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Padrino's Cuban Cuisine
20455 State Hwy. 7 (Glades Rd.) Send to Phone
561-451-1070 | Make Restaurant Reservations | Menu
OpenLunch & Dinner Tues.-Sun.
- Dress code: Casual
- Entertainment: Guitarist Sat.-Sun.
- Kid-friendly
* Click here for rating key
: Waiters in guayaberas and waitresses in white ruffled blouses and floral skirts serve Cuban-Caribbean favorites made from the family recipes of Cuban immigrants Diosdado and Rosa Padrino and their son Mario, who opened their first Florida restaurant in 1976. Since Rosa's passing in 2002, culinary duties have descended to Nayade Padrino, Mario's wife and a culinary school grad. So don't be surprised at the lighter modern touches added to the menu---like arroz con pollo cooked "a la jardinière" (with broccoli and peas as well as the traditional peppers and onions); Cuban wraps and hefty meat sandwiches; and serious salads. Personally, we could happily make a whole meal of just the garlicky, bacon-studded, crispy-crusted croquetas de yuca. But you'll find all the Cuban classics here, like ropa vieja accompanied by traditional sides: black beans, white or yellow rice, fried sweet plantains (a must). We also recommend the generously seafood-packed paella. Room for dessert is easily and happily filled with tres leches. A classical guitarist strums Saturdays and Sundays.


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Are you looking for a beautiful Orange County TS to go out on the town and have fun with. Maybe you are looking for something a little more long term. Whether you want some short term action or a long term relationship then you need to check out Seeking TS. It is a TS dating site that has been responsible for 1000′s of connections. What are you waiting for? Sign up and find that special someone today. Check out some of the beautiful TS and TS lovers in the OC.
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 by admin

subset: commoncrawl


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Officers at local H.S. after rumors spread; Butler Tech cancels some classes Fri.
Green Twp. assigns four officers to Oak Hills H.S.
Green Township police have added security at a high school after rumors spread of some sort of threat, while another school has canceled secondary classes Friday.
Chief Bart West told News 5 that he assigned four officers to join the school resource officer at Oak Hills High School on Thursday in response to rumors that someone was going to bring a gun to school Thursday or Friday.
West said some of the rumors had to do with "end of the world" fears related to the Mayan calendar's end on Friday.
West said a rumor that police have already made arrests of people for having guns at school is unfounded.
Officials are trying to determine the source of the rumors, West said.
Superintendent Todd Yohey said that the one door that usually remains unlocked to enter the high school will be locked, with school personnel monitoring it if people show up.
In an unrelated incident, Butler Tech said there was an additional police presence on campus due to "an unproven threat" against two buildings on Thursday.
"Both the police presence and the threats they were meant to counteract have generated a great deal of concern on the part of our secondary students and their parents," the school said.
Later Thursday, the school said the situation was causing problems with the educational process.
"In order to act in the most prudent and cautious manner for the safety of our students and staff, we have decided to cancel all Butler Tech secondary classes for Friday," the school said.
Adult classes will go on as scheduled, the school said.


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His mother knows him as Julius Winfield Erving II, the world knows him as "Dr. J", the NBA "flying dunk" legend and now "Dr. J" has written his own prescription about who he was and who he is now.
All the way from Roosevelt, New York to the present, Mr. Erving has truly had his share of life's ups and downs. I have read excerpts of his recent book and I know it will be a best seller especially because he is teaming up with Taro Greenfield. Mr. Erving is touring and promoting his book. On Saturday, November 9, 2013 from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. he will be making his "signing book" appearance at the Barnes and Nobles Book Seller; 2900 Peachtree Road NE; Atlanta, Georgia. The remaining book tour will be announced at a later date.
In 1968, the same year the assassination of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy was deeply rooted in our hearts and mind, a young Julius was heading for the University of Massachusetts to start his great basketball adventures. He was a free agent going to the American Basketball Association (ABA) but showcased so much talent by winning two Championships with his teams, the Virginia Squires and New York Nets.
He transitioned to the National Basketball Association (NBA) and that's when he literally soared more with his flashy-swoop slam dunks with extended flying and hangtime. We can't forget him sporting the cool afro hairdo in the 70's and his smooth, charismatic ways. I may have been young but I remember those years.
By the end of "Dr. J's" basketball career, he had won almost every award a basketball player could earn. This included two Championships with his ABA teams and one Championship with the NBA team, the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983 when they thrilled the fans by winning the series from the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers who featured other legends, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson. He retired in 1987 as his "Farewell Tour" and became a Hall of Famer in 1993.
Now he is a retired NBA player and the Strategic Advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers. However, living the glamorous, rich life of an NBA player, a husband and father, there have been some ups and downs and challenges. That is why he had such a strong desire to write his own prescription in "Dr. J": Autobiography.
He will highlight how his 31 year marriage to his first wife, Turquoise was tested heavily when their son Corey tragedy died; him fathering two children while still married; how he met his tennis Olympic Bronze Winning daughter, Alexandra Stevenson for the first time and the inner thoughts of the highs and lows of being a professional athlete.
Please join one of American's greatest basketball players of all times, Mr. Julius "Dr. J" Erving who will be signing his autobiography. Stay tune for Splash Magazine Review when it will consist of photos, interviews from "Dr. J" and several of his Philadelphia 76ers Championship teammates. Come on out and be part of history!!
Copyright © 2013.NOVEMBER This story written by Renee Sudderth for Splash Magazines. It is not to be sold or reproduce without written permission of Renee Sudderth


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Come and celebrate the wonderful career of the world's greatest entertainer - Michael Jackson - with the West End blockbuster THRILLER - LIVE, a stage and video spectacular.
This amazing show, featuring over 20 performers with a full company of singers, dancers and live band celebrates the King of Pop like never before! Take your seats and boogie on down as the cast belts out song after wonderful song, covering the early Motown and Jackson Five days right up to the solo successes that made such an impression on generations of music lovers. And the dance sequences are simply breath-taking.
With original choreography from MTV award-winning choreographer LaVelle Smith Jnr. and brilliant vocal performances, Jackson's amazing songs and videos are brought to life on stage in a spectacular and sensational way. This spectacular show features 35 of Michael Jackson's greatest and best-loved hits, including: "ABC", "I Want You Back", "I'll Be There", "Blame It On The Boogie", "She's Out of My Life", "Off The Wall", "Get on the Floor", "Rock With You", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Working Day and Night", "Dancing Machine", "PYT", "Beat It", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Smooth Criminal", "Dirty Diana", "Dangerous", "Man in the Mirror", "They Don't Care About Us", "Heal the World", "Billie Jean", "Thriller", "Bad" and "Black or White".
Marc Baele
Managing Director / OwnerKapelrie 68480 VarsenareBE 0885 658 005
email@example.com+32 485 30 10 30
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It seems I'm stuck before I really get started on this one! As those who follow this blog know I often refer to my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read and for other ancestors I usually say what relationship they are to him. (This is for me basically so that I know who is who)!
Cozens Read's brother John Read (1708 – 1750) married Elizabeth Hilliard (b? d1750) at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Oxford City, Oxfordshire, UK in 1740.
Their first child was born in Culham, Oxfordshire in 1741. The next two children born in Wheatfield, Oxfordshire (where some of my other Reads lived) and the last child I have no idea yet where he was born.
Other than knowing when Elizabeth Read (nee Hilliard) died, I haven't been able to discover anything else about her. I had thought that as their first child was born in Culham, maybe that's where she was from. I have only found one marriage in Culham of a Hilliard and that was in 1706.
I've looked out for Hilliard in all the fiche/CDs and other things I have of Parish Records, Wills and all sorts, but just don't seem to come across that name much and certainly nothing that fits with Elizabeth.
As she and her husband died one month apart (or maybe a little less than that) and their children were aged 9 years to 3 years at that time, I have been wondering who would have looked after them. Maybe Elizabeth's parents? But I don't know who they are. I had been hoping that if I discovered them I might find Wills which might mention John and Elizabeth's children and where they were living.
I've checked the IGI but there don't seem to be many Hilliards (and variant spellings) in the county which suggests to me that maybe they are really from elsewhere. (I do realise the IGI is not complete, but I don't think that would be the reason for so few Hilliards, compared to other surnames I am researching).
I'll have to get my thinking cap on (or my Sherlock Holmes detective deerstalker hat) to delve some more into the family of Elizabeth Read (nee Hilliard) … if I can find them!!


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The Architecture of Stemware
Comprises three parts: Bowl - Stem - Base.
Comprises three parts: Bowl - Stem - Base.
The design (architecture or construction) of a stemmed glass must ensure that the size, height and width are in perfect harmony. The size of the bowl has to be in proportion to the height of the stem and the width of the base. Respecting the exact ratio between these dimensions ensures the glass is correctly and seamlessly proportioned. Table top "classics" are created using the magic "golden architectural formula". Early glass architecture, around 1920, took the Iead, spearheaded by three Viennese architects (Loos, Hoffmann, Ertl). Claus Riedel's designs from the late 1950's, re-established this concept. This combined with influence from French and lrish classics resulted in stemware featuring this "construction", which is so pleasing to the eye.


