subject of violence and Israel:
What about relations with Israel? What would the Brotherhood do regarding the situation between Israel and Palestine?
We think Israel is an occupation force and is not fair to the Palestinians. We do not believe in negotiation with Israel. As the Muslim Brotherhood, we must resist all this. They are an occupation force and we must resist this. Did you see what they do in Gaza, on the flotilla? Israel is a very dangerous force and we must resist. Resistance is the only way, negotiation is not useful at all.
So would the Muslim Brotherhood, if in a position of government, help groups like Hamas?
Yes, sure.
Do you recognize Israel as a state?
And this guy is a "moderate" and "modernist".
Beware the wolf in sheep's clothing – the symbol of many a past "people's revolution".
A little Middle East news
First, a rather interesting, but apparently ignored interview with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. The quote makes me again wonder about those who continue to pretend it is Israel that's the problem:
The official Palestinian Authority daily newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida on Tuesday wrote that when Abbas met recently with media figures at the home of the Palestinian ambassador to Jordan, he recounted that during an Arab League Summit in Libya in March he told his fellow leaders that he still preferred war against Israel, but could not do it alone.
"We are unable to confront Israel militarily, and this point was discussed at the Arab League Summit," said Abbas. "There I turned to the Arab States and I said: 'If you want war, and if all of you will fight Israel, we are in favor. But the Palestinians will not fight alone because they don't have the ability to do it.'"
Of course they don't. So instead they use terror tactics. And this is from the supposedly "moderate" part of the Palestinian leadership. No comment, apparently from Hamas.
As for the Arab League – 0 for 3.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that he thought that the country that that is key to stopping Iran from producing nuclear weapons is the US. The question is, would the US actually pull the trigger? That may be why Netanyahu frames his point by saying "Obama is the key".
"There's only been one time that Iran stopped the program and that was when it feared U.S. military action," Netanyahu said in the interview on "Fox News Sunday," adding that Iran's nuclear program was advancing by the hour.
"The president's position that all options are on the table might have the only real effect on Iran — if they think it's true," Netanyahu said.
I think that's a little "positive thinking" on the part of the Israeli PM. Living where he lives, he knows someone is going to have to stop the nuclear train. Israel took care of the threat in Iraq and recently in Syria. But it may not have the capability to do so in Iran (although Saudi Arabia has made it known that an Israeli strike force would not be hampered should it decide to use Saudi airspace).
That doesn't mean they won't try if they have too:
When asked whether Israel might initiate military action, Netanyahu stressed that all options are on the table.
"The Jewish state was set up to defend Jewish lives and we always reserve the right to defend ourselves," he said.
With Israel everything is always on the table. They don't have the luxury of taking anything off of it if they hope to survive.
Has the world fallen out of love with Obama?
Mort Zuckerman, editor-in-chief of US News and World report writes a blistering piece that certainly seems to indicate that's the case. Zuckerman says the world sees Obama as "incompetent and amateur" and that on the world stage he is "well-intentioned but can't walk the walk". That's a nice way to say he's a lightweight in an arena where only seasoned heavyweights prosper.
Zuckerman's opinion is not one to be taken lightly. He was a huge Obama backer. He voted for him. His newspaper, the NY Daily News, endorsed him and was enthusiastic in his support of the Obama candidacy.
Now, 16 months into his presidency, he's obviously very disappointed in his choice. And, it would appear, has come to understand that which he didn't know or didn't bother to find out about Obama at the time – that he has no leadership skills or abilities and is, in fact, more of an academic than a Commander-in-Chief.
Zuckerman is a keen and long time observer of American foreign policy, and as such he has the ability to compare and contrast what American foreign policy has seemed like under different presidents and under this one. He begins his critique of Obama by saying he actually inherited a "great foreign policy legacy enjoyed by every recent US president."
Of course to hear Obama talk about it you'd think he'd been handed the worst mess in the world. But even assuming that, what has Obama done? Not much – and that's beginning to become evident to the rest of the world. Says Zuckerman:
Yet, the Iraq war lingers; Afghanistan continues to be immersed in an endless cycle of tribalism, corruption, and Islamist resurgence; Guantánamo remains open; Iran sees how North Korea toys with Obama and continues its programs to develop nuclear weapons and missiles; Cuba spurns America's offers of a greater opening; and the Palestinians and Israelis find that it is U.S. policy positions that defer serious negotiations, the direct opposite of what the Obama administration hoped for.
