text:
President Lyndon Johnson announced a partial halt to the bombing of North Vietnam
- Created on Wednesday, 01 May 2013 13:05
- Written by Frances FitzGerald
In the wake of the Tet offensive, on March 31, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson announced a partial halt to the bombing of North Vietnam, initiated peace talks with Hanoi, and declared he would not run for a second term. In that election year, Richard Nixon called for "peace with honor" and defeated Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who could not attack Johnson for waging what had become a hugely unpopular war. Many Americans assumed that peace would come in short order. But, though the peace talks had begun, fighting in Vietnam continued for another seven years. In those years, Nixon gradually withdrew American troops from Vietnam but expanded the war to Cambodia and Laos, and with extensive bombing campaigns wreaked more destruction on the Indochinese than had been visited upon them in all the preceding years of war. More than twenty thousand American troops died, and upheavals in the United States tore the country apart, creating divisions that remain with us today.
The reason for this was simple: Nixon, as he said, had no intention of becoming "the first president of the United States to lose a war." To him, that meant that he had to sustain the anticommunist government in Saigon at least through his own term in office. On the other hand, the Vietnamese communists, north and south, who had fought a nationalist and a revolutionary struggle against the Japanese, the French, and the Americans since the Second World War, would not abandon their cause.
During the 1968 campaign, Nixon ruled out a U.S. "military victory." The only strategy the military planners had figured out was the attrition of enemy forces, and the Tet offensive had convinced the American public that attrition wasn't working and that the only prospect was for more American casualties with no end in sight. A withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam had thus become a political necessity.
But how to withdraw and maintain the Saigon government? Created by the United States after the French withdrew in 1954, that government, the Republic of Vietnam, never gained political legitimacy. Since the fall of Ngo Dinh Diem to a military junta in 1963, it had been merely an administration and an army held together by American aid, with no politics except anticommunism. Johnson had sent U.S. troops to Vietnam in 1965 because it was disintegrating under political and military pressure from the southern revolutionaries, the National Liberation Front. Later, regular North Vietnamese troops had joined the battle. However, the three years of the American war had taken a toll on the NLF's guerrilla forces and driven much of the rural population that supported them into the garrisoned cities and towns. In the Tet offensive, the NLF suffered crippling casualties; the North Vietnamese army was less affected, but it could not undertake a major new offensive soon. Nixon determined to press the military advantage while slowly withdrawing the American troops.
Under the rubric of "Vietnamization," Nixon launched a program of military aid to Saigon that permitted the junta, led by General Nguyen Van Thieu, to draft a million men into its military forces and to acquire the fourth-largest air force in the world. In addition, he initiated the Phoenix program in an effort to eliminate the NLF's civilian political cadre through enlarging and centralizing the government's secret police forces. Then, in 1969–1970, the American forces went on the offensive; they conducted major sweep-and-destroy operations in central Vietnam, entered the densely populated Mekong Delta for the first time, pursued local NLF units, and bombed the villages with B-52s. In support of these operations, Nixon authorized a secret bombing campaign against NLF and North Vietnamese sanctuaries in Cambodia. The raids, which went on for fourteen months, encouraged the Cambodian prime minister, Lon Nol, to overthrow Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the monarch who had long tried to keep Cambodia out of the war. On April 30, 1970, Nixon announced he had ordered U.S. and ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) troops into Cambodia to find and destroy the enemy's central command base. The base, as it turned out, had been evacuated weeks before, but the U.S. campaign succeeded in disrupting North Vietnamese supply lines.
By 1971, these military operations and the Vietnamization program had achieved one important U.S. objective: they had destroyed the NLF as an effective military force and given the Saigon government control of most of the population. But the cost was extremely high. U.S. combat units took devastating casualties, and morale among the GIs collapsed: drug use become common, racial tensions erupted, individual units refused combat, and officers were murdered by their troops. At home, the antiwar movement grew, and huge demonstrations erupted in cities and on campuses across the country. Not all of them were peaceful, and, sensing a reaction, Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew, called upon "the silent majority" for support against the media and academic "elite" that they blamed for the demonstrations. Passions flared on both sides. After the invasion of Cambodia, over a third of U.S. colleges and universities shut down, and an Ohio National Guard unit, ordered onto the campus of Kent State University, fired on a group of protesting students, killing four of them. Cambodia fell into anarchy, from which the murderous Khmer Rouge emerged.
For Nixon, there remained the problem of the North Vietnamese Army. Foreseeing a major offensive in 1972, U.S. commanders in Saigon determined to thwart it by cutting the Ho Chi Minh trail, a network of roads and paths through the mountains of the Laotian panhandle that the North Vietnamese used as their logistical corridor to the south. A congressional amendment passed after the Cambodian incursion barred American forces from entering Cambodia and Laos, but the ARVN were not so constrained, and on February 8, 1971, some thirty thousand ARVN troops attacked across the border with American air support. The operation was foolishly conceived (the Ho Chi Minh trail could be "cut" only for as long as the ARVN remained as a blocking force) and badly executed. The ARVN units, finding themselves attacked by North Vietnamese artillery and ground troops, began a retreat that soon turned into a disastrous rout—calling the whole Vietnamization program into question.
NIXON HAD always understood that U.S. gains against the NLF were only tactical and temporary. His hope was that he could convince Hanoi to back down by threatening to bomb North Vietnam into extinction—and the bombing of Cambodia was meant to signal his resolve. He also hoped to persuade the major communist powers to bring the North Vietnamese to heel.
Since 1965, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China had furnished Hanoi with significant quantities of military aid and with rice to feed its population. Disputes between the two powers had complicated these aid programs. Nixon judged that at some point both countries would develop priorities more important to them than the support of the Vietnamese revolution. To the Soviets, he held out the promise of a strategic nuclear arms agreement and to the Chinese the promise of a rapprochement with the United States. These initiatives had their own rewards—and they produced the astonishing spectacle of Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong smiling for the television cameras in Beijing—but they did not persuade either power to abandon Hanoi.
In March 1972, the North Vietnamese launched a major three-pronged offensive, using tanks and heavy artillery for the first time in the war. In all three sectors, the ARVN, though similarly equipped, fled before them. The North Vietnamese advanced so rapidly they outstripped their planning; they hesitated, and B-52 raids pulverized their positions. Their advance was stopped, they took huge casualties, but their offensive permitted the southern revolutionaries to establish new bases and to lay the groundwork for a renewed political struggle. An intense U.S. bombing campaign against the North failed to halt their support for that struggle.
By June 1972, there were only 47,000 American troops left in Vietnam, and the time had come for a peace agreement. In secret talks with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in Paris over the years, the North Vietnamese negotiator, Le Duc Tho, had consistently called for a complete withdrawal of American troops in exchange for a ceasefire and the return of prisoners of war. He had rejected Kissinger's proposal for a "mutual withdrawal," that is, a simultaneous withdrawal of North Vietnamese from the South, and he had insisted on a condition that Nixon found unacceptable: the replacement of the current Saigon regime with a coalition government. But with the new balance of forces in South Vietnam, both sides saw the outlines of an agreement. In a speech on May 8, Nixon promised to pull out all American troops following a ceasefire and the release of prisoners of war; afterward, he said, an internal political settlement could be worked out "by the Vietnamese themselves." Conspicuously, he made no mention of a "mutual withdrawal," thereby removing a major obstacle for the North Vietnamese. After further talks between Kissinger and Tho in Paris, the North Vietnamese, on October 8, issued a nine-point draft agreement that removed a major obstacle for the United States. The draft did not insist that Thieu step down in advance of an armistice; rather, it proposed that the Republic of Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government (the governmental structure of the NLF) be recognized as "administrative entities" and that they should appoint a council of national reconciliation that would hold democratic elections for a new government. Reunification would take place at an indefinite date in the future through "peaceful means." Meanwhile, military assistance to both sides would be limited to replacements.
