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Archive for 'USA' Category
A country perpetually at war.
Posted on 04:23, August 25th, 2010 by Pablo
When in graduate school I was exposed to the writings of dependency and post-colonial theorists, people like Samir Amin, Barrington Moore, Immanuel Wallerstein, Andre Gunder Frank, Cardoso and Faletto, and a host of other neo-Gramscians and Euro Marxists. Following Lenin's theory of imperialism, these various schools of thought all concurred that there was a structural basis for US imperialism, and that this in turn led to what Dwight Eisenhower (of all people) called a "military-industrial complex" that continually pushed for war in order to develop, test and apply new technologies in pursuit of profit, with follow-on benefits eventually accrued by the civilian market as well. None of these theorists believed in the rhetoric of freedom and democracy promotion that the US used, and uses, to justify its military activities abroad.
For Marxists, US imperialism is not about liberation but about exploitation of other people's natural and human resources for US gain. It is about oil in Iraq and natural gas and mineral rights in Afghanistan and other parts of Central Asia, coupled with the geo-strategic imperative to keep rival powers from encroaching on US economic interests in these areas. It is why the US declared the Monroe Doctrine that until recently made Latin America its exclusive sphere of interest (a status quo now under seige from Chinese investment), and it is why the US continues to spend more money on defense than the next eight countries combined (including Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany). Most importantly, in this view, the structural imperative is why the US is a war-mongering nation that uses–and in fact needs–wars to propel its economy and maintain its preeminence in the global arena.
Being US-born but raised in Latin America, I had, and have, mixed emotions about this perspective. On the one hand I see the validity of the argument, which is elegant in its simplicity of explanantion but also reductionist to a fault. On the other hand I find it hard to believe that a majority of Americans would accept the premise that the US is an imperialist war-mongering nation driven by corporate interest, and that if they were presented with evidence to that effect a majority would vote to end the cycle of war-for-profit that Eisenhower warned about.
The inability of most Americans to see US military activities in the structuralist light may be a tribute to the myth-making propoganda of the US educational and media systems, but the truth is that they simply see what the US does abroad as part of its natural responsibilities as the world's (yet) superpower and policeman. In other words, if no other country is going to step in and put out fires, then it is up to the US to do so. That is what the US public believes, although it has been shown time and again that they have little patience for staying in protracted conflicts that do not appear to directly impinge on core national values or security.
Over the past few months, as I have contemplated and written about Afghanistan, I have found myself returning to this theme: is the US a war-mongering country? In recent correspondence with journalist Jon Stephenson, whose work as one of the few serious independent NZ-based journalists I admire, he brought up the subject of wars of necessity and discretionary wars. The former are fought in pursuit of core national interests; the latter are fought for reasons of political, diplomatic or economic want, not need.
This does not mean that the latter are always illegitimate. As I mentioned in the earlier post about the "Responsibility to Protect," sometimes more than national interest has to be considered in committing troops to conflict. But the overall picture should be clear. Some wars are justifiable due to imposed necessity; other wars are not.
This is where the US begins to show its colors. It appears that it has conflated the two types of war, under the banner of promoting "freedom" and "democracy" abroad, in order to satisfy its broad structural needs and the specific demands of the perpetual motion machine known as the military-industrial complex exemplified by the likes of Raytheon, Lockheed, Martin Marietta, Haliberton, McDonald Douglas and other conglomerates.
But even as I pondered the implications of this theoretical overlap between the two types of war in the US mindset, I found myself (perhaps due to some lingering loyalty to my place of brith) still unable to accept the fact that the US is indeed a war-mongering imperialist power. I decided to research the history of US military adventures abroad so as to get a better idea of their scope over time. I was pretty sure that in one way or another the US has been in a state of semi-constant conflict since 1989. I do know that it is the only country on earth that has an array of military bases spanning the world, to include every continent including Antartica, remote island chains and atolls, and non-publicised detachments engaged in covert action. I know that the US has five aircraft carrier battle groups (which include submarines, destoyers, frigates and tenders as well as the air wings on the carrier), of which three are deployed at any one time, and that no other country has a single one such battle group. The point should be clear–the US position in world affairs does in fact ride on the back of an immense military machine (as opposed to moral authority or diplomatic leadership).
My research was an eye-opener. Ahough I am not a fan of Wikipedia being used as a scholarly source (and in fact mark down students who use it as such), I have decided that in this case it summarises the issue pretty concisely. Could it be that the Marxists are right? If so, is this status quo unbreakable in a world in which rising powers may see reason to challenge the US position in global society? What are the implications of these potential challenges given the historical record?
On the other hand, is it plausible that this history of intervention is strictly driven by economic interest and military-corporate collusion? Is it not possible that altruistic motives are sometimes at play when the US uses force abroad? After all, many if not most of the cited interventions involved evacuations of civilians from conflict zones and involvement in foreign conflicts for apparent humanitarian reasons devoid of economic interest.
I wonder what the US public would make of this history if they knew enough about it, and how future justifications for war would square with this track record? Could it be possible that the Obama administration will return to the distinction between wars of necessity and wars of discretion as a benchmark for foreign military intervention, thereby breaking with the military-industrial complex and its need for perpetual war?
Readers are invited to draw their own conclusions.
Posted in International relations, USA, War | 32 Comments | Read More »
In the US, a return to primordialism.
Posted on 09:03, August 21st, 2010 by Pablo
In retrospect, it seems obvious. Given the venomous attacks on Barack Obama in the 2008 election campaign, the move towards a "post-racial" society was never going to happen. Instead the reverse transpired, with race, religion and ethnicity now dominating US political debates in a measure not seen in years. Fuelled in part by the president's overt identification with African-American culture and causes in spite of his mixed race heritage, the real instigators of the return to American primordialism are the conservative media outlets, Tea Party agitators and opportunistic Republican politicians who see political advantage in harping negatively about race, religion and ethnicity. Be it arguments about reverse racism, immigration, "socialist" health policy, religious freedom (in the case of the proposed Islamic cultural centre located 2 blocks from ground zero in New York City), the hot button issues in the lead-up to the November 2010 midterm elections are rooted in conservative white fear of cultural diversity and ethnic equality. That garrison mentality resonates in the great American echo chamber of conservative blogs, radio and television, and it has set the tone for the political debates of the moment.
The conservative view is that to be Judeo-Christian white is to be right, and the issue is whether to stand or fight. This view holds to the belief that White Christians are the carriers of superior values tied to the Protestant Ethos of hard work and entrepreneurship, and that these values are now under siege from a variety of forces, both domestic and foreign (often working in concert). Fear of the "other" is the subtext of the day. With the nightmare of a black Kenyan Muslim in the oval office now realised (at least in the minds of some), the culturalist Right have chosen to fight. Their method for doing so is to fill the public space with racially charged interrogatives that speak to white grievances against affirmative action, poverty reduction, undocumented immigration (including so-called "anchor babies"), minority religions (especially Islam), linguistic diversity, and any other cultural characteristic that is seen as threatening to WASP values. Cultural scape-goating is phrased as a defense of traditional values in order to cloud the message and make it difficult to refute. The Democrats and progressive elements in the electorate have been slow to stand up to the cultural bullying, and even slower to recast the terms of the political debate. Since those who set the terms of political debate are the ones who usually win the argument, this augers poorly not only for the president and his party in November, but for the future of American social diversity in general.
The return to race baiting and xenophobia is due not only to white Christian conservative fear of what the future US demographic may look like, but also to their inability to offer a policy agenda that is anything other than opposition to whatever the Democrats propose. Capitalising on anti-"big government" sentiment that conveniently overlooks the fact that the expansion of the federal government deficit was fuelled by a massive military build-up in pursuit of two wars undertaken by a conservative Republican president aided and abetted during his first 6 years in office by a GOP-dominated Congress in a context of corporate deregulation and lower taxation of firms and wealthy individuals, the white conservative backlash against Obama is visceral, vicious and anything but virtuous in intent. For some on the US Right the turn to primordialism is a return to their darker ideological roots.
The irony is that the Right's politics of primordialism is not necessary. In spite of victories in health care and finance industry regulation, the successful rescue of General Motors and its ahead of schedule withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, the Obama administration has shown itself to be vacillatory and reactive across a broad range of policy issues. Rather that set a firm agenda it appears to bounce from crisis to crisis, blaming its predecessor for problems that are not of its making (such as regulatory failures that led to the Gulf oil spill, inherited federal deficits and the 2008 financial crisis). All this does is convey the image of an whinging Administration out of its depth or indecisive at the point of engagement, aided by a venal Congress disconnected from the realities of common voters. Coupled with the usual anti-incumbent and anti-Washington sentiment and an unusual amount of hatred for the federal government, this leaves the Democrats in a perilous position in the lead up to the November midterm elections.
Hence, in the current context of an impending "double dip" recession and mounting fiscal deficits, ongoing high unemployment and continued foreclosures and mortgagee sales as involvement in foreign conflicts drags on, the Democrats can be defeated in November on issues of policy alone, even if the alternative is incoherent on specific points of remedy. The diversion into the so-called "culture wars" consequently is not a political necessity for the GOP, but a choice. The choice is to engage a raw backlash at everything Obama represents as a social construct.
Not surprisingly the focus on primordialism obscures and mystifies the increasing gap between the US corporate elite and investment rich, on the one hand, and the salaried middle and working classes on the other. Cloaked in the language of individual "responsibility," "free enterprise" and "freedom," this is a return to the late 19th century-early 20th century era of ethnic divide- and-conquer anti-unionisation efforts played by the robber barons and their Pinkerton thugs, and which finds resonance in the anti-union, anti-immigrant, anti-Islamic militia-style rhetoric of the present day. It also is wrapped in a strict constitutionalist interpretation that sees anything not explicitly mentioned in the US Constitution, such as universal health care, as insidious attempts to undermine the White Christian foundations of the nation.
