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Optimism and Pessimism On The New Round Of Peace Talks
July 25, 2013 § 13 Comments
Now that reports are surfacing that negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians are scheduled to begin in Washington on Tuesday – although there are also conflicting reports that Saeb Erekat is going to stay home until the Israelis agree to use the 1967 lines as the basis for negotiations over the final border – it seems like a good time to lay out some reasons for optimism and reasons for pessimism about whether these talks are fated to go anywhere. Since I am generally pretty cynical about such things, let's start with the reasons why I think the talks may fail. One of the biggest obstacles is the domestic politics involved. Brent Sasley has written a thorough piece arguing that the politics right now on the Israeli side are actually favorable for meaningful negotiations and concessions, but I tend to see things differently. Prime Minister Netanyahu has not shown the willingness in the past to actually deal with the hard choices involved in coming to an agreement, and while that does not mean that he is incapable of doing so, nothing in his past indicates that he is an enthusiastic peace process negotiator. If he is being dragged to the negotiating table unwillingly through a combination of pressure and quid pro quo for past U.S. security assistance, it is not going to bode well for the final outcome. Even if he is doing it of his own volition, which is certainly in the realm of possibility, the fact that he seems unwilling to accede to measures such as relinquishing sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem – which is going to have to be in any deal that the Palestinians will accept – is a bad omen. Then there is the problem of Netanyahu's party. The current iteration of the Likud is the most right wing in its history, and a large bloc, if not an outright majority of the party, does not trust Netanyahu and is adamantly opposed to negotiations. In fact, an increasingly large subset of Likud members, led by Danny Danon, have been openly calling for Israel to annex the West Bank and ditch the two state solution in favor of the rightwing version of a one state solution. It is also the case that the more radical Likud members now control the party's policy apparatus and serve as deputy ministers in the government; in fact, it seems as if Netanyahu is refuting the latest nonsense from Deputy Defense Minister Danon every other week. Sasley argues that this cast of characters is aware that they cannot win without Netanyahu and will ultimately fall in line, but I am not nearly so certain. Plenty of Likud voters will vote for the party if, say, Bogie Ya'alon is the headliner, and I don't think that the Likud ministers and back benchers are going to sit idly by if Netanyahu begins to give up territory in the West Bank or order the evacuation of settlements. They have staked their political reputations almost entirely on rejectionism of the two state solution, and just because Netanyahu asks them nicely does not mean that they would not rather have a smaller but purer version of the Likud. See the experience that John Boehner has had with his own unruly caucus of House Republican newcomers as a parallel to how this would play out. Furthermore, Netanyahu is being kept afloat by his temporary merger with Yisrael Beiteinu, which he wants to turn into a permanent one. Without the extra YB votes, Likud immediately loses 10-12 seats in the Knesset. The problem is that Avigdor Lieberman is in many ways the original rightwing one stater, and there is simply no way in which he agrees to keep the two parties together once settlements are given up. Netanyahu knows this, which provides another incentive to make sure that talks break down along their usual pattern. The same problem exists with coalition partner Habayit Hayehudi, which has repeatedly threatened to leave the government over the issue of freezing settlements and whose head, Naftali Bennett, is also an advocate of annexation. Sasley argues that pulling out of the coalition will risk breaking the party apart, leaving Bennett politically homeless, and so he can't risk it. I think the much bigger risk to Bennett is the party folding or excommunicating him for selling out his core principles if he agrees to remain in a government that agrees to extricate itself from the West Bank. After all, the party's very name – Jewish Home in English – is meant to refer to the entirely of the Land of Israel from the river to the sea and explicitly lay claim to all of the territory as part of the Jewish state. The idea that the greater risk in this lies in leaving the government seems to gloss over the very reason the party exists, its history, and its makeup. There is also the issue of a referendum, which Netanyahu has now promised to hold to approve any peace agreement that is struck with the Palestinians. While the latest poll in Ha'aretz indicates that 55% of Israelis would approve a peace agreement, that is in a generic sense. Once the details are factored in and various political parties and lobbying groups begin to play on Israeli fears about security, sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the Jewish character of the state, etc. it will be very easy to siphon off entire groups of voters through scare tactics and populist campaigns. That 55% number is a mirage, akin to the way in which Yair Lapid supports a two state solution but is adamantly opposed to any division of Jerusalem; lots of people support a peace deal in theory, but the devil is in the details. Bennett knows this, which is why Habayit Hayehudi has pushed to extend the Basic Law that requires a referendum to approve giving up land that Israel has annexed – East Jerusalem and the Golan – to include the West Bank as well. The hope on the right is that a referendum will doom any successful negotiations for good. Finally, there is the Palestinian side. There is no need to rehash here all of the various arguments over Mahmoud Abbas and whether he rejected Ehud Olmert's offer of 99% of the West Bank or whether he simply did not respond because Olmert was a lame duck and out of office before he even had a chance. My own opinion is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but I am not as convinced as others on the left that Abbas is a willing a peace negotiator. The insistence on preconditions to negotiating is a tactic designed to doom talks, and the fact that Abbas was not willing to jump on Netanyahu's partial 10 month building freeze a couple of years ago as the excuse he needed to reenter talks does not bolster the case of those who want to pin all of the blame on the Israeli side. Abbas may indeed want to talk, but I do not think it is fair to portray him as champing at the bit to get started. On the flip side, there are reasons to be optimistic. While, as I noted above, Netanyahu has not shown a propensity in the past to reach an agreement that the Palestinians can reasonably accept, he certainly appears to have arrived at the realization that Israel's international standing is becoming more precarious by the day. The EU guidelines on settlements last week seem to have been a wakeup call of sorts, and his now repeated public warnings that Israel is facing a real prospect of a binational state indicate that his attitude in 2013 is very different than it was during his tenure as prime minister in the mid-90s or during the beginning of his current stint in 2009. In addition, as Dahlia Scheindlin has pointed out, polls consistently and repeatedly show support for a two state solution, 83 out of 120 seats in the current Knesset are controlled by parties theoretically supporting two states, and the support for two states remains even when you add various line items about specific concessions into the polling questions. In this light, the referendum may turn out to be a very good thing, since it will reinforce the move toward a negotiated solution. It is also encouraging that Netanyahu is seeking political cover to do what needs to be done, since if he negotiates a deal that is then approved by the Israeli electorate, it will be difficult for the right to claim that he has overstepped his authority. Finally, there is the fact that the best way for negotiations to succeed is if the specific details are kept under wraps, and any concessions made by either side are not wielded by opponents of two states as populist cudgels designed to doom the talks. John Kerry has done a good job of this by not publicly outlining the conditions that each side have agreed to in order for talks to resume, but even more encouragingly so has Netanyahu. There is currently a purposeful cloud of ambiguity hovering over the question of whether Israel has frozen settlement construction or not, with Netanyahu denying such a freeze exists and Housing Minister Uri Ariel saying that the de facto and unannounced policy in place is not allowing for any new construction. This, more than anything, is the most hopeful sign of all, since if Netanyahu has actually frozen settlement construction while trying to trick his party and coalition into thinking that he has done no such thing, it is a more serious indication of his desire to really strike a deal than any other datapoint I have seen. P.S. To watch me talk about this more extensively, here is a link to a video of a roundtable hosted by David Halperin and the Israel Policy Forum that I did yesterday with Hussein Ibish and Dahlia Scheindlin. It's long, but an interesting and thorough discussion of the various issues involved.
Guest Post: The Yesha Council's One State Plan
March 21, 2013 § 2 Comments
Today's guest post is brought to you by my friend Joel Braunold, who heads up Strategic Partnerships for the OneVoice Movement. Joel is a keen observer of Israeli politics and a passionate advocate for a two state solution, and he has been keeping his eye on Naftali Bennett's Habayit Hayehudi party and its efforts to carry out the settlement movement's aims. The Yesha Council, which is the most prominent settler group, has released a new strategy paper coinciding with President Obama's visit to Israel, and Joel has an extended take (see his quick take at Open Zion here) on what it portends for the new Knesset and government. You can read more of Joel's work on his blog at Haaretz.com and his Twitter handle is @braunold.
With President Obama visiting Israel, many groups are trying to get his attention so they can let the president know what they think he should do. Included within the pleas from the peace camp and the 'Free Pollard' camp is a document prepared by the Yesha council titled, "Judea and Samaria – It's Jewish, It's Vital, It's Realistic."
Questions answered within this Kafkaesque document include: why the demographics are on the settlers' side, why the Palestinians are stealing water from Israel, and what is the legal history of Israel's settlement enterprise. Most interesting, however, is the nine-step plan that the Yesha council has created at the end of the document to fulfill their vision.
The main tool that the Yesha council has to achieve its vision are its political advocates in the Knesset and in the government. Their building in the West Bank happens through the good graces of the state authorities. Of course the main party for the Yesha council is Habayit Hayehudi, but they also have representation through Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu and a scattering of MKs in some of the center parties. Members of their communities operate across the center and right of the Israeli political spectrum.
Looking at the nine steps we can see the underlying Habayit Hayehudi strategy during the coalition talks. Additionally we can start to make sense of some of the other Knesset moves and statements by members of the settler community on the national stage.
