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27 Dresses – Movie Review
It's a chick flick of the boring kind. O.K. Not so boring as it's entertaining enough…but it leaves you with a hollow feeling at the end of it. Its a 'romantic comedy' they say, but this 'romantic comedy' did nothing for me. I didn't laugh even once and nor did my eyes become moist at any point of time.
It was all fake, the emotion was all fake. And so were the dialogues and the situations.
This itself is supposed to be funny I guessed, but it's not really funny.
To get on with the story (there isn't much of a story), Jane hopes that one day her Prince Charming will come along and sweep her off her feet straight to the altar…! Unfortunately for Jane, she is not the kind of girl who guys fall for because even though she is stunningly good looking, she works very hard, is responsible and straightforward…I was not sure I understood this stereotype! Perhaps they should have chosen a less good-looking actress or one with a less brilliant smile, or one with less of an innocent look, then perhaps one could have swallowed this silly notion. The way Jane is portrayed, it would be difficult for any man not to fall for her but as I am not a man can't say for sure! True, her being unable to flirt is a huge disadvantage…but I am not ready to believe that guys don't fall in love with responsible hardworking girls who cook well, are good housekeepers and are also beautiful and smart. It's not as if Jane is brilliant or is earning a 6 figure salary, which are the kind of things that could perhaps make guys insecure. Perhaps…
27 dresses is set in New York, where Jane works as an assistant to handsome, suave and sophisticated George (Edward Burns). He is oblivious to her charms and her apparent fawning behavior in his presence. Yes, Jane is head over heels in love with her boss, but he has no idea. Strange! There is another man on the scene…Malcom (James Marsden) and he's a scruffy, off-beat character whom Jane is absolutely not attracted to, although he is to her.
The story reminds one faintly of Bridget Jones, but Bridget Jones was a brilliant film and it was real and it was heart warming – but not 27 Dresses. It's a pale ghost of a film.
Anyway, to get back to the plot, the movie is not exactly a love triangle as Jane's sister Tess (Malin Akerman) plays a major part. Tess and Jane are opposites, although both are pretty. And you guessed it, in the movie they are rivals.
I don't want to delve further into the plot as the story isn't anything much and even one more line will give everything away.
The acting was alright, and I liked Malin Akerman's acting the best, who plays Jane's sis Tess. She plays the role of the spoilt, selfish little sister pretty well.
This movie is not boring, as I said at the start. But expecting any soulful stuff or even a funny movie is a mistake. It doesn't touch the heart.
Release info country wise available here. India isn't too far down on the list, although the movie was released in the U.S. and Australia in January.
Ravi permalinkMarch 17, 2008 8:46 am
I m confessing that I had watched to movie in theater due to certain obligations probably you'd imagine what they could be. Yes I watched this chick flick and it's really boring 🙂 I liked Catherine heigl in "knocked up" she was pretty but somehow she didn't looked that well in this movie. I liked her sister Tess though. She was honest enough to confess that she had been bitching around with hot guys while at school and envied her sister for many reasons.
I wish some blond girl like jessica simpson or rachel adams could have played the role of jane in this movie that would have been apt to the title. Ms.Heigl deserves better where she can perform to her potential.
Ravi permalinkMarch 21, 2008 8:57 pm
I had just watched this movie : Horton sees a who!
I couldn't believe how people come up with so much novelty in movies. I wish you would watch this movie and start a thread. But the movie is strictly for kids. I dont know how people would receive this movie in india. Has it released there?
I have not seen that movie and never even heard of it! I guess it will be released her after months and month, if it is ever released here! – Nita
Ameya permalinkApril 4, 2008 2:11 pm
Hey nice review!!!!.Did u watch a movie called Into the Wild???.If not then pls definitely do…..Its a really good one though its long…around 2 and a half hours!!!!!!!!

subset: commoncrawl


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D.A. says fatal shooting by cop justified
The fatal shooting of Rebecca Lynn Stebbins was ruled justified by the Butte County Officer-Involved Critical/Incident Protocol Team, District Attorney Mike Ramsey announced at a Wednesday morning news conference in Oroville. Although he called the incident "tragic" several times, Ramsey said the officers involved shot to protect themselves and the the people they're sworn to protect.
Stebbins was shot and killed June 12 by Gridley-Biggs Police Officer Scott Smallwood. Officer Brandon Wilson also shot at Stebbins. Both men were placed on administrative leave, which Chief Gary Keeler said was standard procedure, and went through a psychological evaluation. Now that the shooting has been ruled justified, they will be able to return to their jobs.
"It's a difficult time for our department to go through, it's hard on obviously Rebecca's family, my officers at the department, their extended families," Keeler said.
The Gridley Police Department received a call from the Chico Police Department about 9:52 p.m. to inform them Stebbins was suicidal, armed with a .357 magnum handgun and likely headed toward her estranged husband's house in Gridley. They had been using GPS tracking on her cell phone while a dispatcher spoke with her.
Officers were sent to the man's house on Flyway Court, and one tried to intercept her on Highway 99 but couldn't. Wilson, positioned at the end of Flyway, spotted Stebbins' 2005 Ford Expedition and tried to flag her down by aiming his flashlight at the vehicle and at himself. She ignored him and accelerated down the cul-de-sac. Wilson radioed the other officers to warn them she was coming, and he ran after the SUV.
Officer Scott Olsgard went to his vehicle in front of the man's house and turned on his lights and spotlight to illuminate the approaching car.
He saw Stebbins driving with one hand on the steering wheel and another holding up the gun as if displaying it to the officers, Ramsey said.
Smallwood then moved from the estranged husband's front door to a position in front of the man's state truck in the driveway. Stebbins stopped the car and got out with the gun still in hand. Neighbors verified to Ramsey that all the officers yelled at her to drop the gun. Instead she faced Smallwood, about 38 feet away, and began to raise the gun.
"As the weapon got to and past a 45-degree angle, Officer Smallwood and Officer Wilson, from their respective positions, opened fire," Ramsey said.
Wilson fired three times, with all of his bullets striking the car. Smallwood shot four times, with one hitting Stebbins in the chest, going through her heart and out her back into the SUV.
Not being in park, the car continued to roll, with the open door striking Olsgard's car and then careening off into Smallwood's car. Meanwhile, the officers radioed for medical personnel while trying to resuscitate Stebbins themselves. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
Stebbins had been treated for depression in March 2006 and 2007. On June 11 she filed a restraining order against her father due to a fight the two had the night before. She believed her father was going to kill her the next time he saw her.
"That is not exactly correct," Ramsey said. "In her state, it was obvious that many things that were said to her were taken somewhat out of context, and somewhat overblown in her depression."
The night before the incident, while staying at a hotel, she wrote a note to her husband that read, "I'm going to bed and hoping that I wake up feeling better than I do now. But if you are reading this letter, then it must mean I didn't feel better." It went on to talk about the problems with her father, the divorce and other problems in her life.
Ramsey said she was also planning on dropping off the dog at her estranged husband's house, which was significant because the dog had been the subject of a bitter custody dispute before and she had refused to give the dog back in the past.
On the night of the incident, she had a fight with her boyfriend in Chico and took his .357 magnum handgun from its hiding place before leaving the residence. The boyfriend attempted to stop her by stepping in front of her SUV, but she then placed the gun in her mouth, threatening suicide. He backed away, but called Chico police about 9:38 p.m. and told them what had happened and that she might be going to her father's residence in Chico or to her estranged husband's residence in Gridley.
A dispatcher was able to get Stebbins on her cell phone but couldn't talk her out of her plan.
"Everyone has given up on me and I've given up on myself," Stebbins told the dispatcher. "I am dropping off the dog, giving her back to my ex-husband and that's the end of the story."
"I've been through so much in two years that ... nothing is going to change the way I feel," she went on to say. "And I will tell you this: if you find where the dog is and I get to my ex's house and you guys are there, I will shoot myself."
Ramsey said the dispatcher tried several techniques to make a connection with Stebbins, but to no avail.
He made a point to say that the children had not seen their mother's body in the street. Stebbins' daughters are 2 and 5 and slept through the shooting. When they were taken out of the house, they remained asleep with blankets over their heads and the Protocol Team shielding the body.
"The examination of all of this evidence has led my office to conclude that the shooting was justified," Ramsey said. "Officer Smallwood shot to protect himself. Officer Wilson, as he explained, shot to protect Officer Smallwood."