Kissinger was elated. With minor modifications, he accepted the draft and made plans to fly to Hanoi in late October to initial the agreement. The formal signing was to take place the following week, just before the U.S. presidential election. In Saigon, however, he found Nguyen Van Thieu adamantly opposed. This was hardly surprising, as Thieu's position had always included "Four Nos": no recognition of the enemy in the South, no neutralization of the South, no coalition government, and no surrender of territory. Kissinger promised Thieu that if the other side violated the agreement, U.S. retaliation would be swift and severe, and went so far as to threaten him with a cutoff of U.S. aid, but Thieu would not budge. Nixon was furious, but, deciding that he couldn't afford to scuttle the Saigon regime or to sign a separate peace, he backed down. Dutifully, Kissinger cabled Hanoi and once again raised the issue of North Vietnamese troops in the South. Hanoi responded by publishing the text of the agreement and a history of the secret talks.
IN A press conference on October 26, Kissinger acknowledged that the text was essentially correct and said that while certain technical issues remained, the problems were not very great. Peace, he declared, was "at hand." It was not. Returning to Paris on November 19, Kissinger demanded that Tho reopen a number of the major issues and threatened "savage" bombing of the North if he wouldn't. Tho refused and returned to Hanoi. On December 17, Nixon authorized a renewed bombing of the North, and for eleven days B-52s and other American aircraft flew three thousand sorties, mainly over the heavily populated corridor between Hanoi and Haiphong, attacking power plants, shipyards, and other installations that had been off the target list until then. The "Christmas bombing" was the most concentrated air offensive of the war; some thirty American planes were lost, and the public reaction was negative. On January 8, Kissinger and Tho resumed their meetings, and on January 27 the Paris Peace Agreement was signed. Nixon and Kissinger claimed that Hanoi had been bombed back to the negotiating table, but the text of the agreement was essentially the same as the draft Hanoi had published in October. This time, however, Nixon told Thieu he would sign the agreement without him, and Thieu, reassured that Nixon would bomb the North again if necessary, cooperated.
Once American troops had been withdrawn and prisoners of war exchanged, Thieu launched operations against the zones of enemy control in the Delta and along the Cambodian border. The PRG kept calling for a ceasefire and a political settlement as specified in the agreement. Thieu, however, could not have survived in a political struggle, and the war continued, as Nixon and Kissinger assumed it would. The U.S. Congress rebelled against Nixon's promise to re-intervene if the communists violated the truce and passed bills blocking funds for any U.S. military activities in Indochina. But U.S. military aid to Thieu continued as before.
At the end of 1973, the Thieu government held a strong military position. With a million men under arms, its army controlled most of the country and most of the population. Its difficulties were internal. The American troop presence had pumped billions of dollars into the civilian economy, and U.S. troops had, directly and indirectly, employed hundreds of thousands of people. With the Americans gone, unemployment soared and inflation rates climbed so high that ordinary soldiers could not afford to buy rice for their families. Corruption had always been pervasive, but in the declining economy it gave rise to protests against Thieu and his circle of generals, who were seen as the major war profiteers. ARVN morale plummeted. Two hundred thousand soldiers deserted in 1974. Faced with this crisis, all the American embassy and the White House could think of was to pressure the Congress for more aid to Thieu.
In later years, Kissinger maintained that the Watergate scandal spelled the end for the Saigon government. True, as the scandals were progressively revealed, Congress gradually reasserted its powers over foreign policy, and in August 1974, when Nixon resigned, rather than face impeachment, Congress reduced military aid to Saigon from the billion dollars that had been requested to $700 million. But the decrease might have come anyway, given the unpopularity of the war. In any case, the argument raises the question of whether Nixon's aid program would have been enough to save the Thieu regime.
The North Vietnamese spent much of 1973 and 1974 building an all-weather highway network from the demilitarized zone to a base camp north of Saigon. Meanwhile, the leaders in Hanoi debated strategy and timing. In late 1974, it was decided that the commanders in the South could launch attacks in 1975, but should not expect a final victory until 1976 or 1977. A successful attack on a provincial capital in January accelerated the schedule. In early March, North Vietnamese regular divisions attacked across the demilitarized zone and through the central highlands, scattering the ARVN troops as they went. Thieu called for a retreat and ordered the highland divisions back to defend Saigon, but their commander fled, and a rout ensued. In the northern sector, Hue fell almost without a fight, and Danang, full of panicked troops and civilians, fell five days later. Once again, the North Vietnamese forces could not keep up with the collapse of the ARVN, but this time they did not hesitate; they moved swiftly on Saigon. On April 29, their lead units entered the city, and the last American helicopter lifted off the roof of the American embassy.
THE WAR was over, but not the suffering. Since 1969, over a hundred thousand ARVN soldiers and half a million North Vietnamese and NLF troops had died in combat—along with uncounted numbers of civilians. The economy of the country was shattered, the southern cities filled with refugees and former soldiers. Distrustful of the southerners, even those who had worked for the revolution, the North Vietnamese appointed their own officials and moved swiftly to reorganize the society and economy on the model of the North, paying no heed to local conditions and customs. Hundreds of thousands of former government officials, military officers, and members of the intelligentsia were sent to re-education camps, while millions of the metropolitan jobless were sent to "new economic zones" in the border areas to reclaim poor land with rudimentary tools. A million South Vietnamese fled the country on whatever vessels they could find, and many of them spent years in refugee camps in neighboring countries.
As president, Nixon never promised to win the war. By 1969 there was no reason to believe that it could be won. Certainly, as the record shows, both he and Kissinger understood that without American troops and B-52s, a communist victory was at some point inevitable. Had they decided to end the war in 1969 or in any subsequent year, they could surely have prevailed upon the North Vietnamese to give them the "decent interval" between the withdrawal of American troops and a communist victory that Kissinger thought necessary to preserve American credibility in the world and to uphold American honor. The North Vietnamese leaders might have seemed indifferent to the loss of lives and the destruction of their economy, but they were not. They desperately wanted American troops out of Vietnam. Under the threat of a renewed bombing of the North, they would have been willing to wait at least two years with a neutralist coalition government in the South. Such a solution would have been more than acceptable to the southern revolutionaries, who had been almost wiped out, and it would have given the noncommunist South Vietnamese alternate possibilities. Those who wanted to leave the country could have done so in an orderly fashion. Those who stayed could have organized politically—Buddhist and Catholic parties might have emerged—and made an accommodation with the communists, as many had in 1964-1965. Reunification would have come eventually, but the South Vietnamese would have had a voice in determining the future of their country—and all this with far fewer casualties.
Newer Article
Other Article
- The Final Day of My Husband's Life - 01/05/2013 13:04
- In commemoration of the 30th of April Day - Vietnam, a meaningful experience - 01/05/2013 13:02
- Agreement on the Independence of Vietnam - 01/05/2013 13:01
- Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam - 01/05/2013 12:59
- Abdication of Bao Dai, Emperor of Annam - 01/05/2013 12:57
Time - Weather
Saigon - San Jose
Generation Gap
Duyen Cu
Hoang Kim Cung
U.S. Denounces Vietnam's New Limits on Dissent on Internet
GERRY MULLANY / The New York Times
Vietnam restricts social media posts
Bangkok Post
Call for international support for release of 35 bloggers jailed in Vietnam
Reporters Without Borders
Philippines to meet with Vietnam on sea security
Camille Diola (philstar.com)
Col. Bud Day, Heroic Pilot in Vietnam War, Dies at 88
RICHARD GOLDSTEIN / New York Times
Uh Ho: Obama Says Vietnamese Dictator Inspired by Founding Fathers
Chris Stirewalt/Foxnews
Obama and Vietnam's Leader Pledge Deeper Ties
MARK LANDLER / new York Times
Freedom of the Press, Vietnamese Style
Pham Doan Trang
McDonald's to bring Big Mac to Vietnam
Jeremy Grant in Singapore/ Financial Times