Step 1: Renewing the strong belief in the supremacy of the Jewish claim to the Jewish Homeland and the justness of taking measures to maintain control of it
In the coalition agreement between Likud and Habayit Hayehudi was a bill to make the Jewishness of the state supreme. This is a redo of the Avi Dichter bill from the last Knesset. No one is quite sure of which version will hit the Knesset, if it gets through Tzipi Livni, but it is part of a big move to decouple the concepts of Jewish and democratic state as equal and promote the former at the expense of the latter. The motivations behind this become clear in a strategy that is tied into biblical land claims and preparing for a situation where the civil rights of millions of Palestinians are going to have to be restricted.
Step 2: Uniting the nation and its leadership
Throughout the coalition talks, Bennett was the peacemaker between Yair Lapid and Bibi Netanyahu and has pledged to be a leader for all of Israel, not just the settlers. His party has also taken over key ministries that can affect the cost of living across Israel. Bennett has been very keen to be seen as responding to the J14 protests and be a transformative politician who can transcend the tribal politics of the moment and be one of the new leaders of Israel alongside Lapid. By also slipping in the raising of the electoral threshold into the coalition agreement, he can ride the wave of Habayit Hayehudi current popularity and force others from his camp to work with him if they want any representation at all. By forcing people into a broad tent he gives himself a broader appeal and solidifies himself and by extension the Yesha council firmly into the mainstream.
Step 3: Military strength and control of the territory by the security establishment
Though many ex-military and security men veer to the left after they retire from service (just see The Gatekeepers), the new Defense Minister, Moshe Ya'alon, most definitely veers to the right and was the first choice of the settler community. Though the security establishment is pretty much entrenched in the West Bank already, Ehud Barak had been the thorn in the side of the Yesha council. With him removed the security establishment can work in concert with the Yesha council in helping it expand both from the Knesset and on the ground itself.
Step 4: The elimination of terror and cessation of incitement in Palestinian schools
While all Israelis want to see an end to terror and incitement, the previous government's flat-out rejection of the State Department's school textbook report demonstrates a complete unwillingness to examine the issue of incitement on both sides of the border. It is essential to demonize the Palestinian national narrative while maintaining that individual Palestinians are ok and stating that the settlements actually have had great relationships with the communities pre the first intifada.
Step 5: Creating a situation where it becomes clear to the international community that another state west of the Jordan River is not viable
The serious policy community is split about whether the two-state solution has already been killed by the settlements and the Yesha council or if it is merely on life support. Needless to say, the Yesha council is well on its way to pulling the plug. The new Deputy Foreign Minister, Ze'ev Elkin, already ascribes to this point of view. Though many advocates of one-state agree that the settlements have killed the two-state solution they do not share the Yesha council's vision of what a one-state solution would look like. The power and establishment will be with the Yesha council and in doing so it will have a tremendous momentum on the ground when two-states is officially abandoned to fulfill its vision before anyone else gets a look in. Yes, Israel will lose friends and allies and there might be a brain drain that could seriously affect the economy. But I sadly have less faith that pressure will force Israel to give up its raison d'état of providing the Jewish people with self-defense and power by giving those they have been occupying full civic rights. The death of the two-state solution will mean the Yesha council has won, and read the rest of their document to see how they view Palestinians.
Step 6: The further immigration of one million Jews to Israel to secure a permanent Jewish majority in Israel
In the coalition talks, Bennett managed to carve the Diaspora portfolio out of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and into his own portfolio. The reason for this now becomes crystal clear, as he is desperate to get more Jews to immigrate. Bennett demanding this portfolio always seemed odd. The settlements are often the largest bone of contention between Israel and her Diaspora (amongst Jews who are engaged at least). Passing on this responsibility to the former general secretary of the Yesha council looks on the surface to be a recipe for disaster. This step helps us understand the real consequence of why this demand was made. What will be interesting to see is how Bennett attempts to bring Diaspora Jews to Israel and how their aliyah will be tied to step 7. Is the aim just to lock in the demographics regardless of where the Jews live or to get them to move to the West Bank and lock in the settlements? We will have to wait and see but watch to see where new job incentives will be made for new immigrants, as Bennett has the ability through Trade and Industry to create incentives where he chooses.
Step 7: One million Jews in Judea and Samaria, tripling its Jewish population
With the housing and trade ministries, Habayit Hayehudi can now start working on this. The proof will be in where the new low-income housing is built. Even if just restricted into the settlement blocs, if this plan is being followed the aim will be a massive increase in settlers. As with step 6, we will have to see if alyiah and settlement are linked. President Bush (41) conditioned the aid to help resettle the Russian Jews on them not being housed in the West Bank. One other important step to remember is that Bennett received the public diplomacy portfolio as well. Through this he can push the settlements into the official Israeli government narrative both at home and abroad.
Step 8: The creation of large residential areas surrounding the current communities of Judea and Samaria
Housing, Trade, Knesset Finance chair – between these three portfolios and a willing defense minister the sky is the limit on step 8. I predict the concept of settlement bloc will expand and large scale projects will begin to be planned as expansions in key areas. Even more so then Yaalon, Danny Danon is a particular fan of the Yesha council and he is Deputy Defense Minister.
Step 9: The execution of a construction, development and economic plan for the million residents of Judea and Samaria
Habayit Hayehudi has already indicated that they would rather release prisoners and transfer taxes to the PA than freeze settlement construction. Looking at this nine-step plan, it is easy to see why Bennett would rather give any other 'confidence building measure' than allow the slowing of the settler population. The one thing that the party cannot allow is a settlement freeze as it destroys the plan above.
All of this should be seen as nothing less than a strategic effort to kill the two-state solution. Keep in mind that Prime Minister Netanyahu just committed his new government to two states for two peoples in his joint press conference with President Obama on Wednesday. Looking at how this is planned out, it is clear that the only thing that could stop this from happening is freezing settlement construction. The sad fact is that a settlement freeze has already been tossed by the US administration as a failed attempt.
The Yesha council is very open about its aims, objectives and methods. If people want to do more than pay lip service to the idea of two-states, they must not only oppose the Yesha council at every turn of this plan but offer their own step by step approach to how to create a two-state reality today. Though it is the establishment opinion that two-states will happen, those opposing it literally are executing on a plan to kill it. Those of us who wish to see it come about must equally set out a plan and today start building facts on the ground to make it so.
Bibi's Coalition Gamble
February 20, 2013 § 6 Comments
It has been almost a month since the Israeli election, and yesterday finally brought us the first move to form a coalition as Tzipi Livni's Hatnua party agreed to join up with Bibi Netanyahu and Likud Beiteinu. I have been skeptical throughout the campaign and the election's aftermath that Livni would come to an agreement with Netanyahu given her efforts to convince Ehud Olmert and even Shimon Peres to run; her failed maneuvering at uniting Hatnua, Labor, and Yesh Atid into an anti-Bibi bloc; her constant railing against Netanyahu as a danger and a failed prime minister; the fact that Hatnua includes former Labor leaders Amir Peretz and Amram Mitzna, neither of whom are exactly Netanyahu cheerleaders; and finally, her refusal to join with Bibi after the last election when her party – which was then Kadima – had the most seats in the Knesset and she would have been able to work out a deal in which she served as co-prime minister. Nevertheless, Livni has now reversed course and has accepted the positions of Justice Minister and chief negotiator with the Palestinians, and she will be reporting to Netanyahu rather than the eventual Foreign Minister in this latter gig.
Many people are now speculating on what this means for the peace process and whether Livni's overseeing negotiations means that we can expect some real movement ahead. I don't think this changes anything and I wouldn't be taking any investment advice from people who think that Livni is going to pull Netanyahu along rather than the reverse, but the really interesting angle here is the political one. Bringing Livni into the coalition is not about Netanyahu signaling anything on the peace process, but about putting pressure on Naftali Bennett to join the government. The thinking on Netanyahu's part goes as follows: he now has 37 seats lined up and getting Kadima and its 2 seats is a given, and he is on the verge of adding Shas (his real goal all along) and its 11 seats, which means that he can then turn to Bennett and Habayit Hayehudi and use their 12 seats to get past the magic number of 61. Netanyahu is gambling that once he adds Kadima and Shas, he will present Bennett with an ultimatum of joining the government or calling new elections, and that Bennett will not be able to withstand the pressure ensuing from calls for him to join a rightwing coalition and so he will crack. Essentially, Netanyahu is betting on Bennett's alliance with Yair Lapid and Yesh Atid not being strong enough to buck the rightwing nationalist forces in HH who want to band together with Likud and the religious forces in HH who don't see why serving in a government with Shas is the end of the world. Hence the immediate rumors that negotiations with Shas are proceeding and that it too will join the coalition imminently.
This plan of Bibi's seems nicely formulated, but ultimately I don't think it will work. More importantly, if Bennett is smart he will make sure that it doesn't. The success of Bibi's strategy turns on the idea that Bennett will do anything to avoid going to another round of elections, but much as I thought (correctly, as it turned out) that Netanyahu miscalculated in allying with Yisrael Beiteinu, I think he is miscalculating here as well. Netanyahu's gamble is that new elections will cost Bennett seats and weaken his position, and that might have been true before yesterday, but bringing in Livni changes things in a big way. If I am a HH voter, I am not going to punish the party for not joining with its natural Likud partner by fleeing and and now voting for Likud since bringing Tzipi Livni on board to deal with peace process issues makes Likud untrustworthy. Looking at this map of election results and seeing where HH got votes makes this point abundantly clear; voters in Elon Moreh and Karnei Shomron are not now going to give up on Bennett and vote for Bibi given his most recent coalition choice.