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本記事では CData サポート担当からこんなことを聞かれたらどこを確認すべきか?という観点で、よく頂くお問合せ内容をご紹介します。記事はこちら →
Always-on applications rely on automatic failover capabilities and real-time data access. CData Sync integrates live Veeva data into your Azure SQL instance, allowing you to consolidate all of your data into a single location for archiving, reporting, analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and more.
Using CData Sync, you can replicate Veeva data to Azure SQL. To add a replication destination, navigate to the Connections tab.
The Java version requires the Microsoft SQL Server JDBC Driver, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center. Copy the JDBC driver to the lib folder of your Java Web server to make a connection.
You can configure a connection to Veeva from the Connections tab. To add a connection to your Veeva account, navigate to the Connections tab.
CData Sync enables you to control replication with a point-and-click interface and with SQL queries. For each replication you wish to configure, navigate to the Jobs tab and click Add Job. Select the Source and Destination for your replication.
To replicate an entire table, click Add Tables in the Tables section, choose the table(s) you wish to replicate, and click Add Selected Tables.
In the Schedule section, you can schedule a job to run automatically, configuring the job to run after specified intervals ranging from once every 15 minutes to once every month.
Once you have configured the replication job, click Save Changes. You can configure any number of jobs to manage the replication of your Veeva data to Azure SQL.


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For the latest updates to Global Public Square, including show information and Fareed's Take, visit the new GPS site on CNN.com.
Yes. I eat Modi poo poo. Very good.
Lager is to Brits what cow urine is to Indian Hindoos
Mother's milk is to babies what raypes and terrorism is to hinddoous....
I drink warm pee pee from Modi's toilet.
Very tasty
AL SHARPTON: So Mr. Modi, our US Presidents Bush went to Yale and Obama to Harvard and Mr. Nawaz Sharif your neighboring PM went to Columbia......what about you?
MODI: Well, Babu Ji I went to Delhi Rail Station Chai School of making tea and am expert in mass murdering people.
I live to eat poopie from India.
I am a Hindu boy
I eat Al Sharpton poopie
:::20% of women or 140 million women have been gang rayped in India
:::60% of men or 420 million men in India think that rayping and burning wife alive for dowry by spraying kerosene and lighting her up is acceptable.
:::Only 1% of raypes in India are reported.
:::There is a raype every 2 seconds in India
I eat boogers salty gooey moist boogers from Al Sharpton nose
I love Blue Saffron. He is the most brilliant person around.
I am a Hindu boy from India
I eat boogers salty gooey moist boogers from India Tastes like chicken LMFAO! ! ! !
I am Hindu now
I eat Blue Saffron's poopie and boogers salty gooey moist boogers from India. ..delicious
I pick my nose and eat my moist salty gooey boogers Tastes like chicken LMFAO! ! ! ! ! ! ! Mmmmmm
I stick my index finger into Modi's nose and eat his moist salty gooey boogers. ...mmmm
Espinoza. Really looks to me like you NAILED IT!
Hi. I'm a Hindu boy from India.
I eat poo poo from Modi's toilet
I want a ham & cheese sandwich with Modi boogers nice salty gooey moist boogers.
I admire Blue Saffron. He is like a God to me. I worship him.
Yeah he is a very intelligent person
Modi washes Blue Saffron's linga for pooja.
Modi makes pancakes out of Blue Saffron's s hitt and eats it.
A water buffalo just fukked Modi. He is having his butt sewed up by a tailor in Mumbai.
@Blue Saffron is my messiah. My hero.
oh, how I miss Blue Saffron.... The love of my life.
I li ck Modi's poop
I eat Modi's vomit
I love to eat Blue Saffron's s hitt. It is so silky and smells like chocolate.
When Blue Saffron farts I inhale all of it. It is full of oxygen.
You dont say. It is like incense of roses
Child Marriage – Girls are to be married when 5 years old !
Dowry – Vedas (Hindu holy script) prescribes this practice
Bride-Burning – if the dowry is insufficient burn her alive.
No Property, burn her alive.
Mass Wife-Burning (Jauhar) – Often 100s are burnt at a time.
Widow-Burning (Sati) – Sanctioned by the Vedas, Puranas, practiced by Hindu Lord Krishna's wives, it still continues in India to this day.
A giraffe just fukked Modi up his a zz. Modi is pregnant with a baboon.
Modi kisses Blue Saffron's a zz several times a day as a worship ritual.
Modi eats Blue's excrete as protein


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- This event has passed.
Little Sprouts Story Time
November 23, 2022 @ 10:30 am - 11:30 am
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 10:30 am on Wednesday, repeating indefinitely
Children enjoy stories, songs, finger plays and puppet shows that develop early literacy skills and promote interaction between parents and children. Ages 5 and under.
This program is also held on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.


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Easy No-Sew Ribbon Projects
Do-it-yourself ribbon accents
Boost the creativity of your basic home accessories--pillows, curtains and lampshades--by adding ribbons in vibrant, happy colors. The key to quick and easy ribbon application? Use no-sew crafting supplies, such as iron-on hem tape or fabric glue.
Click ahead to learn how to make four breezy ribbon projects--perfect pick-me-ups for any room.
Casual embellished curtains
Give plain white curtain panels a fresh look with an oversize tattersall pattern. We used aqua grosgrain ribbon in two widths to create the effect. The next three slides show you how to make this project.
Embellished curtain panels: Gather supplies
For tattersall curtain panels, you'll need:
-- 2 42x84-inch cotton curtain panels (or preferred size)
-- Approximately 24 yards 3/8-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon in aqua
-- Approximately 24 yards 1-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon in aqua
-- Approximately 48 yards of iron-on hem tape
-- Iron
-- Scissors
-- Yardstick
-- Pencil
-- Straight pins
Note: Adjust ribbon yardages for curtain panels of your preferred size.
Embellished curtain panels: First steps
1. Spread curtain panel on a large table or other flat surface.
2. To mark evenly spaced "panes" on the curtains, draw straight lines on the fabric using a yardstick and a pencil. For a curtain panel that's 42x84 inches (as shown), each pane should be about 9-1/4x15-1/2 inches. That will result in four panes across the panel and five panes down the panel. The marking for the first lengthwise ribbon should be about 9-1/4 inches from the edge of the curtain panel; the first widthwise mark should be 15-1/2 inches from the top. Mark lines where you will attach both the narrow and wide ribbon, so there will be about 1/4 inch between the two.
3. For each line marked on your panel, cut ribbon to the length of the marked line, plus 1 inch. For example, for a 42x84-inch curtain marked into panes as indicated above, you would cut four sections of 3/8-inch ribbon 43 inches long, and three sections 85 inches long. Repeat with 1-inch-wide ribbon.
4. Cut a section of iron-on hem tape to match the length of each piece of ribbon.
5. Place iron-on hem tape along each of the lengthwise pencil markings designated for the 3/8-inch-wide ribbon, leaving 1/2 inch at the top and at the bottom to fold under curtain edge. Temporarily hold with pins.
6. Place 3/8-inch-wide ribbon over each section of hem tape, wrapping 1/2 inch to the back of the curtain at the top and bottom. Temporarily hold with pins.
7. Adhere hem tape and ribbon to curtain according to manufacturer's directions for the hem tape.
Click ahead for the next step.
Finish embellished curtain panels
8. Repeat to adhere hem tape and 1-inch-wide ribbon to the remaining lengthwise lines on the curtain.
9. Repeat steps 5-8 to adhere hem tape and ribbon widthwise on the curtain panel.
10. Repeat instructions 1-9 for the second curtain panel.
Crisscross lampshade
Turn a no-frills drum lampshade into an attention-getter with woven satin ribbons. The next five slides show you how to make this project.
Make a crisscross lampshade: Gather supplies
For a crisscross lampshade, you'll need:
-- Drum-style fabric lampshade; shown is a 13-inch shade (shade height is 9 inches)
-- Approximately 10 yards 5/8-inch-wide satin ribbon in orange
-- Approximately 10 yards 5/8-inch-wide satin ribbon in aqua
-- Hot-glue gun
-- Hot-glue sticks
-- Tape measure
-- Pencil
-- Straight pins
Make a crisscross lampshade: First steps
1. Mark 1-inch intervals around the top of the shade with a pencil.
2. Cut the 5/8-inch-wide orange satin ribbon into 34 10-1/2-inch strips. Cut the 5/8-inch-wide aqua satin ribbon into 34 10-1/2-inch strips. (Or cut strips to fit the size of your shade; each strip should be 1-1/2 inches longer than the height of the shade.)
Click ahead for the next step.
Make a crisscross lampshade: Add orange strips
3. At each pencil marking, apply an orange ribbon strip diagonally. This should leave about 3/8 inch between ribbon strips. Hold in place temporarily with straight pins.
Click ahead for the next step.
Make a crisscross lampshade: Glue ribbon ends
4. Hot-glue ribbon ends to the inside top and bottom of the shade.
Click ahead for the next step.
Make a crisscross lampshade: Final steps
5. Then, attach and weave aqua ribbon strips diagonally in the opposite direction so that they weave through the already secured orange strips. Each aqua ribbon should weave in and out of three orange strips. Hot-glue ends inside the top and bottom of shade.
6. Repeat until covered.
Room-energizing pillow
Give a bargain pillow cover a dose of pep with a playful ribbon design. For happy stripes, design a pattern of five or six perky-color ribbons of different widths and textures. The next slides show how to create this project.
Stripe pillow: Gather supplies
For a stripe pillow, you'll need:
-- Pillow cover (shown is 14x18 inches)
-- Pillow insert (to fit pillow cover)
-- Clear-drying fabric adhesive or iron-on hem tape
-- 5-7 spools of ribbon in different widths, colors and textures; you'll need about 5 feet of each ribbon
-- Straight pins
-- Scissors
-- Iron
Make a stripe pillow
1. Spread out unstuffed pillow cover on a table or other flat surface.
2. Cut enough ribbon strips to cover the pillow, cutting each strip 1/2 inch longer than the height of the pillow. For a 14x18-inch pillow, for example, each strip would be 14-1/2 inches long.
3. For each ribbon strip, fold both ends under 1/4 inch. Iron the fold to secure. This will prevent ribbon ends from fraying.
4. Arrange ribbon strips lengthwise on the pillow cover to determine desired design. Apply three to seven ribbons in a row; leave an inch or two of the pillow uncovered; repeat. Pin the ribbons in place.
5. Once satisfied with the design, attach ribbon strips one by one with fabric adhesive or iron-on hem tape, following manufacturer's instructions. Let adhesive dry.
6. Stuff pillow with pillow insert.
Free-form pillow cover
Prefer a free-form design? Create this look with a gathered ribbon that's easy to coil or zigzag. The next three slides show how to make this project.
Free-form pillow cover design: Gather supplies
For a free-form pillow cover design, you'll need:
-- Pillow cover (shown is 17x17 inches)
-- Pillow insert (to fit pillow cover)
-- Clear-drying fabric adhesive
-- 7-1/2 feet of 1-inch-wide white satin gathered ribbon (or enough to create your design)
-- 7-1/2 feet of 1/4-inch-wide aqua satin ribbon (or enough to create your design)
-- Straight pins
-- Scissors
-- Pencil
-- Iron
Make a free-form pillow cover: First steps
1. Cut the 1-inch-wide white satin gathered ribbon into a 7-1/2-foot strip (or desired sized for your design).
2. Cut the 1/4-inch-wide aqua satin ribbon into a 7-1/2-foot strip (or desired size for your design).
3. For each ribbon strip, fold both ends under 1/4 inch. Iron the fold to secure. This will prevent ribbon ends from fraying.
4. Using clear-drying fabric adhesive, glue the 1/4-inch-wide aqua ribbon down the middle of the 1-inch-wide white gathered ribbon. This adds color to your design.
Click ahead for the next step.
Make a free-form pillow cover: Final steps
5. Using pencil and starting at one corner of the pillow, draw a free-form design that winds around and ends at the opposite corner.
6. Pin the ribbon to follow the drawn line.
7. Adjust until you're happy with the design.
8.Attach the ribbon in sections with clear-drying fabric adhesive. Let adhesive dry.
9. Stuff pillow with pillow insert.