There is an irony here. The descent into primordialism could spell trouble for the GOP at a time when it should be easily crafting an alternative agenda for a return to political dominance. The libertarian and moderate wings of the Republican Party are being made to choose between the xenophobic Right and disaffiliation. The plight of Florida governor Charlie Crist is instructive. A popular moderate Republican who is pro-choice, pro-gay marriage and reformist on immigration in a state with large Hispanic and Black populations and a heterogeneous mix of Whites, Crist was losing badly in the polls for the Republican Party Senate candidacy in favour of a more conservative, less experienced candidate. Faced with a primary loss next week, Crist is now running as an Independent in what will be a three-way Senate race in November that looks increasingly hard for the GOP to win given the vote-splitting caused by Crist's presence.
Similar centrifugal tendencies can be seen in the Tea Party movement, which has found its "small government" origins hijacked by a reactionary culturalist agenda that harks to the Anglo supremacist views of the 1920s, 1930s, 1950s and early 1960s. That leaves Tea Party economic liberals and fiscal conservatives at the mercy of the new segregationists and isolationists, thereby dividing the movement at a time it should be uniting around a common agenda for change. That opens space for conservative Democrats to make common cause with the economic, as opposed to socially conservative Tea Party adherents.
The Democrats are not immune from the primordialist temptation. The controversy over the proposed Islamic Cultural Centre in NYC has seen a number of prominent Democrats, including Nevada Senator Harry Reid and former DNC Chairman Howard Dean, come out against it. Spurred by electoral considerations and like the Republican primordialists, they have abandoned support for the supposedly sacrosanct freedom of religion in favour of arguments that constructing a "mosque" close to Ground Zero is a "provocation." Turning the debate on its head, some such as Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin have likened the "provocation" to having Nazis build a monument at Auschwitz or the Japanese building a shrine at Pearl Harbour, conveniently ignoring that the fact that the former was a political movement with genocidal pretensions and the latter was a state declaring war, whereas Islam is the religion of 11 extremists who committed an atrocity (much as Christianity was the religion of the Oklahoma City bomber Tim McVeigh). In fact, the more appropriate analogy might be to propose to build a Christian church on the site where a murdered abortionist practiced, something that has in fact happened at the place where Dr. George Tiller had his Women's Health Care Clinic in Wichita, Kansas. Although unsuccessful, this deliberate insult to Tiller's memory and work on behalf of the pro-choice movement met with little outcry and more than a passing wave of approval on the part of the same people who now most avidly decry the Ground Zero "mosque" (I put the word mosque in quotation marks because the proposal is for a multi-use facility that includes prayer rooms for men and women).
Nor has the "provocation" argument had to reconcile with the fact that two established mosques are located four and six blocks from Ground Zero, respectively, or that various porn shops and strip clubs are located across the street from the hallowed site itself. Even so, few mainstream politicians have spoken out against the inconsistencies of the "provocation" argument or the defamatory tarring of Islam with the genocidal Nazi-Japanese "sneak attack" brush, in no small part for fear of being seen as pro-Islamic. That is sadly telling of the current state of affairs.
In fact, that Howard Dean and Newt Gingrich can make common cause on an issue involving religious freedom demonstrates how debased the US political debate has become. Worst yet, after initially framing the controversy as a matter of religious freedom, President Obama backtracked in the face of conservative criticism and said that it is a matter of local opinion and religious sensitivity to broader public concerns, thereby ceding the argument to the primordialists while confirming the impression that he is indecisive and thin-skinned.
The impact of the return to primordialism has yet to be seen, but two logical inferences can be made if it continues. First, that it will have an atomizing effect on US politics and society, as conservative White and minority ethno-religious communities grow increasingly alienated and see their collective fortunes in zero-sum terms. Rolling back 50 years of improving race relations is a recipe for instability and conflict which cannot be solved over the long term by Whites stockpiling arms and joining civilian militias in a country that is dependent on migrant labour and which will have a majority non-White demographic in 25 years regardless of illegal immigration controls. Secondly, the return to primordialism will confirm in the minds of foreign adversaries that the US is, in fact, a Christian White supremacist imperialist state that seeks to impose its values on non-Whites and non-Christians at home and abroad. That means that international conflict, in its "clash of civilisations' mode, will continue unabated until such a time as the US abandons the politics of primordialism. Nothing indicates that will happen soon.
Then there is the final implication: united they will stand, or divided they will fall.
On the road again, this time to the Great Satan.
Posted on 15:49, August 9th, 2010 by Pablo
It has been a busy year for travel. I was in OZ in January (pleasure), NZ in Feb-March (business and pleasure), Greece in April-May (business and pleasure), OZ again in June (pleasure) and am now headed to the US for five weeks (business and pleasure). My daughter is getting married (to a Republican!) and I have work to do on the Florida house, plus will vote in the state Democratic primary (where everything from dogcatcher to Senator is in play) and scout out opportunities for the political risk/market intelligence/strategic analysis consulting firm I have just re-started (I used to do this sort of consulting before moving to NZ, then switched into a media expert commentary focus, but now need to get back into the bigger game because I have been locked out of NZ and OZ academia as a result of well-known events). I am going to try and base the consultancy in SG and NZ with a Australasian-Latin American focus given my past experience and networks in the latter region. If things go to plan it will be the first dedicated political risk/market intelligence and strategic analysis consultancy based in and focused on NZ's relations with the Pacific Rim. However, the US offers more opportunity for a range of work along the lines in which I have some expertise, so I am going to use the trip to visit with old colleagues and work on any networking opportunities that may arise.
Depending on how things go I will likely do some more traveling before the end of the year. My partner would prefer that I not take assignments in Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iraq, which I find understandable. So I suggested to her that I will instead focus on Yemen and Somalia as possible work sites. You can imagine her reaction. All joking aside, there are plenty of places in which my background and experience could be of help to potential clients (both public and private), so I will try to use the US trip as a springboard to work that will allow me to return to NZ and at worst divide my time between there and SG (my partner still has the full time university job in SG and there is no point in her giving it up until such a time as there are academic openings for her back in NZ or OZ).
Put another way: I may no longer be able to work in academia, but that does not mean that a lifetime accumulation of research and analytic skills need go to waste. Plus, I am not good at being idle or a "kept" man. Hence I need to find intellectually stimulating work that will allow me to contribute to society, with my personal ethics and values being the guide as to what sort of work I accept or reject. The US trip is the first step towards doing so.
All of which is to say that I may be a bit quiet for the next week or so. I will try to post about events in the US as I see them in the build up to the mid-term elections in November. Things have gotten very strained in terms of political debate in that country but it is hard to judge what really is the public mood without living there. The wedding and related visits with friends and family should provide a good cross-section and sounding board on how people feel about Obama, the economy, foreign affairs in general and the wars in particular, and contemporary social issues often overlooked in the foreign press or export news industry. With any luck that will provide material for posts. Otherwise I shall work on my open water swimming, which has been neglected since I moved to SG because, to put it mildly, the locals waters are not exactly the cleanest on earth. Since the Florida place is 50 meters from the beach and the water there has not been affected by the Gulf oil spill (it is on the Atlantic side), it will be a nice opportunity to regain some of my surf swimming skills with a view towards using them in NZ once I finally make it back there.
Posted in travel, USA | 9 Comments | Read More »
Shameless Self-Promotion Alert.
Posted on 13:09, August 4th, 2010 by Pablo
For those who may be interested, I am interviewed on the TVNZ news analysis show fronted by Russell Brown, Media 7, tonight on the subject of wikileaks. Although only parts of the interview will be aired, Russell will put the entire conversation up on the Media 7 web site (or perhaps on Public Address). The discussants on tonight's taping are Selwyn Manning from the independent news aggregator Scoop and investigative reporter Jon Stephenson (who is the most knowledgeable Kiwi journalist when it comes to Afghanistan). There is some serious brain power between them. Both are hard news gathers who eschew the official spin, both are very critical thinkers about issues of public policy, both have taken on both the government and mainstream media versions of important news, and both know how to string a few paragraphs together (which is more than can be said for many in the so-called journalism fraternity). In other words, the offer great value in terms of insight and analysis, which is what I believe was Russell's hope when conceiving the show. Hence, I commend it to you if you are not already familiar with it.
Posted in Democracy, Intelligence and Security, International relations, journalism, Media, NZ Security, USA, War | 2 Comments | Read More »
Of Leaks and Conspiracies.
Posted on 13:50, July 27th, 2010 by Pablo
Wikileaks has scored another major coup with its publication of more than 90,000 official and previously classified documents on the Afghan conflict. I am of two minds on its doing so. On the one hand I see it as a valuable instrument of accountability, both as instrument for holding the people directly responsible to account as well as a future deterrent to others who might engage in unlawful acts or cover-ups during wartime. On the other hand, publication of the document clearly jeopardises the national security of the US as well as the ISAF mission, and does so on several levels. The bottom line is that it gives the Taleban, al-Qaeda, Pakistani intelligence (the ISI) and other rogue states very valuable insight into US military operations and intelligence gathering efforts. Depending on where one stands in the ideological divide, that can be very good or very bad news. I believe that in this regard it is bad news.
In publishing this classified information Wikileaks has made itself an enemy of the state in the US. In the measure that it uncovers other state secrets, it could well become an international pariah, at least among the Western states that is its main focus. This is ironic. Although Wikileaks has complained about harassment from US security agencies, it has not (yet) suffered direct retribution for its actions. But imagine if it published extremely sensitive classified military documents from Russia, China, Iran, North Korea or even Israel. We can safely assume, given these country's past records on breaches of and threats to national security, that the Wikileaks community would have very good reason to fear for their lives. In fact, there may be two reasons why Wikileaks does not publish on these states: 1) the amount of secrecy in them is far superior to that of the US and other Western countries; 2) Wikileaks is afraid to do so for fear of mortal retaliation. Put another way, Wikileaks targets the US not only because of its concern about US military misdeeds, because it knows that it can get away with it due to the more benign nature of democratic regimes (to include the US) when it comes to confronting non-violent security threats.
That raises an item of note. Wikileaks is successful because it has people within the US and other Western security agencies leaking classified information to it. This is, of course, a crime, since public dissemination of classified information without official authorisation is outlawed in all states. For example, I am bound by an oath I signed in the 1990s to not divulge, release or comment directly on the classified issues that I worked on during my stint in the Pentagon, and after 25 years have passed must request permission from the agencies I worked with before attempting to do so. The penalities for breaching this contract are long federal prison terms. Similar laws bind people working in security agencies throughout the world. Thus any leak of classified material is by definition a crime against the state.