In addition, many Likud voters are not going to be terribly happy now that Netanyahu has banded together with Livni, and I don't see how doing so possibly increases his share of votes at all in a hypothetical new round of elections. If anything, it drives even more people away and into the arms of Bennett, and if you need some further proof, just look at Moshe Feiglin's crack today that he hopes Likud will be in the coalition too. Furthermore, by trying to repeat history and bring Shas – his most pliable partners – into the coalition, Netanyahu is turning his back on the draft issue, which is one of the most popular issues in Israel today and which Lapid rode to his stunning success. Not only is Netanyahu potentially angering his base by bringing Livni in, he is angering many other voters who don't understand why he insists on bringing Shas into the government despite the massive popular will for reforming the draft. Given what has transpired, if new elections were held today, I think that Likud would drop even further while Habayit Hayehudi and Yesh Atid would pick up some new mandates.
Netanyahu is behaving as if bringing first Livni and then Shas into the government gives him all the leverage he needs over Bennett to break up the YA-HH alliance, but I think he has things wrong. If he brings in Shas, he will then be unable to form a government without Lapid or Bennett (I am operating on the assumption that Labor is not joining at this point), and so in reality Bennett will be the one with the leverage over Netanyahu. Reports are that Bennett is feeling heat from within his party over his footdragging to run to Likud and his head-scratching unbreakable bond with Lapid, but by brining Livni into the government, Netanyahu actually did Bennett a favor. He now has a good excuse to sit tight, and once Netanyahu strikes a deal with Shas, he benefits further from sticking to his guns on the draft issue and staying out. If I were Bennett and Netanyahu presented me with the ultimatum to join the coalition with Shas or go to new elections, I would be printing up new campaign posters before even getting off the phone.
Did Israelis Give The Center A Big Win?
January 24, 2013 § 9 Comments
Now that the final results of the Israeli election are in, everyone is rushing to declare that centrist parties were the big winners and that the Israeli electorate has made a surprising shift away from the right. This is understandable in light of the fact that Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party won 19 seats to become the second largest party in the Knesset and Bibi Netanyahu led the Likud-Beiteinu list to an extremely disappointing 31 seats, down from the 42 seats that Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu control in the current Knesset. Nevertheless, I think that this view of things is incorrect. As I argue in Foreign Affairs, this does not take into account that the other so-called centrist parties did poorly and finished well below expectations and that many Likud voters chose to move even farther to the right by giving Habayit Hayehudi 12 seats. In addition, Yesh Atid can be characterized as centrist in some ways but as pragmatically rightwing in others, and so dubbing yesterday's results as an unabashed win for the center is misleading. In fact, the center controls 28 seats in the current Knesset, but will control 27 seats in the next one (19 for Yesh Atid, 6 for Hatnua, 2 for Kadima), so in reality the center actually lost ground. No doubt Lapid scored a big victory, but one centrist party doing well does not mean that Israel is now avowedly centrist, particularly when other centrist parties turned in disappointing performances and the banner rightwing nationalist party more than doubled its current Knesset representation. Here is a teaser from my piece in FA:
The problem with this narrative, however, is that Tuesday's results were not really a victory for centrists and Yesh Atid is not really a centrist party. The largest vote-getter was still Likud-Beiteinu, made up of arguably the most right-wing version of Likud in the party's history and the nationalist and pro-settlement Yisrael Beiteinu. Bayit Yehudi also did well, and it will be the fourth largest party in the Knesset with 11 seats. On the left, Labor underperformed and could not even garner enough votes to win second place as expected. Livni's Hatnua, meanwhile, won fewer seats than even the parochial ultra-orthodox party, United Torah Judaism. Kadima, a real centrist party, has all but disappeared, plummeting from 28 seats to two. Even though the right-wing parties did not do quite as well as they had hoped, the larger picture does not support the claim that the center scored a great victory.
Furthermore, the grouping of Labor, Hatnua, and Yesh Atid under a centrist or center-left banner is analytically lazy. On economic issues, those three parties do indeed fall within the left and the center. On security and foreign policy issues, Labor and Hatnua are centrist as well. Yesh Atid, however, cannot be accurately described as centrist when it comes to the peace process. Lapid has stated that Jerusalem cannot be divided under any circumstances and insists that standing firm on this issue will force the Palestinians to recant their demand that East Jerusalem serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state. During the campaign, Lapid chose the West Bank settlement of Ariel as the place to give a major campaign speech calling for negotiations with the Palestinians, and declined to endorse a settlement freeze. None of this is enough to put him into the far-right camp, which rejects the two-state solution and calls for annexing the West Bank, but it also does not make him a centrist. In fact, Lapid's views on security issues are close to those that Netanyahu has publicly staked out.
To read the rest please click over to Foreign Affairs, and comments and emails are welcome as always.
Netanyahu's Conundrum
January 23, 2013 § Leave a comment
Yesterday morning before any of the election results were in, I had a piece up at the Atlantic arguing that the coalition stability that was a hallmark of the current government was destined to end. In my view, the choices that Bibi Netanyahu was likely to end up with were going to create pressures from one side or another no matter which path he decided to go down. Here is the relevant passage:
There are two factors that are going to contribute to detonating Netanyahu's coveted stability. The first is that unlike during the past three plus years, Netanyahu is going to have a significant presence on his right flank both within his party and outside, creating constant pressure to take a harder line on settlements and the peace process. The Likud primary in November created the most right-wing version of the party that has ever existed. For instance, among the returning Likud MKs in the new Knesset will be the inciters of May's anti-immigrant race riot, a mass of supporters for annexing the West Bank, and new MK Moshe Feiglin who wants to be the Mohamed Morsi of anti-Arab remarks. This group largely distrusts Netanyahu and will be waiting to pounce at even the slightest digression from their preferred policy of holding on to the West Bank forever.
In addition, Netanyahu will be dealing with the newly empowered nationalist Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home) Party, which is poised to become the third largest party in the Knesset. This party is led by Netanyahu's former chief of staff Naftali Bennett, who also advocates unilaterally annexing Area C of the West Bank and recently got into trouble for saying that he would refuse orders to evacuate settlements. ( He recanted after the predictable furor that arose.) Either as part of the coalition or as a constant thorn in Netanyahu's side, the large Habayit Hayehudi bloc will be pushing Netanyahu constantly to the right.
The second new factor, which operates at complete cross-purposes to the first, is that Netanyahu will be looking at a renewed push by outside actors on the peace process at a time in which international pressure on Israel is beginning to reach a critical mass. John Kerry is going to want to tackle the peace process as one of his priorities as Secretary of State, and Britain and France intend to present their own plan for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the support of Germany and possibly the full European Union. Anger toward Israel over settlements and the breakdown of the peace process has lately intensified. Whether this is justified or not, given Palestinian foot-dragging, the anger exists to the point that even Israeli diplomats are beginning to get frustrated over the heat they are taking over West Bank construction.
Now that the results are in, I think this analysis still holds, and is perhaps even more salient to understanding what will happen next. Netanyahu is almost certainly going to have to build a coalition that includes Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi, and this means foot-dragging on the peace process and a storm of international pressure. The option of trying to pivot to the center on security and peace process issues is a lot more difficult today than it was yesterday. Netanyahu had some serious problems within Likud before, since the newly empowered crop of hardliners did not really trust him to begin with, but now he has to deal with the fact that he has led his party to the hollowest of victories. His gambit of merging with Yisrael Beiteinu backfired badly, particularly since only 20 of the 31 Likud Beiteinu MKs hail from Likud because of the seat allocation deal he worked out with Avigdor Lieberman, and undoubtedly Likud members are not very happy this morning. If Yisrael Beiteinu separates from Likud in thirty days as the merger agreement allows, Likud will be the largest party by only one seat. In order to prevent this from happening, Netanyahu is going to have to promise Lieberman the moon and the stars, which also does not bode well for any new push to slow down settlement growth or fast track negotiations with the Palestinians. Any moves that Netanyahu makes in that direction will imperil his leadership as head of Likud and prompt a rebellion within the ranks. Nobody should underestimate just how much pressure Netanyahu is now under from his own side, let alone from the parties on the left of the spectrum that would like nothing more than to bring him down. Netanyahu is in a very difficult spot, and while I am relatively sure he will be able to form a coalition and serve as prime minister, don't expect it to last very long.
Welcome to Israeli Election Day
January 22, 2013 § 2 Comments
Finally, the day we've all been waiting for – Israelis go to the polls today to elect a new Knesset and a new government for the first time since 2009. Despite the fact that we don't have any results yet, I thought I'd set out a list of things we know and things we don't.
Things We Know:
–Bibi Netanyahu and Likud Beiteinu are going to win the most seats in the Knesset and Likud will be the largest party. This is an easy one given the polls, since even with the Likud Beiteinu list losing about a seat a week for months now, no other party is going to come close to the 32-36 seats LB is likely to take. The irony of course is that Netanyahu created the joint list in order to create an unbeatable force, yet Likud might have done better on its own as banding together with Avigdor Lieberman and Yisrael Beiteinu likely cost Netanyahu seats for a host of reasons (and from the Department of Shameless Self Promotion, remember who told you months ago that this was a very bad idea on Bibi's part). Despite the blunder, Labor is probably going to come in second with 15-18 seats, and Habayit Hayehudi and Yesh Atid are going to be battling for 3rd and 4th place. It is possible that the LB list will have twice as many seats as the next largest party despite its free fall in the polls, although this is a bit misleading since the two parties agreed to merge until only 30 days past the election, at which point they are free to revisit their agreement and separate. The most interesting little nugget about Likud being the largest party in the Knesset is that despite having served two terms as prime minister, this will be the first time that Netanyahu leads his party to a Knesset victory. When Netanyahu was elected in 1996, Israel was in the midst of its decade-long experiment of directly electing the prime minister, and so while Netanyahu beat Shimon Peres by 1% in the prime ministerial vote, Likud won 32 seats to Labor's 34. In 2009, Likud came in second to Kadima, but after Tzipi Livni was unable to form a government, Netanyahu swooped in and cobbled together a governing coalition despite controlling the second largest party in the Knesset rather than the largest. By the end of today, Netanyahu will finally be able to say that he led his party to an electoral victory.
Things We Don't Know
–Everything else. And I mean that. Aside from Likud Beiteinu winning the most mandates, I cannot say with 100% certainty what else will happen. I am 99% sure that Netanyahu is going to be the next prime minister, but there are enough weird things going on to give me that minuscule 1% pause. To begin with, there are an unusually high number of undecided voters, and while they might break Bibi's way, I don't think that Bibi's base is one that is marked by indecision, unless that indecision comprises whether to continue to vote for Netanyahu or to go with the trendier rightwing choice of Naftali Bennett and Habayit Hayehudi.
Furthermore, Netanyahu's margins are going to be very tight, and this means there is an outside chance that he pulls a Livni and can't pull off putting together a viable government. I am as confident as I can possibly be that HH is going to be in the coalition, but then the coalition math becomes very tricky. It involves bringing in a centrist party such as Yesh Atid, which will clash with HH and the more extremist Likud voices over peace process issues, or going with Shas and UTJ, who are toxic to HH over the draft and toxic to Yisrael Beiteinu over both the draft and the religious-secular divide. Then there is the possibility that Aryeh Deri's return to Shas means it is no longer so reliably rightwing and will give Netanyahu a harder time when it comes to coalition bargaining.
To throw another monkey wrench into this, there are the rumblings from all sorts of quarters that the electorate has shifted in the past few days and that the leftwing and centrist parties are going to do better than their polling indicates. If voter turnout is high, it means that left and center parties are going to do better than expected, in which case there is even a possibility that Netanyahu is denied the first chance to form a government. Last month I brought up the possibility of a unity government, which started to look ridiculous in the interim but now I am not so sure that I was off-base. Then there are the rumors that were flying around last night that Ehud Barak is going to be defense minister and Tzipi Livni foreign minister, which I find to be completely far-fetched given the rancor toward Barak exhibited by all sorts of newly influential Likud members and the fact that Netanyahu would never give Livni any real power as foreign minister while Livni would never accept the position to be a mere figurehead. All of this is to say that while Bibi is almost definitely going to remain as prime minister, the possibility of a black swan would not be entirely out of the blue. As for what type of coalition he will put together assuming he remains prime minister, your guess is as good as mine. If I have to predict something, it's that we will see a nationalist bent due to the inclusion of Habayit Hayehudi, that the haredi parties are going to be left out, and that Yesh Atid will be brought in. This will allow Bibi to keep his rightwingers happy on peace process and settlements, let Yesh Atid have its pet issue of reforming the draft, and not have to worry about the secular-religious divide issue bringing down the government. I can also see Labor being brought into this mix if Netanyahu wants to have the coalition be as big as possible or if the numbers are such that he needs another party but wants to avoid bringing in Shas. Whatever happens, the next few weeks promise to be an entertaining ride.
Following Up On E1 And A Unity Government
January 4, 2013 § 2 Comments
There are a couple of news items today related to two predictions I made last month – that Israel is not actually going to build in E1 and that there is a decent likelihood of a Likud-Labor unity government after the elections in a couple of weeks – so I figured I'd take the opportunity to revisit the topics and see where things currently stand.
In the E1 department, Netanyahu has delayed the plans for building despite the Defense Ministry approving the blueprints and the Civil Administration approving the plans. Predictably, this has raised rightwing ire as there is no word as to when the prime minister's office is going to file the plans with the zoning committee or what is causing the delay. As you may recall, I argued that this is precisely what was going to happen:
The reason for this is that building homes in E1 has been a longstanding red line for both the United States and the European Union, and that line won't dissipate just because the Palestinian Authority decided to defy Israeli and American wishes against pursuing a statehood claim at the U.N. The U.S. response to the E1 announcement was unambiguous, labeling it counterproductive and a threat to the two-state solution, and pointing out that settlement building in E1 makes direct negotiations harder, which is a not-so-subtle reminder that this is the exact charge Israel has leveled at the Palestinians over the U.N. strategy…
The U.N. vote came as a surprise to Jerusalem, and Netanyahu knows that actually sending construction crews and cement mixers into E1 will worsen Israel's image problem. I also imagine that there have been some extremely unpleasant conversations with White House and State Department officials this past weekend given that the E1 announcement came on the heels of unwavering American support over Gaza and at the U.N. As dedicated as Netanyahu has been to the settlement project, even he must now realize that building Mevaseret Adumim is a bridge too far…
Following the embarrassingly lopsided U.N. vote and the criticism from his right that he did not go far enough during Operation Pillar of Cloud, Netanyahu needed to make a big gesture before the January 22 election to demonstrate that he is committed to settlements and that he will not take the PA's new statehood status in stride. E1 is an enormous deal to the settler wing of Likud, and declaring a new planning and zoning stage is red meat to Israeli right-wing partisans in a variety of camps, whether they be pro-settlements or have a religious or nationalist attachment to an eternal undivided Jerusalem.
The fact that this—just like the Levy Report—is an announcement that will never be acted upon does not negate the fact that it is good politics for Netanyahu. He is going to perform a delicate balancing act, in which he doubles down on settlementsfor a domestic audience while assuring the U.S. and the EU that E1 will remain a barren tract of land.
What has changed since I wrote this is that Naftali Bennett's Habayit Hayehudi party has skyrocketed in the polls while Likud-Beiteinu has plummeted. The latest poll of polls has LB at 34 Knesset seats and HH at 14.5, which is the continuation of the trend of HH gaining about one seat a week and LB losing about one seat a week in opinion polling. When Netanyahu decided to create the joint Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu list, the idea was to co-opt Lieberman from taking away votes on his right, but he did not foresee another rightwing party posing a serious challenge and siphoning away votes from the LB creation. Now he is dealing with a serious HH presence in the next Knesset, which might be enough of a scare to change his E1 decision. Despite this, I am holding to my original prediction, because while Likud-Beiteinu is going to be a lot weaker electorally than Netanyahu originally envisioned, it does not change the fact that E1 is still a much bigger deal for the U.S. and Europe than almost any other settlement in the West Bank. What I think we are likely to see is Netanyahu keep E1 on the back burner while fast tracking building in East Jerusalem neighborhoods such as Gilo and Har Homa, which will mollify rightwingers somewhat without risking an enormous clash with Western states.
On the unity government front, Labor leader Shelley Yachimovich yesterday indicated that she will not join a Likud government which at first glance seems to blow up my previous analysis. A few point to keep in mind, however, before deciding that Labor is definitively going to be in the opposition. First, Israeli opposition politicians are notorious for blasting the prime minister and making claims about never joining the government right before doing exactly that. For a recent example, go back and look at what Shaul Mofaz was saying about Netanyahu and Likud last spring literally just days before agreeing to form a unity government with Likud. Whatever Yachimovich says know in the heat of an election campaign should be taken with a grain of salt.
Second, in parsing what Yachimovich said, contrary to the reporting and the headlines she actually did not definitely rule out anything and gave herself lots of wiggle room. She said that she wants to be prime minister but that she will lead the opposition if she's not, and explicitly made clear that she had decided not to join the coalition because of recent radical positions taken by Likud and because of Netanyahu's embrace of Avigdor Lieberman. According to her, under the current circumstances she cannot work with Likud because "this is not the Likud we all know." This formulation is expressly designed so that it can be walked back if needed. After the election, with Lieberman's status uncertain and the electioneering over, Yachimovich can easily say that she has spoken with Netanyahu and that they have agreed on a set of broad principles, coupled with a statement or two from Netanyahu reaffirming his commitment to a two-state solution and finding a solution to the problem of social inequality. Framing her opposition to joining a Likud-led coalition in the terms that she has is not a categorical denial that she will ever agree to form a unity government, but rather a very temporary hurdle that she can dismantle anytime she wants. All that needs to be done is to declare that Likud is actually more reasonable than she originally thought and that she is joining the coalition because it is in the best interests of the country. A General Sherman type blanket denial this was not. Does this mean that a unity government is guaranteed to happen? Of course not, since the fact still remains that Likud and Labor have many sharp disagreements and the coalition politics might be tricky. All I'm saying is that yesterday's statement does not rule out the possibility.