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Man who backed terror group gets 14 years
A Chicago businessman was sentenced to 14 years in prison Thursday for providing material support to overseas terrorism, including a Pakistani group whose 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, left more than 160 people dead.
Tahawwur Rana did not address the court before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber imposed the sentence and did not react afterward. But his defense attorneys said the judge was right to reject prosecutors' arguments that Rana deserved a stiffer sentence because the charges were related to terrorism.
Jurors in 2011 convicted Rana of providing support for the Pakistani group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and for supporting a never-carried-out plot to attack a Danish newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005. The cartoons angered many Muslims because pictures of the prophet are prohibited in Islam.
But jurors cleared Rana of the third and most serious charge of involvement in the three-day rampage in Mumbai, India's largest city, which has often been called India's 9/11.
"We think the judge made the right ruling," defense attorney Patrick Blegen said, adding that he intends to appeal Rana's conviction because the judge refused to separate the Denmark and Mumbai charges. "I had always been our belief that it would be very difficult to get a fair trial if he had to face charges for two separate plots at once."
Prosecutors, who had sought a sentence of up to 30 years, issued a written statement in which Acting U.S. Attorney Gary S. Shapiro called the 14-year term a "serious" sentence "that should go a long way towards convincing would-be terrorists that they can't hide behind the scenes, lend support to the violent aims of terrorist organizations and escape detection and punishment."
The government's star witness at Rana's trial was admitted terrorist David Coleman Headley, who had pleaded guilty to laying the groundwork for the Mumbai attacks. The American Pakistani testified against his school friend Rana to avoid the death penalty and extradition and spent five days on the witness stand detailing how he allegedly worked for both the Pakistani intelligence agency known as the ISI and Lashkar.
Rana was accused of allowing Headley to open a branch of his Chicago-based immigration law business in Mumbai as a cover story and travel as a representative of the company in Denmark. During trial, a travel agent showed how Rana booked travel for Headley and prosecutors presented Rana's videotaped arrest statement to the FBI, during which he said he knew Headley had trained with Lashkar. They also played a September 2009 recorded phone conversation between the men.
Defense attorneys portrayed Headley as a manipulator and habitual liar who duped his friend. Jurors' decision not to convict Rana on all counts could suggest they weren't fully convinced by Headley, who is scheduled to be sentenced in Chicago next week.
Prosecutor Daniel Collins on Thursday argued for a tough punishment for Rana that would deter others who would take part in similar plots and reflect the seriousness of the offense.
"There's not much worse than mass murder of this scale," he said of the plot, which was not ultimately carried out.
The judge responded that he doubted any sentence he imposed would deter anyone bent on committing a terrorist attack.
"Seems to me that people determined to carry out terrorism really don't care what happens to them," Leinenweber said. He added, however, that a long sentence would help prevent Rana from taking part in any future terrorist activity.
The judge also rejected the government's argument that the plot against the Danish newspaper was meant as a broader attack against the Danish government, amounting to an act of terrorism that should mean a harsher sentence. Leinenweber said it seemed clear the plot was solely targeting an independent newspaper on private property, and was likely intended to intimidate other media outlets that might defame Islam or its prophet.
The defense attorney, Blegen, also noted that there was no shortage of government targets in Copenhagen if they had wanted to strike at Denmark's leaders.
He argued for a more lenient sentence for the 52-year-old Rana that would take into account his poor health and the emotional impact of his separation from his wife and children. He said the Pakistani-born Canadian citizen had suffered a heart attack while in the federal lockup. He also argued that Rana did not present a future risk.
"Judge, he is a good man and he got sucked into something, but there's no risk that he's going to do it again. None," Blegen said.
Judge Leinenweber said he was baffled at the descriptions of Rana from family and friends that portrayed him as a kind, caring person, saying it was so "contrary" to the person who aided the plot on the newspaper's office.
"On the one hand we have a very intelligent person who is capable of providing assistance to many people," the judge said just before announcing his sentence. "But what is difficult to understand is: a person with that intelligence and that background and history of helping others ... how that type of person could get sucked into a dastardly plot that was proposed."
Leinenweber also sentenced Rana to five years of supervised release after his prison term was up, but Blegen said it's very likely that Rana would be deported to Canada upon release.
Rana's wife was not present at Thursday's sentencing, and the defense attorney said the woman, a Canadian citizen, was recently denied entry to the United States.
Rana's trial in 2011 came just weeks after Navy SEALs found Osama bin Laden hiding in Pakistan. Some observers had expected testimony could reveal details about alleged links between ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba. In the end, though, much that came out in testimony had been heard before through indictments and a report released by India's government.
The Pakistani government has maintained it did not know about bin Laden or help plan the Mumbai attacks.


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Material Girl's materials to be auctioned in Nov.
Staff Writer
Columbus Monthly
NEW YORK (AP) — Get ready to dance in Madonna's old clothes.
Julien's Auctions announced Tuesday that items from the pop icon's personal and professional life will be auctioned Nov. 7-8.
Pieces from her "Material Girl," ''Music" and "American Pie" music videos will be offered during the Icons & Idols: Rock n' Roll auction in Beverly Hills, California. More than 30 items from the 1996 film "Evita" will also be available.
Julien's Auctions said some of the awards that Madonna has won over the years will also be offered, including an MTV Video Music Award and an American Music Award.
The auction will also include written lyrics, a diary from 1988, signed checks and a 1972 yearbook.