text: Nostalgia Hotel is located just half an hour away from Singapore International Changi Airport, it offers easy access to the lively areas of Singapore making it an ideal hotel for both business and leisure travelers. They feature 50 rooms with contemporary and romantic decor. Each room is furnished with luxurious facilities that offers a lavishing lifestyle including the original themed art on the walls by an acclaimed local artist, Andre Tan who is inspired by Singapore 1940's art. The rooms incorporate Wi-Fi, Cable LCD TV, Ipod docking stations and amenities by Pascal Morabito from Paris. They also feature a private balcony that commands a great view. The Hotel is indeed a great place of stay if your visiting Singapore.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Corporate Team Building Workshops in India
Somebody has to be capable of making you EXPERIENCE these team work lessons by setting up relevant SIMULATIONS and TEAM GAMES, citing relevantly TAILORED EXAMPLES and INFECTING YOU with these vibes.
Yes, you need to EXPERIENCE these lessons to learn them as Teamwork and Team Bonding just like swimming cannot be learnt by just reading or listening about it.
Enter Simerjeet and Tarveen Singh and the Cutting Edge India Team – Samsung India's Go-To resource in India for just that…
Categories: What am I upto?, Workshops, Seminars & Keynotes, Youth Motivation • Tags: activity based team building, offsite team building, Team Building Experts, Team Building Experts in Bangalore, Team Building Experts in Delhi, Team Building Experts in india, Team Building Experts in Mumbai, Team Building Trainers, Team Building Workshops India, Team Motivation