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APTN National News
As the weeks pass following the release of the 2012 federal budget, more and more government programs are being cut or ended entirely, and Aboriginal health is being hit hard.
APTN National News reporter Nigel Newlove has the latest on the First Nations and Inuit Health branch of Health Canada, which has issued letters to communities warning of possible changes to contribution agreements.
Any cuts to the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch would follow the closure of the First Nations Statistical Institute and the National Aboriginal Health Organization, both of which did millions of dollars' worth of work on indigenous health in Canada.

subset: commoncrawl


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When it comes to booking a specialized camp for your special child, the earlier the better. Some schedules are already filled, such as the unique camp for those with MSUD, a rare metabolic problem known as maple syrup urinary disease, at Vee Bar Ranch (veebar.com) in Laramie, Wyo. Although, the ranch can offer a strict, protein-free diet (PKU) at any time. Many other specific camps are offered only for a few weeks each summer.
The good news is that where parents once found camps specializing in autism, they now find camps, such as Talisman Camps in North Carolina (talismancamps.com) that specialize in Asperger syndrome within the autism spectrum.


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- Address:
3656 N Ashland
Chicago, IL 60613Neighborhood:
Lakeview / East Lakeview
- Cuisine:
Tapas / Small PlatesPrice: $30 and under
- Dining Style: Casual Elegant
- Website: http://www.buleriastapas.com/
- Phone: (773) 404-2855
- Hours of Operation:
Please Call the restaurant at 773.404.BULL(2855) if you do not see availability on open table for a certain day and time.
Sunday – Wednesday: 11:00am – 12:00pm,
Thursday - Friday: 11:00am – 1:30am,
Saturday: 11:00am – 2:30am
- Payment Options: AMEX,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
- Cuisine: Spanish, Latin / Spanish, Tapas / Small Plates
- Dress Code: Casual Dress
- Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
- Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Delivery, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Late Night, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wine, Wine Bar
A word from Bulerias
Please Call 773.404.BULL(2855) if you do not see availability on open table for a certain day and time.Continued
Welcome to Bulerías Tapas Bar. Authentic cuisine from Spain Europe. The word 'Bulerías' is rooted in the country of Spain and is most commonly used to reference a fast rhythmic form of the Art of Flamenco Dancing. The Bulerías is tradtionally the finale to a flamenco performance. As a flamenco performer, performing the Bulerías, AND as a spectator, watching the Bulerías being performed - whether performing or watching - The Bulerías, will demand of you a fun, energetic, passionate, happy experience. It is this experience that we at Bulerías Tapas are committed to deliver to every person that walks into our doors. We want you to feel our fun ambiance, absorb the energy of our staff, taste the passion in our food, and when you have concluded your experience with us for the evening, most of all, we are crazy about wanting to make you happy. Bulerías Happy!!!:)™©®
Welcome to Bulerías Tapas Bar. Authentic cuisine from Spain Europe. The word 'Bulerías' is rooted in the country of Spain and is most commonly used to reference a fast rhythmic form of the Art of Flamenco Dancing. The Bulerías is tradtionally the finale to a flamenco performance. As a flamenco performer, performing the Bulerías, AND as a spectator, watching the Bulerías being performed - whether performing or watching - The Bulerías, will demand of you a fun, energetic, passionate, happy experience. It is this experience that we at Bulerías Tapas are committed to deliver to every person that walks into our doors. We want you to feel our fun ambiance, absorb the energy of our staff, taste the passion in our food, and when you have concluded your experience with us for the evening, most of all, we are crazy about wanting to make you happy. Bulerías Happy!!!:)™©®
Foodspotting photosSee all photos
Bulerias reviews from OpenTable diners
25 reviews since July 31, 2014
- Food4.4Service4
- Ambiance4.2Noise LevelModerate
neighborhood gem (20)fit for foodies (14)good for groups (12)romantic (9)great for outdoor dining (5)special occasion (5)hot spot (4)notable wine list (3)late-night find (3)vibrant bar scene (2)kid-friendly (1)great for brunch (1)great for lunch (1)Show More
- great foodOpenTable Diner Since 2006Dined on 10/11/2014I felt the service left a lot to be desired, but the tapas were the best I've had in Chicago. There was not one item I tried which I did not like.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Joe4Dined on 9/13/2014Food was outstanding and service was great. Probably the best tapas I've had in Chicago.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Great for TapaskhfoodieDined on 8/30/2014Everything we ordered was very good. The Sangria was great as well.Special Features:
- Chicago Tapas done rightbpowVIPDined on 8/29/2014Bulerias' food is delicious. It's not contrived or overly fancy. Just done right. The flavors are outstanding and the portions are perfect for sharing. The two standouts were the mushrooms (garlicky and addictive) and the steak (juicy and flavorful). Everything else was definitely a contender. You pretty much can't go wrong. The only downfall was the slow and strange service. The whole patio seemed a little miffed but the Sangria pitcher kept us occupied while we waited for each course.Special Features:
- Perfect Girl's Night Out!GGiannosVIPDined on 8/2/2014We celebrated a number of birthdays at Buleria's one summer evening. The service and food was delicious. I've had tapas many times before but I have to say, Buleria's was one of the best! Their paella is amazing! Sangria just perfect. All my friends enjoyed it as well!Special Features:
- The following 21 reviews are from the Bulerias reviews archive.
- Excellent Tapas for our GroupOpenTable Diner Since 2006Dined on 7/18/2014Just back from Spain less than 6 months ago and the food is at least as exciting and well prepared! Service at the hostess stand was a bit slow and we had a reservation, but the atmosphere, our server & the outstanding food more than made up for it. I plan to be a regular. Great find.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Everything is great!ChristinaVIPDined on 7/16/2014You can't go wrong with this menu. Everything is delicious! I especially love the bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Delicious and Great SettingCHIMOMSTYLEDined on 7/10/2014Loved the food, ambience and service at Bulerias, It's a wonderful addition to the neighborhood!! Great wine and cocktails as well.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Terrible Service, OK foodOpenTable Diner Since 2010Dined on 5/17/2014A group of 9 of us went to Bulerias to celebrate a birthday. The food was ok. The paella was mushy and did not have that crunch that makes paella so delicious. And the service was about as bad as it gets. While our waitress was nice, she was clearly very overwhelmed. Multiple times, the food runners delivered the wrong food to our table. We also asked for one paella without seafood due to an allergy, but the kitchen put calamari in it. After we hadn't received a few items after waiting 2+ hours, we decided to cancel the order. The manager did come to our table and offered to take one of the paellas off of our bill. That is nice, but I think they could have done a lot more to turn our experience around. They really need to get it together.
- OkMichaelScottVIPDined on 5/14/2014The food was hit and miss. The scallops with bacon were very good. Every dish with potatoes was terrible. The patatas bravas were particularly bad: a nicely flavored but sodden heap of goo.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Will definitely go backOpenTable Diner Since 2004VIPDined on 5/13/2014I really enjoyed my dinner and 1/2 price pitcher of sangria (Tuesday night). It was a slow night...just my table and one other were full when we got there at 8:15 - maybe because the Blackhawks were playing that night?I would recommend this to a friend.
- OpenTable Diner Since 2012Dined on 4/25/2014The staff was very friendly and helpful. The food was very tasty.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Great food great placefuntravelerVIPDined on 4/25/2014Great tapas place with good service.try the bacon wrapped datesSpecial Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- I've been to Bulerias twiceerinDined on 4/11/2014I've been to Bulerias twice now. First time was when it just opened up, and there was plenty of tables open on a Friday night. Now, after being open for a while now Bulerias has definitely grown in popularity. I made a reservation for 6 at 8:30 for a Friday night. Once we arrived (a few minutes early), we didn't get seated for another hour. I understand, even with a reservation you might still have to wait a little bit to get seated. But waiting an HOUR is a little bit unacceptable. There was another party that had a reservation at 8:30, and they, too, had to wait about an hour to get seated. I've read similar complaints about this happening at Bulerias... so I guess this happens a lot. Food is pretty good though! Not amazing, but good.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Great Food, Ok serviceNomnomnomDined on 3/7/2014The food was great! However, the overall service was not the best. Upon entering the restaurant, which really does have an awkward layout, there was a sign that said to see the bartender to be seated. We went up a few stairs to the bartender and she sent us back down to the front door. We waited about 5 minutes before seeing a girl who was wandering around. I had to ask if she worked at the restaurant and explain the situation and only then where we seated. We were seated downstairs, which is what most other reviewers recommended. It was really nice considering it was in the lower level. However, it was still rather loud for what most reviewers claimed was the quite seating option. It must be really loud upstairs.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Try the Bacon Wrapped Dates!ChristinaVIPDined on 3/1/2014The Bacon Wrapped Dates are probably my favorite thing to eat in ALL of Chicago. They are prepared perfectly, and the extra touch of goat cheese is mouthwatering! Everything else is wonderful too!Special Features:
- Fantastic TapasOpenTable Diner Since 2012Dined on 2/15/2014I just went for the first time last weekend, but it may already be my favorite tapas place in Chicago. They have great specials every day, the sangria and food are fantastic, and you should definitely come in on a birthday or anniversary for a special treat.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- FIFTY FIFTYOpenTable Diner Since 2002VIPDined on 1/28/2014Half the recipes taste authentic and half like American fast food. Calamari a la Plancha was exquisite; Montaditos de Seta was the most authentic (and excellent). Tortilla Espanol had mashed potato (or cream or something) that pushed it into the realm of idiosyncratic, although still in the bullring. Pinchos tasted like the chicken had been frozen -- dry, bland -- the kind of American food mistake usually covered up with lots of bbq sauce -- you would only find this in the scuzziest tapas bars in Madrid. Croquetas were over-breaded and overcooked -- a big crunch -- like the Kentucky Fried Chicken Tenders. You would never find this anywhere in Spain except in McDonalds. The wine list is strong, and authentic.Special Features:
- wonderful placestellakattDined on 1/24/2014I had a great experience at Bulerias. Great service, amazing value (get the mussels-only $9.10 for around 20 mussels), and even better sangria! I'll definitely be back!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Disappointing TapasKatyOVIPDined on 1/24/2014The space was incredibly small. I'm not a fan of having to move my chair and feeling in the way every time a waiter or another table gets up. We waited for over 20 minutes for the first tapas to get to the table. The three tapas that we ordered, were actually very tasty. We had the goat cheese croquettes, a beef/manchego toast and the shrimp with garlic...all delicious. We ordered the Paella con Todos, which we knew would take about 45 minutes, so we were prepared to wait for that. When we got the dish though, every bite tasted like fish. I couldn't eat it. My boyfriend ate it since he was hungry, but I opted to stay hungry vs. eating the fishy Paella. Ah well. Hopefully another good tapas spot will open up by us soon.
- Good local tapasBannon021VIPDined on 1/18/2014My girlfriend and I went here for the first time after seeing it dozens of times. Don't be fooled by what appears to be a smaller restaurant, there is actually a large seating area downstairs that we didn't even know existed. We tried ~4 tapas, wine and sangria. All of the tapas were good- I wouldn't say great. Our favorite was the dates wrapped in bacon, while the spicy potatoes were our least favorite-- they were essentially a big container of hash browns with a dipping sauce. I'd recommend this restaurant for a reasonably priced, local option.
- Fun tapas place!AlexisfVIPDined on 12/17/2013This place is wonderful! I went for the first time last week and can't wait to return. The food is wonderful and not overpriced. The flavor combinations are outstanding. Definitely order the bacon wrapped dates and the red wine sangria.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Great food but LOUDtracyfletchDined on 12/14/2013Great food, fun ambiance but very loud. I had to shout in order for others across the table to hear me.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- The food was not great. ThereOpenTable Diner Since 2012Dined on 12/13/2013The food was not great. There are much better Spanish tapas places; I wouldn't go back there for the food. And the sangria tasted like juice. Overall not a good place.Special Features:
- Favorite tapas restaurantOpenTable Diner Since 2009VIPDined on 11/23/2013Since finding this gem a few weeks ago, my husband & I have brought many of our friends and family back so they can see/taste what we've been raving about. It is definitely our new favorite tapas restaurant in Chicago. Absolutely delicious food (try the Carne en Tostada - one of our favs) & pretty generous portions, as well. I'd recommend trying to get a table downstairs, it is more intimate and quieter.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Everything was goodEmilyKDined on 11/16/2013Bulerias is in the neighborhood, and a friend recommended it to us. The ambiance was very nice. Everything we had, from the wine, to the tapas, to the cappuccino was really good!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.