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What is Term Life Insurance?
Term Life Insurance provides coverage for a specific length of time (for example, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years).
How does Term Life Insurance differ from other types of insurance?
Term life insurance is the most affordable life insurance coverage available.
- Another type of life insurance—permanent coverage—is more expensive and is designed for long-term protection. Usually, permanent policies build cash value over time.
- A whole life policy builds cash value and after 20 or more years, you can use the cash value to continue paying the policy premiums.
- Universal life insurance is temporary like term life insurance, but offers coverage until you are 100 years old.
- Another type of universal coverage—a flexible/variable policy—allows you to over-fund your insurance and invest the overage (in mutual funds or similar types of investments).
- Return of premium (ROP) coverage gives you the option to pay extra for term life insurance but get all your money back if you outlive the term period.
Is a medical examination required to get a Term Life Insurance policy?
At Www.50lifeinsurance.net, no. At most ordinary insurance companies, yes.
How do I apply for Term Life Insurance?
At Www.50lifeinsurance.net, you can get a free, no-obligation quote and then apply online. You also can get your quote and complete your application on the phone with a licensed agent. Just call 1.800. 939.0710.
When will my coverage begin?
As soon as your application is approved and your payment is received (which can be done simply online or on the phone), your coverage begins immediately.
Should others in my family have term life insurance?
There are many good reasons to consider coverage for your spouse and children. The goal with all term life insurance policies from Www.50lifeinsurance.net is protection and peace of mind for you and your entire family.
Can my policy ever be canceled?
No. Coverage from Www.50lifeinsurance.net can never be canceled during the policy period for any reason, even if your health changes. If you accurately answered the few simple questions on your application and you pay your premiums, your policy stays in effect for the entire term.
Can I use my policy's death benefit to pay for funeral expenses?
Yes. Many individuals buy a policy from Www.50lifeinsurance.net in order to use the death benefit for funeral costs. Anyone can use their policy for this reason, but many of these individuals tend to be older; others are younger but suffering a terminal illness. For both, no


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This week marks the 50-year milestone for Taco Bell, and one California-based blogger gathered the restaurant's top accomplishments.
Sadly, the Doritos cheese taco didn't make the list.
OC Weekly writer Gustavo Arellano, who writes the well-known column "Ask a Mexican," said Taco Bell has made headlines for E. coli breakouts and for its use of low quality beef in the last few years, but it's also done a lot of good for the genre of food.
Arellano, who calls Taco Bell, "the fast-food giant every loves to hate," asked his readers to put aside the negative stigma (albeit often deserved) to reflect on what the chain has done for Mexican food in the U.S.
Here are his five top reasons that Taco Bell deserves some credit:
1. Taco Bell brought Mexican restaurants to places that never had one, thereby whetting appetites for the better Mexican food to come
2. Taco Bell convinced non-Mexicans that they, too, could get rich off Mexican food
3. Taco Bell helped to popularize the burrito
4. Taco Bell has long made bilingualism cool
5. Taco Bell is proof that Mexican food isn't static but rather evolutionary


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Classifieds Rules
Use of the Classifieds section automatically implies your agreement with all the rules contained therein.
This site, those that work at this site, Site Sponsors, the Site Server, the Site Administrators, the Site Moderators, and anyone associated with the running of Surplus Rifle Forum (SRF) are not responsible for any listings made in any of this site's Trader-Classified Ads-Sponsor Boards.
We do not stand behind any sellers nor buyers, so buy, sell, or trade at your own risk.
Although we are not responsible for the accuracy of any listings made on these boards, any obvious discrepancies, difficulties, non-payment, non-delivery, etc., pointed out to us may be handled as required
NOTE: The only items allowed in any of the For Sale areas are Firearms and closely related items (i.e. accessories, ammunition, bayonets, shooting gear, reloading etc.) THAT YOU OWN. Buying and selling on behalf of another party is prohibited and may be illegal (Straw Purchases, for example).
1. The For Sale section is provided as a courtesy to forum members who have been allowed access under forum rules. Under special circumstances or for exceptions, contact a Moderator.
2. What is NOT allowed:
a. If you are a gun dealer, militaria dealer, pawn shop owner, or run a commercial business that is related to items that might be listed on this site, AND you are not a sponsor, you are not allowed to routinely post items for sale or trade on these boards. Contact Mod for details.
b. NO auctions, links to auctions, or links to online sales currently running on other forums or commercial sites.
c. Reloaded Ammunition is NOT allowed For Sale in the forum. Period.
d. NO duplicate user names.
3. WTS and WTT POST GUIDELINES:
a. WTS or WTT or WTS/WTT along with quick item description in the subject line.
b. Clear, concise, description of the item(s) in the post body. Make sure to include condition, numbers matching, import marks, etc., to expedite sales.
c. Lots of clear, hi-res, pictures.
d. FIXED price in USD or trade options. Again-no auctions. Also provide payment requirements-traceable preferred.
e. Legal requirements if applicable. FFL01, C&R, antique, FOID, etc.
f. DO NOT post blanket refusals to sell to specific areas. The only acceptable restriction wording in a For Sale ad is "not for sale where restricted by law" or something similar.
g. Sellers have the right to refuse sales to individuals based on knowledge or advice from any reputable source. They must apprise a moderator of their intention, and the reasons, before doing so. The declination must not be based on race, gender, religion, or political beliefs.
h. Any shipping exceptions or restrictions. From FFL or ORM-D, for example.
i. If the item(s) is/are cross-posted on other forums or sites (without providing links).
a. Technical questions, requests for more pictures & answers relating to the transaction are allowed and desired, but ABSOLUTELY NO SHAMERS, WANKERS, HIJACKING, TROLLING, or irrelevant comments are permitted. Use PMs, however, for non-technical concerns, pricing, etc.
b. BUMPING or BACK TO TOP allowed once a week. Period. Any follow on post will also be considered a bump.
c. If discrepancies, errors of omission, or other areas of concern are noted by any member, contact the seller or a Mod by PM. NO SHAMING IN THE OP. We expect the Seller/Trader to make the corrections since they may not have been aware of the discrepancies.
a. The buyer and seller or traders MUST GIVE THEIR WORD, publicly, in the thread. via use of "I'll Take It", "Sold to", etc. IF THAT DOES NOT OCCUR, THE MODERATORS WILL NOT BE OBLIGATED TO RESOLVE ANY CONFLICTS.
NOTE: "I'll take it" AND "Sold To" we consider to be a binding commitment to buy/sell. The only way out of a transaction is if both parties work out an agreement to undo the sale. In other words, moderator intervention is not needed. This protects all from false expectations, keeps everything above board and the playing field level. After the sale is agreed upon, private information should use alternate methods (PM's Emails).
b. If an item sells or is traded, mark the original subject line as "Sold", "Traded", or "SPF" (Sold Pending Funds).
c. If multiple items were for sale or trade, update their status within the original post (OP) body.
d. If an item does not sell and/or you have decided you no longer wish to have the item listed – you must update your ad stating the item is "Withdrawn".
e. Do not delete your post. It may be used as a reference for other transactions.
6. Any difficulties between a buyer and seller should be brought to the immediate attention of a moderator.
Well, the board is either fixed, or it's going to run terribly. Cross your fingers and hope for the best. I'm at my technical limit right now.
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Doping allegations have followed cyclist Lance Armstrong for more than a decade as his run in professional cycling defied logic, common sense and explanation. While his doping confession, which he gave to Oprah Winfrey during an interview on Jan. 14, answers many of the lingering questions about his athletic career, it has also opened a whole new series of questions that will take much longer to answer.
In particular, the biggest and perhaps hardest to answer of those questions is just what will happen not only to Armstrong's personal brand, but also to Livestrong, the charity that became synonymous with Armstrong and the fight against cancer.
Although he will most likely never rebuild his once-stellar reputation, many experts agree that the interview represents the first steps in a journey toward forgiveness. John Llewellyn, an associate professor of communication at Wake Forest University, says that his apology will begin to clarify how the situation will play out.
"A proper apology has three parts," said Llewellyn. "It expresses regret, offers reparations and promises it won't happen again. But Lance Armstrong will be hard to believe since he has spent decades vehemently denying he was doping. He and his attorneys seem to have carefully calculated the statute of limitations, so what will he do to pay for his actions? And thirdly, after spending so many years cheating, how can he promise it won't happen again with any credibility?"
Answering those questions in a way that people find believable will likely be Armstrong's main challenge. However, Armstrong's situation is unique because of his connection to Livestrong and the money that the charity raised for cancer research.
"Some good was done," said Llewellyn. "Livestrong does go on the positive side of the ledger, but now people are scrambling, the brand is damaged and people who relied on him as a figure of strength for their own cancer battles are now second-guessing themselves and wondering if it they have been fooled also."
Despite those good deeds, Llewellyn says Armstrong would be best served by taking a step back from the situation once his interview airs.
"The best thing he can do for that brand is to get away from it," said Llewellyn. "I don't think this interview is going to fly, and in my opinion, separating the nobility of the cause from the taint that is attached to its creator would be the best thing to do."
Follow David Mielach on Twitter @D_M89 or BusinessNewsDaily @bndarticles. We're also on Facebook & Google+.
Related on BusinessNewsDaily and MNN:


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Last modified: 2020-05-05 by rob raeside
Keywords: yorkshire | york | rose | dewbury | hull |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors
image by Jason Saber, 6 July 2009
See also:
Flag Registry describes the flag as "Traditional design, registered by
County Organization", the organization presumably being the Yorkshire Riding
Society. Both the picture and Graham Bartram's comment about the Lancastrian
flag confirm that the orientation of the rose favoured by the YRS has been
registered, so the rose sits on a point and three of the lines between petals
form a 'Y'.
Jonathan Dixon, 31 July 2008
My understanding was always that the Yorkshire rose 'sat' on two point not one -
therefore Ken Bagnall's flag is upside down.
Richard Carter, 20 April 2003
Well, there is certainly some kind of 'urban legend' that a Yorkshire rose rests
on one point, so that (some of) the lines between the petals form a letter Y for
Yorkshire. I've never been able to trace the origins of this. Certainly, all the
roses in the arms of the three Ridings are 'conventional' with the roses resting
on two points. However, the roses on the Yorkshire Ridings Society
(self-appointed guardians of Yorkshire heritage) do have the roses resting on
one point on their home page at
Ian Sumner, 21 April 2003
The Yorkshire Rose traditionally rests on one point, two petals, this can be
seen in the Coats of arms of some Yorkshire towns e.g., the Castleford coat of
arms clearly shows the rose with one point down.
Matthew Newbould, 3 September 2005
Just another one for the "Which way up is the rose" debate - on the M62, at the
border of Yorkshire and Lancashire, there are each counties roses welcoming you
into their county. The Yorkshire rose sits on one point, the Lancashire one sits
on two.
Richard Webb, 7 January 2006
What is the correct standing of the Yorkshire rose? Matthew Newbould quotes
Castleford's arms (rose on point), yet clearly ignores Knottingley's arms (rose
on side) and Doncaster's (one in each position). I have never seen anything
which states which is historically most correct and have seen many inconsistent
stained glass windows, coats of arms, etc.
White and Red roses are nearly always offset when combined in the Tudor rose and the modern Tudor rose is seated on a side (e.g., Queen's Tudor rose on the 20p piece). Hence the contemporary white rose is shown sitting on its point (e.g., Yorkshire tourist board, Yorkshire Regiment) and red rose on its side, agreeing with Richard Webb's M62 report. Just to confuse it, I got this odd picture of a so called "union rose" from Google.
David Clegg, 11 May 2006
I noticed blue pennants being used on the
Bridlington lifeboat. I wondered at the time whether they were connected with
the fact that the lifeboat was being launched from a carriage - i.e. pulled
across the beach and into the sea by a caterpillar-tracked tractor until it was
in sufficient depth of water to float away. The pennants could have been some
sort of hazard warning, or an indicator of width during the manoeuvre. However,
a quick google has revealed the truth: see
this image and
this image. They are Yorkshire roses in pennant
André Coutanche, 9 December 2006
I have had this explained to me by more than one Yorkshireman, that one of the
advantages of the flag as they see it is precisely that it can be
flown upside down. It would seem to work either way and that it depends from
where in Yorkshire you come from according to which way up it is supposed to be.
Colin Dobson, 1 August 2008
According to
"In the past this has been a dark blue background but more recently a light blue background has become fairly common.
According to the College of Heralds, the heraldic rose can be used with a petal at the top or with a sepal at the top. In Yorkshire there is a tradition of using the rose with a petal at the top in the North Riding and the West Riding but with a sepal at the top in the East Riding."
Eugene Ipavec, 13 February 2009
On August 1st, 1759, soldiers from Yorkshire regiments who had fought in the battle of Minden, in Germany, picked white roses from bushes near to the battlefields as a tribute to their fallen comrades. Since that time the white rose has become the symbol of Yorkshire and is proudly worn by Yorkshiremen and women on Yorkshire Day (August 1).
David Stretton, 9 July 2001
I have been trying to verify the why, when, and how the White Rose was adopted as a county badge for the county of Yorkshire. I note with interest your proposition that it dates from the battle of Minden 1759, can this be verified in any way please. I had started to wonder if it was actually simply a fable as the heraldic links with the Wars of the Roses never was a real contender for all the reasons I am sure you are well aware of.
Richard Hayton, 20 February 2002
In UK heraldry, if I am not mistaken, a "house" (i.e., a family and its retainers and servants and distant relatives and whatnot) has not
only various coats of arms but a "badge". For a royal house (or would-be-royal house) the badge can extend to the entire country, such as the
Scottish thistle or Irish shamrock, Welsh leek. Somehow the House of York (a subdivision of the British - then English-only - royal house)
acquired a white rose as its badge (it does not, I don't think, appear on any
coat of arms) and the House of Lancaster had a red rose. Hence their internecine wars were called the "Wars of the Roses". When the
dust settled at the end of the wars the badges were merged into the "Tudor rose" which serves as the badge of England
The two houses, Lancaster and York, no longer exist (do they?). Now the question here, as I understand it, is how the family badge of the house of York became the county badge of Yorkshire. To me the reason is obvious; Yorkshire simply adopted it from the family badge. As to the date and manner of the adoption, indeed whether it was an official act with an actual date or a gradual act over time, is an interesting question.
Al Kirsch, 20 February 2002
The Houses of York and Lancaster still exist in that they are subsumed into the House of Windsor. HM The Queen is Duke of Lancaster and HRH Prince
Andrew is Duke of York. The badge of York Herald is a white rose "en soleil"
(i.e., with a sunburst behind it).
Graham Bartram, 20 February 2002
According to the
Online, it is now legal to fly the flag of Yorkshire [without special
planning permission].
Chrystian Kretowicz, 30 July 2008
[Editor's note: this article refers to the inclusion of the flag of Yorkshire in the UK Flag Registry.]
The Yorkshire Ridings Society were the prime mover behind this. However, as
the extensive media coverage made clear, it was also endorsed by the Lord Mayor
of Hull and Admiral of the Humber and other local representatives. In the media
coverage, the YRS cited the case of the Ryedale farmer who was summonsed, but
not prosecuted, for flying the Yorkshire flag and that this was one of the
reasons why this flag needed to be legalised. However, what was not pointed out
by them, nor by the many journalists who covered this issue yesterday was that
event occurred in 2003 - a full five years ago, so it was hardly a current
example. Moreover, that was when the 1992 regulations applied and not the 2007
regulations, which permitted the flying of county flags, so the council
concerned were well within their rights to address the issue. Insofar as I am
aware, there hasn't been a testing of the 2007 regulations in England.
Colin Dobson, 31 July 2008
image by Michael Faul
This new flag for the English region of Yorkshire was designed by Michael
Faul, Editor of Flagmaster, the journal of the Flag Institute.
It shows the cross of St. George, the historic symbol of England, with the
vertical band off-centre to the left, in the format adopted by most
Scandinavian countries. This reflects the fact that Yorkshire is part of
England, but also that it has close ties with Scandinavia, having been settled
and ruled by Norwegians and Danes in the eighth and ninth centuries. The white
rose is shown on a blazing sun, called "rose-en-soleil" in heraldry, which is
the Royal badge of the Royal house of York, the last member of which to rule
England was Richard III (1483-1485). The new flag has been adopted by the
Campaign for Yorkshire which is campaigning for a Yorkshire parliament.
Michael Paraskos, 20 September 2002
You may be interested to know that the Yorkshire Dialect Society has adopted this flag and uses it as the masthead on its website. The Campaign for Yorkshire has also expressed interest in "officially" adopting it as the flag for the whole of historic Yorkshire (but has not yet actually done so). The centre of the rose is yellow, for the pollen stamens.
Michael Faul, 11 October 2002
image located by Chrystian Kretowicz, 13 February 2009
Source: http://www.hemsworthandsouthelmsallexpress.co.uk/news/South-Kirkby-Town-Council-unfurls.4973291.jp
Based on a story in the Hemsworth and South Elmsall Express:
"South Kirkby and Moorthorpe Town Council designed and commissioned the flag
to include the Yorkshire Rose and three coats of arms representing North, East
and West Riding – the areas which made up Yorkshire before it was made into four
The flag has the three coats of arms from North, East and West Riding. "We designed it in a Y shape with the Yorkshire rose in the middle. Red, white and blue were chosen as the colours because they represent Britain. I see this as the proper Yorkshire flag – I wouldn't walk behind the other one."
Chrystian Kretowicz, 13 February 2009
image located by JerrytheGerman, 18 May 2008
Source: http://www.skyblueleisure.co.uk/acatalog/Regional_Flags.html
The flag shown here is marketed by a camping equipment and adventure travel
company, and its status as an official flag of the region is uncertain.
Rob Raeside, 18 May 2008