text:
Dr Andrée Rochfort is Director of Quality Improvement at the Irish College of General Practitioners, Dublin
I frequently wonder how we can best prepare young doctors for their future medical roles and responsibilities, and how we can best support those already doing the doctor job.
We set out to care for others, to help others, to help others recognize their options and choices. We are set apart from patients during training. We learn to feel the expectations that "others" have of us; our peers, other health professionals, managers, professional bodies, medico-legal bodies, media, patients, patients' relatives, our own relatives and non-medical friends. To this mix add in our self-expectations of ourselves. Combine these 'perceived pressures' then add our intrinsic sense of perfectionism and our pledges to others to do everything possible and we have a recipe for internal conflict! We feel guilt and failure when we cannot deliver perfect care with the selflessness we believe is expected of us. In reality we have to remember we are 'human' and we cannot work miracles. We do not have a magic wand. ...continue reading


text:
Tag Archives: massgrey
DEFCON Vans Collection
All Camo sneakers that I've seen before, this is by far the best military look alike sneakers that I've ever seen. Since I'm a nike fan, all I can say that I'm blinded by DEFCON Group that already made these … Continue reading
Posted in Lifestyle, Military, Personal, Uncategorized Tagged 6094a, 6094uw, aor1, aor2, Blacksaigon, california, campoutgear, coyotebrown, defcon, ejp, ejproduction, ejproduction1, hike, hiking, hikingsocks, indonesia, jakarta, kershaw, LBT, losangeles, masgrey, massgrey, milsim, nikesneakers, nikesnealers, Noveske, outdoor, outdoorgear, predatar, pro-s, shoes, sk8, sneakers, suunto, syndicate, tacticalbynature, tacticalsocks, teamlarue, vans, vansdefcon, worldofairsoft, ziv tac, zivtac, zivtacindustries Leave a comment
Review of Vans X Defcon MAS GREY
Which one you would choose between nike and vans? If you're into with military and outdoor gear, don't say that you're a military fans if you don't have this shoes. This is Vans Sk8-Hi Notchback Pro "S" Collaborated with DEFCON. … Continue reading
Posted in Lifestyle, Military, Personal Tagged americans, ar15, bluewater, calguns, defcon, defcon1, indonesia, jakarta, japan, japanairsoft, jtown, larue, LBT, londonbridgetrading, masgrey, massgrey, military, nihon, Noveske, osaka, rakuten, seal, shibuya, sk8, staymotherfuckingcourse, syndicate, Tokyo, vans, vansdefcon, vanssk8, vesselboat, vesselboatteam, worldofmilsim Leave a comment


text:
Hickory, NC – Southern Wesleyan fell to the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears in a 6-1 final on Friday afternoon.
Game Vitals
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Southern Wesleyan 1
Records: Southern Wesleyan (1-2) Lenoir-Rhyne (3-1)
How It Happened
Southern Wesleyan went 0-2 in doubles action in the loss to the Bears. The team of Jennifer Ball and Chyna Jones fell to the team of Emily Murchland and Sanne Janssen in a 6-0 final. The team of Iva Jankovic and Alex Golliher fell in a 6-0 final to the team of Marta Escanero Funes and Lucy Whelan.
The Warriors went 1-4 in singles action. Jennifer Ball challenged and pushed her match against Diana Babinets to three sets. She fell in the first set 4-6, won the second set 6-4, but fell in the third set. Iva Jankovic also pushed her match to three sets. She won the first set 6-2, dropped the second set 4-6, and came back to win her third set. Chyna Jones fell to Gemma Southwick in a 6-3 and 6-2 final. Alex Golliher fell to Ally Garofoli in a 6-0 and 6-0 final. Caitlynn Nixon fell to Lucy Whelan in a 6-0 and 6-1 final.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will host the Coker Cobras on February 13 at 2 p.m. The Warriors will then host Johnson C. Smith on February 16 at 3 p.m.