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Poetry Dispatch No. 269 | February 6, 2009
The Poetry of Persona and the Divided Self
Norbert Blei
Not every poet finds a reason or need to develop a voice within a voice, another 'persona' if you will, but for sometime a number of poets (Americans in particular) have been getting outside/inside themselves in a way writers of fiction create `characters' or characters to voice other levels of meaning.
CAUTION: It may seem an easy thing to do. But it's not something you can play around with like: "I think today I'll write a sonnet" ten consider yourself Shakespeare. Rather…it's a voice that may (or may not) call you when you are ready to listen—and record. One way or another, life itself propels you in this direction. Which is always the way of authentic writing. When it's bullshit, it's bullshit. When it's true, it's true.
The late John Berryman, author of an American classic, THE DREAM SONGS, is one of these poets who introduces the character of Henry in his work. A likeable guy. So much so that the reader begins to feel comfortable in the possibility that Berryman and Henry are one or share the same sensibility which the recorded moment requires—sad, sensitive, self-indulgent, self-disparaging, confessional roustabouts with something unsettling to say about life, art, the American dream:
Books drugs razor whisky shirts
Henry lies ready for his Eastern tour,
swollen ankles, one hand,
air reservations. Friends at the end of the hurts,
a winter mind resigned: literature
must spread, you understand,
–from "Dream Song 169" of THE DREAM SONGS, Farra, Strauss, Giroux
Henry = Berryman? Some resemblance, perhaps. Though Berryman himself states: "The poem, then, whatever its wide cast of characters, is essentially about an imaginary character (not the poet, not me) named Henry, a white-American in early middle age sometimes in black face, who has suffered an irreversible loss and talks about himself sometimes in the first person, sometimes in the third, sometimes even in the second; he has a friend, never named, who addresses him as Mr. Bones and variants thereof. Requiescat in pace."
Paul Zimmer, (FAMILY REUNION: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS, THE ZIMMER POEMS, etc. University of Pittsburg Press) is an immensely entertaining yet serious poet with his own special take on an alter ego who looks at the real world through the small-town eyes of a character named Zimmer. The titles alone pull you immediately into his world: "Zimmer and the Ghost", "Zimmer Remembering Wanda", "Zimmer Imagines Heaven", "Zimmer's Last Gig", "Zimmer Is Icumen In"…
At the blackboard I had missed
Five number problems in a row,
And was about to foul a sixth,
When the old, exasperated nun
Began to pound my head against
My six mistakes. When I cried,
She threw me back into my seat,
Where I hid my head and swore
That very day I'd be a poet,
And curse her yellow teeth with this.
My friend, Illinois poet of the people and the prairie, Dave Etter, has to date never developed a whole book of poems to a character of his named Doreen (shades of an old high school sweetheart, word has it) but she pops up occasionally in his work, especially in a book of prose poems, HOME STATE (Spoon River Poetry Press).
Doreen always sleeps in a pajama top—that's all. Winter or summer, just a pajama top. Who wears the bottoms? How would I know? Nobody, I guess. She probably uses them for dust rags, or maybe she gives them away to some girl who sleeps only in pajama bottoms. The way Doreen squirms and kicks her legs in bed, I can understand very well why she opts for tops over bottoms. What do I wear between the sheets? Well, it's none of your business, but if you must know, I wear neither pajama tops or pajama bottoms. You wouldn't either if you slept with Doreen.
On the international scene, one poet in particular of the post-modernist school, Zbigniew Herbert of Poland, brings a thoughtful character to light, Mr. Cogito, who seems to carry the whole sad history of Eastern Europe on his shoulders as he ponders the state of our times.
If I went back there
probably I wouldn't find
even shadow from my house
nor the trees of childhood
nor the cross with n iron plate
the bench where I whispered incantations
chestnuts and blood
not a single thing that is ours…
…while all around
piles of ash are growing
up to my shoulders
up to my mouth
from MR. COGITO, The Ecco Press
Back in the rural Midwest, over in Minnesota, the poet Leo Dangel sometimes sees the world through Old Man Brunner's magnificent, munificent eyes:
Old Man Brunner never cuts his weeds.
Right up to the house,
sunflowers and fire weeds
grow tough and hard as small trees.
In the summer evening, Old Man Brunner
sits and surveys his jungle,
his sleeves rolled up,
his cracked shoes beside him.
Old man Brunner's feet are white,
white as angel feet.
He hold one white foot in his brown hand
and cuts his toenails
with a tin shears.
-from OLD MAN BRUNNER COUNTRY, Spoon River Poetry Press
It is almost impossible to read any of the many collections of the late Bukowski's (Charles) poems, stories and novels and not come up with a street-wise character, part buffoon, part philosopher, part loser, part poet…semi-serious slant on himself, Bukowski likes to call Chinaski:
I met the movie star, he's playing Chinaski
in my new movie, I pout my hand on his shoulder: "you're
all right, Ben," I tell him.
then the famous Italian director puts his leg up on
the table: "now I'll drink with you Chinaski," he says.
(that's the way he always drinks, I'm told.)
"o.k.," I say and I put my leg up on the table.
I drain my glass, he fills it again, I drain it
Again, he fills it again.
they know I'm a real guy then.
-from, OPEN ALL NIGHT, Black Sparrow Press
Tom Montag, one of our best Wisconsin poets did a book, Ben Zen THE OX OF PARADOX with my press, (Cross+Roads Press) in l999 which is a wonder to read, behold. I won't say It's all Zen; I won't say it isn't Zen. I will say that for any reader with the slightest interest in the subject, not to mention a love of poetry—Tom Montag speaks to you in this book—through the simple presence of a wise old farmer, who sounds a lot like a Zen monk, speaking in koans:
Engineers are like poets,
Ben says, only backwards.
If you don't have
Truth in your heart
You won't know
What you have.
Anything will fit, Ben says.
You just have to learn to wear it.
Oh to a be the junkman, Ben says.
To have everything no one wants.
Much as I've been,
Ben says,
I've never been enough.
There do not seem to be as many women writing the poetry of persona as men, though one in particular, Lyn Lifshin, whom I have read for more than twenty years in hundreds of little magazines, has written "more than a thousand" (she tells me) "Madonna" poem (in addition to her regular poetry) and is still writing them. Her "Madonna" is—ribald, rambunctious, erotic, excessive, demanding, demeaning, ironic, iconic, horny, heady, outspoken, outrageous…born to deliver the double whammy. Her latest books are: COLD COMFORT and BEFORE IT'S LIGHT (Black Sparrow Press). Collections of her Madonna poems, are hard to find. Check out: www.lynlifshin.com I leave you in her ("Madonna's"), warm, anxious hands:
around her bed:
spoons like lovers
licked and left
makes you feel
good twice
gets you going
fast, leaves
you in your
own juices
unexpectedly hot
but she doesn't stay
is into feminism
likes to tower over men
thinks of them all as dopey
takes what she
can't use
and uses it
so it won't
use her
from Wormwood Reviews, #'s 82, 87, 92, 117
For a number of years now a local character by the name of Olaf has been knocking on my door, pulling up a chair here in the coop, drinking all my brandy, telling me some of the damnedest stories. But I'll save him for another time.