Yet in Western democracies people of conscience or feeling remorse regularly turn to the media as well as public watchdogs and government accountability agencies to reveal classified information that provides evidence of official wrong-doing. In fact, many consider it to be a public duty for them to do so. In addition, the size of security agencies often makes hermetic secrecy impossible. The US has 1.5 million people with top secret clearances. From my experience in the Pentagon and elsewhere, individuals often take home, either deliberately or (more often) inadvertently, classified work papers that are part of their normal desk load and which do not have the strict records controls of documents classified as Secret Compartmentalised Information (SCI) or higher. Between the two types of mishandling–deliberate leaks and misadvertent transfer–the US security apparatus is a huge porous sieve. The fact that a single US Army private provided the documentation (and video) on the Iraq helicopter assault on journalists and the Afghan war dossier proves just how far down the chain of command sensitive information flows. Imagine if it were a colonel or general who decided to pass along his secure file cabinet worth of documents! In fact, I am surprised that it was someone so far down the totem pole who managed to get so much information out of the system and into Wikileaks' hands.
Which brings up the issue of purported US government conspiracies, those about 9/11 in particular. Unfortunately, due to some writing and public commentary I have made on 9/11, I have had to deal with conspiracy theorists who believe that it was an inside job, Zionist conspiracy, controlled demolition, rockets rather than planes involved, even holograms rather than the real thing. Some of these otherwise apparently sane people truly believe that the US government conspirators orchestrated the whole thing so as to launch the war on terrorism in a quest for complete global domination. Some even see a link between the JFK assassination, the fake moon walk and 9/11.
Well, I have two things to say to these folk. First, if the "9/11 as part of a drive towards global domination" scenario is true that those plans sure as heck are not working out too well. Second, in a context is which no secrets are safe, in which leaking has become an art form, is it really possible that the US government has been able to enforce one hundred percent secrecy at all levels of operation on the planning, execution and cover-up of the supposed inside job? Is it rational to think that not a single person involved in this monumental plot, which would have involved a cast of thousands, would not have come forward by this point with direct evidence of a conspiracy? Would Wikileaks not have received something along those lines by now?
Posted in Democracy, Intelligence and Security, USA, War | 12 Comments | Read More »
Conservative dementia in the US
Posted on 20:08, July 6th, 2010 by Pablo
One has to hand it to the US conservative movement. They have no shame, or at least plenty of chutzpah.
They love to bark about the evils of Democrats while having no regard for the consistency of their own positions. Take the issue of corporate responsibility. Conservatives railed against the bail-outs of the Wall Street banks and Detroit automakers, arguing against the "they are to big to let fail" logic of the W. Bush and Obama administrations when these came to the financial rescue of the beleaguered giants. "Let 'em fail" they screeched, since "the market will sort 'em out." Yet, when Toyota lied about the causes of sudden uncontrolled acceleration in its cars and delayed recalls while "investigating" the incidents (which resulted in over a dozen deaths and more than a hundred injuries), these same groups demanded that the US government step in to investigate and charge those responsible for everything from criminal negligence to consumer fraud. Likewise, the US right wing is now raving that the US federal government has done too little too late to respond to the BP oil spill even though–surprise surprise–the US federal government does not have the deep water capping technology available to the private oil industry, had previously deregulated that industry at its request in order to stimulate production (and profits) and was initially relying on that industry to give honest estimates of the disaster and rectify the situation based upon its own expertise and record in controlling spills of that nature. Some conservatives even demanded that the US accept offers of foreign assistance in controlling the spill, and scolded the Obama administration when it declined to do so. Fancy that, conservatives calling for foreign aid at a time of domestic crisis. Thus, when it comes to issues of corporate responsibility, US conservatives cannot make up their minds about the why, how and when of government intervention.
As far as taxation is concerned, the likes of the Tea party movement are opposed to current federal taxation rates and demand cuts across the board without considering that it is taxes that pay, as just one example, for the US military's trillion dollar budgets and prosecution of a seemingly endless procession of wars abroad in defense of the "freedom" they so much rhetorically cherish. They appear ignorant of the fact that without taxation the US would not be able to maintain its preeminent global position, and that the current federal budget deficits originated in the W. Bush administration's deficit spending to fuel the wars while lowering the taxation rates for corporations and high income individuals. In fact, in this regard W. Bush was emulating the champion of all American conservatives, Ronald Reagan, who massively increased defense spending and the overall size of the federal budget while lowering taxes for the upper third of the population. How is this "fiscally responsible?"
Finally, although all conservatives are self-styled "patriots" who literally wear their flags on their sleeves, bumpers and lapels, some are of the "America first" persuasion whereas others are of the "US superpower" kind. The former prefer that the US concentrate on its own affairs and limit its foreign entanglements, while the latter wants to see the US as the major player on the world stage. One view is isolationist; the other is imperialist. The two views are irreconcilable.
In effect, American conservatives are not the limited government champions they claim to be, nor are they consistent in their linkage of national necessities with taxation. They are divided on their views of the US role in the world. Instead they are a collection of blustering fools, economic retrogrades and illiterates, corporate toadies, religious zealots, assorted bigots, xenophobes and militarists mixed in with a minority of true libertarians and honest believers in the primacy of individual over collective rights and responsibilities. That means that even if they make major gains in the November 2010 elections, the centrifugal forces within the US conservative movement, as well as the lack of a coherent core rationale underpinning it, will prove deleterious to their chances for successful overhaul of the US political system. In fact, such a victory could well make the crisis of US politics even worse.
Posted in comparative politics, Democracy, Politics, USA | 12 Comments | Read More »
Blog Link: Two Sides of the Afghan COIN.
Posted on 12:00, June 29th, 2010 by Pablo
In the most recent "Word from Afar" column at Scoop I examine the broader context in which General Stanley McChrystal was forced to resign from his position as commander of US and ISAF forces in Afghanistan. Beyond the issue of his insubordination and civilian control of the military in a democracy, the incident has brought to the surface the tensions between two competing views on how the US should prosecute counter-insurgency. One involves hearts and minds and nation-building, the other involves what I describe as a "drones and bones" approach that focuses on discrete operations against high value targets using high technology weapons and special forces. Although both are in place at the moment, there is competition between the two views with regard as to which ultimately will prove more successful at countering Islamicist threats to the West. Whether or not the ISAF mission succeeds may well depend on which perspective gains greater traction in coalition circles during the next twelve months (since the timetable for the gradual withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan begins in June-July 2011).
Posted in Intelligence and Security, International relations, USA, War | 6 Comments | Read More »
When irony leads to hypocrisy.
Posted on 22:39, June 3rd, 2010 by Pablo
The uncontrolled oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has turned into what looks to be the US's worst environmental disaster. 40 days into the spill the well is still spewing 19,000 barrels (79,000 gallons) of oil per day into the deep waters 50 miles off of southern Louisiana. If ever there was an environmental event that could be called "catastrophic," this is it. Estimates are that the oil slick (which is far more extensive in the middle layers of the Gulf than at the surface) will reach the Florida panhandle within days, the western Florida coast within weeks, and if the prevalent currents take hold it, the Florida Keys, Florida Straits, Cuba and South Florida Atlantic Coast by mid July. Estimates of when the spill will be contained range from August to December. If it is the latter, the slick could well be in New England given the flow rate of the Gulf Current. If a hurricane hits (the Atlantic/Caribbean hurricane season started on June 1), then all bets are off. Whatever happens, the economic costs of the disaster are already mind-boggling and wide-spread, which at a time when the US was just starting to emerge from a deep recession is a catastrophe all of its own.
By now everyone who follows the news knows that British Petroleum is the lessee of drilling rights in that part of the Gulf and owner of the drilling platform that exploded and collapsed with the loss of 11 lives that led to the leak. BP's inability to staunch the flow after nearly a dozen unsuccessful attempts has been matched by the the wait and see response of the US government, which initially relied on BP assurances that the leak was not as big as is now known and that a capping solution was possible within a few weeks. Now that oil has fouled the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coast lines on its way to Florida, public anger against BP and the Obama has started to boil over. A few days ago the US public was treated to the spectacle of James Carville, the well-known Clinton political advisor, ranting on national television against the Obama administration for its slow response (Carville is a Louisiana native). His rant was remarkable only because he is a loyal Democrat, since a host of Tea Party spokespeople, Republican Party figures and the baying hounds at Fox News and talk back radio have all lambasted the president for his lackadaisical approach to the crisis. A recent opinion poll shows that a quarter of those polled blame BP for the accident, a quarter blame Obama, and the rest blame both.
That is pretty rich. During the W. Bush administration regulations on off-shore drilling were relaxed and wilderness areas opened to oil exploration. Common emergency cutoff safeguards were abandoned as the GOP-controlled Congress approved policies of oil industry self-regulation. Dick Cheney chaired the White House energy task force, which was staffed by oil industry heavyweights including the infamous Ken Lay of Enron fame. Their recommendations, many of which passed into law, were that "less is more is less" when it comes to oil: the less US regulation the more domestic production. The more domestic production the less dependence of foreign oil. The entire federal regulatory and oversight apparatus charged with oil industry supervision adopted this mantra, which was spearheaded by Bush appointees whose idea of environmental protection was to make industrial polluters plant trees in the neighborhoods in which they operated or designate areas under their control as wildlife refuges.
The Obama administration had nothing to do with this. Its main fault lies in that, in an effort to appear centrist and "pro-business" it has allowed BP to lead the repair operation even though BP initially lied about the extent of the leak or about the fact that there had been multiple warnings from its own engineers that the well was showing signs of blowing in the weeks before the explosion. The timing of the disaster was both unfortunate and fortuitous, as, following the "less is more is less" line of thought, the Obama administration just approved new off-shore drilling rights off the lower US East Coast, a decision it may now have to review in view of the fact that, unlike the Gulf of Mexico coastline, the US Eastern Seaboard holds a majority of the population and important commercial and military ports as well as providing the jump-off point for Trans-Atlantic sea traffic. An uncontrolled oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a disaster; a similiar uncontrolled oil spill off the northern coast of Florida or the coasts of Georgia, North and South Carolina would be apocalyptic.