text:
Fcos is an innovative Irish company providing financial control outsourcing services to over 50 SuperValu and Centra retailers nationwide. Founded in 2004, Fcos has earned the reputation for excellence in the services we provide. Fcos has invested in the areas of staff training & development and has assembled an ambitious team of professional staff and we are now ideally placed to expand our client base.
Fcos has changed the way of doing business for SuperValu and Centra retailers. In 2004 we identified the need for our service and developed a top class product. Since then we have exceeded our client expectations, we will continue to innovate and improve. At Fcos we have built an incredible team of people, many of whom are with us since our formation. We are now well placed to expand our client base, whilst continuing to deliver our high standards. If Fcos can add value to your business, I would be delighted to hear from you. Diarmuid Coakley FCA., Managing Director, Fcos.


text:
Europe with Alaska Airlines Miles
Travel to Europe with Alaska Airlines Miles I am a fan of Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan program. It helps that I live in Seattle (Alaska's base). 95% of my domestic flights are on Alaska. Many other miles folks agree that Alaska is one of (if not the) best airline loyalty program. With that said, redeeming miles for… Read More »


text:
Web – 2015 – Early Learning Innovation Fund Evaluation – In 2011, the Hewlett Foundation awarded two grants to support grassroots innovations in improving children's learning. Firelight Foundation and TrustAfrica were the recipients of the grants, tasked to support organizations working to improve children's early learning and highlight their approaches.
The final evaluation, carried out by Management Systems International, looked at some of the underlying assumptions that were made, what could be learned from the two innovation funds and recommendations for private foundations and other donors interested in scaling learning. The summary report describes in more detail key findings, lessons learned, and recommendations for funders.
Link – Early Learning Innovation Fund Evaluation


text:
You are here: Movement Building > Pension Funds
Pension Funds, Unions, and Working Class Strategies
We are pleased to invite participation in an open workshop series focused on the role of Canadian workers' pension funds in the larger national and global economy.
One of the key features of the continuing deep economic crisis facing Canadian workers is the attack on long established pension and retirement benefits, which are now dismissed as a costly frill that only benefits a shrinking minority of the workforce. The defence of these benefits by trade unions is becoming more difficult and divisive – it risks appearing self-serving in a context where the older notion that private, employer-based plans might serve as a positive step toward a universal system of full coverage for all workers is no longer credible.
- September 27: From Pension Fund Socialism to Pension Fund Capitalism?
- October 11: Trade union and 'progressive' strategies: The Responsible Investment, Capital Stewardship, and 'pension fund activism' movements
- October 25: Fiduciary Duty – A legal shield for corporate capitalism?
- November 15: Pension funds and privatization: P3s and pension-financed privatization
- December 6: The Rise of Finance – What role for trade unions & pension funds?
- December 13: Trade unions, pensions, corporations, and the state
Download PDF poster.


text:
Warning: Last items in stock!
Availability date:
|Vegan Leather
These holographic black Demonia Shaker-52 boots are made of a holographic high gloss PU and have a footbed you festival fashionistas are going to fall in love. They are so comfortable! A 4.5" wedge platform has a comfortable lift that will keep you moving all night long. Black laces and a double ankle strap make these the perfect choice.
Viewed products
Demonia Holographic Poison Wedge
Demonia White Swing-105 Ankle Boots
Demonia Black Leather Swing-105 Ankle Boots
Demonia Pink Hologram Torment-216 Ankle Platform
Demonia Black Hologram Torment-216 Ankle Platform
Demonia Holographic Swing-120 Boots
Demonia Black Swing-115 Wedge Platforms
White and Holographic Damned-115 Ankle Boots
Black Kandi Damned-115 Ankle Boots
Demonia Silver Holographic Neptune-100 Boots
Demonia Glitter Black Neptune-100 Boots
Demonia Glitter Pink Neptune-100 Boots
Demonia Neptune-50 Strapped Platform
Demonia Black Shaker-72 Mid-Calf Boots
Demonia Slay-206 Furry Ankle Boots
Demonia Black and Rainbow Stomp-08 Shoes
Demonia Red and Black Stomp-08 Shoes
Demonia Black Stomp-15 Platform Boots
Demonia Stomp-09 Wedge Platforms
Demonia Damned-116 Black and Holographic Ankle...
Demonia Black Camel-250 Chunky Heel Boots
Demonia White Camel-203 Ankle Boots


text:
Traditional Rounders Set
Product Description
Enjoy the classic British game of rounders at your next garden party, family picnic or barbecue with friends! This great wooden traditional rounders set includes four wooden stakes, a rounders ball and a wooden bat. The equipment is also easy to transport and store in its quality canvas carry bag. All of the wooden items have been made from sustainably sourced wood. This rounders set is perfect for those family get togethers or barbecues with large groupds of friends.
There are no reviews yet.


text:
Latest Weather Blog
Supreme Court trying to find its way after Scalia
WASHINGTON - Two months, 31 arguments and 18 decisions since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, is the Supreme Court hopelessly deadlocked or coping as a party of eight?
The answer varies with the issue.
But arguments last week in the corruption case against a former Virginia governor show that there are high-profile cases on which justices from the left and the right agree more often than they don't.
There's also some indication that the court is trying to avoid division in an era of stark political partisanship and during a rollicking presidential campaign.


text:
Events (Concerts, Exhibitions)
Serbian Singing Society "Unity" in Russia21. December 2011 - 15:09
The Serbian Singing Society "Unity" from Banja Luka, in the organization of the Government of the Republic of Srpska and the Ministry of Education and Culture, held from November 21-25, 2011 three evening concerts in Novgorod and Sankt Petersburg. Performances in the beautiful surroundings of and Saint Petersburg are the best way to present the Russian public are our culture, people and the Republic of Srpska.
Jubilee marked - 170 years of SASA22. November 2011 - 9:13
Exhibition Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky in Serbian culture opens9. November 2011 - 13:38
Within the Days of the Serbian culture in Russia, in Moscow today, in the House of the Russian Diaspora, an exhibition "Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky in Serbian Culture" was opened. The exhibition is organized by the Belgrade City Library and the author is Natasa Bulatovic.
At the exhibition, which is opened until November 15, materials are presented which point at close ties between the great Russian writers and the Serbian people. It is about printed materials, translations, articles of the critics, cultural activities.
Lecture on Kolarac7. November 2011 - 9:08
His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch last Friday held a welcome speech during the lecture Enlightenment and growing up at the Kolarac Foundation in Belgrade. About this theme a few words also were spoken by: academician Vladeta Jerotic, Dr. Scient. med. Katarina Sedlecki - children gynecologist, professor Dr. Scient. med. Cane Tulic - urologist, professor Dr. Scient. med. Dragan Delic - infectologist, as well as protopresbyter-staurophor professor Dr Milos Vesin.