text:
State Commits Funds to Build Greylock Glen Outdoor Center
Tags: Greylock Glen,
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text:
Here we are in the second month of the semester and if you are new to your LIS program, you're probably just trying to get your feet under you (as I was a year ago). Old hands are re-acclimating to the familiar not-enough-hours-in-the-day feeling and we are all looking at due dates, reading lists and task lists with dread.
For the first time or the 10th, you might be drowning in a sea of acronyms and the thought of adding ALA, MLA, SLA, or AMIA seems like it will shortcircuit your brain. Believe me, though, the effort of finding a good conference and then attending is going to save you tons of time, energy and even money in the long run.
It is worth it to add this to-do to your plate in a place of priority. Hack Library has published some great resources for hacking a conference, particularly the Grandaddy of them all ALA (here, here, here and here). Even if you can't make it to Anaheim this summer, you ought start planning to attend at least one LIS Conference in the next year. Let me explain through my experience.
I was the one who knew what they wanted to do when she grew up: work on Sesame Street. TV was "it" for me. That is, until it wasn't. A strange confluence of events brought me to LIS and I thought that after getting an MLIS I'd either work in a traditional library or in a media center of a school.
In my first semester of my distance learning program I was overwhelmed by the new vernacular and issues of LIS. I wanted to meet some fellow librarians/archivists face-to-face and was lured to the Florida Library Association conference because one of my favorite (guilty pleasure) authors Tim Dorsey was the guest speaker. Plus the meeting was in Orlando so I had friends to stay with and visit so it was low-wallet-impact.
I wasn't entirely wowed overall but at FLA I heard a rousing and thought provoking keynote from R. Dave Lankes, was able to make contact with a few professors and fellow students, and attended a number of interesting sessions that slowly seeped me in current library language and issues. In total, valuable experience but I had 2 additional huge takeaways.
There is no replacement for one-on-one contact with potential employers and mentors.
Meeting one professor at FLA I can say with certitude resulted in landing a stellar year-long internship in Florence, Italy. There was hustle and work after the initial contact but that one meeting made the cost of FLA attendance completely worth it.
Not only is association membership a good line for your resume, think about the time when you are or will be drafting a coverletter for a position with 500 other applicants. How much more will you be able to stand out if you are able to include "we spoke at XYZ actually about…" or "I participated in your break-out session on ABC and was particularly impressed by your thoughts on…" or even "at ALA I attended numerous sessions on ZYX and am excited to bring the ideas learned there to this position by…"
The education you get at a conference is different and one your classes can't give you.
At FLA I discovered that despite my ideas of small-town librarianship, I don't want to be a public librarian or even a school librarian. The issues are interesting to me academically but the day-in-and-day-out job description, as felt by session topis and related by conversations with other attendees, is not compelling. I have the utmost respect for school and community librarians, all the more because I know that isn't for me.
How much time, money, effort and frustration did that one weekend save me then? I came back and switched my concentration to something I'm enjoying much more. I joined AMIA and found a volunteer/intern opportunity to learn more hands-on. I had plans to go to their conference which fell through but I'm getting a good deal of information from the newsletter and listserve (benefits of my student membership) and know that I'm on the right path.
You owe it to yourself and your future career. I hear that specialized conferences are even better in terms of networking and education. From ALA chapters, to various special library meetings, to the myriad of state conferences, there is likely a conference close to you which wouldn't require too much monetary or travel investment – particularly as it is significantly cheaper to be a member and attendee when you are a student.
Un-conferences and webinars are great but there is no substitute for in-person contact. So get thee to a conference!
Photo via Flickr under CC license by HighEdWeb.
Agree? Disagree and think conferences are a waste of time? Please voice your thoughts below. If you had a particularly strong reaction to a specific conference, I'm sure others would appreciate a recommendation or warning.
Categories: Conferences


text:
Cap Sleeve Cut-out Caged Swimwear
We ship worldwide
All orders leave our facility within 1-4 business days. At checkout, choose the shipment method of your choice.
You will receive a tracking number via E-mail once your order has been shipped.
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1. USPS First class mail (2-5 business days) - *This option will only appear if your order weighs under one pound.
2. USPS Priority Mail (2-3 business days)
3. USPS Express mail (Guaranteed in 2 business days, 1 business day in most cases)
International and Canadian Orders:
1. USPS First class mail (14-30 business days) *This option will only appear if your order weighs under four pounds.
2. USPS Priority mail (6-21 business days)
3. USPS Express Mail (3-5 business days)
Should you change your mind, you can return your items to us, provided:
- Items must be returned within 14 days of delivery.
- Items must be unworn and unwashed.
- Grooming products, pierced jewelry or swimwear (if the hygiene seal has been removed) cannot be returned for health and hygiene reasons.
- Items must have all Palm Beach Boutique tags attached.
- Items must be returned at the customer's expense.
- You must obtain proof of postage just in case your order is lost on its way back to Palm Beach Boutique. Failure to do so may result in us not being able to process your return.
- We reserve the right not to refund you if you return items to us outside the terms of our returns Policy.
- Once we receive your item, we will inspect it and notify you that we have received your returned item. We will immediately notify you on the status of your refund after inspecting the item.
- If your return is approved, we will initiate a refund to your credit card (or original method of payment).
- You will receive the credit within a certain amount of days, depending on your card issuer's policies.
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- Color: Navy
- Fabric: 90% Polyester, 10% Spandex
- Care: Hand Wash Cold Separately, Do Not Bleach, Line Dry


text:
Your many, many reading suggestions for Violet and other teen-aged girls were wonderful and overwhelming. Both the birthday girl and her mother (who thanks you all, as do I) have read them.
I took care to indicate when inscribing Violet's books that some of the content might be a little "mature" for her mother's comfort; this seems to have had the desired result on her level of interest in them.
I needed something fun for bedtime reading, so I picked up the new Penguin edition of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. They did it up right, translating the whole megillah into English for the first time and snagging the Dalai Lama to write the introduction. Pretty cover, too.
It makes a nice counterpoint to the other thing on my nightstand–the latest volume of the Complete Peanuts series.
The older I get, the more I understand why potential husbands have often fled my presence when the conversation turned to books.
Knitting (Mine)
The new Baby Surprise Jacket is complete except for weaving in ends and choosing buttons. Pictures forthcoming. I tried something new this time, and instead of making yo,k2tog buttonholes as Elizabeth specifies, I turned to her one-row method from Knitter's Almanac. It works like a charm. By the third buttonhole, I had the method memorized. Highly recommended.
Knitting (Other People's)
I've been hearing from many the ten colleagues to whom I taught the basics back in February, and the word is encouraging. A summary:
- One has pressed onward with her scarf, refusing to rip back, amazed by the improvement in her technique since the cast-on row. She's doing very well, with even tension and neat edges. Her first ten rows or so are fascinating, as in places the results are unlike anything I've ever seen anybody create with needles and yarn. Perhaps I should encourage her to send the finished object to Debbie New for analysis.
- One threw her little bag of supplies into a suitcase at the last minute before leaving on a business trip. She was delayed at the airport for hours. She says the knitting saved her sanity. I tried not to look overly smug.
- One decided she didn't want to continue on in the yarn from the class, so she went to the yarn store and bought her own. She emerged unscathed with a bag of wool she likes very much. She's well into the second ball and can see the Promised Land.|
- The student who didn't want to put down her needles after she picked them up found somebody to teach her to purl and is now, by her own admission, addicted. She is asking questions about lace.
Brenda Dayne has asked for a new essay for the end of the present Cast On series, which delights me without end. I finished the first draft last night, once I pried Dolores (who was cruising Craiglist for temporary companionship) away from the computer.
A couple people have asked if I'm going to do a Podcast of my own. No plans to at present, no. It's a lot of work to do it well, and I can barely keep up with what's already on my plate. However, I've toyed with the idea of an occasional audio "supplement" to this blog, because I've been building a Podcast for my employer and have fallen in love with the process.
Following my review of 300, we learned via comments that Véronik Avery (who knew you were reading?) is not only so talented that she designs stuff like the "Salt Peanuts" sweater from Interweave Knits Spring 2004, she's also married to one of the Spartans from the film.
I could so smack her.
I think there are about 340 people waiting for e-mail from me. Now that I'm starting to emerge from the black fog that has enveloped me for two or so months, I'm working through the pile. Your patience is appreciated with an almost weepy level of gratitude.
The Shop
I haven't had the energy to do much with the shop, either; but my ink bottle is once again full, so to speak. Watch (if you've nothing better to do) for the arrival of P2tog and some other stuff in the next week or so.


text:
Family Free Genome Comparison (FFGC) is a self-contained workflow
system that provides functionality for all steps of a family-free
gene order analysis starting from annotated genome sequences: (1)
the computation of local sequence alignment scores between genes of
two or more gene order sequences using on BLAST+
(Necessary BLAST+ binaries are included in the binary releases of
this software); (2) the establishment of gene relationships; and
(3) the actual family-free gene order analysis.
Supplied with a set of genome sequences,
FFGC creates a project associated with
an autarkic folder hierarchy. Creating the directories,
FFGC includes parameter values in
folder names for all steps of the workflow, thereby enabling the
simultaneous execution, allocation, and simple maintenance of
generated data from several analyses with varying parameter
The create_project command of
FFGC admits three alternative input
variants: (i) files in genbank format, (ii)
pairs of (multi-record) FASTA and
general feature format (GFF) files, and (iii)
FASTA files that are already in an anticipated formatting.
For input variant (ii), each FASTA file must be associated
with a single organism and each of its records must correspond to a
contig or chromosome of the organism's genome. Further, their
corresponding GFF files must share the same name -- except for the
file ending '.gff'.
For input variant (iii), each FASTA record must correspond to
an atomic unit of a gene order sequence, featuring a unique
record ID that indicates its association to a
chromosome or contig. Further, the order of the records in their
corresponding FASTA files must already correspond to the order of
their anticipated gene order sequences.
For input variants (i) and (ii),
create_project allows annotated
genomic features to be filtered by type. The selected annotations
are then extracted and in further analysis considered as the atomic
units of gene order sequences that are henceforth denoted as
genes. FFGC
enables the performance of family-free analysis on either the
nucleotide or the protein sequence level.
After the project is created, the genome sequences,
intermediary data, and outputs of the various family-free analyses
are maintained by the rule-based workflow management
system snakemake.
The workflow and parameter settings of individual family-free
analyses can be adjusted in the configuration file
config.yaml located in the root directory of
each FFGC project.
The figure above gives an overview of the
snakemake workflow provided by
FFGC. Each terminal rule (a leaf of the
tree, starting with "all_") represents a workflow task associated
with a family-free analysis. The tasks are executed by running
snakemake -p <task> in the root directory
of a FFGC project.