So success in the field that is exclusively the President's has been elusive. Then there's Obama the "leader":
The reviews of Obama's performance have been disappointing. He has seemed uncomfortable in the role of leading other nations, and often seems to suggest there is nothing special about America's role in the world. The global community was puzzled over the pictures of Obama bowing to some of the world's leaders and surprised by his gratuitous criticisms of and apologies for America's foreign policy under the previous administration of George W. Bush. One Middle East authority, Fouad Ajami, pointed out that Obama seems unaware that it is bad form and even a great moral lapse to speak ill of one's own tribe while in the lands of others.
Seems to be common sense to the rest of us, yet it is hard for anyone, even his most ardent supporters, to deny he's engaged in more of that than any useful diplomacy.
Zuckerman also notes something I commented on months ago. He has no personal relationship with any of the world's leaders. And that is critical to success in foreign diplomacy:
In his Cairo speech about America and the Muslim world, Obama managed to sway Arab public opinion but was unable to budge any Arab leader. Even the king of Saudi Arabia, a country that depends on America for its survival, reacted with disappointment and dismay. Obama's meeting with the king was widely described as a disaster. This is but one example of an absence of the personal chemistry that characterized the relationships that Presidents Clinton and Bush had with world leaders. This is a serious matter because foreign policy entails an understanding of the personal and political circumstances of the leaders as well as the cultural and historical factors of the countries we deal with.
His meeting China was also a disaster and he was treated almost disrespectfully there. And he's all but deep sixed our "special relationship" with the UK and certainly isn't much loved by Sarkozy of France. Don't even begin to talk about Israel.
These sorts of problems and perceptions have an effect in international affairs. A perfect example?
Recent U.S. attempts to introduce more meaningful sanctions against Iran produced a U.N. resolution that is way less than the "crippling" sanctions the administration promised. The United States even failed to achieve the political benefit of a unanimous Security Council vote. Turkey, the Muslim anchor of NATO for almost 60 years, and Brazil, our largest ally in Latin America, voted against our resolution. Could it be that these long-standing U.S. allies, who gave cover to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's nuclear ambitions, have decided that there is no cost in lining up with America's most serious enemies and no gain in lining up with this administration?
So they go their own way in the absence of US leadership. This week, Russia's President Medvedev criticized the US for placing additional sanctions on Iran, above and beyond the UN's rather pitiful ones.
Obama has been a foreign affairs disaster to this point, and as Zuckerman points out, this has sent a very clear message to many of those out there who wish us ill as well as those who count themselves as allies:
America right now appears to be unreliable to traditional friends, compliant to rivals, and weak to enemies. One renowned Asian leader stated recently at a private dinner in the United States, "We in Asia are convinced that Obama is not strong enough to confront his opponents, but we fear that he is not strong enough to support his friends."
I think at this point, that's a perfectly defensible and accurate assessment. This is why I continue to say that there are some pretty heavy storm clouds brewing on the international horizon. US leadership is seen as missing or weak – a perfect time for those who take advantage of power vacuums to step forward and make their particular grabs for power.
Don't be surprised to see it happen soon.
Why Turkey's change of attitude toward Israel is important and could be ominous
Someone apparently had an extra bowl of Cheerios this morning:
Syrian President Bashar Assad said Israel's attack on the Gaza aid flotilla has increased the chances of war in the Middle East, in a BBC interview on Wednesday. Assad said that Syria was working to prevent a regional war but he added that there was no chance of a peace deal with the current Israeli administration, which he called a "pyromaniac government".
The rhetoric keeps ratcheting up as if various Arab factions are trying to talk themselves into testing Israel again. It's been a while, but the in the past the results have been uniformly bad for the Arab nations.
But there has been a recent change. Turkey is now talking tough as well. And, add in Iran's attempt to ingratiate itself with the Arab world and suddenly it's a little different ballgame.