text:
Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'Chelsea Off Topic Threads' started by fernb8, Feb 17, 2011.
continue here
Random fact they don't tell you, college professors are all sorts of things. Right now, I have a professor who was on a Russian fishing expedition with a captain that worshipped Stalin. His defense when asked why he supported someone like Stalin such as his murders? "Everyone makes mistakes." Then there is the Japanese instructor who was asking everyone in Japanese if we liked to eat cats. And the prof I had that jumped on tables and his rants about all sorts of things.
Eddie is a wimp. No song.
I once had a high school teacher who only taught as part of his porbation due to some kind of white collar crime. He told us how to succesfully smugle drugs and alchohol acroos the US-Mexico border.
Seriously this happened.
anyone watching All-Star Saturday night.
I just catch the highlights the next day if anything was worth it.
obaka dunks from BEHIND the free through line and gets eliminated in the first round of the dunk-off
blake griffin jumps over the hood of a kia and wins the damn thing
you missed nothing
Thought Blake Griffin won on hype
Javal McGee had some great ones. The car one was fun but really not that impressive. The props are getting a little out of hand, but I guess the majority of fans like it as Griffin got a lot of votes.
tbh i think its becuase griffin is a more known player and therefore got the votes
but his hype was shit, a choir and a kia its not like he put on a superhero suit and got some air, and what pissed me off the most is he also tried to pull off a serious dunk, which he couldnt pull off and instead did what some useless "plan B" dunk
other than that, did i mention obaka dunked from BEHIND the free throw line
Coupe de France: Guy pranks championship team.
You have to watch this...
lol that was awesome.
He's got some other really great videos. Can't remember his full name other than Remi. His fake bike race is great.
Melo is a Knick.
And we get curry! I hope this ruben plan works!! We have been sucking balls for god knows how long!!
Dumb deal all around, but I guess he wants to be in NY. Can't see how this Knicks team has a better shot at a championship than Denver did. Both were/are longshots, but I would think Denver had better odds against this years Lakers, Dallas and SA than the Knicks do against Boston, Orlando, Chicago and Miami, not to mention the East teams all entering their title windows as opposed to the West teams who have 2-3 years left max. All those teams barring maybe Miami are going to just ransack a frontcourt rotation of Turiaf, Amare, and Sheldon Williams, and Miami will kill them on the perimiter.
The last thing NY needed was another scorer that doesn't play much defense, and that's exactly what they got. Now if they get one of the big 2012 FA's like Dwight, Paul or Deron Williams down the road maybe, but right now I see them as the 5th best team in a suddenly stacked East (at least at the top).
Denver is not going to get anywhere anytime soon with this team, but at least we got something for him unlike Cleveland and Toronto. Melo should have just come out and said he wanted a trade to the Knicks and didn't want to play anywhere else. All his bullcrap all season long only served to gut the Knicks roster even more than if he had just said what he wanted. Wouldn't have ticked off Nuggets fans as much either, not that he really cares.
Not amused with some of the Pistons obviously, this is getting pathetic.
Really? You always trade a collection of nobodies for a star
agree with this
One of the strangest subplots this week: Everyone rushing to pick Carmelo's game apart, especially people who rely on advanced metrics and ended up getting caught up in small-picture stuff. Carmelo has one elite skill (he rebounds extremely well for a small forward) and one transcendent skill (he's as good as anyone in the league at scoring and/or getting to the line, especially in crunch time). You can absolutely, positively, unquestionably win a championship if Carmelo Anthony is your creator at the end of a basketball game. The Knicks didn't have anyone like that. Few teams do.
Now throw this in: He's only 26.
Now throw this in: Ten guys started the 2011 All-Star Game. In a 30-team league, the Knicks suddenly have two of them.
Now throw this in: The other players know. They know who's good. They know who's worth a damn. They know who they'd go to war with. So you can't discount (A) how well Carmelo played on the 2008 Olympic team; (B) how much the other guys respected him; and (C) how the key guys on that team were Kobe, LeBron, Wade and Carmelo. It can't be forgotten. It just can't. Neither can the fact that he nearly carried a limited Nuggets team to the Finals two years ago..........................................
Just think Carmelo is the wrong star for that team. I like Simmons, but he is the same one who swore up and down the Heat gutted their team too much to compete and they got 3 superstars for doing that, not one (and they have more depth than the Knicks do currently). Carmelo is a pretty good rebounder and a good scorer, but he is a very poor defender and works well in an isolation offense. He is just a bad fit for a D'Antoni team, and too similar of a player to Amare. If they can snag Howard, or maybe even Paul or Williams they have a chance, but the simple fact is the Knicks had absolutely no problem scoring and they went after a scorer.
And if anyone in that trade should get credit for taking the Nuggets to the WCF a couple years ago it should be Billups, not Melo. Melo was one and done every single year until Chauncey came. More disappointed about losing him tbh. Melo is great and I'm not going to act like the Nuggets are a better team now that he is gone (although I think they are better off than originally thought), but he is what he is and he is never going to reach that level that Kobe, Lebron and others are at.
Just not sure what makes him not on LeBron's level. LeBron has proven to be anti clutch and a loser when it matters most. Carmelo is probably the 2nd or 3rd most clutch player in the league. Surely LeBron is a better all around player, but it's got him nothing at this point. And Players of Kobe's magnitude(Kobe) weren't available to the Knicks, so it's a moot point. Amare and Melo aren't very similar at all, surely less similar than wade and leBron.
The Knicks now have 2 players who are top 3 at their position in the League(who is prepared to guard these two in a series?), with cap to burn for another big player, job well done.
Edit: Simmons picked the Heat to win 62-63 games, they're on pace for 59-60, pretty accurate
Lebron has gotten a lot closer than Melo ever has on many more occasions, and he is a much much better defender. Melo is for the most part a very poor defender and does not get his teammates involved at all.
Sure Kobe wasn't available to the Knicks, but they didn't have to make a move right this second. Carmelo would have been available this summer in a sign-and-trade and they would have given up a lot less to a more desperate Denver for him then, and probably wouldn't have had to take on as much money as a result. As is, it will be difficult to add a 3rd player given that the new CBA is surely going to lower the cap and make it more difficult to find players. I really think this trade puts them in no mans land. They aren't going to get through in the east (There are 4 teams that have better odds than them), and they are a high enough seed they can't get a draft pick, and they have very few contracts coming off the books in the next couple years.
Wade and Lebron might be more similair than Melo and Amare but there is one big difference: passing. LeBron and Wade both are very good passers and creators, in particular LeBron who averages almost 8 assists a game. Those kinds of players can thrive with other scorers. When Amare and Melo are both on the court they are going to work mostly in isolation sets and at that point having two major offensive options is not nearly as beneficial. And again, the Knicks (and D'Antoni-led teams) problem is not scoring. They were scoring plenty, so why gut your team to add another scorer when points aren't the problem. Sure they will score a lot, but they are still terrible (even worse) on defense with this move. They just made Cleveland look like an offensive juggernaut. Sure their defense will get better with practice, but this is a team that will get absolutely torched by other contenders because Amare and Carmelo are two major offensive talents who don't really like sharing the ball or playing defense.
Trust me, I watched Carmelo for over 7 years. I know he is clutch, I know he is a great scorer, and he is a pretty good rebounder, but he is not a great all-around player. They have to hope desperately that Chauncey still has a couple good years left and Landry Fields improves dramatically and quickly if they want to even sniff the Finals much less win it.
Simmons initial reaction was that the Heat gave up way too much of their roster and couldn't possibly win with 3 stars and scrubs. New York has 2 stars, one good PG and scrubs. How is that better, especially considering the competition is much tougher now than when the Heat were assembled.
I would bet good money that barring a major pay cut by a big name FA or the new CBA working greatly in their favor, the Knicks will never be more than the 3rd best team in the East. The NBA is an all or nothing league with these long guaranteed contracts and I think the Knicks are stuck in a good but not great spot now. No trade assets, few draft picks, and long-term contracts.
You can't judge the Knicks compared to the Heat, the heat had all summer to put a team together, the Knicks can't do that right now. And let's not forget how average the Heat were at the beginning of the season and how subpar they still are against the top teams.
What kind of thought process is behind your thinking that the Knicks cannot be better than third in the East, why? It's a very shortsighted view point, no one has any idea what happens from here, you really don't think a player like Paul or Williams might take less than the maximum to get to this team? In recent years both the Celtics and Heat build teams from nothing to challenge, it's exactly what the NYY are doing now. The magic are completely dependent on one guy(who might not be there in 2 seasons) and the Bulls are young and up and coming, but not by any means elite. The Celtics did everyone a favor this season and will continue to age quickly. No fan of a team in the East wanted this deal to go through(including me, a Celtics fan).
The point about Melo and Amare, is Amare actually has the ability to score down low, nobody on the heat has that ability(Bosh plays almost exclusively 17-18 feet from the basket), and they always get exploited by low post scorers.
Also after next season when Billups contract is up, the Knicks only have 3 total players under contract, plenty of roster space and manuevering available.
The Knicks dont have trouble scoring, because of Dantoni's system, in the regular season, but they rarely have playoff success. With 2 players in the top 5 in scoring, good luck trying to shut that down over the course of 7 games.
And the Knicks did need to make the move now, NJN were making a play, and Carmelo wasn't gonna let the deadline pass without signing his extension and losing that money.
I am just not seeing your point, the Knicks traded 3 quarters for a dollar(and got a playoff experienced PG as a throw in), they now have two star players, locked up to make a solid run for years. It's definitely going to make them a better team in the longrun, and a better team for this season's playoffs.
Would you rather role into the playoffs with
Wilson Chandler, Galinari and Felton or Anthony and Billups? Not even close.
I keep seeing this being bandied around but it strikes me as one of the bigger myths in the NBA.
What has led to zero titles so far for LeBron has been his mostly hideous teams. Look at what the Cavs have achieved so far without him, the longest losing streak in the history of US sports!! And how many titles has Carmelo won with far better talent around him?
I like Melo and agree that you always try to get the star in a mega trade. I think he's a great fit for a New York team with another option and a potential 3rd wheel. But LeBron anti-clutch? I keep hearing it and I don't see it when I watch him play.
EDIT: Tried to find someting to back this up and fortunately ESPN did a nice article on this.
A lot of course depends on your definition of clutch and many choose to focus on accuracy with the last shot of the game, but I like how the article and the data from 82games.com pitches what is meant by clutch time.
EDIT x2: I post this, not to try and claim LeBron as the most clutch player in the league. But the fact that NBA experts can even have a debate about this surely indicates that whatever James is, anti-clutch is included.
I would never argue that Melo is a better player than LeBron or Kobe, but neither of those guys were available to them, so it isn't really the point. And if those are the two players you have to compare Melo to to poke holes in hi game, he's doing ok.
On LeBron, just a couple of nights ago he missed a 3 at the end of the game for the Heat, wasn't expecting him to make it, and in the Celtics matchup he had two free throws to tie it and missed, again, pretty much par the course. If Kobe had those shots, I'd be a lot more scared they were going in. I like neither one of these players, so don't take it as a biased thing, theyre probably my least favorite players in the NBA. I'd also point out the LeBron clearly quit in the playoffs last season, but Kobe did that too(against the Suns a few years back). I just have little respect for either.
On a side note, as the LeBron or Kobe, who is the greatest player in the post-MJ debate marches on, for me the answer is Tim Duncan.
Kevin Durant is the more apt comparison for Melo, he just happens to be a more likeable player(I love the guy), so the thought of him being a franchise player despite also not being a great passer, defender, or at getting teammates involved is easier to swallow for some. You dont have to be a great setupman to be a franchise player, it's ok to rely on a PG to distribute.
Edit: anti clutch is harsh on James, more accurately if I could pick 5 guys to take a last shot, i wouldnt even consider him
well said, but neither teams have the chemistry to take on the likes of LA/Boston. Ball is very much a play-off sport and a summer or a month makes very little difference when it comes to that stage.
Whatever happens with miami or the knicks, its still a bit to early to judge. Next season will be their true tests.
And don't forget the knicks have the rest of the season to see melo play and IMO will spend their remaining cap on the right player/s.