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One of the hot trends in the IT industry is the rollout of 802.11ac Wi-Fi products. Branded Wi-Fi 5G by Broadcom, 802.11ac offers a promise of improved wireless reliability, range and coverage. Entry-level 5G Wi-Fi products will support 450Mb per second, at least three times faster than 802.11n, while some high-speed 802.11ac devices will offer transmission speeds in excess of a gigabit per second.
With Computex Taipei about to begin, Digitimes spoke with Michael Hurlston, senior VP and general manager, Wireless Combo Connectivity Line of Business at Broadcom to discuss the rollout of 802.11ac.
Q: Why does Broadcom call 802.11ac fifth generation Wi-Fi?
A: It's a branding issue to compare advancements being made in the cellular wireless space with the Wi-Fi space. We are running one generation ahead of the cellular players. Wi-Fi has gone from 802.11 to 802.11.b, 802.11.g, 802.11.n and now to 802.11.ac.
Q: What kind of announcements for 802.11ac can we expect from ODMs at Computex?
A: We had originally expected a slew of announcements to first start coming during Computex Taipei but it looks like our partners have been trying to one-up each other and launches were made starting in April, when Netgear announced a US$200 wireless router. We do still expect to see even more announcements in the router and gateway area during Computex.
Originally we told the press and analysts to expect products to begin shipping sometime in the summer during the back-to-school timeframe, but now we're looking at early summer, if not spring, for a majority of these products to begin hitting the shelf. In fact, products already started shipping in May.
The first products to ship are routers and gateways, with PCs coming shortly after. We thought PC products would ship late in the third quarter or maybe early in the fourth quarter but we're on track to pull that schedule in as well. Now potentially we'll have PC or client type devices with 802.11ac support shipping in the summer time.
Q: Last year Broadcom was making a push for Wi-Fi Direct, which is a type of distributed Wi-Fi. Can you compare that rollout and market interest to what you are seeing with 802.11ac?
A: Last year at Computex, Broadcom was pushing Wi-Fi Direct on portable devices and that technology was just getting going at the time. Now Wi-Fi Direct is fairly ubiquitous, with every device we ship having Wi-Fi direct software capabilities built into it.
What we have been seeing with Wi-Fi Direct is a number of interesting usage cases developing, with most of them focusing on video. For example, one area is Wi-Fi Display, which allows you to take content such as a movie clip from a tablet or phone and push the content to a TV for viewing. The Wi-Fi Direct ecosystem realizes there are a number of ways this content can be moved directly between client devices, so there has been related increased demand to move the content from the network to the client wireless device, and that should spill over into demand for 5G Wi-Fi. Basically, you have video that needs to move over these links and that has precipitated the move to a faster bandwidth solution.
Another big concept pushing 5G Wi-Fi demand is in-home video distribution. From a North America perspective, what we are seeing is a big shift where service providers such as AT&T are busy advertising and pushing the concept of the wireless set top box (STB).
AT&T was the first carrier to really start offering wireless set top boxes, with its current product shipping with 802.11n. It is actually using our technology but it does have some limitations since the range is limited. If you are too far from the major access point you need to switch to a wireline connection. Also, the number of set top boxes a customer can have is limited to three units and some homes and in the US want to add 4-5 set top boxes.
Now if you have one central distribution point that is based on the increased coverage of 802.11.ac wireless, this becomes a very attractive option to the carriers, because it offers all the virtues of the mobile set top box that they are pushing on TV while doing away with the need for any wireline connection. This offers the potential for faster installation times since they can install a wireless set top box incredibly fast. They don't have to have wires running into walls or into ceilings. Doing it wirelessly saves them a tremendous amount of money.
So all the carriers are interested in offering a wireless set top box solution but some of them have been concerned about doing it in a huge way due to some of these range and bandwidth limitations associated with 802,11n. However, 5G Wi-Fi has been a huge lift to that segment of the market and we see the carriers gravitating to 802.11.ac as being the answer to some of the concerns they have. This push will be big and it will come from the carrier perspective rather than from a device perspective.
Q: How do you expect 5G Wi-Fi products to be priced? For example, the first home routers were being offered for about US$200?
A: We are also seeing launch prices at around US$200, and you can probably expect perhaps a $20-something step down once the back-to-school season arrives and another reset for the end-of-year holidays, when some more appreciable reductions will arrive based on new chipsets that we might have coming out or due to other savings makers might have to promote the end-of-year holidays.
Q: How about 5G Wi-Fi on the client side?
A: Each product category has its own cadence. The gateway market or the home router market has the fastest cadence. The PC market is typically a little bit longer. As I mentioned, we are now expecting to see PC products shipping with 5G Wi-Fi sometime in the third quarter. Optimistically we may even see some co-announcements made at Computex. It is still touch-and-go as to whether we can meet such an aggressive rollout. Finally, we would expect mobile phones and TVs to have a slower cadence. The first time we would expect to see these types of products is end-of-year, moving into first quarter 2013.
Q: What about tablets?
A: Tablets are an interesting area. Basically tablet development has been an off-shoot of smartphones, so OEMs have been using the same Wi-Fi solutions for tablets as they use for mobile phones. One characteristic of mobile phones though, is that there are space constraints so they cannot support multiple antennas. That is why you only see single-stream Wi-Fi technology on mobile phones. So if you look at what we see in the tablet market - and we have a huge market share in the tablet market - 100% of the Wi-Fi tablet solutions we have shipped up until now have been single stream. However, going back to what I said about increased demand for high-bandwidth video on tablets, vendors are realizing that tablets are big enough to support multiple antenna technology.
Therefore, in the post Computex timeframe you can expect to see some tablet refreshes that feature two-stream Wi-Fi. Mind you, these will be still be 802.11.n solutions but the idea is the same. Users are demanding more throughput to support video applications. You can expect these products to be coming onto the market in the third quarter of this year and they will feature higher data throughput in the tablet space.
Q: What about the power consumption of these products?
A: For mobile devices, the key mode people worry about for Wi-Fi power consumption is standby mode. In that context, our two-stream solutions will consume the same amount of battery power as the single stream solution that we ship to mobile phones. If you look at power consumption in active mode, the two-stream solution does consume more power but then again you have to look at the total power consumption, since data is being transmitted much faster. Overall, the total power consumption is lower in active mode by about 25-30%.
Q: For 5G Wi-Fi solutions, how many streams can we expect for tablets?
A: How about we talk about the whole market. For the router solutions, you can expect to see three streams, while PC solutions will have two streams and handset solutions will continue to have one stream. As for tablets, the market is evolving but you can expect two-stream solutions in the first quarter of next year.
Q: There have been reports that mobile device system makers are looking to take more control of their product platforms by having more control over the silicon inside them. Can you comment on how Broadcom views this trend?
A: In general this is a good thing for us. Basically, the top tier players are doing this, players such as Apple, Samsung and perhaps even HTC. What we are seeing is that the applications processor is the area where customers have looked to differentiate their products and control their own destiny. This is where they are making their investment and the final devices are then targeted for the higher-end of the market. This is the portion of the market where the OEMs are trying to differentiate their products from the vanilla Android platform products that everyone is offering. And this trend has been outstanding for us from a connectivity perspective because when it comes to connectivity for these mobile devices, typically the OEMs will seek out best-in-class performance. And in this market, Broadcom has best-in-class connectivity. Just look at all the high-end phones in the market. They are all using Broadcom.
Q: Can you provide a little more color on how OEMs are using Broadcom silicon to differentiate their products?
A: For example, I spoke before about how there are Wi-Fi Direct software capabilities built into all Broadcom Wi-Fi solutions. Wi-Fi Direct is only a rudimentary kind of plumbing, in that it can establish a connection between two devices at a very basic level. Basically, it negotiates the handshaking protocol between two devices. That is what we provide. However, if you want to stream video from device one to device two, the application that decides how that is done and how it is processed by the user is typically handled by the OEM. They come up with the application code to make it as easy as possible for the consumer to do this - a very good example of this is AirPlay from Apple. It is Apple's application code that pushes content from one Apple device to another. The application layer is where the OEMs can differentiate. On a basic level though, it makes sense for all of those devices to be built on a standard wireless solution that is understood by all the devices. Having only one type of initial handshake rather than needing to support all different types of handshakes is much easier for the OEMs. And this should work across multiple types of devices, whether it is a tablet, handset or TV.
This works well for us because in addition to being best in class for connectivity, Broadcom has the unique advantage of having wireless technology going into all three of these categories, making it easier for our partners to get connected using one set of similar code.
Q: Are there any other wireless technologies we should be on the lookout for during Computex?
A: One area we see a lot of interest is in the area of near field communications (NFC). The global banking industry has been getting a lot of attention in the handset space for this and this is an area where we are also participating. Like any other segment though, there has been a lot of churn around the mobile banking concept due to a chicken and egg issue - who wants to build infrastructure when there are no applications, and vice versa.
However, the interesting thing we are seeing is that a whole new category of applications are appearing around NFC, where the concept of touch or a kind of proximal location is allowing fast connections between two devices. We are seeing a lot of pickup in this area as technology in areas like printers, consumer electronics, etc., is creating a pairing between a mobile handset and a TV or gaming device, or any other device for that matter, and that is driving the market and creating a lot of interest and enthusiasm outside of the mobile banking area.
Michael Hurlston, senior VP and general manager, Wireless Combo Connectivity Line of Business at Broadcom
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How to Keep Your Business Safe from Ransomware, CEO Fraud, and Other Modern Cybersecurity Threats
Presented by: Christopher Buono, Anteris
Sixty-two percent of data theft victims are small- or medium-sized businesses. Computer viruses, malware, hacking, and the like have all been top concerns for business leaders for many years. But now more than ever, the stakes are higher. What once was a nuisance became an issue of downtime and lost productivity. Now falling victim to cybersecurity threats results in outright theft, ransom, or extortion. In fact, small businesses pay an average of $38,000 to recover from a single data breach. Thankfully, there are ways to protect yourself and your business. This session will include discussion on tangible methods and current best practices for layered defense options.
Christopher Buono has worked in the information-technology field for more than 25 years—including 13 years in leadership roles and 10 years in cybersecurity. Chris currently serves the Anteris Solutions team as chief information officer. As CIO, he helps clients navigate the critical process of aligning technology decisions with organizational goals. Prior to joining Anteris, Chris was the lead security consultant to New York State government, where helped keep 40,000 devices safe.
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When her deep navy blue eyes meet yours, you feel overwhelmed with loving feelings. Her tiny bottom is just soooo cute, and you simply can't resist blowing raspberries on her tummy. In fact, you are so devoted to her you couldn't possibly entertain a single thought for anybody else – even your partner.
But not so long ago, you probably solemnly promised each other that "a baby won't change OUR relationship". And the truth is that once a baby enters your life, your relationship with your partner will never be the same again. Ever. And there are things about losing those loving feelings that even your closest friends will probably never tell you (you probably wouldn't believe them – or want to believe them - if they did). For instance:
• Foreplay can be reduced to "are you awake?", and sexual responsiveness can diminish to "I'm asleep, but feel free to help yourself."
If you don't yet have a baby, think of how tired you were in the first trimester of pregnancy, then multiply it by any number from 10 upwards. Exhaustion can have a ripple effect on your relationship. Be kind to yourself. Recognise the high price to your family of unrealistic housekeeping standards. Learn to rest when your baby sleeps (do housework with baby in a sling when she's awake so you don't feel 'guilty' about snoozing during the day). Say no to invitations that will be tiring, and discuss sharing the load with your partner (or anybody else who looks willing and able, even if you have to pay them). For some tips to help your baby (and you) get more sleep, check out the book Sleeping Like a Baby.
• 'Spontaneity' won't happen without careful planning.
You won't just have to make plans for 'spontaneous' lovemaking; everything from a walk in the park to dinner for two or a dash to the bank will require forward planning. On the other hand, you could also be forced to learn the real meaning of spontaneity, so seize the moments and make them special.
• You'll discover the true meaning of the term 'coitus interruptus'.
This is not just a family planning method for teenagers and optimists. When you do get around to making love, even if your baby is soundly sleeping, you can bet your boots she'll yell just as you get to the moment of bliss. This waking seems to have little to do with hunger, noise or movement, and more to do with primitive survival response. It's probably related to the same deep connection between a mother and baby that has a mum waking from a deep sleep just before her baby stirs, or triggers a milk letdown as her baby cries – even if she's up the street and her baby is at home. Try making love when baby is awake, as you're less likely to be interrupted. Little (immobile) babies can be easily amused by a (safely placed) flickering candle-light (bonus: it's flattering to 'mummy tummies' too!).
• It's not only lovemaking that will be interrupted – your train of thought will seem permanently derailed by baby demands.
This can be a challenge, especially if you're having a deep and meaningful conversation with your partner. But with experience you'll learn the valuable skill of maintaining your thread of conversation and be able to pick up discussions exactly where they left off with the same emotional intensity.
• He wants sex. He thinks that making love to you will reassure you his feelings for you haven't changed. You feel all "touched out" after giving to a baby all day. You see sex as one more demand. You want cuddles but you withdraw because you know cuddles will lead to sex. He withdraws because he doesn't want to pressure you, or he feels rejected.
You both need to be nurtured, and to maintain your close connection with each other. Before a baby came, lovemaking was probably the main expression of your connection for each other, and now you may need to find other ways to stay close. Try cuddles, a massage, and a meal together, without pressure to have sex. Understanding and respect for each other's feelings will see passion return at a greater level than if resentment is left to simmer, or you simply drift apart.
• Jealous feelings aren't just for left-out dads or usurped toddlers.
Most dads feel irrational when they realise they're jealous of their own helpless offspring having their needs met, but at least guys' feelings are acknowledged. You may have similar twinges of the green-eyed monster as your partner gives all his adoration to the little babe and seems to hardly notice you, especially if he takes to calling you "Mummy" (heaven forbid!). Feelings of jealousy (for either partner) can be due to a deep psychological awakening that could be echoes of early experiences of sibling rivalry or unsupported needs. Share your feelings with your partner, talking about what you need to feel supported (like reminding him you do have a name!). It's also important to be able to say "that's not really supportive" without either partner being offended.
• Resentment, jealousy's cousin, can be a big dampener on relationships.
You feel trapped as you see him driving off to work, joining the real world. He feels trapped as he drives off to work, 'knowing' you have a free day to meet friends for coffee or lunch. In spite of rational role planning, emotions play havoc if you can't empathise with each other's adjustments. It's never too late to develop good communication skills, but it's best to practise BEFORE the baby comes along. This is because when we're under stress, it's all too easy to fall back on bad habits, like shouting and screaming, rather than listening and respecting each other's feelings.
• Sometimes it helps to ask for help.
Most of us plan for practical and physical support when we're having a baby. But we need to acknowledge that there will be profound changes to our relationships and see support for this as legitimate too. Talk during pregnancy about how infancy and childhood was for you, and try to understand what feelings may arise. You can then discuss "how can we share these feelings?" and "do we have friends we can have these conversations with?" If you feel dissatisfied, distrustful, or can't talk any more, outside help should be called for. It may just take a couple of sessions with a counsellor to set you on the right track. It's not a slur on your ability to cope, but may save your relationship.
Pinky McKay is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and best-selling author of four titles published by Penguin, including Parenting By Heart and Sleeping Like a Baby. She owns a busy private practice in Melbourne specialising in gentle 'no cry' techniques to support parents with unsettled babies and breastfeeding problems.
Pinky is holding Baby Sleep and Toddler Tactics seminars in Sydney and Melbourne. Book your place now.