Turkey's inclusion against Israel in the rhetorical wars now being waged has encouraged many Arab pundits to hail the Turks and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan as the much awaited "leader" of the movement against Israel. One writer hailed him as "more Arab than the Arabs" while criticizing Arab leaders as too passive.
There have been huge pro-Turkey rallies in Gaza, Beruit and Damascus. Recently, text messages from viewers displayed on Al-Jazeera TV during a June 4th Erdogan speech in Konya, some of which said: "Erdogan, you are king of the Arabs," and "Son of the sultans, you have restored the glory of the Ottomans."
Hizbullah considers Erdogan the new rock star of anti-Israeli leadership, and some Gazans are naming their children after him.
What Turkey and Erdogan have apparently managed to do, according to one writer, is bring those who have rejected Hamas and Hizbullah because of their Iranian ties on board in a unified "Islamic" effort to confront Israel:
"Unlike the Palestinians and many Arabs who support Nasrallah, large groups had yearned for a leadership unconnected to Iran or the new jihadi Shi'a… They rejected Hamas and accused the Palestinian jihad movement of being an instrument of Shi'ite Iran. Now Turkey has emerged to compensate for the incapacity of the leaders of the Arab regimes.
"Erdogan [has emerged as a figure] whose portrait can be displayed in homes, on billboards, and on cars. When all is said and done, the integration into the resistance movement of those who [had] hesitated is now being achieved through the gate of Islam.
Turkey seems to have finally rejected the west and put to rest its desire to be a part of it. Although it retains NATO membership, it appears to have no further interest in the EU. Turkey also appears to be again casting its eyes in the direction of its past glory – the Ottoman Empire. Certainly it isn't pretending it would again rule over all of its former territories, but Turkey seems to feel it could be a major if not the major influence in the area of the Middle East. One sure way to work toward that goal is to take on Israel.
While it publicly claims it is still a secular nation ruled by secular institutions, this latest situation with Israel and Turkey's reaction are all Islamic and designed to appeal to the Islamic world in general and the people of the Middle East specifically.
This is one of the conflicts that is brewing on the horizon. It is a new twist in a very old situation. But it promises real trouble if not addressed and defused quickly.
Of course, that will take leadership, not apology tours. I'm not sure that the US is up to the job. And I think the reason we're hearing all this from Turkey now is they sense that is the case.
More Israeli blockade challenges planned
It appears every pro-Palestinian activist group of more than two people is planning on staging a run at the Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip. The ostensible reason is to get much needed supplies and humanitarian aid to the Palestinians living in Gaza.
A group of German and European Jews is probably the most unique of the groups planning such a mission.
"We want to break the Gaza occupation and end the occupation of the West Bank as well," Kate Katzenstein-Leiterer, a member of the executive committee of the European Jews for a Just Peace, which is organizing the mission, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "We as Jews want to bring the Palestinians something other than bombs."
It is always interesting to see such groups elide past the reason for the blockade and lay all the violence on the Israeli side. Certainly not surprising. In fact, it is necessary to develop the false premise that this is all Israel's fault.
The ship, whose current location in the Mediterranean is being kept secret, will be carrying school supplies, musical instruments, children's clothing and "stuff for children that Israel has forbidden, such as sweets and chocolates."
Here's the irony. In fact there's a lot of irony here. One, there is rampant unemployment in Gaza. But, when there are certain items embargoed, Gazan Palestinians have started businesses to make up for that. When embargoed items are smuggled in, they put those businesses out of business. This isn't an argument for continuing to embargo sweets, it is an acknowledgment of the impact of doing so.
Irony two. They could land all of that intact in Egypt and have it shipped through the Egyptian border with Gaza without a single confrontation with the Israelis. So this isn't about "humanitarian aid" or bringing the Palestinians "something other than bombs". That way is clear.
This is obviously about confrontation, publicity and attempting to embarrass Israel.
The final irony is that Egypt might not be as open to their shipment as one might imagine. After all, it is a boat load of Jews we're talking about here.
Iran offers pro-Palestinian activists escort through Israeli blockade
And the tensions are ratcheted even higher. Turkey's PM is talking about visiting the Gaza Strip (one would assume he'd appeal to Egypt for passage into the area rather than trying to run the blockade) and now Iran's Revolutionary Guard is being offered as an escort to any wanna-be blockade runners.