text:
The influence of Latin American culture, and Mexican in particular, is easy to find in Denver. For more than a generation, Chicano artists have been front and center here, creating a distinctive category of art based on ethnic, religious and cultural identity. Also a generation back, local visionary José Aguayo founded a museum on Santa Fe Drive to highlight Hispanic art from the Western Hemisphere, and he called it the Museo de las Américas. With all of the Cinco de Mayo festivities happening, let's celebrate art that has a Latin beat.
In Una Cultura: Tres Voces, William Havu Gallery has brought together the distinctively different work of three of the city's most notable Spanish-surnamed artists: Tony Ortega, Jerry De La Cruz and Carlos Frésquez. In the space that unfolds right inside the front door, their work is all mixed together, but in the spaces beyond, each was given a separate section.
For many reasons, Ortega is the starting point, both because his work faces us as we enter Havu, and because his oeuvre virtually defines the idea of Chicano art. Though he is not a pioneer of the movement, which began in the 1970s, Ortega did get on board early, making his first contributions some 25 years ago. He has a BA and an MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He also studied in Mexico, and the influence of historic Mexican art, especially that of the modernist muralists of the '30s to the '50s, is apparent in his pieces. He has a taste for depicting social interaction and using strong colors.
Una Cultura: Tres Voces and Altar Girls
Through June 2, William Havu Gallery, 1040 Cherokee Street, 303-893-2360. Through July 1, Museo de las Am
Ortega does signature Chicano art, and over the past quarter-century, he's made a name for himself throughout the West. His pieces typically involve residents of the barrio, who are depicted at work or play. He does not paint them realistically, but instead explores a sort of figural abstraction that suggests his characters. His depictions of people are minimally fleshed-out silhouettes, which are often done in a monochrome. Ortega also uses profile views of the figures, and the facial features are clearly Mexican-American. These flattened figures are set into the foreground of imagined three-dimensional spaces that fall away behind them. He also includes elements, like signage and storefronts that are collaged in placed, to reinforce the barrio setting.
Next comes a survey of De La Cruz's career, with some pieces dating back three decades to the period right after his graduation from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. De La Cruz has explored many mediums over the years, including painting, assemblage, collage and a variety of digital forms. Some of the works have Chicano content, but mostly De La Cruz responds to pop and funk. In an early painting, "Red Headed Devils at Night," he incorporated a photographically realistic portrait of a woman's face atop a highly abstracted body, with stenciled words across the top. "We All Have to Go Sometime" is similar, if a lot smaller, with a parody of the Mona Lisa dominating a dense composition that includes other faces, flames and geometric forms.
In the window space are funky assemblages made from found objects such as old tables and wooden boxes. The pieces, which have narratives, are related conceptually to De La Cruz's recent works based on antique book pages of engraved portraits that he alters with collage and drawing. These works on paper are constrained as opposed to exuberant.
In terms of their art, Ortega is doctrinaire Chicano while De La Cruz is not, and that leaves it to Carlos Frésquez to strike a balance with his post-Chicano art. Like Ortega, Frésquez comes out of the Chicano tradition, but like De La Cruz, he's been affected by the broad currents of non-secular contemporary art.
Frésquez is virtually a household name around here because he exhibits his work so regularly, and because his talent and vision are so obvious. He earned a BA at Metropolitan State College of Denver and an MFA at the University of Colorado in Boulder. His work of the '80s and early '90s was definitely in the Mexican muralist vein, in particular his juxtapositions of scale, with enormously rendered figures in the foreground and tiny ones in the background. His topic was the cross-cultural nature of being Chicano, having roots in the indigenous peoples of Mexico and the Spanish conquerors.
This dialectic was just the start of what he was getting at, as he also juxtaposed the past with the present. A Frésquez painting of this type would include imagery such as a Mayan pyramid and a Conquistador's sword alongside lowriders and gangbangers. These older paintings are brilliant, but Frésquez has gone way beyond them by delving into post-Chicano art. For this newer direction, he combines his previous interests with corporate logos, maps and cartoon characters, and he delivers them in a more contemporary style, as in the over-the-top "A Fine Time for Dine." The huge painting is divided in half with a flaming heart on one side and a skull on the other. Sitting on the floor in front is a stump with a shovel stuck in it.
Una Cultura: Tres Voces at Havu provides some great insights into the development of Mexican-American art in Denver. But it's important to remember that this show is hardly all there is to the story. The three artists included are admittedly among the most respected around, but they represent only the tip of the Chicano/post-Chicano scene that boasts dozens of other serious players as part of the mix.
Going over to the Museo de las Américas, we switch from Latinos to Latinas for the Altar Girls feature. This is not so much a unified show as it is two very different exhibits exploring very different topics that roughly collide with one another in the middle of the Museo.
One part, put together by Museo curator Kristi Martens, is an extravaganza of historic and contemporary santos, mostly made in Colorado, Mexico and New Mexico, depicting women saints and the Virgin. The other part is a selection of contemporary art by women artists from the Americas curated by Museo director Patti Ortiz. Women saints, women artists, Altar Girls -- get it?
For her part of the show, Martens drew from the Rickenbaugh Santos Collection, an important recent gift to the Museo, and from various private lenders, notably Carl Patterson and Regis University. In the group of santos, there are renditions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Santa Barbara and Mary Magdalene, among a cast of many others. It's an embarrassment of riches, and there's a dizzying array of intriguing religious sculptures.
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
Ortiz, on the other hand, could have used more pieces to fill out her part. The works in her section mostly explore the roles of girls and women in contemporary society, both Latin American and our own. Photography plays a major part in this show, including the elegant black-and-white abstractions based on beauty products by Christina Kahlo from Mexico, the heartbreaking close-ups of little girls crying by Argentina's Flavia Da Rin, and the large color images of young women swimming by Estela Izuel, who's also from Argentina.
Contemporary realism is interpreted in colored pencil, including a sophisticated piece done directly on the Museo's wall by Carolina Rodriguez from Colombia, and in a charming diptych of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf carried out in modeling clay by the Argentine artist collective Grupo Mondongo.
The only artist who truly bridges the two halves of Altar Girls is Denver's Judy Miranda, who used wood-burning tools to create depictions of noted holy women on the top of old ironing boards. They are simultaneously santos and contemporary art.
There's a good deal that's worth seeing in this show, even if it doesn't hold together at all.