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Keeping center-of-the-plate options fresh is a challenge all operators face. To guard against the same old food every day, it's often the center of the plate that needs spicing up. Here are several ways operators are staying innovate with center-of-the-plate items.
Here are some innovative ways operators are handling the center of the plate.
Burgers with a pedigree
Rogue Distillery and Public House
10 locations
Portland, Oregon
Joyce started with Rogue's burger selections, adding a version featuring American Kobe beef. This burger lists for $11.95—50 percent higher than the regular burger, but with a food cost of just 30 percent. What Joyce discovered is that his customers were willing to pay more for a branded burger with better taste and higher quality. "We then decided to build our menu around American Kobe beef, offering other items at affordable prices," he says.
Rogue sources Snake River Farms products through its distributor and now menus about 20 selections. These include American Kobe Beef Haute Dogs, Steak Tartare, Flat Iron Steak, Chili and Kobe Bleu Balls. The latter are meatballs Joyce cooked up in his home kitchen, put on the menu as a joke and now count as one of his top-selling appetizers. Using the same upgrading strategy, Rogue began offering Kurobuta Pork Tacos around eight months ago.
Scoping out the unusual
Charleston, South Carolina
It takes a bit of legwork to find lamb neck and grass-fed beef, but Sean Brock, executive chef at the high-end McCrady's, feels the effort is worth it. "It's easy to get prime cuts, but I spend lots of time on the phone sourcing underutilized parts of the animal and locally raised meats," Brock contends.
Currently, he's buying lamb neck from Niman Ranch; he braises it in olive oil for 36 hours then picks off the meat and rolls it into a cylinder to roast and serve with a double-bone chop. "This is not only more economical than plating a whole rack of lamb, it's more unique for the customer."
Grass-fed beef is sourced from a South Carolina producer, "but it's a problem storing the whole cow," Brock notes. His solution: share the meat with other restaurants and figure out ways to use the rest of the animal to make it more cost-effective. He has started a charcuterie program to utilize extra beef, lamb and pork; his pigs currently come from a local farmer and lambs from Jamison Farms. But Brock's interest in the whole animal has led to a plan to raise his own on the restaurant's vegetable farm. He's starting with chickens and pigs and will move on to lamb. "One reason I started our farm was to have everything at my fingertips and spend less time dealing with suppliers," he says.
Stretching for profits
Al's Beef
22 locations
Tinley Park, Illinois
Al's first place opened in tougher economic times—the 1930s. From the beginning, the kitchen figured out how to create a generous sandwich without breaking the bank. Al's #1 Italian Beef, the concept's signature sandwich, is still made the same way, according to Dave Howey, president of Chicago Franchise Systems, the current parent company. "We dry-roast the beef, using the top butt cut, then slice it very thin and marinate it in the roasting juices for a flavorful, au jus sandwich," he says. "The method is designed to stretch the beef." He adds that top butts are more difficult to trim and slice, but it's worth the effort.
In the last year, Howey has had to raise the price of the sandwich twice due to higher food costs. But the increases were modest—just 10 cents each time. Al's #1 Italian Beef now goes for $4.69-$4.95, depending on location. "We've never skimped on the meat or changed the sandwich in any way—our customers wouldn't stand for it."
Be your own butcher
Tre Dici Steak
New York City
Chef-owner Giuseppe Fanelli opened Tre Dici Steak in the space above his popular neighborhood Italian restaurant, Tre Dici. This way, he can serve premium veal chops and filet mignons upstairs and transform the trimmings into veal ragu and steak tartare for the downstairs menu.
"I do all the butchering myself, so I can eyeball the yield for uniform portion size and minimum waste," he says. "But whatever scraps I have go into another menu item."
Fanelli purchases all his meat from one supplier, LaFrieda Meats, building up a relationship that works to his advantage for locking in prices. To keep menu prices down to neighborhood levels without sacrificing flavor, he sources Black Angus beef, a grade that falls between prime and choice. "My customers want a good-sized portion of very good quality beef, not a small portion of super-high quality," he explains.


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The Drake University College of Business and Public Administration provides a four-year undergraduate program leading to the BS in Business Administration (BSBA) The graduate programs lead to the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Accounting (MACC), Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Financial Management (MFM).
College Vision Statement
The CBPA creates a better future for our learners and society by integrating theory, practice and scholarship in a collaborative learning environment.
College Mission Statement
The CBPA prepares leaders to create and communicate sustainable results for business and our global society.
The Promise
The CBPA prepares our learners to succeed as leaders and global citizens by bringing the world into the classroom and the classroom into the world. Our leaders will be:
Independent Study
Each department in the College of Business and Public Administration, as faculty time permits, offers independent study according to the needs and interest of its students. These courses are open to students with the consent of the instructor and associate dean. They provide opportunities for directed or independent study and research in selected topics.
To be eligible for independent study, a student must have completed at least 57 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher for all work at Drake and a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher for all business/economics work completed at Drake. Independent study may be used to earn up to 12 hours of credit toward a degree in business administration.