"The naval wing of the Revolutionary Guard is ready to assist the peace flotilla to Gaza with all its effort and capabilities," Khamenei's Revolutionary Guard spokesman Ali Shirazi stated. "If the Supreme Leader issues an order for this then the Revolutionary Guard naval forces will do their best to secure the ships," Shirazi said. "It is Iran's duty to defend the innocent people of Gaza."
A couple of points. This isn't coming from Ahmadinejad. This is coming from Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (the offer, per Reuters, was made today in an interview). So this should be viewed with much more credibility, since Khamenei is where the real decision making rests with the Iranian regime.
Second point – it wouldn't at all surprise me if Iran attempted such a thing. It would help their relations with the Arab world, it would divert attention to their favorite external enemy (besides the US) and, if they can provoke violence, further alienate Israel. It might also help them avoid really harmful sanctions. What are the lives of a few Revolutionary Guard naval forces with that sort of beneficial pay-off in the offing?
And make no mistake, Iran would be throwing their lives away. I'm not sure what the Revolutionary Guard thinks they could do alone against the entire IDF (air and naval forces), but my guess is if they opened fire on an Israeli vessel it would end up being a short, nasty and very one-sided battle affair. Having total air dominance of the area where the fight would take place, as the Israelis most likely would, tends to make the outcome almost pre-ordained – and perfect for Iran.
Depending on how the world (and media) views the outcome (and my guess is that in certain parts of the Arab world, the story would be written before the battle was ever waged) Israel might end up winning the kinetic battle handily and losing the broader media and opinion war.
Whether or not such an escort ever comes to pass, I think Iran sees a real win-win for them developing in this situation. Consequently, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them try to mount such an operation.
Yglesias – Israel engaged in "collective punishment" of Gaza (and "the children")
A member of the juice-box mafia is at it again. This one, well, it just amazes me (but it shouldn't). Matt Yglesias:
As I've noted before, in the eyes of its defenders the blockade of the Gaza Strip is a security measure aimed at denying rockets to Hamas, while in fact it's a comprehensive effort to collectively punish Gaza residents—a majority of whom are children—in hopes that this will somehow lead to Hamas being replaced by a more moderate regime. Yousef Munayyer's rundown of the consequences of the blockade makes the point clearly. For example, "In 2006, Israel carried out an attack on Gaza's only power plant and never permitted the rebuilding to its pre-attack capacity (down to producing 80 megawatts maximum from 140 megawatts)."
On the surface, it's pure conjecture. And, as you'll see, it is pure conjecture based on a false premise. But not unusual for those whose sole intent is to demonize Israel.
As has been pointed out many times, Israel absorbs about 4,000 rocket attacks a year from Gaza. Random attacks aimed at Israeli civilians. I wonder what Yglesais would say if Israel responded in kind? Would that be "collective punishment" for Gaza, but not Israel (which, though he hasn't apparently noticed, has women and children endangered by those attacks – in fact, they're the targets).
Anyway, since he uses this Munayyer joker as his source, why don't we then see what Israel says about it:
According to the UN report of May 2010, 120 megawatts (over 70%) of the Strip's electricity supply comes from the Israeli electric grid, while 17 MWs come from Egypt and 30 MWs are produced by the Gaza city power station. Since January 2010, there has been deterioration in the supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip since the Hamas regime is unwilling to purchase the fuel to run the Gaza City power station.
Throughout 2009 Israel transferred 41 trucks of equipment for the maintenance of Gaza's electricity grid.
Israel facilitates the transfer of fuel through the border, and maintains that the diversion of fuel from domestic power generators to other uses is wholly a Hamas decision. Over 133 million liters of fuel entered Gaza from Israel over the last 18 months.
Wow – Google truly is your friend.
If the assumption is that 140 MW is what Gaza needs (since Yglesais implies the Gaza electrical station could produce that at full capacity) then it appears they're fine. They receive 167 MW from various sources, mostly Israel. And, it appears, at least according the data the Israelis have produced, that "41 trucks of equipment for the maintenance of Gaza's electric grid" points to something quite different than "never permitted the rebuilding" (and yes I realize that doesn't necessarily mean the main power plant exclusively, but it doesn't exclude it either).