The situation has gotten so desperate that experts are now debating the merits of the so-called "nuclear option:" a plan to detonate a nuclear explosive 15000-18000 feet under the surface so as to melt the surrounding rock into a glass-like "plug" (the wellhead itself is just a mile (3,800 feet or 1600 meters) down). This is also called the "Russian option" because Russia has reportedly used this technique to cap runaway natural gas wells (the Russians have not said anything in public to confirm or deny these stories). Trouble is, no one knows if the nuclear option will work, or what its collateral effects will be. As one Canadian blogger reportedly wrote: "What s worse than an uncontrolled deep water oil spill? A radioactive deep water oil spill."
So the situation is grave. But in the their effort to place the blame on Obama, the Republican Party and its tea bagger/media loudmouth cohort have shown that they are craven hypocrites with no sense of fair play. In their attempts to divert attention from oil industry greed and failures onto the Obama administration, they reveal themselves as complete weasels. Take, for example, Sarah Pains claim that Obama was moving slow on the crisis because he had taken money from BP. Well, the "took the money" part is true. The Obama/Biden campaign received US 70,000 dollars from BP, which also gave US$38,000 to the McCain/Palin campaign. But the oil industry as a whole gave the McCain/Palin campaign US$ 1.3 million and the Obama/Biden campaign US$900,000. It is axiomatic in US politics that lobbying groups paper the wallets of both sides of the political spectrum, with big business and Wall Street favouring the GOP and unions, high tech and other public interest groups favouring the Democrats. Thus the claims that Obama is in BP's pocket are refuted by a simple perusal of the public record (to be fair, Palin may not have the attention span or time to peruse the public record given that she reads "all" of the newspapers and is busy with her Fox TV Show and book tours).
Obama's detractors are also stupid. After years of clamouring for "less government," this motley crew of "conservative" champions of free enterprise now whine about a lack of government response to a disaster created by the very private industry that they helped free from government regulations in the first place. The Obama administration may have been slow off the mark in its response to the crisis, but that is precisely because it relied on private industry–in this case BP–to be upfront and honest about he scope of the disaster. Now that it is clear that BP was dishonest, and that this dishonesty is endemic in the oil industry when it comes to environmental safeguards, the government turns out to be the default option after all, but this time in a reactive rather than a proactive role such as what existed before Bush 43 laid waste to the federal regulations governing off-shore drilling.
Obama may rue the fact that his first two years have been consumed by problems that were not on his agenda when he came into the office. But for those salivating at the prospect of a GOP sweep in the 2010 midterm elections, the oil spill may prove to be even more problematic because no matter how they may try to spin it, it was the Republicans who set the stage for the disaster to happen. Whatever flaws his administration has, Obama gave private industry a chance to fix the problem, and it is only after BP's repeated failures that it is now considering direct intervention in the capping efforts. So much for him being a commie, and if the Democrats have any sense of irony, then so much for a Republican landslide in November.
Posted in Economics, Environment, USA | 10 Comments | Read More »
Thoughts about Key's Afghan PR Exercise.
Posted on 01:38, May 6th, 2010 by Pablo
I have seen and read the reports of John Key's much anticipated "secret" trip to Afghanistan. I must say that it is one of the more amateurish, cringe worthy attempts at symbolic politics I have seen in a long time–not quite as bad as George W. Bush's "Mission Accomplished" carrier charade, but of the same ilk. Let me explain why.
First, the good part. I think it was entirely sensible for the National spin-meisters and military brass to tie the Afghan detour to the Gallipoli celebration trip. The unfortunate RNZAF chopper accident on ANZAC day forced a change of plans so that the PM could attend the funerals of the ill-fated crew, but that only added to his message of military support and remembrance. As for the greedy economic opportunists who have criticised him for abandoning the arse kissing trade mission to the Arab Gulf Coast, they need to realise that given the circumstances in which the tragedy occurred, Mr. Key had no political option but to return for the funerals. How would it have looked if he choose to continue to brown nose the Arabs while some of the nation's service people were laid to rest? The likes of one Mr. Langely may put personal self-interest before recognition of service, but most Kiwis understand that not only was it politically necessary for Mr. Key to return, it was the right thing to do.
But that is about as good as it gets. Contrary to the fawning editorial opinion of the NZ Herald, Key's tiki tour of Afghanistan showed how out of his league he is on international security affairs.
He started out by mentioning that he was flown by helicopter from his arrival point (presumably Bagram Air Force Base, the site of a notorious US "black" detention centre) to the SAS location. In doing so he managed to convey the message that the most heavily defended areas of Kabul are still too dangerous for Western VIPs to drive through, and that the SAS is not located in Kabul as he claims but is actually based elsewhere. He then pointed out that he used heavily armed motorcades to travel in Bayiman and elsewhere because he and his entourage were "juicy fish" for insurgent targeters.
Well, not quite. In a country that is awash in visits by heavy-hitters from a number of countries, Mr. Key is more like an anchovy. Moreover, heavily weighted Western motorcades involving a half dozen armoured SUVs and armed escort vehicles are not immune to roadside bombs (and I bet he traveled in the third or fourth vehicle). In fact, given that they have to travel on main arteries and disrupt local traffic and pedestrian flows as they do so, convoys such as Mr. Key's actually make for better targets for opportunistic guerrillas deeply embedded in a resentful local population (especially where well-prepared guerillas can deploy efffective IEDs on five minutes notice). If leaving a light footprint is what hearts and minds are partially about, then his mode of land transport was a tactical failure.
Mr. Key prattled on about how he wanted to experience the conditions in which the NZDF operate in that theater. But he choose to spend his evenings at the British embassy. That is a double insult: first to the UN and ISAF patrons of the NZDF mission, which have their own housing compounds or use heavily guarded hotels for visiting VIPs; and secondly to the NZDF itself. Mr. Key could have stayed in officer quarters in any number of bases including at the PRT in Bayiman or the SAS operations centre (which is likely to be on the Afghan military base where its anti-terrorism Crisis Response Unit is headquartered). But instead he choose to take the poncy route and accept accommodation from the colonial master. How quaint of him, and how much it tells us about his sincerity in wanting to understand the conditions that NZ troops face.
Mr. Key managed to offend the Bayiman locals by trying to shake hands with a girl, a cultural taboo in that region. So much for MFAT and NZDF giving him a head's up about local customs, to say nothing of his lack on intuition about the context in which he was operating. For him, ignorance on that occasion turned out not to be bliss. For the NZDF PRT team, this could have been ther moment where 6+ years of good civil-military relations became unstuck. The question begs: would Helen Clark have been so, uh, uninformed? >>Note to Red Alert and The Standard–while I appreciate your views you must not use this post to score political points because to my mind you are little better when it comes to partisan issues such as this>>
In defending their role, Mr. Key said that the SAS had not fired their weapons. This is laughable to the point of tears. The very nature of their "training" mission, as well as the fact that they have participated in at least two well publicised firefights (even if we accept the argument that they did so in "support" roles, which is ludicrous), requires that the SAS employ their weapons, even if merely as covering or suppressing fire for their Afghan comrades.
And yet, the supplicant NZ press uncritically lapped up his patent lie while he hid under the doctrine of plausible deniability (that is, because Mr. Key may have believed the lie to be true because his advisers or the NZDF command told him to take their word at face value and he had no reason to doubt them because he simply does not know better). Here, Mr. Key's ignorance truly is a measure of political insulation, if not bliss.
Mr. Key told this same press that he was "considering" extending the deployments of the Bayiman PRT and SAS past their respective termination dates in September 2010 and March 2011 respectively. This was a forgone conclusion given that the NZDF wanted to do so and given the government's obsession with tying a bilateral US-NZ free trade agreement to its military commitment in Afghanistan as well as the recent military-to-military reapprochment between the two countries. Heck, the foreign press was told before the trip that the extension had already been authorised but Mr. Key played cagey with the NZ press. Could that be because he wants to appear to be considerate of opposition voices in parliament when in fact he is not?
Mr. Key did his usual name-dropping act. He met with Karzai and General McCrystal. He met with local leaders. Although he waxed lyrical about what they had to say, he made no mention of what he had to say to them. Did he tell Karzai that his corruption and the drug-running antics of his cronies would not be tolerated? Did he press Karzai on not back-sliding on human rights, especially for wimin and ethnic minorities? Did he query McCrystal on continued civilian casualties at the hands of ISAF forces, and did he make clear to the General what the NZDF understanding of the rules of engagement are? Nothing of the sort has been mentioned, so for all the NZ public knows he could have been exchanging cricket scores and family photographs with the Big Boys.
And then there was the piece d'resistance: John Key fitted out in a journalist flak jacket and helmet, his blood type outlined like a bulls-eye on his chest, grinning like a kid in a GI Joe costume. Then there were the photos of him acting friendly with the pilots on the RNZAF C-130 and acting pensive on the US Blackhawk 'copter that did the bulk of his tour transfers. Dang. I have no doubt that he needed the body armour when he was not sipping tea with the Poms, but did his minders really think that a photo op in that outfit would come across as warrior-like and decisive? If so, they are clueless because he just looked goofy, somewhat akin to the infamous photo of Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis sitting in a tank turret wearing a helmet in the 1988 US presidential campaign. In both cases the image spells out L-O-O-O-O-O-S-E-R. As for the aircraft photos: staged and contrived from the get-go. He looked like he was on one of those Air NZ tourist charters to the Antartic summer solstice. Another photo op FAIL.
Mind you, the NZDF brass as well as the troops on the ground would have appreciated the gesture, albeit for different reasons. So there was symbolic worth in the venture. It was in its execution where the enterprise failed.
Because they are clueless National PR flacks will congratulate themselves on a job well done in getting their message about the PM out to the masses, and the supplicant invited press will play the role of willful lapdogs by writing positive stories based on National PR releases (in part, because they share the government's contempt for the intelligence of the general population, and in part because they would like to be invited along on other future junkets of this sort). But the cruel truth is that the exercise showed yet again how far out his depth the PM is when confronting the intricacies of even the most rudimentary aspects of foreign affairs. For those with a better sense of judgement, the exercise was embarrassing, not encouraging. Or as Pauly Fuemana would have said, "how bizzare."
Life mimicking art: ask and tell
Posted on 12:21, February 3rd, 2010 by Lew
Following President Obama's undertaking in the State of the Union address, Admiral Michael Mullen (Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff) and Robert Gates (US Secretary of Defense) have recommended an end to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy preventing homosexuals from openly serving in the US military, in testimony to the Senate Armed Forces Committee. While the arguments are not quite the same, the general position and line of rhetoric ("the troops will get over it") was memorably presented a decade ago in The West Wing:
Update: Thanks to Hugh and Pablo (in comments) for correcting me on whose "call" it is.
Posted in An inclusive society, Social change, USA | 10 Comments | Read More »