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Neon Nights
Fancy standing out from the crowd on those summer nights? A little love for neon will make your style bright and your look bang on trend…
Certainly one way to be sure to get noticed, neons are glowing more than the weather these days, with colourful hues of red, pink, green and blue giving our wardrobe, and our mood, a much needed burst of colour.
(Above image left to right: Betty Jackson. Black blue shoes, Phase Eight dress, Call It Spring sandals)
When it comes to neon one can be discreet, but bold at the same time, by rocking the trend with your toes. If you choose to say it with shoes, we recommend these bold blue platforms from Betty Jackson. Black, or the perfectly pink option from US brand, Call It Spring. New to Debenhams, this is one label set to become an old favourite with the fashion pack.
(Above image left to right: No. 1 by Jenny Packham maxi dress, Sparkling yellow Butterfly by Matthew Williamson maxi)
If you're a girl who loves to dress up, you'll be loud and proud in a bold and beautifully patterned number from Phase Eight, or perhaps full on neon is more your thing with a vibrant yellow number from Butterfly by Matthew Williamson – complete with glittering trim, adding a touch of detail to truly make you sparkle.
(Above image left to right: Red Herring scallop-edge top, Floral design at Warehouse and Star by Julien Macdonald dress)
A sixties style shift from Warehouse is a cute and colourful creation to don this summer, with scallop-edged design at Red Herring and a blue-belted mini from Star by Julien Macdonald both simple, but striking, ways to give a nod to neon.
(Above image left to right: Principles by Ben de Lisi blue cropped trousers, Jonathan Saunders for Edition pink pencil skirt)
If separates are more your style Principles by Ben de Lisi and Jonathan Saunders for Edition offer striking wardrobe staples for the season ahead. Blue cropped trousers are casual and chic, while a neon pencil skirt makes us reminisce about Melanie Griffith in Working Girl, with a spot of summer power dressing for the modern day.
Sexy and stylish, causal and chic with hues that are wild and wonderful – the noticeable thing about neon is its ability to be naughty… but always nice.
Tags: Accessories, Betty Jackson. Black, Butterfly by Matthew Williamson, Call it Spring, Debenhams, Designer, Designers at Debenhams, Dress, Dresses, Edition, fashion, Jonathan Saunders, must-have, No. 1 by Jenny Packham, Phase Eight, Principles by Ben de Lisi, Red Herring, shoes, shopping, Star by Julien Macdonald, style, Summer, tips, trend, Trends, Warehouse, womens


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on 31-10-2012 09:49 PM
cant play video as keep getting the upgrading security components for playback of protected video
on 31-10-2012 10:06 PM
Hi Stephen+Elring...,
To be able to help further can you please confirm what device you are trying to use this on, what video you are trying to watch and if there is any error message is being displayed?
|New to the forum? Click here
|Tagging your posts and others with relevant key words is another way to help,
it also counts towards forum rank.


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Let your inner goddess shine as you hit the town in the Athena Adult Plus Costume. Costume includes flwoing blue and white dress and headpiece. 2-piece set. Polyester. Hand wash. Imported.
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Title: Beautiful Costume
Date: May 17, 2013
It is a beautiful costume, the only problem is the glitter on it. It goes all over the place. We purchased it for an upcoming show and it made out character look beautiful!!!
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Sisters Aries Jordan, 24, and Latoya Carter, 19, joined the Post News Hour on the radio with host David Scott.
The two young women talked about current events and their experiences of reading poetry with "Academy of da Corner Readers Theatre" to young people at Alameda County Juvenile Hall.
The sisters sang and read poetry from their self-published books. Jordan read "A Letter to the Elders" from her book "Journey to Womanhood." She sang a song about "shedding," which describes releasing old baggage that no longer serves her.
Carter read "Believe" and "My life" from her book "Already Famous." She also sang a remix of the Temptations.
Carter is currently fundraising to go to Ghana and is a Post youth correspondent. Jordan is founder of Urban Youth Ambassadors, which empowers young people through meaningful travel experiences and mentoring.
To learn more or purchase a copy of Aries Jordan's "Journey to "Womanhood," email email@example.com. To purchase Latoya Carter's "I'm Already Famous," email email@example.com.
Young Poets Perform on Post Radio Show
Sisters Aries Jordan, 24, and Latoya Carter, 19, joined the Post News Hour on the radio with host David Scott.
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IoN Fellows Elected as Members of the Global Young Academy
Prof Rosei and Dr Vomiero are both Fellows of the Institute of Nanotechnology and along with co-researcher Dr Marco Peccianti investigate and exploit the properties of nanoscale semiconductor materials at the Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications of INRS in Québec.
The GYA is an international organization founded in 2010 to promote scientific exchange and cooperation between talented young researchers in developed and developing countries. GYA members are rising stars known for the excellence of their research across all disciplines, namely the natural sciences and engineering, medicine, as well as social sciences, the arts and humanities.
Professor Rosei is a world-class scientist who has made his mark in the field of nanoscience and is widely recognized for his commitment to the advancement of knowledge and training of young researchers. Alberto Vomiero, a Marie Curie Fellow and researcher presently working with Professor Roseis team, is currently developing environmentally safe nanomaterials for renewable energy and sustainable development. Researcher Marco Peccianti, a postdoctoral fellow in Professor Roberto Morandottis lab from 2008 to 2011, helped design a new, very stable, high-precision integrated laser.M. Peccianti is researched for the Italian National Research Council.
For the next four years, the three INRS researchers will be active members of this select club, which presently comprises 155 members in their mid-thirties from 54 countries around the world. As GYA members, they undertake to support young researchers, encourage young people to pursue careers in science, and foster a culture of scientific excellence. In addition to promoting multidisciplinary research to solve global problems, they are called on to help develop and implement national science policies targeting young researchers. In an editorial published in Science, GYA founders explained that a central aim of the GYA is to spur the creation of national academies for young scientists that encourage and empower their members to engage in interdisciplinary research, communicate science to society, and provide advice on national science policies, especially those affecting young scientists.
Source: INRS /...
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text: On May 21, 2009, at 2:40 PM, edoard at medievalcookery.com wrote: > I've finally managed to get (crappy) pictures of the thing up > online ... > > http://medievalcookery.blogspot.com/2009/05/modern-mystery.html > > Anyone here have any ideas? No clue, but the fact that it's stainless (or chrome plated) might indicate it is either food-grade or has some medical application. Adamantius