As does the fact that Hamas has been diverting fuel from the domestic power generators to other uses.
I suppose one could try to construct a defense of what the policy actually is, but instead most people seem to prefer to defend something else. Of course Israelis don't want to be hit by rockets, but why shouldn't Gaza's civilians have electricity?
I suppose one could come up with pure unsubstantiated BS and conjecture and try to pass it off as truth too – oh, wait …
And what does it leave us with? Uh, yeah, those rockets. Still real and still hitting Israel.
Flotilla fallout – For Islamic radicals, "mission accomplished"
As the story continues to unfold, all sorts of questions come to mind.
What is up with Turkey and why are they keeping this so hot? It's prime minister has recently said:
"Now Israel has shown to all the world how well it knows how to kill," he said. "People were killed and badly wounded, some from shots, even when bound. How human is this? There is no other way of explaining this to the world. All states condemn it, but this is not enough, we need results. People around the world need to know that one day justice will be revealed. If Israel does not immediately free all the detainees and wounded, the rift in relations with it will widen."
Yet it has become clear that the boat was loaded with agent provocateurs from the Muslim Brotherhood whose sole intent was the initiation of a violent confrontation with Israeli forces. And, in fact, one of the "humanitarian agencies" represented on the flotilla is a Turkish Islamist group who advocated the overthrow of the Turkish government back in 2000.
So why is that government being so strident and confrontational? Don't forget too – Turkey is a NATO member. Are we going to be faced, at some point, with choosing to support a NATO member or Israel?
And speaking of Israel, it appears that much of the country is upset with the raid and its outcome. Not so much in sympathy with the Islamists killed, but because it was so poorly thought out and executed. It was, as many are characterizing it, an ambush, and the Isrealis seemingly went into it blindly and were obviously unprepared (you don't take a paintball gun to a real fight).
Jeffrey Goldberg sums up the feeling in Israel today:
There's real pain in Israel today, pain at the humiliation of the flotilla raid, pain on behalf of the injured soldiers, and pain that the geniuses who run this country could not figure out a way to out-smart a bunch of Turkish Islamists and their useful idiot fellow travelers. And no, there is no particular pain felt for the dead on the boat; the video of those peace-seeking peace activists beating on the paintball commandos with metal bars pretty much canceled out whatever feelings of sympathy Israelis might have otherwise felt. Plus, most Israelis are aware, unlike much of the rest of the world, that these ships were not on a humanitarian mission, but a political mission, one meant to lend support to Hamas, which seeks Israel's destruction, so you might have to excuse Israelis for not sympathizing overly much.
There's more specific "shame and embarrassment" as well. Goldberg goes on:
About that shame and embarrassment: I just met with the son of a friend who serves in an elite Israeli army unit, one very much similiar to Flotilla 13, the Naval commando unit deployed so disastrously against the anti-Israel flotilla, and he explained the shame this way: "These soldiers are the best we have. We are Israel's deterrent. People in the Middle East need to think we are the best, and we are the best, except that when we're sent into situations without any intelligence, without any direction, with paintball guns instead of sufficient weapons, with no understanding of who we're fighting. Then we're going to have a disaster. These commandos were beaten with pipes! They came onto the deck (of the ship) one by one down a rope and they were beaten by a mob! Commandos!
It is indeed obvious, with the normal benefit of hindsight, that the plan was ill conceved and poorly executed. And, as this friend of Goldberg points out, most of that can be attributed to insufficient, bad or totally inadequate intelligence.
But that begs the question, "why"? This flotilla hasn't been any secret and it certainly seems many news organizations were gathering information about it. It seems almost inexplicable why the much vaunted Israeli intelligence network wasn't on top of this or, if they were, how they got it so very wrong.
I don't care who you are, or how good you are, when you piece-meal your force into a situation where the enemy contols the ground you're going into, you're screwed. And to add to the problem, you have a force inadequately armed for the situation (it is obvious by the fact that they were armed with paintball guns that they expected to meet little if any resistance) and an ROE tailored to a completely different situation.
Then there's the public relations side of this fiasco. However right the Isrealis were in trying to stop these ships from running the blockade, with the deaths involved, they end up on the predictable short end of the PR battle.