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A joint (or blunt) that starts skinny at the mouthpiece, and gets fatter towards the end where you spark it.
Guy 1: "Yo u wanna go twist up a cannon?"
Guy 2: "WORD!"
Guy 2: "WORD!"
додав SMELLZlikeKUSH 28 Грудень 2010
v. to deny, shutdown, or reject
n. a statement made rejecting a particular person
n. a statement made rejecting a particular person
Dude, I just got cannoned by that girl! She wouldn't give me her number.
додав Gangster A 24 Липень 2008
The person doesn't mean it
The person doesn't mean it
Josh says,"i love you.", he don't mean it. So he says, "Cannon!"
додав mizzsweethoney1 2 Травень 2008
N. a huge uncircumsized cock.
D.J. has a Cannon!
See D.j. matha freakin guiles
See D.j. matha freakin guiles
додав Ghost faced killah 29 Січень 2008

subset: commoncrawl


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Preview: Office for Android tablets is like Office for iPad, but on Android
Microsoft really seems committed to this "Office everywhere" thing.
Microsoft really seems committed to this "Office everywhere" thing.
Either way, AT&T says net neutrality will limit fiber and DSL upgrades.
"Guardians of Peace" offer a gigabyte-long list of filenames to share.
AT&T didn't make it clear that "fastest for the price" gets you only 3Mbps.
Air conditioning runs up the electric bill. Want some for free?
The filaments that structure the Universe may have lined up its galaxies, too.
Baltimore man was located, searched earlier this year after use of a stingray.
Pushing evolution to get cells to make more of specific chemicals.
Problems revealed by the fast track were fixed before the rollout to the slow track.
AT&T facing complaints about what it charges competitors for roaming.
Access through "partners" such as Cable & Wireless pulls in gigabits globally.
Pollen samples from old museum specimens indicate bees' favorite meals are gone.
Chunky, Verizon-exclusive phone improves the camera, battery, and more.
EFF: Patent reads like "you ate a dictionary of buzzwords, drank a bottle of tequila."
North Carolina judge: Trap and trace orders, even with stingrays, are just fine.
Ars talks to Yahoo about making photos easier to find, share, and communicate with.
T-Mobile reduces speeds to 128Kbps or 64Kbps—except when you run a speed test.
Does erosion allow mountains to rise, or do rising mountains enhance erosion?
Well, a really intense magnetic field, at least.
Compared to humans, other primates are anarchists.
Big music labels may ultimately be defendants in a case over robo-calls.
Hydrogen is hip, but other alternative-fuel vehicles were represented too.
"Backdoor Regin" bears a resemblance to Stuxnet, was developed by a wealthy nation.
Its batteries all the way down, until you get to the nanotubes.
For real-time communication, polling works.
Supap Kirtsaeng is a rebel without a pause as the copyright fight isn't over yet.
Starting right now you can save a benjamin on Apple's newest tablet.
Many hobbyist drones found flying over 2,000 ft.
Ties into game store's recent "discovery" overhaul by presenting customized sales.
Sen. Patrick Leahy says 30 named locker sites have "no legitimate purpose."
Carly Fiorina to seek GOP spot as "non-politician offering a unique perspective."
European parliament considering a nonbinding resolution to unbundle search engines.
Phones that are doing well usually don't get 70% price cuts.
18 pages included home addresses and tax credit information of prominent Canadians.
Selfie-obsessed app could join Twitter—unless a CFO's mistaken tweet killed the deal.
Unsurprisingly, reddit comes through and reposts the parody in spades.
Top deal this week is a pair of 22" 1080p Dell monitors for cheap, cheap, cheap!
Apple currently uses Google as its default, but that deal may not be renewed.
Settlement with FTC results in $25 refund or $50 voucher for early adopters.
"Home Depot…not encrypting the data at all, or using lax encryption standards."
But Verizon's past actions make its claim potentially difficult to believe.
Nearly 500,000 copies sold in just three days, outpacing Mario Kart 8.
New survey finds nearly all Germans have heard of famous whistleblower.
Want to avoid accidental video views? Don't expect easy opt-outs or warning tags.
Craigslist CEO: domain registrar was compromised, sending traffic to "various sites."
T-Mobile's "Music Freedom" now covers 27 streaming services.
22 Torx screws hold the two halves of the phone together.
YouTubers may get infringement strikes for showing glitches and cheating methods.
Drones must fly during daylight hours and remain within the operator's sight.
Sold 12 million S5s in the time it took to sell 16 million Galaxy S4s.
Bug allows script attack that could be used to hijack sites or attack visitors.
UK: "Illegal use of Remote Access Trojans is a significant cyber crime threat."
Unusual settlement structure hinges on Apple's appeal of government's case.
Exploit uses QR code level-editor data to load homebrew from SD card.
"Ride location data is restricted to an even smaller subset of people."
"Unbundling" of search from other services considered in nonbinding resolution.
Tom Wheeler hasn't talked to Obama since president called for utility rules.
Files in federal court to have banks' data breach suit thrown out.
Review: It's not your teenager's smartphone, which is kind of the point.
Untangling a Baltimore girl's abduction and rape.
A huge, fun game with a bunch of replay value is just what the console needs.
Smartphones, tablets, video games, and so much more round out our holiday picks.