text:
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text:
Seasonal trends for food
The holidays will be here before you know it, and if you're not sure how you're going to wow your friends and family this year, Betty Crocker offers up these ideas inspired by the hottest food trends of the season.
Gluten free for all.
Gluten Free Chocolate Truffle Cakes: Gluten free baking has come a long way. These indulgent mini cakes are filled and topped with ganache and sprinkled with crystallized ginger, pistachios and cacao nibs.
Family kitchen.
Elf Food: Families are getting creative in the kitchen, with adults and kids using playful recipes as a way to connect over food and craft. A surefire way to lure elves from their hiding spots: combine candy sprinkles, maple syrup and tiny doughnuts (made from Cheerios!) for an irresistible mix.
18 Layer Red Velvet Cake
With just a little effort on your part, this cake manages to create maximum "wow" factor for guests.
White Cake
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
Red Velvet Cake
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist German chocolate cake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
1 bottle (1 ounce) red liquid food color (about 2 T)
2 1/2 cups marshmallow creme (from two 7-ounce jars)
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 t vanilla
1 to 2 T milk
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottom of each pan with cooking parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with cooking spray.
In large bowl, beat White Cake ingredients on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Loosely cover and refrigerate.
In another large bowl, beat Red Velvet Cake ingredients on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
Spread 1/2 cup red velvet batter in bottom of each pan. Loosely cover and refrigerate remaining batter. Place all 3 pans on oven rack positioned in center of oven. Bake about 8 minutes or until cake is set when lightly touched in center.
For next cake layer, spread 1/2 cup white batter evenly over each baked red velvet layer. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cake is set when lightly touched in center.
Repeat steps 4 and 5, twice, baking 9 to 12 minutes per layer or until top of cake layer is set when lightly touched in center.
Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans; remove parchment paper from bottoms of cakes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat marshmallow creme, butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. If necessary, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time until spreading consistency.
To assemble, stack cake layers, spreading 1/2 cup frosting between each layer. Spread remaining frosting on side and top of cake.