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Birth to 3 Program
Children's Long-Term
Support Waivers
Unified Intake for Families
Family Support Program
Katie Beckett Program
Resources for Families
and Children
County and Provider
Medicaid HCB Waivers Manual
Appendix E (CLTS Forms)
Contact Us
are eligible for services if they have a child with a severe disability, under
the age of 21, and living at home. A severe disability is a physical, mental, or
emotional limitation which seriously restricts the child's ability to carry out basic
daily living activities such as self-care, learning, communications, mobility and
self-direction. Although family income is not a basis for eligibility, cost-sharing may
be required on a sliding fee scale.
Family Support is a state-funded program. Because each county has limited funding
for this program, eligibility does not guarantee a family will receive services. Agencies
may have waiting lists for services and assessments. Families are served on a first-come,
first-served basis, although priority for services may be given to families in a crisis
situation or families who are bringing a child home from an out-of-home placement.
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THE Sunfoil Dolphins ensured that the race for top spot in the RAM SLAM T20 will go down to the final game of the league phase as they beat the Chevrolet Knights in a rain-affected game at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead on Friday.
The Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras had secured a bonus-point win over the bizhub Highveld Lions in the day's other fixture, and the Dolphins matched that to maintain the two-point gap to the Cobras.
Should the Cobras lose on Sunday and the Dolphins win then the Kwazulu-Natal outfit could secure a home final, but if the Cobras win then the Dolphins will host Wednesday's play-off regardless of their own result on Sunday.
Friday's game saw the Dolphins post 170 for four after being asked to bat first, before rain reduced the Knights target to 127 from 14 overs.
With the Knights bowled out for 86 in 13.2 overs, the Dolphins won by 40 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method.
The Dolphins total was set up by Cameron Delport, who smashed 56 from 36 balls to continue his good season. The 24-year-old provided the major impetus when he hit Werner Coetsee for three consecutive sixes to go to his half-century in just 33 balls.
With David Miller striking 39 from 27 balls and the rest of the top five all chipping in, the Knights were unable to pull the game back as the Dolphins put up a commanding total.
The Knights reply was disrupted by rain after just two deliveries, and they lost Rilee Rossouw, Reeza Hendricks and Dean Elgar - their three best batsmen in the competition this year - in the four overs after the resumption.
Wickets continued to fall from there on, and with the Knights also struggling to score at a decent rate the focus shifted on to whether they could reach 101 and deny the Dolphins a bonus point.
They ultimately fell well short as Keshav Maharaj recorded figures of 3 for 27 in three overs and Kyle Abbott (2 for 6) picked up the final wicket to put the match to bed.


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Written by Karen Gellender Friday, 18 February 2011 00:00
Filed unobtrusively with the other resolutions on the agenda at the Syosset Board of Education meeting on Feb. 14 were three resolutions of great significance to many in the community: agreements with the Syosset Teacher's Association, Syosset Principals Association, and the Syosset Administrative Assistants Association Unit to forego the 2.75 percent raises for next year that are due these district employees under contract. While the agreement with the Syosset Teacher's Association had been revealed several weeks ago (the STA voted to forego their raises on Jan. 20), the other two agreements were new.
Also, though not voted upon at the board meeting, board president Dr. Marc Herman also revealed that Superintendent Carole G. Hankin and her cabinet have opted not to take their scheduled raises as well; he further noted that it was Hankin who initiated the idea of giving up her raise.
"We thank all the employees who work together for the benefit of our children," said Herman, to thunderous applause from the parents and grandparents at South Woods Middle School. While teacher and administrative salaries remain a contentious topic in Nassau County, the fact that district employees are choosing to opt out of raises in order to save taxpayers money may make voting for this year's budget more palatable for those who have had concerns about the girth of the school budget in years past.
Budget concerns aside, it was an interesting evening for the board of education, featuring what is perhaps the pinnacle of high school achievement in the sciences- Intel Talent Search Semi-Finalists- and a glimpse of those at the very beginning of their educational career: kindergartners celebrating their first 100 days of school.
In the treasurer's report, the cash-on-hand value for the month ending Dec. 31, 2010 is $59,737,204.89.
In Superintendent's announcements, Hankin reminded residents that kindergarten registration will be held on March 1 and 2. She also announced that the nine 2011 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists were named finalists: Daniel B. Bach, Eric A. Collet, Daniel H. Kim, Katherine Kuang, Clarissa C. Li, Belinda Y. Wang, Harris J. Weber, Catherine M. Ye, and Sumayya Younus.
In board news, Herman announced that the board had attended the Cerro Wire Meeting, the Nassau-Suffolk School Board's Association Dinner Conference, the BOCES budget meeting, the Syosset High School PTSA Meeting, the H.B. Thompson Staff Recognition Dinner, and the Reflections Reception. Herman congratulated all of the students who entered the annual Reflections contest, and all of the winners.
The first presentation of the night was dedicated to the district's four Intel Science Talent Search semi-finalists, who gave brief summaries of their projects to the board and community. Acting Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante introduced research facilitator Angela Lukaszewski, and the four Intel Semi-finalists: Gary Rosenblatt, Karan Sikka, Harris Weber and Deanna Zhu. Rosenblatt studied economic indicators as stock market gauges, Sikka studied increasing the power output of hydrogen fuel cells, Weber studied P2X receptors, and Zhu studied the assembly and activation of the human apoptosome; all four presentations were sufficiently advanced to the point of being borderline-incomprehensible to many present at the meeting (though no one seemed to mind.)
The second presentation featured kindergartners from all over the district, who explained creative projects they had made in commemoration of their first 100 days of school. While not all of the students could reach the microphones, they enthusiastically displayed their projects, while many proud parents captured the moment on camera. The children also sang a song about the milestone, to the tune of I've Been Working on the Railroad.
During the audience to the public, Herman provided answers to a question asked last meeting about when the district receives most of its revenue, and when payments are made. The board president explained that the district used to receive tax money from the Town of Oyster Bay starting in October, but this year, due to the difficult fiscal environment, the first payment was instead received in November, a trend they expect to continue. He also noted that debt service payments are due on June 15, July 15, Dec. 15, and Jan. 15, while proceeds from TANS (tax anticipation notes) are typically received in July.
Syosset resident Frederick Gana, a frequent school board meeting attendee, suggested that the district make the continuing education catalogue more cost-effective. Hankin was receptive to this suggestion, pointing out that the district had stopped distributing the course catalog last year in order to save money, but had brought it back this year after complaints from the community- especially from senior citizens who were not comfortable looking up the course schedules on the Internet. Gana also stressed the importance of finding budget solutions, suggesting that perhaps the students come up with ideas. "We have to look to ourselves for solutions," said Gana.
The board also presented a Partner in Education Certificate to Susan Parker, president of the Syosset Council of PTAs, and the executive board of the council.
Other than the notable contract agreements mentioned above, other resolutions passed that evening included the approval of the revised 2011/2012 school calendar, and the acceptance of a donation to the district of a record-keeping board with an inspirational plaque from the Syosset High School swim team.
The next board of education meeting will take place on March 7 at 8 p.m. in the South Woods Middle School Auditorium.


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CQ Gallery: The many Oscar hairstyles of Anne Hathaway
From Kiss and Makeup's Andrea Thatcher... One of the most oft-tweeted beauty questions from the Oscars wasn't how to get the red lipstick look on the red carpet or why didn't Penelope Cruz do her hair? It was "how the heck is Anne Hathaway managing these hair changes?" By my count, each of Anne's eight costume changes throughout the evening came with their own hairstyle. Sometimes it was just brushing waves into a smoother style, sure, but what about that intricately braided bun?
Okay, well, I do have my own ideas that the pony tail she was wearing previously was simply stuffed up into a braided hairpiece, but it was still impressive. While I love when Anne looks like a princess - the grey custom Vivienne Westwood with killer jewels and the aforementioned updo - I really think my favourite hair look of the evening was her posh, perky pony while wearing a custom Lanvin tux. The cute and playful 'do matched her "aren't I so charming?" shtick of the evening. Here is a collection of all of her looks.