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Stylesight's Graphics team was in Las Vegas last week for Magic Market Week.
Among all the shows at Magic Market Week, Pool & Capsule remains the most exciting in terms of directional graphics. Each season ushers in new ideas as trends of seasons past linger. Here are a few key graphic directions that grabbed our attention:
Altered-Luxe re-emerged as a key direction for
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Sixth Circuit Contract Cases
Cases filed
Cases 1 - 10 of 29,322
Overholt et al v. Purina Animal Nutrition LLC et al
as 1:2014cv01216
Cause Of Action: Petition for Removal- Breach of Contract
Enomoto v. United States Postal Service
as 2:2014cv14502
Naething v. American General Life and Accident Insurance Company
as 3:2014cv02292
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Insurance Contract
American Book Co. v. Big Lots Stores, Inc.
as 3:2014cv00554
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Breach of Contract
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP v. Gray et al
as 1:2014cv00900
Defendant: Sean K Gray , Ronda M Stark , Robert M Zimmerman and others
Plaintiff: Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Thirdparty_plaintiff: Sean K Gray , Ronda M Stark
Thirdparty_defendant: Robert M Zimmerman, Mark A Vander Laan, Thomas J Bonasera
Counter_claimant: Sean K Gray , Ronda M Stark
Counter_defendant: Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Breach of Contract
Ball v. Flynn et al
as 2:2014cv14482
Plaintiff: Jeffrey Ball
Defendant: John Francis Flynn, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
Cause Of Action: Fed. Question: Insurance Contract
BR North 223, LLC v. Glieberman et al
as 2:2014cv14488
Plaintiff: BR North 223, LLC
Defendant: Bernard Glieberman, Sandra Glieberman, Lonie Glieberman and others
Cause Of Action: Diversity-Fraud
Musselman v. CIGNA Group Insurance et al
as 1:2014cv01208
Defendant: CIGNA Group Insurance, Michigan Education Special Services Association
Plaintiff: Wendy Musselman
Cause Of Action: E.R.I.S.A.
Blair v. Preferred Popcorn, LLC et al
as 3:2014cv00812
Cause Of Action: Petition for Removal- Non-Motor Vehicle
Stephenson v. Murray et al
as 2:2014cv02350
Plaintiff: William Stephenson
Defendant: Jacqueline P. Murray, Morris Stephenson, Maurice Stephenson
Cause Of Action: Breach of Contract
Type: Contract Other Contract


text:
We use Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 which we got as part of the Adobe Master Collection.
Lower school also use WMM, which version are you using out of curiosity? What OS do you have?
You'll find version 2.6 on Windows 7 wont be happy. I have used version 6.0 as when we moved from XP to 7 pupils had work which wouldn't open in WMM live so i've had to install 6.0 for them to open previous work.


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A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar
Published by Small Beer Press (2013), eBook, 299pg
Filed under: Fantasy, Fiction
Got my copy from: Bought
Buy your own copy at Amazon or add it to your Goodreads shelf.
Jevick, the pepper merchant's son, has been raised on stories of Olondria, a distant land where books are as common as they are rare in his home. When his father dies and Jevick takes his place on the yearly selling trip to Olondria, Jevick's life is as close to perfect as he can imagine. But just as he revels in Olondria's Rabelaisian Feast of Birds, he is pulled drastically off course and becomes haunted by the ghost of an illiterate young girl.
In desperation, Jevick seeks the aid of Olondrian priests and quickly becomes a pawn in the struggle between the empire's two most powerful cults. Yet even as the country shimmers on the cusp of war, he must face his ghost and learn her story before he has any chance of becoming free by setting her free: an ordeal that challenges his understanding of art and life, home and exile, and the limits of that seductive necromancy, reading.
How did I decide to buy this book? I must have seen a review of it somewhere and added it to my wishlist.1 It's exactly along the lines of what I like best in a fantasy book: non-European style countries, travel, adventure, and intrigue, with spooky magical things. The only thing that would've made it better is if there'd been dragons somewhere and if the protagonist were a woman. And then…


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Startup News – sorted by country
Recent JobsRuby Developer at Loyalty Lion - London, United Kingdom
Lead Developer - Javascript at FlyVictor - London, United Kingdom
Senior Software Developer at LiquidM Technology GmbH - Berlin, Germany
Part-time writer for EU-Startups.com at Menlo Media - Munich, Germany
Recent Comments
- This Week in Germany: Funding, IPOs, Startup & Accelerator News. And One More Thing. on Hamburg-based cruise portal DREAMLINES secures €20M for its global expansion
- Rowan Gonzalez on StartupYard Triples Seed Investments to €30,000 and Commits €250,000 For Best Startups
- Text Analytics Provider Brand a Trend Secures $... on Text Analytics provider Brand a Trend secures $4.5 million
- Revue de presse: La Belle Assiette garde la confiance des investisseurs et lève 1,3M d'euros | La Belle Assiette - Le Blog on Private Chef marketplace La Belle Assiette raises €1.3M
Tag Archives: Dawanda
DaWanda continues its international expansion
DaWanda, Europe's biggest online marketplace for unique and handmade items, has just launched in Spain. DaWanda will also officially launch in Poland and Italy within the next two weeks. In doing so, the Berlin-based company will have expanded into five new … Continue reading
Posted in Germany-Startups, Re-/Launch Tagged Berlin, Dawanda, handmade items, marketplace 1 Comment
Worth reading: ThirdPresence, DaWanda, Spotify, Houra.fr
There are so many interesting stories out there and unfortunately we don't have the time to cover all of them. With our section "Worth reading" we provide you (once in a while) with some links to interesting articles of other … Continue reading
Posted in Finland-Startups, France-Startups, Germany-Startups, Sweden Startups Tagged Dawanda, Houra.fr, Spotify, ThirdPresence Comments Off
DaWanda receives 4 million Euros of expansion financing
DaWanda, Europe's biggest online marketplace for unique and handmade items, raised 4 million Euros of capital in their latest round of financing. The Berlin based company is using this financial boost to develop and strengthen their international presence. Those providing … Continue reading
Posted in Germany-Startups Tagged Berlin, Dawanda, financing round, handmade items, marketplace, Piton Capital, Vorwerk Ventures Comments Off
Kima Ventures and Piton Capital are investing in DaWanda
The shareholders' list of DaWanda has changed a little bit these days. The business angel Oliver Jung has just sold its shares to the Berlin based Team Europe Ventures. Kima Ventures and Piton Capital are now also invested in DaWanda because Team Europe Ventures holds shares in trust for … Continue reading
Posted in Funding, Germany-Startups Tagged Berlin, Dawanda, Kima Ventures, Piton Capital, Shareholder, Team Europe Ventures 1 Comment


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Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format used to represent documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems
This flowy vest is the perfect alternative to a blazer in the summertime. It has a small shawl collar and pleats in the shoulder to give the fabric extra movement. You could even add sleeves to make it into a jacket.
This pattern is from the Casual Elegance collection
Fabrics with some body.
width: 145 cm (57 ins)
length: 1.85 1.90 1.95 m (2 1/8 2 1/8 2 1/4 yds).
This pattern doesn't include seam allowance
Produced by burda style magazine
Produced by burda style magazine
Produced by burda style magazine
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Andrew Gladman explores the current and historic hypotheses relating to nitric oxide problems in ME/CFS. Part 1 of a 2-part series puts nitric oxide under the microscope and explores what it is, what it does and why it is so frequently discussed in the world of ME/CFS. Part 1 focuses...
Discuss the article on the Forums.
Article: M.A.D in May: the 12 Days of May ME/CFS Advocacy Project: Day II - Children's Day
Discussion in 'Phoenix Rising Articles' started by Phoenix Rising Team, May 2, 2011.


text:
contributon to political science studies
political science
SECTION: Post-World War II trends and debates...was less quantitative, there were several outstanding works. Like Lasswell, the German philosopher Theodor Adorno (1903–69) and others adopted Freudian insights in their pioneering study The Authoritarian Personality (1950), which used a 29-item questionnaire to detect the susceptibility of individuals to fascist beliefs. The French political scientist Maurice Duverger's...