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It's been another year where UK fashion graduate shows have by and large been missed due to travel but the one chunk of graduate activity that I was able to save was to see all the BA undergraduate fashion and textiles work at Central Saint Martins quickly yesterday before leaving for Florence today.
I've not been to the new building in Granary Square, King's Cross that many times but it was only yesterday that I fully understood why finally, the move was a positive one. It's all very well being nostalgic about the old Charing Cross site and the hallowed ground where Galliano and McQueen walked the corridors but the new building really made a whole lot more sense when you saw all the courses exhibiting in the same vicinity, seeing the way students use the building and how the flow of energy runs through the open vaulted atrium space.
I'll stop there with my Grand Designs chat as we have about ten bright young things to plough through. Steve went to the CSM BA fashion show on my behalf and after I whizzed through the pictures on the SD card, I gleaned about four things – toys, pugs, pink and Gooners. All good things in my book but of course I had to go to the exhibition to glean more than just the surface of those motifs. In addition to those talking points, I thought the year was especially strong in the knitwear department, as per usual and thoroughly innovative in terms of textiles and embellishment experimentation. It's very rare that I take a shining to collections, based on theme alone but some of the graduates impressed in their research and dedication to their chosen inspiration point that it was hard not to be infected by their enthusiasm.
I've picked out ten here but I could have gone on and on and there are definitely gaps. For instance, Erin Hawkes, the L'Oreal Award winner of the show is a sore omission only because I couldn't find her portfolio in the slightly crowded womenswear room, despite being a fan of her baggy b-boy-on-girl collection in the show. For now, here are a few who of the grads who I look forward to seeing, turning up in future MA shows, positions at houses or even as fledging young designers.
Aisling Farrell – What do you get when you rub fabrics like organza, chiffon or PVC with polystyrene balls? A static electricity reaction that causes the balls to waft about, which isn't the most obvious source of inspiration for a collection but for Farrell, it produced an interesting exploration of reactions and relationships between different fabrics. Creating contrasts between textures and fabrics isn't anything new but actually investigating how fabrics physically react when positioned near a material is innovative. The visual effect of seeing polystyrene balls bouncing about entrapped in say a PVC trench coat also happens to be appealing, playful and subtly provocative. I'd love to see similar fabric contrasts bought to life in mainstream clothing.
CJ Yao – I keep remembering a sexy scene in some random movie where a man plays a woman like a cello? Well errr'Ķ. this isn't that. This is Yao being inspired by stringed instruments like the harp or musical devices like the metronome and recreating similar structures on the body. By raising the shoulders and broadening the shoulders, incorporating wooden shapes and creating tension with taut strings, you get these imposing silhouettes that look like they're either crippling the female body or providing them with protection. Pushing silhouettes and proportions to the boundaries beyond wearability isn't an easy feat to achieve without the pieces looking like standalone sculpture but Yao had a firm rein on her strings, pulling them into the right position on the body.
Hayley Grundmann – Finding inspiration in the mundane and elevating it to new heights is the trick of the trade for many of my favourite designers but Grundmann's point of inspiration was surprising and utterly endearing. Her portfolio and collection was a Daz-ling ode (see what I just did there'Ķ) to the launderette and the characters that can be seen doing their regular wash n' tumble dry. Most prominently the collection features innovative knitting using shredded up woven laundry bags, the type that are universally well-know, and was once memorably used in Louis Vuitton's S/S 07 collection. Grundmann however has taken the next step by creating new textiles with the plastic, incorporating it with wool and experimenting with different thickness of the strips of plastic. Awkward near-ankle lengths, glasses and pork-pie hats nods either towards the elderly Coronation Street-watching generation or Mary Poppins – or perhaps both. Either way, I couldn't quite get enough of Grundmann's process – from inspiration to conception to result.
Fei Feng – Right I know human Easter Eggs isn't an encouraging description of any collection but I had to admire Feng's absolute dedication and belief in this magical world, which she has created. Chinese poetry, Japanese traditional crafts and general flora and fauna inform this fantastical collection. It isn't immediately apparent that it's a knitwear collection as your vision is overtaken by the bulbous velvet eggs which engulf the body and the giant parasol-esque hats. It's the level of detailing and intricate minutae that impresses you though up close and it's no surprise that Fang has already completed internships at John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, both of course kindred fashion dramatists for Feng.
Natalia Mencej – The first thing that Steve said to me when I asked him about the CSM BA show was "There were PUGS!" I've always been vaguely indifferent towards these squished-up, sad-looking dogs but somehow my sister and her boyfriend have turned me into a fellow pug lover. A pastel-donning old school hip hop crew, each with a pug under their arm, was therefore a sight to behold, even through pictures. Apparently it wasn't Mencej's initial idea to use pugs in the show but her tutors persuaded her to do so and so they found six of them from the London Pug Society (yes there is such a thing). Pugs and theatrics aside, this was a really well-conceived collection – from research to textiles development and then final execution. With something as specific as applying Miami-art-deco pastels to hip hop attire, there definitely had to be conviction and Mencej showed that in spades. Plus there were pugs involved. End of.
Maia Bergman – Plastic, pastel and beading. There isn't any overwrought concept behind Bergman's collection other than a celebration of doing one thing very well indeed and in this case it's her beading techniques. She also comes up with the most delicious colour combinations and when I say delicious, I mean confectionary-derived ripples of colour with pinks melting into blue, oozing into yellow and pouring into green. Sometimes, finding a central motif and sticking to that will yield best results and in Bergman's case, getting obsessed with beading certainly paid off.
Serena Gili – Knitwear students producing unconventional feats of their chosen discipline seems to be a running theme. Gili may have meticulously knitted out organza tops with metallic threads and neon beading but on the bottom, she used resin to create sculptural skirts inspired by Anish Kapoor. With the tops she explores everything from Elizabethan costume to Catholic school girl uniforms. In fact, this entire collection feels like Gili's interpretation of a uniform, embed with ritual, tradition and respect for rules and routine. You are only supposed to walk very slowly and serenely in these skirts which are secured at the waist. Likewise, the stiffened organza tops with their high necks and concertina construction would straighten up any slouchy posture. This is regal wear but not as we know it.
Isabella Newell – Gooner! Gooner! Gooner! The second thing that Steve said to me about the CSM BA show was that there was a collection themed around Arsenal (now you know his priorities – pugs and football). Steve and I are, if you don't know by now, Arsenal supporters. I'm not some pathetic football widow, jumping on her boyfriend's sports bandwagon though. Many moons ago, I waitressed at the Highbury football ground and served David Seaman and Thierry Henry a drink or two. Therefore, I had to stick Newell's collection in here for the sheer novelty of saying "I've written about a collection themed around Arsenal." On paper, it seems like the worse idea in the world to create a collection dedicated to your favourite football team but Newell has researched the subject well enough to fuse that sense of history that Arsenal Football Club has with historically-traced garments (her initial research shows costume from the 1930s, the 19th century and even earlier). It's almost as though Newell is idealising garments for football worshipers, beyond a simple t-shirt jersey and scarf as there's a vaguely papal quality to this collection. Arsenal FC would be silly not to snap up Newell's collection for their archives. At the very least, she needs to get a group of girl Gooners to wear her pieces to a match. I'm volunteering myself of course.
Ruoxin Jin – Another skilled and fantasy knittist from Central Saint Martins emerges in the shape and form of Ruoxin. Her collection explores limits and boundaries with boxy shapes that are then adorned with colourful crocheted mise-en-scenes, inspired by the wooden carvings illustrating Chinese folkloric tales and fables. There's something immediately charming about her collection and once again, the attention to detail is quite extraordinary from the panels of metal hinges, knitted and crocheted together, to creating the toy-like little figures that hang off of the silhouettes.
Molly Goddard – I know Goddard through her sister Alice's blog Cool and Beauty. I knew they had a cute joint line together called Love Tits. I didn't know that Molly was at Central Saint Martins, coming up with this visual feast of a collection. Give me fluro pink tulle, intricate embroidery and nods to various folkloric costumes and I'm a happy lady. This is a collection that speaks to me as a wearer immediately. Even the floor length gown with poofs out in all directions. There's no denying that this is an ode to the magnificence and delicacy of craft – with everything from the smocking to the crocheted doilies to the embroidery beautifully considered. Goddard plays with proportions too in unexpected ways such as dresses dipping at the back to reveal an underskirt or dropped waist gathered skirts creating stiff hoop-like structures that are fitting for the 21st century. Meadham Kirchhoff needs to snap Goddard up.
All backstage photography from 1 Granary, Central Saint Martins' wonderful new student-run blog, which also features many of these BA graduates' work with interviews, portfolio shots and soundtrack MP3s too!


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The U.S. Senate last week passed "The Travel Promotion Act" which, when it becomes law, will mean that each visitor to the U.S.A. will have to pay $10 when completing their ESTA ( Electronic System for Travel Authorisation ). The ESTA was brought in at the beginning of this year to replace the old green in-flight entry system. However, both still seem to be currently required.
This is expected to come into force by next Summer although it could be in place as early as the new year.


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Maine Sports Commission launches new website to promote state as sports destination
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) � The Maine Sports Commission has launched a new website to showcase and market the state as a premier sports destination.
The site, www.mainesportscommission.com , offers information, tools and interactive resources for planners and visitors to use in planning sporting events and sports-related meetings in Maine. The site also provides a listing of more than 100 athletic venues in the state, a photo gallery, a calendar of upcoming events and links to the commission's social media outlets.
The commission was formed earlier this year with the goal of attracting national and regional sporting events to Maine.


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At Bowsher area
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Albums: Global Ethics Day 2018 - CPS. Oman
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Policy Interpretation Question regarding Parental Choice Provisions Included in CCDF Regulations
Program Instruction CCDF-ACF-PIQ-2011-01
- Categories:
- Program Administration
- Topics:
- Quality and Targeted Funds, States/Territories, Tribes
- Types:
- Policy Interpretation Questions
- Tags:
- Current Guidance, Quality Improvement Systems
UPDATE: A final rule based on the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 was published on September 30, 2016. See 45 CFR 98.30(g).
This policy interpretation clarifies that the parental choice provisions included in CCDF regulations do not preclude a Lead Agency from establishing policies that require child care providers serving subsidized children to meet certain quality requirements, including those specified within a quality improvement system, provided that the Lead Agency does so in a manner consistent with the CCDF parental choice requirements. Lead Agencies have flexibility to establish requirements for child care providers that serve children receiving subsidies, which may be reflected as distinct levels or ratings within a quality improvement system. In establishing such policies, the Lead Agency must continue to allow parents to choose from a range of child care provider categories and types as outlined in regulation.
- Program Instruction: CCDF-ACF-PIQ-2011-01 (57.45 KB)


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As far as media conference calls go, the 3 a.m. ones are the best.
Take today's, when promoter Bob Arum posited about why Floyd Mayweather let the deadline pass on committing to a fight with Filipino stallion, Manny Pacquiao, despite his noted wad-waving fetish. Thankfully, the nation's sports network tuned in to hear the Gibsonian shades of Arum's thoughts:
"One of the reasons could be the uncertainly regarding [uncle and trainer] Roger Mayweather. Roger Mayweather is scheduled before a court in Nevada regarding criminal charges. I know how Manny would feel if he had to go into a fight like this without the services of Freddie Roach."
Ah yes, the old "My trainer is facing a decade behind bars for beating a female boxer he once trained" angle. Who among us hasn't tried that one, especially when we're called out as possible scaredy cats?
Summary: Arum was all like, nah, my deadline wasn't actually a drop-dead one. Should Mayweather not see the benefit of tens of millions of raindrops within 10 days, however, Manny could land a November date with Antonio "Plaster of Tijuana Knuckles" Margarito or Miguel "Knocked Him Out Already" Cotto.
Who said boxing's dead?