text:
Story highlights
Look for more unrest amid power transitions in the Middle East
Disputes and economic worries will keep China, Japan, North Korea in the news
Europe's economy will stay on a rough road, but the outlook for it is brighter
Events are likely to draw attention to cyber warfare and climate change
Forecasting the major international stories for the year ahead is a time-honored pastime, but the world has a habit of springing surprises. In late 1988, no one was predicting Tiananmen Square or the fall of the Berlin Wall. On the eve of 2001, the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan were unimaginable. So with that substantial disclaimer, let's peer into the misty looking glass for 2013.
More turmoil for Syria and its neighbors
If anything can be guaranteed, it is that Syria's gradual and brutal disintegration will continue, sending aftershocks far beyond its borders. Most analysts do not believe that President Bashar al-Assad can hang on for another year. The more capable units of the Syrian armed forces are overstretched; large tracts of north and eastern Syria are beyond the regime's control; the economy is in dire straits; and the war is getting closer to the heart of the capital with every passing week. Russian support for al-Assad, once insistent, is now lukewarm.
Amid the battle, a refugee crisis of epic proportions threatens to become a catastrophe as winter sets in. The United Nations refugee agency says more than 4 million Syrians are in desperate need, most of them in squalid camps on Syria's borders, where tents are no match for the cold and torrential rain. Inside Syria, diseases like tuberculosis are spreading, according to aid agencies, and there is a danger that hunger will become malnutrition in places like Aleppo.
Syria explained: What you need to know
The question is whether the conflict will culminate Tripoli-style, with Damascus overrun by rebel units; or whether a political solution can be found that involves al-Assad's departure and a broadly based transitional government taking his place. U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has not been explicit about al-Assad's exit as part of the transition, but during his most recent visit to Damascus, he hinted that it has to be.
"Syria and the Syrian people need, want and look forward to real change. And the meaning of this is clear to all," he said.
The international community still seems as far as ever from meaningful military intervention, even as limited as a no fly-zone. Nor is there any sign of concerted diplomacy to push all sides in Syria toward the sort of deal that ended the war in Bosnia. In those days, the United States and Russia were able to find common ground. In Syria, they have yet to do so, and regional actors such as Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran also have irons in the fire.
Failing an unlikely breakthrough that would bring the regime and its opponents to a Syrian version of the Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian war, the greatest risk is that a desperate regime may turn to its chemical weapons, troublesome friends (Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Kurdish PKK in Turkey) and seek to export unrest to Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan.
The Syrian regime has already hinted that it can retaliate against Turkey's support for the rebels – not by lobbing Scud missiles into Turkey, but by playing the "Kurdish" card. That might involve direct support for the PKK or space for its Syrian ally, the Democratic Union Party. By some estimates, Syrians make up one-third of the PKK's fighting strength.
To the Turkish government, the idea that Syria's Kurds might carve out an autonomous zone and get cozy with Iraq's Kurds is a nightmare in the making. Nearly 800 people have been killed in Turkey since the PKK stepped up its attacks in mid-2011, but with three different sets of elections in Turkey in 2013, a historic bargain between Ankara and the Kurds that make up 18% of Turkey's population looks far from likely.
Many commentators expect Lebanon to become more volatile in 2013 because it duplicates so many of the dynamics at work in Syria. The assassination in October of Lebanese intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan – as he investigated a pro-Syrian politician accused of obtaining explosives from the Syrian regime – was an ominous portent.
Victory for the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels in Syria would tilt the fragile sectarian balance next door, threatening confrontation between Lebanon's Sunnis and Hezbollah. The emergence of militant Salafist groups like al-Nusra in Syria is already playing into the hands of militants in Lebanon.
Iraq, too, is not immune from Syria's turmoil. Sunni tribes in Anbar and Ramadi provinces would be heartened should Assad be replaced by their brethren across the border. It would give them leverage in an ever more tense relationship with the Shia-dominated government in Baghdad. The poor health of one of the few conciliators in Iraqi politics, President Jalal Talabani, and renewed disputes between Iraq's Kurds and the government over boundaries in the oil-rich north, augur for a troublesome 2013 in Iraq.
Opinion: Middle East will muddle through 2013
More worries about Iran's nuclear program
Syria's predicament will probably feature throughout 2013, as will the behavior of its only friend in the region: Iran. Intelligence sources say Iran continues to supply the Assad regime with money, weapons and expertise; and military officers who defected from the Syrian army say Iranian technicians work in Syria's chemical weapons program. Al-Assad's continued viability is important for Iran, as his only Arab ally. They also share sponsorship of Hezbollah in Lebanon, which, with its vast supply of rockets and even some ballistic missiles, might be a valuable proxy in the event of an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear program.
Speaking of which, there are likely to be several more episodes in the behind-closed-doors drama of negotiations on Iran's nuclear sites. Russia is trying to arrange the next round for January. But in public, at least, Iran maintains it has every right to continue enriching uranium for civilian purposes, such as helping in the treatment of more than 1 million Iranians with cancer.
Iran claims success in firing new missiles during naval war exercises
Iran "will not suspend 20% uranium enrichment because of the demands of others," Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said this month.
International experts say the amount of 20% enriched uranium (estimated by the International Atomic Energy Agency in November at 297 pounds) is more than needed for civilian purposes, and the installation of hundreds more centrifuges could cut the time needed to enrich uranium to weapons-grade. The question is whether Iran will agree to intrusive inspections that would reassure the international community – and Israel specifically – that it can't and won't develop a nuclear weapon.
This raises another question: Will it take bilateral U.S.-Iranian talks – and the prospect of an end to the crippling sanctions regime – to find a breakthrough? And will Iran's own presidential election in June change the equation?
For now, Israel appears to be prepared to give negotiation (and sanctions) time to bring Iran to the table. For now.
Egypt to deal with new power, economic troubles
Given the turmoil swirling through the Middle East, Israel could probably do without trying to bomb Iran's nuclear program into submission. Besides Syria and Lebanon, it is already grappling with a very different Egypt, where a once-jailed Islamist leader is now president and Salafist/jihadi groups, especially in undergoverned areas like Sinai, have a lease on life unimaginable in the Mubarak era.
The U.S. has an awkward relationship with President Mohamed Morsy, needing his help in mediating with Hamas in Gaza but concerned that his accumulation of power is fast weakening democracy and by his bouts of anti-Western rhetoric. (He has demanded the release from a U.S. jail of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, convicted of involvement in the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.)
Morsy hails a 'new era' for Egypt
The approval of the constitution removes one uncertainty, even if the opposition National Salvation Front says it cements Islamist power. But as much as the result, the turnout – about one-third of eligible voters – indicates that Egyptians are tired of turmoil, and more concerned about a deepening economic crisis.
Morsy imposed and then scrapped new taxes, and the long-expected $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund is still not agreed on. Egypt's foreign reserves were down to $15 billion by the end of the year, enough to cover less than three months of imports. Tourism revenues are one-third of what they were before street protests erupted early in 2011. Egypt's crisis in 2013 may be more about its economy than its politics.
Libya threatens to spawn more unrest in North Africa
Libya's revolution, if not as seismic as anything Syria may produce, is still reverberating far and wide. As Moammar Gadhafi's rule crumbled, his regime's weapons found their way into an arms bazaar, turning up in Mali and Sinai, even being intercepted off the Lebanese coast.
The Libyan government, such as it is, seems no closer to stamping its authority on the country, with Islamist brigades holding sway in the east, tribal unrest in the Sahara and militias engaged in turf wars. The danger is that Libya, a vast country where civic institutions were stifled for four decades, will become the incubator for a new generation of jihadists, able to spread their influence throughout the Sahel. They will have plenty of room and very little in the way of opposition from security forces.
U.N. Security Council authorizes military mission in Mali
The emergence of the Islamist group Ansar Dine in Mali is just one example. In this traditionally moderate Muslim country, Ansar's fighters and Tuareg rebels have ejected government forces from an area of northern Mali the size of Spain and begun implementing Sharia law, amputations and floggings included. Foreign fighters have begun arriving to join the latest front in global jihad; and terrorism analysts are seeing signs that al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria are beginning to work together.
There are plans for an international force to help Mali's depleted military take back the north, but one European envoy said it was unlikely to materialize before (wait for it) … September 2013. Some terrorism analysts see North Africa as becoming the next destination of choice for international jihad, as brigades and camps sprout across a vast area of desert.
A bumpy troop transition for Afghanistan
The U.S. and its allies want to prevent Afghanistan from becoming another haven for terror groups. As the troop drawdown gathers pace, 2013 will be a critical year in standing up Afghan security forces (the numbers are there, their competence unproven), improving civil institutions and working toward a post-Karzai succession.
In November, the International Crisis Group said the outlook was far from assuring.
"Demonstrating at least will to ensure clean elections (in Afghanistan in 2014) could forge a degree of national consensus and boost popular confidence, but steps toward a stable transition must begin now to prevent a precipitous slide toward state collapse. Time is running out," the group said.
What does the future hold for Afghanistan?
Critics have also voiced concerns that the publicly announced date of 2014 for withdrawing combat forces only lets the Taliban know how long they must hold out before taking on the Kabul government.
U.S. officials insist the word is "transitioning" rather than "withdrawal," but the shape and role of any military presence in 2014 and beyond are yet to be settled. Let's just say the United States continues to build up and integrate its special operations forces.
The other part of the puzzle is whether the 'good' Taliban can be coaxed into negotiations, and whether Pakistan, which has considerable influence over the Taliban leadership, will play honest broker.
Private meetings in Paris before Christmas that involved Taliban envoys and Afghan officials ended with positive vibes, with the Taliban suggesting they were open to working with other political groups and would not resist girls' education. There was also renewed discussion about opening a Taliban office in Qatar, but we've been here before. The Taliban are riven by internal dissent and may be talking the talk while allowing facts on the ground to work to their advantage.
Where will North Korea turn its focus?
On the subject of nuclear states that the U.S.-wishes-were-not, the succession in North Korea has provided no sign that the regime is ready to restrain its ambitious program to test nuclear devices and the means to deliver them.
Back in May 2012, Peter Brookes of the American Foreign Policy Council said that "North Korea is a wild card – and a dangerous one at that." He predicted that the inexperienced Kim Jong Un would want to appear "large and in charge," for internal and external consumption. In December, Pyongyang launched a long-range ballistic missile – one that South Korean scientists later said had the range to reach the U.S. West Coast. Unlike the failure of the previous missile launch in 2009, it managed to put a satellite into orbit.
The last two such launches have been followed by nuclear weapons tests – in 2006 and 2009. Recent satellite images of the weapons test site analyzed by the group 38 North show continued activity there.
So the decision becomes a political one. Does Kim continue to appear "large and in charge" by ordering another test? Or have the extensive reshuffles and demotions of the past year already consolidated his position, allowing him to focus on the country's dire economic situation?
Kim Jong Un calls for economic revamp in 2013
China-Japan island dispute to simmer
It's been a while since East Asia has thrown up multiple security challenges, but suddenly North Korea's missile and nuclear programs are not the only concern in the region. There's growing rancor between China and Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea, which may be aggravated by the return to power in Japan of Shinzo Abe as prime minister.
Abe has long been concerned that Japan is vulnerable to China's growing power and its willingness to project that power. Throughout 2012, Japan and China were locked in a war of words over the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands, with fishing and Coast Guard boats deployed to support claims of sovereignty.
In the days before Japanese went to the polls, Beijing also sent a surveillance plane over the area, marking the first time since 1958, according to Japanese officials, that Bejing had intruded into "Japanese airspace." Japan scrambled F-15 jets in response.
The islands are uninhabited, but the seas around them may be rich in oil and gas. There is also a Falklands factor at play here. Not giving in to the other side is a matter of national pride. There's plenty of history between China and Japan – not much of it good.
Japan's insecurities to loom larger in 2013
As China has built up its ability to project military power, Japan's navy has also expanded. Even a low-level incident could lead to an escalation. And as the islands are currently administered by Japan, the U.S. would have an obligation to help the Japanese defend them.
Few analysts expect conflict to erupt, and both sides have plenty to lose. For Japan, China is a critical market, but Japanese investment there has fallen sharply in the past year. Just one in a raft of problems for Abe. His prescription for dragging Japan out of its fourth recession since 2000 is a vast stimulus program to fund construction and other public works and a looser monetary policy.
The trouble is that Japan's debt is already about 240% of its GDP, a much higher ratio than even Greece. And Japan's banks hold a huge amount of that debt. Add a shrinking and aging population, and at some point the markets might decide that the yield on Japan's 10-year sovereign bond ought to be higher than the current 0.77%.
Economic uncertainty in U.S., growth in China
So the world's third-largest economy may not help much in reviving global growth, which in 2012 was an anemic 2.2%, according to United Nations data. The parts of Europe not mired in recession hover close to it, and growth in India and Brazil has weakened. Which leaves the U.S. and China.
At the time of writing, the White House and congressional leadership are still peering over the fiscal cliff. Should they lose their footing, the Congressional Budget Office expects the arbitrary spending cuts and tax increases to be triggered will push the economy into recession and send unemployment above 9%.
A stopgap measure, rather than a long-term foundation for reducing the federal deficit, looks politically more likely. But to companies looking for predictable economic policy, it may not be enough to unlock billions in investment. Why spend heavily if there's a recession around the corner, or if another fight looms over raising the federal debt ceiling?
In September, Moody's said it would downgrade the U.S. sovereign rating from its "AAA" rating without "specific policies that produce a stabilization and then downward trend in the ratio of federal debt to GDP over the medium term." In other words, it wants action beyond kicking the proverbial can.
Should the cliff be dodged, most forecasts see the U.S. economy expanding by about 2% in 2013. That's not enough to make up for stagnation elsewhere, so a great deal depends on China avoiding the proverbial hard landing.
Until now, Chinese growth has been powered by exports and infrastructure spending, but there are signs that China's maturing middle class is also becoming an economic force to be reckoned with. Consultants PwC expect retail sales in China to increase by 10.5% next year – with China overtaking the U.S. as the world's largest retail market by 2016.
Europe's economic outlook a little better
No one expects Europe to become an economic powerhouse in 2013, but at least the horizon looks a little less dark than it did a year ago. The "PIGS' " (Portugal, Ireland/Italy, Greece, Spain) borrowing costs have eased; there is at least rhetorical progress toward a new economic and fiscal union; and the European Central Bank has talked tough on defending the Eurozone.
Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, fended off the dragons with the declaration in July that "Within our mandate, the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro. And believe me, it will be enough."
Draghi has promised the bank has unlimited liquidity to buy sovereign debt, as long as governments (most likely Spain) submit to reforms designed to balance their budgets. But in 2013, the markets will want more than brave talk, including real progress toward banking and fiscal union that will leave behind what Draghi likes to call Europe's "fairy world" of unsustainable debt and collapsing banks. Nothing can be done without the say-so of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, renowned for a step-by-step approach that's likely to be even more cautious in a year when she faces re-election.
Opinion: Economy will limp along in 2013
Elections in Italy in February may be more important – pitching technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti against the maverick he replaced, 76-year old Silvio Berlusconi. After the collapse of Berlusconi's coalition 13 months ago, Monti reined in spending, raised the retirement age and raised taxes to bring Italy back from the brink of insolvency. Now he will lead a coalition of centrist parties into the election. But polls suggest that Italians are tired of Monti's austerity program, and Berlusconi plans a populist campaign against the man he calls "Germano-centric."
The other tripwire in Europe may be Greece. More cuts in spending – required to qualify for an EU/IMF bailout – are likely to deepen an already savage recession, threatening more social unrest and the future of a fragile coalition. A 'Grexit' from the eurozone is still possible, and that's according to the Greek finance minister, Yannis Stournaras.
Expect to see more evidence of climate change
Hurricane Sandy, which struck the U.S. East Coast in November, was the latest indicator of changing and more severe weather patterns. Even if not repeated in 2013, extreme weather is beginning to have an effect – on where people live, on politicians and on the insurance industry.
After Sandy, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that after "the last few years, I don't think anyone can sit back anymore and say, 'Well, I'm shocked at that weather pattern.' " The storm of the century has become the storm of every decade or so, said Michael Oppenheimer, professor of geosciences at Princeton.
"Climate change will probably increase storm intensity and size simultaneously, resulting in a significant intensification of storm surges," he and colleagues wrote in Nature.
In the U.S., government exposure to storm-related losses in coastal states has risen more than 15-fold since 1990, to $885 billion in 2011, according to the Insurance Information Institute. The Munich RE insurance group says North America has seen higher losses from extreme weather than any other part of the world in recent decades.
"A main loss driver is the concentration of people and assets on the coast combined with high and possibly growing vulnerabilities," it says.
Opinion: Quicker fix for climate change
Risk Management Solutions, which models catastrophic risks, recently updated its scenarios, anticipating an increase of 40% in insurance losses on the Gulf Coast, Florida and the Southeast over the next five years, and 25% to 30% for the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states. Those calculations were done before Sandy.
Inland, eyes will be trained on the heavens for signs of rain – after the worst drought in 50 years across the Midwest. Climatologists say that extended periods of drought – from the U.S. Midwest to Ukraine – may be "the new normal." Jennifer Francis at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University has shown that a warmer Arctic tends to slow the jet stream, causing it to meander and, in turn, prolong weather patterns. It's called Arctic amplification, and it is probably aggravating drought in the Northwest United States and leading to warmer summers in the Northern Hemisphere, where 2012 was the hottest year on record.
It is a double-edged sword: Warmer temperatures may make it possible to begin cultivating in places like Siberia, but drier weather in traditional breadbaskets would be very disruptive. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reports that stocks of key cereals have tightened, contributing to volatile world markets. Poor weather in Argentina, the world's second-largest exporter of corn, may compound the problem.
More cyber warfare
What will be the 2013 equivalents of Flame, Gauss and Shamoon? They were some of the most damaging computer viruses of 2012. The size and versatility of Flame was unlike nothing seen before, according to anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab.
Gauss stole online banking information in the Middle East. Then came Shamoon, a virus that wiped the hard drives of about 30,000 computers at the Saudi oil company Aramco, making them useless. The Saudi government declared it an attack on the country's economy; debate continues on whether it was state-sponsored.
Kaspersky predicts that in 2013, we will see "new examples of cyber-warfare operations, increasing targeted attacks on businesses and new, sophisticated mobile threats."
Computer security firm McAfee also expects more malware to be developed to attack mobile devices and apps in 2013.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is more concerned about highly sophisticated attacks on infrastructure that "could be as destructive as the terrorist attack on 9/11."
"We know that foreign cyber actors are probing America's critical infrastructure networks. They are targeting the computer control systems that operate chemical, electricity and water plants and those that guide transportation throughout this country," he said in October.
Opinion: Nothing virtual about cyber attacks
Intellectual property can be stolen, bought or demanded as a quid pro quo for market access. The U.S. intelligence community believes China or Chinese interests are employing all three methods in an effort to close the technology gap.
In the waning days of 2012, the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States said "there is likely a coordinated strategy among one or more foreign governments or companies to acquire U.S. companies involved in research, development, or production of critical technologies."
It did not name the country in its unclassified report but separately noted a growing number of attempts by Chinese entities to buy U.S. companies.
Who will be soccer's next 'perfect machine'?
There's room for two less serious challenges in 2013. One is whether any football team, in Spain or beyond, can beat Barcelona and its inspirational goal machine Lionel Messi, who demolished a record that had stood since 1972 for the number of goals scored in a calendar year. (Before Glasgow Celtic fans start complaining, let's acknowledge their famous win against the Spanish champions in November.)
Despite the ill health of club coach Tito Vilanova, "Barca" sits imperiously at the top of La Liga in Spain and is the favorite to win the world's most prestigious club trophy, the European Champions League, in 2013. AC Milan is its next opponent in a match-up that pits two of Europe's most storied clubs against each other. But as Milan sporting director Umberto Gandini acknowledges, "We face a perfect machine."
Will Gangnam give it up to something sillier?
Finally, can something – anything – displace Gangnam Style as the most watched video in YouTube's short history? As of 2:16 p.m. ET on December 26, it had garnered 1,054,969,395 views and an even more alarming 6,351,871 "likes."
Perhaps in 2013 the YouTube audience will be entranced by squirrels playing table tennis, an octopus that spins plates or Cistercian nuns dancing the Macarena. Or maybe Gangnam will get to 2 billion with a duet with Justin Bieber.