And, as is now beginning to play out, there's even a symbolic side to this that, per some critics, to which the Israelis government should have been more sensitive:
Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak and Moshe Ya'alon are supposed to know history. They are supposed to know there was no greater mistake than that of the British with regard to the illegal immigrant ship Exodus in the summer of 1947. The brutality employed by the British Mandate against a ferry loaded with Jewish refugees turned the regime into an object of revile. It lost what is now called international legitimacy. British rule over the country ended just 10 months after the Exodus fiasco, The Turkish ship Mavi Marmara was no Exodus. It carried not Holocaust survivors but provocateurs, many of them extremists. But a series of baseless decisions on the part of the prime minister and the ministers of defense and of strategic affairs turned the Marmara into a Palestinian Exodus. With a single foolish move, the Israeli cabinet cast the Muslim Brotherhood in the role of the victim and the Israel Navy as the villain and simultaneously opened European, Turkish, Arab, Palestinian and internal Israeli fronts. In so doing, Israel is serving Hamas' interests better than Hamas itself has ever done.
There's your "sad but true" statement of the day. That is what most of the rest of the world will compare it too. It will also grant "victimhood" to those killed even if it was the intent of those "victims" to martyr themselves. And the hypocritical Arab world will latch on to that publicly while privately celebrating the deaths.
As one of the flotilla participants, Muslim Brotherhood member of its Egyptian Parliamentary bloc is quoted as saying in March of this year:
"A nation that excels at dying will be blessed by Allah with a life of dignity and with eternal paradise."
And that was precisely their aim and the outcome. The death cult of radical Islam doesn't deplore death, it welcomes it and celebrates it. But they also knew the predictable outcome of such "martyrdom" via the world's reaction to them if they could provoke those deaths.
Mission accomplished.
Now we have to see how this all plays out – but for right now, Israel has put itself between a rock and a hard place in a surprisingly un-Israeli fashion.
The Israeli/"Freedom Flotilla" thing – first read
There is a lot more information that needs to come out about this thing, and I'm disturbed that numerous reports show this so-called "Freedom Flotilla" in international waters when Israel boarded, but I'm not prepared to go all Andrew Sullivan on it.
If the flotilla was indeed in international waters, then the Israelis had no business on that ship. That said, what I'm not seeing in most of the reports are facts. I'm seeing a lot of emotional statements and conjecture and posturing by various politicians and nations.
What I've been able to discern at this point is Israeli Commandoes descended on a ship full of "peace activists" whose only supposed desire was to run the Israeli blockade and deliver supplies to Gaza – or so their story goes. As I read more an more about it, it seems less and less likely that those "peace activists" were from the MLK/Ghandi wing of the organization.
In fact, growing evidence is they were from a much less savory part. As the commandoes descended by fast roping on to the deck, armed with paintball guns (and sidearms, holstered), they were set upon by the peaceful folks trying to make it to Gaza.
Let's step back a moment – Israel absorbs about 6,000 rockets a year, most from the Gaza area. They're obviously getting their arms by some route and Israel takes a keen interest in where. I can't imagine why. So they've attempted to cut the sea-borne supply line with a blockade. But the blockade doesn't prevent the delivery of aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. It's not like they turn it all away. In fact, this flotilla is simply another attempt among many past attempts. Yid with a Lid explains:
Every few months, a flotila of boats head toward Gaza with the purpose of convincing the world press that Israel is the evil empire. Usually what happens is Israel stops the boats, directs them to an Israeli port,and Israel delivers the aid though a land route (once it was checked for weapons). Israel has a convoy delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza on a daily basis. In fact Israel transfers about 15,000 tons of supplies and humanitarian aid every week to the people of Gaza.
That's how the necessities of survival have dictated it is done – if you want to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, head for the Israeli port. Mission accomplished – unless you're an arms smuggler or looking for a fight. And it appears, more and more, that's precisely what this flotilla was looking for – and got. It also appears the escalation of respose was probably warranted given the "peace activists" continued attacks. Here's why:
Navy commandoes slid down to the vessel one by one, yet then the unexpected occurred: The passengers that awaited them on the deck pulled out bats, clubs, and slingshots with glass marbles, assaulting each soldier as he disembarked. The fighters were nabbed one by one and were beaten up badly, yet they attempted to fight back.