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Nuvo Lucern 60/2766 3-Light Semi Flush - 14.5W in. - Patina BronzeItem # HN-NVO074
- Transitionally styled semi flush mount
- Saddle stone glass shade
- Made of metal in a patina bronze finish
- Requires (3) 60-watt A19 incandescent medium base bulbs (not included)
- Dimensions: 14.5W x 17H inches
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Big Daddy Reclining Adirondack Chair with Pull Out Ottoman- Natural
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Lem's latest: Dawson, Hopkins bury the hatchet with class
Newly-crowned RING and WBC light heavyweight champion, Chad Dawson and dethroned Bernard Hopkins demonstrated respect for each other after Saturday night's grueling affair.
Newly-crowned RING and WBC light heavyweight champion, Chad Dawson and dethroned Bernard Hopkins demonstrated respect for each other after Saturday night's grueling affair.
"Bad" Chad Dawson hopes to win Saturday's rematch and take the RING and WBC light heavyweight championships owned by "Mad" Bernard Hopkins.
An animated Antonio Tarver discussed the transition from Showtime commentator to fighter, his June 2 fight with Lateef Kayode, and plans to unify cruiserweight titles and challenge Wladimir Klitschko at the recent "Four Warned" press conference.
Will 47-year-old Bernard Hopkins remain RING light heavyweight champion and successfully defend his WBC title against Chad Dawson on Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City?
An agitated and animated Lateef Kayode told RingTV why he wants to fight – and defeat – Antonio Tarver so badly. The undefeated cruiserweight will face the former champ (and Showtime commentator) in the main event of the June 2 "Four Warned" card.
Showtime's rare quadrupleheader headlined by the Antonio Tarver-Lateef Kayode cruiserweight fight at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on June 2 features four unbeaten fighters vying for respect against more-experienced veterans.
Bernard Hopkins: "I believe I am the most underrated fighter who has walked on the planet earth. I believe that I'm the most underrated fighter that has ever laced a pair of gloves on."
Southpaw Austin Trout will defend his WBA junior middleweight belt against Delvin Rodriguez on the undercard of a Showtime-televised quadruple-header on June 2.
Lateef Kayode's cruiserweight bout with former light heavyweight titleholder Antonio Tarver is to headline a Showtime-televised, quadruple-header from the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on June 2.
Devon Alexander has joined advisor Al Haymon's star-studded list that includes Floyd Mayweather, Andre Berto, Adrien Broner, Paul Williams, Gary Russell Jr., Seth Mitchell and Chris Arreola.
Undefeated cruiserweight contender Lateef Kayode has his eyes, and his ire, focused on former light heeavyweight champ and fellow 200-pound contender Antonio Tarver.
"I'm going to go into the ring and I'm going to use my fists until I win," said Glen Johnson of fight with IBF super middleweight beltholder Lucian Bute on Saturday. The 42-year-old vet adds that retirement is not on his mind.
Lucian Bute and Glen Johnson are both friends and familiar foes, having sparred for nearly 100 rounds two years ago in preparation for separate title bouts.
Joe Calzaghe, the only southpaw to have defeated Bernard Hopkins, gives his take on how Chad Dawson will fare against the 46-year-old titleholder.
Antonio Tarver knows both fighter first-hand, and thinks Hopkins will go down swinging.
Michael Buffer tried "Man your battle stations," and, "Fasten your seat belts," before settling on "Let's get ready to rumble!"
'When you talk about all-around skills and experience,' said Bernard Hopkins, 'I think that I win that hands down' over Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Former undisputed Lennox Lewis, who turns 46 in September, lists his children, contentment and induction into the International Hall of Fame among the reasons he will never fight again.
Having successfully gained an immediate rematch for Steve Cunningham against Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, Don King has cause for optimism in seeking the same after Abner Mares-Joseph Agbeko
Undersized heavyweight Eddie Chambers will try to topple another giant when he faces Tony Thompson in October, a fight that could lead to a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko.


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Renewed shelling in two cities threatens Ukraine ceasefire
DONETSK/MARIUPOL Ukraine (Reuters) – Shelling erupted in eastern Ukraine's strategic port Mariupol and its biggest city Donetsk overnight, threatening a ceasefire struck less than two days earlier between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists.
The ceasefire, brokered by envoys from Ukraine, the separatist leadership, Russia and Europe's OSCE security watchdog on Friday in Minsk, is part of a peace plan intended to end a five-month conflict that has killed nearly 3,000 people.
Artillery attack challenges ceasefire in east Ukraine
KIEV/MARIUPOL Ukraine (Reuters) – Ukrainian government forces came under artillery fire late on Saturday near the strategic port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, in the first serious violation of a ceasefire declared only about 30 hours earlier.
The presidents of Russia and Ukraine had earlier said the ceasefire, part of a peace road-map intended to end five months of conflict, was largely holding across eastern Ukraine, where Kiev's forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists.
Uneasy calm holds in eastern Ukraine after ceasefire
DONESTSK/MARIUPOL Ukraine (Reuters) – A ceasefire struck between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine was largely holding on Saturday, though residents and combatants said it was likely to prove a brief interlude before renewed fighting.
Underlining the fragility of the truce, approved on Friday by envoys from Ukraine, the separatist leadership, Russia and the OSCE security watchdog, some residents in rebel-held Donetsk reported sporadic shelling overnight on the city outskirts.
Fighting between Ukrainian army, rebels subsides as ceasefire begins
MARIUPOL/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Heavy fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels appeared to subside after envoys meeting in Minsk approved a peace deal that included a ceasefire taking effect from 1500 GMT (11.00 a.m. EDT) on Friday.
Minutes after the ceasefire was due to come into force, three explosions were heard north of the city of Donetsk. It was not immediately clear how serious the blasts were.
Heavy clashes between Ukraine forces, rebels before expected ceasefire
MARIUPOL/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Fighting raged between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels just east of the strategic port of Mariupol on Friday, shortly before envoys from Ukraine and Russia were expected to announce a ceasefire as the starting point for a wider peace plan.
Sustained mortar and artillery fire were also heard in Donetsk, the rebels' main stronghold in eastern Ukraine, from near the city's airport which remains in government hands.
Ukraine forces shell rebels near key port hours before possible ceasefire
MARIUPOL, Ukraine, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Ukrainian forces
pounded pro-Russian rebels to the east of the port of Mariupol
on Friday, hours before envoys from Ukraine and Russia were
expected to announce a ceasefire as the starting point for a
wider peace plan.
Ukraine says its forces are trying to repel a big offensive
by the rebels to take Mariupol, a port city of around 500,000 on
the Sea of Azov crucial for its steel exports. It stands about
halfway between Russia and the Russian-annexed Crimea region.
Ragtag volunteers line up to defend Ukrainian city
MARIUPOL, Ukraine, Sept 4 (Reuters) – In the backyard of a
former school, masked volunteers snap to attention to mark the
creation of a new fighting unit in the port city of Mariupol in
southeastern Ukraine.
The ragtag battalion was hurriedly put together from a group
of civilians including a piano teacher, bulldozer operator,
steel worker and bodybuilding instructor as pro-Russian rebels
advanced on Mariupol over the past week.
Ukraine reinforces defense of key port, shelling rocks Donetsk
MARIUPOL/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Ukraine reinforced its defenses at the port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov on Thursday in anticipation of a rebel attack amid reports that pro-Russian separatists were advancing on the city with tanks and artillery.
Further north, in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, renewed shelling killed at least one woman and blew huge holes in residential buildings, a day before talks between Kiev and the separatists on a possible ceasefire.
Ukraine and rebels to seek peace plan, ceasefire on Friday
NEWPORT Wales/MARIUPOL Ukraine (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the main pro-Russian rebel leader said they would both order ceasefires on Friday, provided that an agreement is signed on a new peace plan to end the five month war in Ukraine's east.
The first apparent breakthrough of its kind in the war comes after a week in which the pro-Moscow separatists scored major victories with what NATO says is the open support of thousands of Russian troops.
Ukraine reinforces defence of key port, expects rebel attack
MARIUPOL, Ukraine, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Ukraine reinforced its
defences at the port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov on Thursday
in anticipation of a rebel attack amid reports that separatists
were advancing on the city with tanks and artillery.
Mariupol is Ukraine's largest port on the Sea of Azov and
stands on the way to Russian-annexed Crimea. It has become a
focus of Ukrainian concern after rebels broke away from their
main strongholds further north and took the nearby coastal town
of Novoazovsk, to the east of Mariupol, in late August.


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Rap mogul Jay Z's promise to stick to a vegan-based diet has reportedly continued into the wekeend after he opted out of meat treats during a restaurant gathering with producer Timbaland.
According to reports, Young Hov and Tim both dined at a Vegas restaurant last night (December 13).
Jay Z continued his 22-day quest to eat an entirely vegan diet yesterday in Vegas … and then partied his face off while paying tribute to Beyonce's new surprise album. Sources at Hakkasan restaurant tell us Jay dined on strictly vegan options after his concert … while his friends — including rapper/producer Timbaland — ate crispy duck salad and roasted Chilean seabass. Afterward Jay and his entourage hit up Hakkasan's nightclub (pictured above) … and toasted champagne to honor his wife Beyonce's surprise album when the DJ played their new collab "Drunk in Love." (TMZ)
Earlier this month, Jay celebrated his 44th birthday with Bey at a popular vegan-based restaurant.
It's only Day 1, but Beyonce and Jay-Z are serious as a heart attack about adopting a no-meat diet … because they just pigged out at a classy vegan lunch joint in L.A. to celebrate Jay's 44th birthday. Bey and Jay ordered a variety of organic vegan menu items at Cafe Gratitude — a place that touts its food and its people as "a celebration of our aliveness." B&J have said they're going on a 22-day plant-based diet to become more spiritual … and they chose today — Jay-Z's birthday — as the day to start. (TMZ)
Young Hov broke the vegan diet news to fans via his Life + Times lifestyle website.
"Psychologists have said it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. On the 22nd day, you've found the way. On December 3rd, one day before my 44th birthday I will embark on a 22 Days challenge to go completely vegan, or as I prefer to call it, plant-based!! This all began a few months back when a good friend and vegan challenged me to embrace a "plant-based breakfast" everyday. It was surprisingly easier on me than I thought… Why now? There's something spiritual to me about it being my 44th birthday and the serendipity behind the number of days in this challenge; 22 (2+2=4) coupled with the fact that the challenge ends on Christmas day…It just feels right!" (Life + Times)
Jigga also revealed Beyoncé would take part in the challenge.
"So you can call it a spiritual and physical cleanse. I will post my progress… Any professional vegans out there that have any great food spots please help out! Please ha. I don't know what happens after Christmas. A semi-vegan, a full plant-based diet? Or just a spiritual and physical challenge? We'll see… Best of luck and health! P.S. B is also joining me. I will let my friend Marco explain the benefits of a plant based diet here." (Life + Times)
Need something fun and interactive to do with your pals? Wanna get your B.o.B and Lil Wayne guitar skills on? Check out the top five reasons you need the new Rocksmith 2014 video game!
Now show us your best selfie! Get at us on Instagram with #sohhpix