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David Gregory corners John Boehner on "Meet The Press" — and then lets him get away
Pat Cunningham
House Speaker John Boehner was the guest on NBC's "Meet The Press" yesterday morning and was nailed by host David Gregory for peddling falsehoods on several matters.
But Gregory let Boehner get away with the bogus claim that Senate Democrats have offered no plan to replace the sequester.
The exchange between Boehner and Gregory — and the truth of the matter — are HERE:
Senate Democrats did vote for a plan. But Senate Republicans filibustered it. Just as they've filibustered every major piece of legislation that's come down the pike over the past four years....


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Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger can't get no satisfaction from soccer fans in Brazil.
In what's becoming something of a World Cup tradition, Brazilians are closely following every team the 70-year-old rock star supports with an eye at mocking him for apparently casting bad spells on his picks.
Italy was the latest victim of what local media have taken to calling Jagger's "pe frio" — a term describing the bad luck that he brings teams that translates literally as "cold foot."
At a concert in Rome on Saturday night, Jagger predicted to 70,000 fans that four-time World Cup champion Italy would pull off a clutch victory over Uruguay to advance to the knockout phase. The Italians lost 1-0 Tuesday and were headed home after the tournament's first round.
At a show in Lisbon in May, the singer predicted that Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, the game's top player heading into the World Cup, would win it all at the monthlong tournament in Brazil. Portugal is on the brink of elimination after failing to win in its first two group matches.
Earlier in the World Cup, Jagger suffered some good-hearted ridicule after taking to Twitter on June 19 to urge on his native England in a game, also with Uruguay. "Let's go England! This is the one to win!!," he wrote. England lost.
While Brazilians may laugh at Jagger, they love his music. The Stones' 2006 concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro drew an estimated 1 million people, a lot more than the 20,000 or so that pack the beach now to watch World Cup games on a giant screen.
Jagger also loves Brazilians, having fathered one 15 years ago with former Brazilian model Luciana Gimenez.
Brazilians' obsession with Jagger's soccer insights, or lack thereof, began four years ago at the World Cup in South Africa. Searching for an explanation for their country's stunning quarterfinal loss to the Netherlands, Brazil's fans settled on Jagger, who showed up at the stadium accompanying his son dressed in a Brazilian jersey.
Earlier in that tournament, he had already earned a reputation for losing picks by showing up in the stands with Bill Clinton to cheer on the United States, which lost to Ghana in the second round, and then a day later watched as England was trounced by Germany 4-1.
Whether Jagger tempts fate and offers up another prediction this World Cup is anyone's guess.
But if he does, Brazilians are begging it's not for them. Within hours of Italy's defeat Tuesday, social media was buzzing with pleas for the rocker to keep quiet, or better yet, lend his reverse rabbit's foot to the country's despised rival, Argentina.
Associated Press writer Ana Santos contributed to this report.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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