However, to their misfortune, they were only equipped with paintball rifles used to disperse minor protests, such as the ones held in Bilin. The paintballs obviously made no impression on the activists, who kept on beating the troops up and even attempted to wrest away their weapons. One soldier who came to the aid of a comrade was captured by the rioters and sustained severe blows.
The commandoes were equipped with handguns but were told they should only use them in the face of life-threatening situations. When they came down from the chopper, they kept on shouting to each other "don't shoot, don't shoot," even though they sustained numerous blows.
Video has emerged of the commandoes being attacked with metal pipes, clubs, bats and the like. There's also a shot of one commando being thrown over the side of one deck and landing on another, to be set upon again. Obviously the paintball gun didn't have the desired effect. But their ROE (Rules of Engagement) said, no use of firearms unless their lives were under threat.
OK, so now what? Well, step two was to attempt to break up the attackers with stun grenades:
The forces hurled stun grenades, yet the rioters on the top deck, whose number swelled up to 30 by that time, kept on beating up about 30 commandoes who kept gliding their way one by one from the helicopter.
You're probably saying, "but wait, these are Israeli commandoes and they were some activist rabble. The odds were pretty even. Why didn't the commandoes just take them?" Because when you fast rope in one-by-one into a crowd of 30, it is pretty hard to get any sort of cohesive unit action going, especially when you're set upon individually. You're fighting for your safety from minute one.
Anyway, stun grenades didn't disperse them, so what was the next step? Well, it was actually dictated by the "peace activists" when they disarmed and threw the commando I mentioned above over the side. It all went downhill from there:
Only after this injury did Flotilla 13 troops ask for permission to use live fire. The commander approved it: You can go ahead and fire. The soldiers pulled out their handguns and started shooting at the rioters' legs, a move that ultimately neutralized them. Meanwhile, the rioters started to fire back at the commandoes.
"I saw the tip of a rifle sticking out of the stairwell," one commando said. "He fired at us and we fired back. We didn't see if we hit him. We looked for him later but couldn't find him." Two soldiers sustained gunshot wounds to their knee and stomach after rioters apparently fired at them using guns wrested away from troops. During the commotion, another commando was stabbed with a knife. In a later search aboard the Marmara, soldiers found caches of bats, clubs, knives, and slingshots used by the rioters ahead of the IDF takeover. It appeared the activists were well prepared for a fight.
I don't know how "well prepared" they were, but they certainly had crude weapons (the slingshots were using glass marbles which can, at close range, kill if they hit the right spot) and a will to attack the Israelis.
None of this, by the way, excuses the Israelis from boarding a ship in international waters (if that is indeed the case). They need to answer for that. International waters makes this an illegal raid. According to reports the flotilla was intercepted 65km of the Gaza coast. But the contiguous zone is only 24 miles or 38.6km off shore.
Within this zone, a coastal state can stop and inspect vessels and act to punish (or prevent) violations of its laws within its territory or territorial waters.
However, it also seems clear that this particular flotilla was in the business of trying to provoke violence and succeeded. As the claims and counter claims come in and the usual absurd posturing takes place about the deaths caused in this incident, remember this sequence of events and what prompted what happened on board the Marmara. Certainly one can sympathize to an extent with the peace activists who actually do want to see the people of Gaza receive humanitarian supplies. And one can also get their back up at armed men attempting to prevent them from doing so freely.
But you also have to keep in mind what happens from Gaza all too many times during each year. And you have to keep in mind that self-defense is also a right. I'm sure the "peace activists" will claim they were only defending themselves and their property, and in this case, it appears to be a valid claim. However, it seems clear from the videos that they're intent on doing a little more than just defending themselves against paintball gun wielding commandoes. And it is just as clear from the ROE and the sequenced or phased response that the Israelis had no intention, upon landing on the ship, of killing or injuring anyone.
But this is now a full-fledged international incident with all the insanity those sorts of things normally bring to the fore (NATO is meeting about this? Really? And Turkey is threatening to escort another flotilla with its navy? Oh great, that'll lessen tensions – maybe NATO does need to meet.).
Stay tuned for more.