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Terrorism Studies: Social scientists do counterinsurgency
Categories: Reviews
In the April 26, 2010, issue of The New Yorker, Nicholas Lemann takes a closer look at three new books on counterinsurgency.
A few days after the September 11th attacks—which killed seven times as many people as any previous act of terrorism—President George W. Bush declared that the United States was engaged in a global war on terror. September 11th seemed to confirm that we were in a clash of civilizations between modernity and radical Islam. We had a worldwide enemy with a cause that was general, not specific ("They hate our freedoms"), and we now had to take on the vast, long-running mission—equal in scope to the Cold War—of defeating all ambitious terrorist groups everywhere, along with the states that harbored them. The war on terror wasn't a hollow rhetorical trope. It led to the American conquest and occupation first of Afghanistan, which had sheltered the leaders of Al Qaeda, and then of Iraq, which had no direct connection to September 11th.
Today, few consider the global war on terror to have been a success, either as a conceptual framing device or as an operation. President Obama has pointedly avoided stringing those fateful words together in public. His foreign-policy speech in Cairo, last June, makes an apt bookend with Bush's war-on-terror speech in Washington, on September 20, 2001. Obama not only didn't talk about a war; he carefully avoided using the word "terrorism," preferring "violent extremism."
But if "global war" isn't the right approach to terror what is? Experts on terrorism have produced shelves' worth of new works on this question. For outsiders, reading this material can be a jarring experience. In the world of terrorism studies, the rhetoric of righteousness gives way to equilibrium equations. Nobody is good and nobody is evil. Terrorists, even suicide bombers, are not psychotics or fanatics; they're rational actors—that is, what they do is explicable in terms of their beliefs and desires—who respond to the set of incentives that they find before them. The tools of analysis are realism, rational choice, game theory, decision theory: clinical and bloodless modes of thinking.
That approach, along with these scholars' long immersion in the subject, can produce some surprising observations. In "A Question of Command: Counterinsurgency from the Civil War to Iraq" (Yale; $30), Mark Moyar, who holds the Kim T. Adamson Chair of Insurgency and Terrorism at the Marine Corps University, tells us that, in Afghanistan, the Taliban's pay scale (financed by the protection payments demanded from opium farmers) is calibrated to be a generous multiple of the pay received by military and police personnel (financed by U.S. aid); no wonder official Afghan forces are no match for the insurgents. Audrey Kurth Cronin, a professor of strategy at the National War College, reminds us, in "How Terrorism Ends: Understanding the Decline and Demise of Terrorist Campaigns" (Princeton; $29.95), that one can find out about Al Qaeda's policy for coördinating attacks by reading a book called "The Management of Barbarism," by Abu Bakr Naji, which has been available via Al Qaeda's online library. (Naji advises that, if jihadis are arrested in one country after an attack, a cell elsewhere should launch an attack as a display of resilience.) In "Radical, Religious, and Violent: The New Economics of Terrorism" (M.I.T.; $24.95), Eli Berman traces the origins of the Taliban to a phenomenon that long preceded the birth of modern radical Islam: they are a direct descendant of the Deobandi movement, which began in nineteenth-century India in opposition to British colonial rule and, among other things, established a system of religious schools.
What is terrorism, anyway? The expert consensus converges on a few key traits. Terrorists have political or ideological objectives (the purpose can't be mere profiteering). They are "non-state actors," not part of conventional governments. Their intention is to intimidate an audience larger than their immediate victims, in the hope of generating widespread panic and, often, a response from the enemy so brutal that it ends up backfiring by creating sympathy for the terrorists' cause. Their targets are often ordinary civilians so people don't feel safe anymore they're always aware of their surroundings and even get a good knife for defense so they can feel more secure if someone attack them, and, even when terrorists are trying to kill soldiers, their attacks often don't take place on the field of battle. The modern age of suicide terrorism can be said to have begun with Hezbollah's attack, in October of 1983, on U.S. marines who were sleeping in their barracks in Beirut.
Once you take terrorists to be rational actors, you need a theory about their rationale. Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, built a database of three hundred and fifteen suicide attacks between 1980 and 2003, and drew a resoundingly clear conclusion: "What nearly all suicide terrorist attacks have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland." As he wrote in "Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism" (2005), what terrorists want is "to change policy," often the policy of a faraway major power. Pape asserts that "offensive military action rarely works" against terrorism, so, in his view, the solution to the problem of terrorism couldn't be simpler: withdraw. Pape's "nationalist theory of suicide terrorism" applies not just to Hamas and Hezbollah but also to Al Qaeda; its real goal, he says, is the removal of the U.S. military from the Arabian Peninsula and other Muslim countries. Pape says that "American military policy in the Persian Gulf was most likely the pivotal factor leading to September 11"; the only effective way to prevent future Al Qaeda attacks would be for the United States to take all its forces out of the Middle East.
By contrast, Mark Moyar dismisses the idea that "people's social, political, and economic grievances" are the main cause of popular insurgencies. He regards anti-insurgent campaigns as "a contest between elites." Of the many historical examples he offers, the best known is L. Paul Bremer's de-Baathification of Iraq, in the spring of 2003, in which the entire authority structure of Iraq was disbanded at a stroke, creating a leadership cadre for a terrorist campaign against the American occupiers. One of Moyar's chapters is about the uncontrollably violent American South during Reconstruction—a subject that a number of authors have turned to during the war on terror—and it demonstrates better than his chapter on Iraq the power of his theory to offend contemporary civilian sensibilities. Rather than disempowering the former Confederates and empowering the freed slaves, Moyar says, the victorious Union should have maintained order by leaving the more coöperative elements of the slaveholding, seceding class in control. Effective counterinsurgency, he says, entails selecting the élites you can work with and co-opting them.
In "Talking to Terrorists: Why America Must Engage with Its Enemies" (Basic; $26.95), Mark Perry describes a little-known attempt to apply Moyar's model in Iraq. The book jacket identifies Perry as "a military, intelligence, and foreign affairs analyst and writer," but his writing conveys a strong impression that he has not spent his career merely watching the action from a safe seat in the bleachers. Much of the book is devoted to a detailed description, complete with many on-the-record quotes, of a series of meetings in Amman, Jordan, in 2004, between a group of Marine officers based in Anbar province, in western Iraq, and an Iraqi businessman named Talal al-Gaood. Gaood, a Sunni and a former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, suggested he could broker a deal that would make the horrific, almost daily terrorist attacks in western Iraq go away.
Perry's tone calls to mind a Tom Clancy novel. Tough, brave, tight-lipped officers do endless battle not just with the enemy in the field but also with cowardly, dissembling political bureaucrats in the Pentagon, the State Department, and the White House. The crux of his story is that a promising negotiation was tragically cut short, just as it was about to bear fruit, when the key negotiator, a Marine colonel, was "PNG'd"—declared persona non grata—by Washington and denied entry to Jordan. Not long after that, Gaood died suddenly, of a heart ailment, at the age of forty-four (according to Perry, he was so beloved that his wake had to be held in a soccer stadium), putting an end to any possibility of further talks. It's startling to read about American military commanders in the field taking on a freelance diplomatic mission of this magnitude, and to imagine that there was a businessman in Amman who, on the right terms, could have snapped his fingers and ended what we back home thought of as pervasive, wild-eyed jihad.
What dominates the writing of experts about terrorism, however, is a more fine-grained idea of terrorists' motives—at the level of ethnic group, tribe, village, and even individual calculation. Pape thinks of terrorists as being motivated by policy and strategic concerns; Cronin, of the National War College, shares Pape's view that most terrorists are, essentially, terroirists—people who want control of land—but she is also attuned to their narrower, more local considerations. The odds are against them, because of the natural forces of entropy and their lack of access to ordinary military power and other resources, but, if they do succeed, they can be counted upon to try to ascend the ladder of legitimacy, first to insurgency, then to some kind of governing status. (Examples of that ultimate kind of success would be the Irgun and the Stern Gang, in Israel, Sinn Fein and the Provisional I.R.A., in Northern Ireland, and the Palestine Liberation Organization, in the West Bank and Gaza.)
Cronin goes through an elaborate menu of techniques for hastening the end of a terrorist campaign. None of them rise to the level of major policy, let alone a war on terror; in general, the smaller their scope the more effective Cronin finds them to be. She believes, for instance, that jailing the celebrated head of a terrorist organization is a more effective countermeasure than killing him. (Abimael Guzmán, the head of the Shining Path, in Peru, was, after his capture in 1992, "displayed in a cage, in a striped uniform, recanting and asking his followers to lay down their arms." That took the wind out of the Shining Path's sails. A surprise ambush that martyred him might not have.) Negotiating with terrorists—a practice usually forsworn, often done—can work in the long term, Cronin says, not because it is likely to produce a peace treaty but because it enables a state to gain intelligence about its opponents, exploit differences and hive off factions, and stall while time works its erosive wonders.
Cronin offers a confident prescription, based on her small-bore approach to terrorism, for defeating the apparently intractable Al Qaeda. The idea is to take advantage of the group's highly decentralized structure by working to alienate its far-flung component parts, getting them to see their local interests as being at odds with Al Qaeda's global ones. "Bin Laden and Zawahiri have focused on exploiting and displacing the local concerns of the Chechens, the Uighurs, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Salafist Group for Call and Combat in Algeria, and many others, and sought to replace them with an international agenda," Cronin writes. The United States should now try to "sever the connection between Islamism and individualized local contexts for political violence, and then address them separately." It should work with these local groups, not in an effort to convert them to democracy and love of America but in order to pry them away, one by one, from Al Qaeda. ("Calling the al-Qaeda movement 'jihadi international,' as the Israeli intelligence services do," she writes, "encourages a grouping together of disparate threats that undermines our best counterterrorism. It is exactly the mistake we made when we lumped the Chinese and the Soviets together in the 1950s and early 1960s, calling them 'international Communists.' ")