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The MSN Search Blog mentions the new Windows Live QnA service and also has a link to the MSN Spaces QnA blog that has details with screen shots of the new offering. So if you are interesting in taking a look at Microsoft's answer to Google Answers and Yahoo Answers, visit the QnA blog. We had a short brief on this new service on Friday.
What's New for 2015?
You spoke, we listened! ClickZ Live New York (Mar 30-Apr 1) is back with a brand new streamlined agenda. Don't miss the latest digital marketing tips, tricks and tools that will make you re-think your strategy and revolutionize your marketing campaigns. Super Saver Rates are available now. Register today!


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Peace! Our jointed female 37" hippie cut out is the perfect addition to your 60's party decorations. This hippie female dressed in bell bottoms is ready for a Woodstock party. Our jointed 37" hippie gal cardboard cut out is sold by the piece. Please order in increments of 1 piece.
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Ideas on Decorating for Hanukkah Celebrations This Year
Invite friends and family over for a Hanukkah celebration! Decorate the party space in blue, white and silver and serve traditional foods while making memories.


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- Northern Illinois to get $8.3 million for state construction projects
- Tree-lighting festival kicks off holiday season in Machesney Park
- Roscoe Boy Scout Troop's tree stand at new location
- Tips for selecting safe toys for kids this holiday season
- Prayer service for World AIDS Day Nov. 30
- Food Bank joins national #GivingTuesday movement
- Lee Hamilton: What lies ahead for Congress
- Rockford Public Schools faces $8.8 deficit, board OKs flat tax, HR chief
- Literary Hook: A holiday tradition: 'This Thanksgiving, Remember'
- Cold snap does not negate global warming
Former Big Cities owner brings the blues to Adriatic Café
* First show features guitar man Pistol Pete Thursday, June 23
By Jim Hagerty
Online Editor
For the first time in nearly 30 years, Nino Gardona will introduce a blues act on a different stage Thursday, June 23.
Gardona, who turned Big Cities Lounge into a premier blues club in 1984, is bringing his act to Adriatic Café & Bar.
As Adriatic's new manager, Gardona will continue the trend he set at Big Cities, drawing the top blues acts in the world, and an array of local and regional talent.
Guitar man Pistol Pete, who helped put Big Cities on the map, will take the stage Thursday night at 9 p.m.
"We are excited to hear how a full band sounds in here," Gardona, who has brought the likes of Maynard Ferguson, Magic Slim and Chris Cain to Rockford, said.
Big Cities customers recall few things changed in 27 years. Duct tape held the original carpet in place. The bar, stage, jukebox and a couple dozen tables and chairs occupied most of the space at 905 E. State St. A dart board and video poker machine marked the only other entertainment in the small room. Nino didn't accept credit cards, and an ATM, at times, was out of cash. Big Cities was all about the music.
With several rooms, the Adriatic Café & Bar seats more than 100 around the stage. A pool table, boxing game, dart board, table tennis room and HD TVs complement the space, giving it a true nightclub feel.
"It's definitely bigger," Gardona said.
At 327 W. Jefferson St., downtown, the Adriatic Café & Bar is the former location of Jacks or Better Supper Club and the Times Lounge, which Sam Salamone owned from 1988 to 2006 after 30 years in busines across the street. Salamone vowed to be the first customer at Adriatic. However, he passed away two months before it opened.
Admission for Thursday's show is free.
From the June 22-28 issue


text: Got Your Goat Check your local listings. A Boer goat has lost 50 pounds after refusing to eat. While examining the goat, Dr. Pol assumes the goat must have some sort of parasite. He confirms it is Coccidia-a dangerous, one single-cell parasite that infects the intestinal tracts of animals. More on This Episode: Overview Videos Photos Articles Videos 2:56Saving the Family Dog45:14Got Your GoatNo Video Photos Got Your Goat


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Hospitals gamble on urgent care clinics to keep patients healthy
Most of the 9,000 urgent care clinics nationwide are owned by corporation or physicians, but hospital systems are increasingly aiming to get a cut of the booming industry. Hospitals already own about 27% of the centers. "We're still in the very early stages of this trend," said om Charland, CEO of Merchant Medicine. "I think we're going to see a lot more hospitals opening urgent care centers, either their first one or you're going to find hospitals who might have one or two opening more." It's still unclear whether hospitals will actually be successful at managing urgent care centers. Hospitals tend to be good at providing high-quality care, but they're not always so good at customer service.
- Providers' Push to Consolidate Roils Payers
- Former NQF Co-Chair Linked to Conflicts of Interest in Journal Probe
- As Retail Clinics Surge, Quality Metrics MIA
- RN Named Chief Patient Experience Officer
- Medicare Cost, Quality Data Tools Weak, Says GAO
- No Employee Satisfaction, No Patient-Centered Culture
- Six Not-So-Good Reasons for Avoiding Population Health
- In PCMH, the 'P' is Not for 'Physician'
- Population Health Pays Off for NY Collaborative
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Tablet. Hotels for Global Nomads
Travel Better.
Tu Lan
8 6th St
in Civic Center
San Francisco, California
37.782099 -122.410134
Keywords: Vietnamese See all and suggest more
1 Reviews
First reviewed by Good Hotel
Tu Lan is more than a restaurant, it's an experience! You must prepare yourself to feel like you are in another country as this place has great food at cheap prices in a crowded room filled with a dozen languages being spoken. Not for the easily squeemish as the neighborhood is a little edgy and the room lacks ANY refinement.
0 people found these commends helpful.


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DEFINITION of 'Low Exercise Price Option - LEPO'
A call option with an exercise price of 1 cent, and an agreement to purchase 1000 shares. They cannot be exercised until expiry, work similar to that of a futures contract, and the premium paid is basically the price to purchase an entire share however, the purchaser only posts a percentage as margin.
INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Low Exercise Price Option - LEPO'
Low exercise price options were started in Switzerland and quickly taken up in Finland for one main reasons. That was to avoid paying the required stamp duties that are sometimes charges on stock trading. Since the strike price is so close to zero, the investor purchasing the lepo gains most of the feautres of owning the share directly except dividends and voting rights.
Stamp DutyThe tax placed on legal documents usually in the transfer of ...
Call OptionAn agreement that gives an investor the right (but not the obligation) ...
ExerciseTo put into effect the right specified in a contract. In options ...
Futures ContractA contractual agreement, generally made on the trading floor ...
OptionA financial derivative that represents a contract sold by one ...
Premium1. The total cost of an option. 2. The difference between the ...
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Dr. William J. Mott, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery, UW Medical Foundation Orthopedics
- 1 S Park St Ste 1
Madison, WI 53715
- 1 Office Location
- (608) 287-2700
Dr. William J. Mott has been practicing medicine for 26 years. Dr. Mott graduated from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1988. He practices medicine in Madison, WI and specializes in Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Mott is affiliated with Meriter-UnityPoint Health Hospital and University Of Wisconsin Hospital. He speaks English and Spanish.
Gender: Male
Years in Practice: 26 Years
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Medical School: University of Wisconsin Medical School
Graduation Date: 1988
Hospital Affiliations: Meriter-UnityPoint Health Hospital, University Of Wisconsin Hospital
Specialties: Orthopaedic Surgery


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BOSTON, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) announced its capability to accredit workshops to provide Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for medical interpreters, in all languages worldwide. The organization sets this as a concrete step to professionalize medical interpreters. "Being able to attend continuing education courses and getting CEUs will allow us not only to keep up with the developments in our field but also gain more recognition within the medical community," said Sara Samaniego, medical interpreter. IMIA took this leadership role in initiating a CEU Program specifically for the medical interpreters as it is going to be a requirement to maintain national certification. As the only national and international trade association by and for medical interpreters, it seems the IMIA is an appropriate "home" for a CEU Program. "We followed the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) model, which has been in place for decades. If it has worked for them, I am confident that it will work well for us as well," stated Anita Coelho Diabate, recently appointed IMIA Vice President.
The IMIA has had great success with its National Medical Interpreter Educational Registry, where training organizations post their training programs, and where future interpreter students can search for medical interpreter educational programs by state, country, language, or type as a public service (see http://www.imiaweb.org/education/trainingnotices.asp). This registry includes a limited list of continuing educational workshops, delivered online or in person. This new development is aimed at incentivizing more training programs to offer continuing education workshops or courses in addition to their basic programs, so that practicing medical interpreters have more options.
This initiative is also linked to national certification, which will
|SOURCE International Medical Interpreters Association
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