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A MAN LAYS DYING on the floor of a jail cell between two mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Not even two weeks ago, despite his middle-age, he'd had a head of youthfully dark hair; now, it is completely, shockingly, all-white. The sprinkler system of the sheriff's department that holds him has been set off, creating the effect of a tumultuous indoor downpour that rains down upon the white-haired man and his captors.
One of his captors -- the very one who has most doggedly pursued him -- is kneeling down. The white-haired man has committed the kind of unthinkable crimes that would disgust and shake most of us to the core, but Special Agent Dale Cooper instead remains very much with the moment. He holds the white-haired man, stroking his hair, comforting him even as the horrors of his crimes are finally admitted between last gasps. Then, Cooper speaks. The words come to him naturally:
"Leland," he says, "the time has come for you to seek the path. Your soul has set you face to face with the clear light and you are now about to experience it in all its reality, wherein all things are like the void and cloudless sky, and the naked, spotless intellect is like a transparent vacuum, without circumference or center. Leland, in this moment, know yourself, and abide in that state. . . Look to the light, Leland. Find the light."
Though spoken as much from the heart as from the head, Coop's words are not truly his own. Compare them with this famous passage from The Tibetan Book of the Dead, meant to be recited to the dying as they pass on:
"O, nobly-born [so and so by name], the time hath now come for thee to seek the Path [in reality].
Thy breathing is about to cease. Thy guru hath set thee face to face before with the Clear Light; and
now thou art about to experience in its Reality in the Bardo state, wherein all things are like the void
and cloudless sky, and the naked, spotless intellect is like unto a transparent vacuum without
circumference or centre. At this moment, know thou thyself, and abide in that state." [W.Y. Evans-Wentz (translator and editor), The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Oxford, Third edition,
Leland, though in his final moment, is surprised, almost smiling, in response to Coop's urging that he find the light: "I see it!"
"Into the light, Leland. . . Don't be afraid.
And with that, Leland Palmer is dead.
It's unusually moving; hardly your typical primetime TV jailhouse scene.
But this is no ordinary jailhouse, and it's certainly not ordinary TV.
This is Twin Peaks, where nothing -- not family, not FBI-men, not even the owls in the trees -- is as it seems.
theworsthorse.net | "happy to be the worst" | 2006, 2007, 2008 | credits and gratitude


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The landscape has long fascinated artists, particularly in the American West, with those interested in the form today falling into two broad categories. There are artists who re-create the high points of nineteenth and early-twentieth-century realism and impressionism. And there are those who try to ... More >>
This weekend's gallery openings include works that reimagine inner and outer landscapes, inspire creativity in youngsters or just plain look good on a wall. Highbrow, lowbrow and everywhere in between, there's something for everyone in Denver this weekend.... See also: Golden Opportunity: Jenny Mor ... More >>
For this year's Now Showing, Westword's fall arts guide, we asked artistic movers and shakers to answer a few questions about the state of the arts, both locally and around the world. We'll be rolling out their answers over the next few weeks in pairs that combine both veterans and newcomers in simi ... More >>
The Arvada Center gallery's current Faces, Places & Spaces three-show summer extravaganza features a bevy -- actually, a real beauty pageant -- of artists from Colorado or with Colorado ties, and the result is a refreshing look at this state. The best way to get a feel for many of these artists is ... More >>


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Friday, 17 September 2010 00:00For the second year in a row, Pasadena Elementary School has won the Plainview-Old Bethpage Library Summer Reading Contest. It was a very close race, with Pasadena, at 21.85 percent, just beating out runner-up Parkway Elementary School with 21.02 percent.
The total number of registrants this year was 1669. A total of 5, 983 books were read by children in pre-K through fourth grade. The older participants (grades 5 and up) read a total of 305,227 pages. Finally, 32.43 percent of the children in the school district participated in the program and either read at least three books, or read at least 300 pages, depending on their grade level.


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Excitement! The nominations for the BAFTA Awards 2012 have just been announced by Jeremy Irvine and Alice Eve - and it's US film Lincoln that's scooped the most noms. Steven Spielberg's presidential biopic got no less than 10 nominations, including Best Film and Leading Actor for Daniel Day Lewis. Big British films Les Miserables and Skyfall also got nods while Ang Lee's Life of Pi came away with nine nominations (three of which weren't technical).
Javier Bardem is up for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Bond villain Silva in Skyfall, which is nominated for Outstanding British film. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway are both in the running for an award thanks their stirring performances as Jean Valjean and Fantine in Les Mis. As for The Hobbit, Peter Jackson's epic hasn't been nominated in any of the main categories. Ouch. It did receive nominations in Make-up and Hair, Visual Effects and Sound, but this is a far cry from Fellowship Of The Ring, which scored a whooping 12 nominations.
Here's hoping the Hollywood ladies nominated for the Leading Actress gong - Jessica Chastain, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Lawrence, Helen Mirren and Emmanuelle Riva - will pull on their glad rags for the ceremony that takes place on Sunday 10 February at the Royal Opera House. Either way, this gives us a taster of what's to come when the Oscar nominations are revealed tomorrow.
See the main categories below...
Best Film:
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Zero Dark Thirty
Outstanding British Film:
Anna Karenina
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Seven Psychpaths
Michael Haneke - Amour
Ben Affleck - Argo
Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty
Leading actor:
Ben Affleck - Argo
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Leading actress:
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren - Hitchcock
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin - Argo
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Javier Bardem - Skyfall
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - The Master
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Judi Dench - Skyfall
Sally Field - Lincoln
Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
Bart Layton (Director), Dimitri Doganis (Producer) - The Imposter
David Morris (Director), Jacqui Morris (Director/ Producer) - McCullin
Dexter Fletcher (Director/ Writer), Danny King (Writer) - Wild Bill
James Bobin (Director) - The Muppets
Tina Gharavi (Director/ Writer) - I Am Nasrine
The Imposter
Searching For Sugar Man
West of Memphis
Original Screenplay
Django Unchained
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty
Adapted Screenplay
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Silver Linings Playbook
Film Not In The English Language
The Hunt
Rust and Bone
Animated Film
Original Music
Anna Karenina - Dario Marianelli
Argo - Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi - Mychael Danna
Lincoln - John Williams
Skyfall - Thomas Newman
Anna Karenina - Seamus McGarvey
Les Miserables - Danny Cohen
Life of Pi - Claudio Miranda
Lincoln - Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall - Roger Deakins
Argo - William Goldenberg
Django Unchained - Fred Raskin
Life of Pi - Tim Squyres
Skyfall - Stuart Baird
Zero Dark Thirty - Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg
Production Design
Anna Karenina - Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
Les Miserables - Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson
Life of Pi - David Gropman, Anna Pinnock
Lincoln - Rick Carter, Jim Erickson
Skyfall - Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock
Costume Design
Anna Karenina - Jacqueline Durran
Great Expectations - Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
Les Miserables - Paco Delgado
Lincoln - Joanna Johnston
Snow White and the Huntsman - Colleen Atwood
Django Unchained - Mark Ulano, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Wylie Stateman
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Tony Johnson, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michaeil Semnaick, Brent Burge, Chris Ward
Les Miserables - Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst
Life of Pi - Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill
Skyfall - Stuart Wilson, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers
Special Visual Effects
The Dark Knight Rises - Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White
Life of Pi - Bill Westonhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer
Marvel Avengers Assemble - Nominees TBC
Prometheus - Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Trevor Wood, Paul Butterworth
Make Up & Hair
Anna Karenina - Ivan Primorac
Hitchcock - Julie Hewitt, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater
Les Miserables - Lisa Westcott
Lincoln - Lois Burwell, Kay Georgiou
Short Animation
Here To Fall - Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath
I'm Fine Thanks - Eamonn O'Neill
The Making of Longbird - Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson
Short Film
The Curse - Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries
Good Night - Muriel d'Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir
Swimmer - Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmud Scrimshaw
Tumult - Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews
The Voorman Problem - Mark Gill, Baldwin Li
EE Rising Star Award
Elizabeth Olsen
Andrea Riseborough
Suraj Sharma
Juno Temple
Alicia Vikander


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Fred MoyiniWilliam Davis Realty Uptown
Plano, TX
License State: Texas | License No: 0477170
Service areas: Plano, Garland, Brentwood Place, Little Elm
Are you Fred Moyini? Claim your profile >
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About Fred Moyini
Fred Moyini is a licensed Texas real estate agent with activity below his peer average, ranked in the lower 37% of his peers.
He has completed at least 5 transactions with an average sale price of $363K. He has closed transactions ranging from $55K to $1.30M in value.
Fred's brokerage of record is William Davis Realty Uptown where he primarily serves both buyers and sellers with Single Family properties in Plano, Garland and Little Elm and the None specified and Brentwood Place neighborhoods.
Fred's Pros & Cons
NegotiationFred has a history of effectively pricing his clients' homes for sale and for delivering sales at values close to their asking prices.
Luxury Market SpecialistFred has significant experience brokering transactions involving highly valued properties.
Less ExperiencedFred has considerably less experience than other real estate agents in the Plano area who list and sell similar homes. more
Lower Closing RateFred sells less of the properties he lists for sale than real estate agents handling similar properties in the same area. more
Fred's Performace Statistics
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**The agent's 'Peers' or 'Peer Group' are determined by identifying the agents that listed or sold properties that were comparable to the properties that he sold or listed. By comparing this agent to his peers, the prospective home buyer and/or seller has a meaningful reference point for comparison of this agent's performance relative to the other real estate agents working in the same areas and price range.
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