Eli Berman, an economist who has done field work among ultra-orthodox religious groups in Israel, is even more granular in his view of what terrorists want: he stresses the social services that terror and insurgent groups provide to their members. Berman's book is an extended application to terrorism of an influential 1994 article by the economist Laurence Iannaccone, called "Why Strict Churches Are Strong." Trying to answer the question of why religious denominations that impose onerous rules and demand large sacrifices of their members seem to thrive better than those which do not, Iannaccone surmised that strict religions function as economic clubs. They appeal to recruits in part because they are able to offer very high levels of benefits—not just spiritual ones but real services—and this involves high "defection constraints." In denominations where it's easy for individual members to opt out of an obligation, it is impossible to maintain such benefits. Among the religious groups Iannaccone has written about, impediments to defection can be emotionally painful, such as expulsion or the promise of eternal damnation; in many terrorist groups, the defection constraints reflect less abstract considerations: this-worldly torture, maiming, and murder.
Berman's main examples are Hamas, Hezbollah, Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, in Iraq, and the Taliban, whom Berman calls "some of the most accomplished rebels of modern times." All these organizations, he points out, are effective providers of services in places where there is dire need of them. Their members are also subject to high defection constraints, because their education and their location don't put them in the way of a lot of opportunity and because they know they will be treated brutally if they do defect.
Like most other terrorism experts, Berman sees no crevasse between insurgents and terrorists. Instead, he considers them to be members of a single category he calls "rebels," who use a variety of techniques, depending on the circumstances. Suicide bombing represents merely one end of the spectrum; its use is an indication not of the fanaticism or desperation of the individual bomber (most suicide bombers—recall Muhammad Atta's professional-class background—are not miserably poor and alienated adolescent males) but of the supremely high cohesion of the group. Suicide bombing, Berman notes, increases when the terrorist group begins to encounter hard targets, like American military bases, that are impervious to everything else. The Taliban used traditional guerrilla-warfare techniques when they fought the Northern Alliance in the mountains. When their enemies became Americans and other Westerners operating from protected positions and with advanced equipment, the Taliban were more likely to resort to suicide bombing. How else could a small group make a big impact?
The idea of approaching terrorists as rational actors and defeating them by a cool recalibration of their incentives extends beyond the academic realm. Its most influential published expression is General David Petraeus's 2006 manual "Counterinsurgency." Written in dry management-ese, punctuated by charts and tables, the manual stands as a rebuke of the excesses of Bush's global war on terror.
"Soldiers and Marines are expected to be nation builders as well as warriors," the introduction to the manual declares. "They must be prepared to help reestablish institutions and local security forces and assist in rebuilding infrastructure and basic services. They must be able to facilitate establishing local governance and the rule of law." The manual's most famous formulation is "clear-hold-build," and its heaviest emphasis is on the third of those projects; the counterinsurgent comes across a bit like a tough but kindhearted nineteen-fifties cop, walking a beat, except that he does more multitasking. He collects garbage, digs wells, starts schools and youth clubs, does media relations, improves the business climate. What he doesn't do is torture, kill in revenge, or overreact. He's Gandhi in I.E.D.-proof armor.
Petraeus has clearly absorbed the theory that terrorist and insurgent groups are sustained by their provision of social services. Great swaths of the manual are devoted to elaborating ways in which counterinsurgents must compete for people's loyalty by providing better services in the villages and tribal encampments of the deep-rural Middle East. It's hard to think of a service that the manual doesn't suggest, except maybe yoga classes. And, like Berman, the manual is skeptical about the utility, in fighting terrorism, of big ideas about morality, policy, or even military operations. Here's a representative passage:
Another tendency is to attempt large-scale, mass programs. In particular, Soldiers and Marines tend to apply ideas that succeed in one area to another area. They also try to take successful small programs and replicate them on a larger scale. This usually does not work. Often small-scale programs succeed because of local conditions or because their size kept them below the enemy's notice and helped them flourish unharmed. . . . Small-scale projects rarely proceed smoothly into large programs. Keep programs small.
One problem with such programs is that they can be too small, and too nice, to win the hearts and minds of the populace away from their traditional leaders. The former civil-affairs officer A. Heather Coyne tells the story, recounted in Berman's book, of a program that offered people in Sadr City ten dollars a day to clean the streets—something right out of the counterinsurgency manual. The American colonel who was running the program went out to talk to people and find out how effective the program was at meeting its larger goal. This is what he heard: "We are so grateful for the program. And we're so grateful to Muqtada al-Sadr for doing this program." Evidently, Sadr had simply let it be known that he was behind this instance of social provision, and people believed him. For Berman, the lesson is "a general principle: economic development and governance can be at odds when the territory is not fully controlled by the government." That's a pretty discouraging admission—it implies that helping people peacefully in an area where insurgents are well entrenched may only help the insurgents.
One could criticize the manual from a military perspective, as Mark Moyar does, for being too nonviolent and social-worky. Moyar admires General Petraeus personally (Petraeus being the kind of guy who, while recuperating from major surgery at a hospital after taking a bullet during a live-ammunition exercise, had his doctors pull all the tubes out of his arm and did fifty pushups to prove that he should be released early). But Moyar is appalled by the manual's tendency to downplay the use of force: "The manual repeatedly warned of the danger of alienating the populace through the use of lethal force and insisted that counterinsurgents minimize the use of force, even if in some instances it meant letting enemy combatants escape. . . . As operations in Iraq and elsewhere have shown, aggressive and well-led offensive operations to chase down insurgents have frequently aided the counterinsurgent cause by robbing the insurgents of the initiative, disrupting their activities, and putting them in prison or in the grave."
Because terrorism is such an enormous problem—it takes place constantly, all over the world, in conflict zones and in big cities, in more and less developed countries—one can find an example of just about every anti-terrorist tactic working (or failing to). One of the most prolific contemporary terrorist groups, the Tamil Tigers, of Sri Lanka, appears to have been defeated by the Sinhalese Buddhist-dominated government, through a conventional, if unusually violent, military campaign, which ended last spring. In that instance, brutal repression seems to have been the key. But the Russians have tried that intermittently in Chechnya, without the same effect; the recent suicide bombing in the Moscow subway by Chechen terrorists prompted an Op-Ed piece in the Times by Robert Pape and two associates, arguing that the answer is for Russia to dial back its "indirect military occupation" of Chechnya.
The point of social science is to be careful, dispassionate, and analytical, to get beyond the lure of anecdote and see what the patterns really are. But in the case of counterterrorism the laboratory approach can't be made to scan neatly, because there isn't a logic that can be counted upon to apply in all cases. One could say that the way to reduce a group's terrorist activity is by reaching a political compromise with it; Northern Ireland seems to be an example. But doing that can make terrorism more attractive to other groups—a particular risk for the United States, which operates in so many places around the world. After the Hezbollah attack on the Marine barracks, in 1983, President Ronald Reagan pulled out of Lebanon, a decision that may have set off more terrorism in the Middle East over the long term. Immediate, savage responses—George W. Bush, rather than Reagan—can work in one contained area and fail more broadly. If the September 11th attacks were meant in part to provoke a response that would make the United States unpopular in the Muslim world, they certainly succeeded.
Even if one could prove that a set of measured responses to specific terrorist acts was effective, or that it's always a good idea to alter terrorists' cost-benefit calculations, there's the problem implied by the tactic's name: people on the receiving end of terrorism, and not just the immediate victims, do, in fact, enter a state of terror. The emotion—and its companion, thirst for revenge—inevitably figure large in the political life of the targeted country. As Cronin dryly notes, "In the wake of major attacks, officials tend to respond (very humanly) to popular passions and anxiety, resulting in policy made primarily on tactical grounds and undermining their long-term interests. Yet this is not an effective way to gain the upper hand against nonstate actors." The implication is that somewhere in the world there might be a politician with the skill to get people to calm down about terrorists in their midst, so that a rational policy could be pursued. That's hard to imagine.
Another fundamental problem in counterterrorism emerges from a point many of the experts agree on: that terrorism, uniquely horrifying as it is, doesn't belong to an entirely separate and containable realm of human experience, like the one occupied by serial killers. Instead, it's a tactic whose aims bleed into the larger, endless struggle of people to control land, set up governments, and exercise power. History is about managing that struggle, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, rather than eliminating the impulses that underlie it.
For Americans, the gravest terrorist threat right now is halfway across the world, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. On paper, in all three countries, the experts' conceptual model works. Lesser terrorist groups remain violent but seem gradually to lose force, and greater ones rise to the level of political participation. At least some elements of the Taliban have been talking with the Afghan government, with the United States looking on approvingly. In Iraq, during the recent elections, some Sunni groups set off bombs near polling places, but others won parliamentary seats. Yet this proof of concept does not solve the United States' terrorism problem. Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan all have pro-American governments that are weak. They don't have firm control over the area within their borders, and they lack the sort of legitimacy that would make terrorism untempting. Now that General Petraeus is the head of the Central Command and has authority over American troops in the region, our forces could practice all that he has preached, achieve positive results, and still be unable to leave, because there is no national authority that can be effective against terrorism.
Long ago, great powers that had vital interests far away simply set up colonies. That wound up being one of the leading causes of terrorism. Then, as an alternative to colonialism, great powers supported dictatorial client states. That, too, often led to terrorism. During the Bush Administration, creating democracies (by force if necessary) in the Middle East was supposed to serve American interests, but, once again, the result was to increase terrorism. Even if all terrorism turns out to be local, effective, long-running counterterrorism has to be national. States still matter most. And finding trustworthy partner states in the region of the world where suicide bombers are killing Americans is so hard that it makes fighting terrorism look easy.
Original post: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2010/04/26/100426crbo_books_lemann?currentPage=all