text:
Got Waterhemp? Layer Residual Herbicides to Maintain Control
Photo 1. Waterhemp in soybeans.
Photo: Liz Stahl
Tall waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) is expanding its reach across Minnesota, and herbicide-resistant populations are becoming more commonplace.
Most waterhemp populations have been resistant to ALS (Group-2) herbicides, such as Pursuit, for a while. In addition, glyphosate-resistant (Group-9) populations were first reported in 2007, and PPO-resistant (Group-14) populations were confirmed in southern Minnesota the past two growing seasons. Herbicides in Group-14 include Cobra, Flexstar and Spartan.
To add to management challenges, some waterhemp populations have developed resistance to two or all three herbicide groups. In this situation, what herbicide control options are left?
links will direct you to the original article posted in Minnesota Crop News, posted MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2017


text:
↑ Return to Nos Photos
Le Cambodge en images
2 commentaires
Amedar Consulting
Iˇ¦ve recently started a website, the info you offer on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.
Wiedza i Życie
I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I'm quite certain I will learn lots of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!


text:
A Letter Confirming Nobility
This manuscript from Mexico City is the record of testimony offered by Sebastián Vizcaíno (1550?-1615) in 1597-1600 to prove the noble status of his wife, Magdalena Martínez Orejón, and her brother, Francisco Martínez Orejón. Vizcaíno was a prominent Mexico City merchant and an explorer of Baja California. The proofs of nobility were important to defend Vizcaíno's brother-in-law, Francisco Martínez Orejón, in a lawsuit that put him in debtor's prison. The text is written in an italic style in black ink within ruled frames, on both sides of leaves of paper. Two leaves of illuminated miniatures on vellum are bound in at the front, with illustrations facing. The first leaf has two half-page miniatures. The upper illustration shows Mary with the Christ Child, surrounded by clouds over a landscape. The lower illustration is of Christ speaking to a saint in a Franciscan habit in what appears to be the same landscape. The full-page miniature is a full-length portrait of the Martínez family patriarch, Ferrán Martínez, in full armor and with eyes fixed on the family coat of arms. The Mexican tooled leather binding is contemporary with the manuscript.
Associated Name
Subject Date
Publication Information
Mexico City
Title in Original Language
Carta confirmatoria de hidalguía
Additional Subjects
Type of Item
Physical Description
74 pages: illustrations; 29 centimeters
External Resource
IIIF Manifest Help
Last updated: September 25, 2015


text:
Clark Gets $27.7M Contract for USMC Air Station Miramar Prison
Clark Construction Group in Costa Mesa, CA received a $27.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of a prison at US Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in California. The facility will absorb prisoners from other correctional facilities scheduled for closure due to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act.
Clark will perform work in Miramar, CA, and expects to complete it by February 2011. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 5 proposals received by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest in San Diego, CA (N62473-09-C-1808).
MCAS Miramar is a 23,000-acre installation located in the northern suburbs of San Diego…
MCAS Miramar is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
MCAS Miramar averages 250 aircraft aboard on any given day, with up to 200,000 flight operations per year, according to Globalsecurity.org. Miramar is home for 8 F/A-18C & F/A-18D Hornet jet fighter squadrons, 4 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter squadrons, 4 CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter squadrons, 1 KC-130 transport and refueling squadron, and 9 station support aircraft for a total of about 257 aircraft. Around 12,200 Marines, sailors, and civilians call Miramar home.


text: If you are interested in solar power, there are multiple options available to you. Even if you are a renter, you can still take advantage of solar power without having to make any changes to your residence. Listed below are different options for solar power along with their pros and cons:


text:
If there's one issue that drives me stir-crazy, it's euthanasia. To me, there's nothing more sensible, considerate, humane and justified than assisted suicide, and I find myself incensed with anyone that disagrees. In fact, at my most impassioned, I pray that those who oppose it die in the most excruciating, painful and humiliating ways imaginable. I want their every swallow like razorblades, their every breath exhausting. I want their final moments to be dragged out for months on end, with unimaginable pain not even an entire field of poppies will relieve.
That's how much I abhor the people that stand in the way of assisted suicide. I hate them with every ounce of my being. They make me sick. Why do they even oppose it? Well, I'm sure it doesn't come as a surprise that those most vocal in their opposition of euthanasia are pushing religious agendas. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby (England), recently wrote that he, along with members of other religious cults, believed that England's push to change euthanasia legislation went beyond "merely legitimizing suicide to actively supporting it".
There are a couple of problems here, first being yet another religious numbskull believing it their right to dictate the rights of everyone including those that don't share their delusion. Is there anything more annoying? No really, is there anything—ANYTHING more annoying than someone trying to impose their religious dogma on someone that doesn't share their faith? In my opinion, no. It's selfish, rude and unbelievably arrogant to assume that your fallacy-ridden, unprovable and scientifically impossible belief system can be forced upon those that aren't gullible nor stupid enough to believe it. I mean, this isn't some pastor speaking in front of his own congregation, this is an Archbishop trying to influence the conscience of democratic MPs.
The second problem this Archbishop can't seem to wrap his head around is that suicide is a right held by all, whether you're terminal or not. I cop a lot of heat from this assertion, but I stand by it. Let me explain: no one owns us. Not our parents, not our friends, not the state, not even the God these people believe in. We're the sole determiners of our destiny. Life or death is our choice alone. Am I actively supporting it? No. I don't believe being dumped by your boyfriend or girlfriend is reason enough to kill yourself, nor is going bankrupt or boredom. In actual fact, I believe suicide to be exceedingly selfish and downright reckless – depending on circumstance. This is where the Archbishop fails to grasp reality. According to his logic/ stance someone committing suicide on account of their relationship woes is comparable to that of a terminally ill patient who's ready to die. He mightn't have said that per say, but that doesn't mean he's not painting every case of suicide with the same brush while completely ignoring key factors such as quality of life.
Death isn't pleasant. "How We Die" by Sherwin B. Nuland explains in graphic, yet captivating detail the mechanics of clinical death and what most of us can expect in the lead up, and the truth is that death is seldom peaceful. Whether we're struck down by a heart attack or stroke, a near death experience can be terrifying and leave those that survive with debilitating cases of PTSD. But in many cases, survivors of such health scares recover and, in a lot of cases, go on to lead happy and fulfilled lives. But what if you're terminal? What if a change in lifestyle isn't going to make you better? What if an operation or medical treatment isn't going to take away the pain and fear? What then?
Here's the Government's answer in countries where assisted suicide is outlawed: "Don't care. None of our business. Anyone that helps end your suffering is liable for criminal prosecution. If, one night, you're on death's door, we don't care that you're not surrounded by family, we don't care that it may be in the middle of the night. Death with dignity is a criminal offense and will be treated accordingly."
I'm not exaggerating. In places where assisted suicide—on the basis of terminal illness and suffering—is illegal, torture is a government sanctioned and endorsed practice. "We're too good for capital punishment, but we sure as hell won't put stop to punishing those diagnosed with terminal disease. Die in pain, die without dignity, we refuse to show you mercy, unlike your dog."
Why isn't assisted suicide a common legislative process around the world? Poll after poll in my native Australia shows strong support for assisted death for those that are terminal and suffering, ranging consistently in the region of 80% or more. Yet despite our longstanding democracy, the public servants (MPs) of this country refuse to heed the will of the people. Is this a failure of democracy? Are Australians too stupid to decide for themselves? Or, like so many places on Earth, are we hampered by the personal and moral agendas of those that have been placed in a position of power?
Standing in the Way
Those that oppose euthanasia always confer "the line"… where do we draw it? They usually speak on terms of humanity as a whole, that it's somehow a group decision when it comes to assisted suicide (should it be legalized). But it's only ever been the decision of those that are dying. The person dying is the sole decision maker and proper legislation can be set in place to ensure that remains the case whatever the situation may be. Allowing these people their right to die doesn't quash the value of human life. If anything, it empowers it, as it shows compassion, it shows humanity. It shows objectivity in the face of moral dilemma, which has always been a weak point of mankind. We're too easily influenced by our personal ideology that we forget human rights aren't ours to delegate how we see fit. And I have yet to hear a convincing argument suggesting otherwise, especially when it comes to euthanasia.
Another tactic common among those that oppose euthanasia is to stir imagery of evil doctors or money-hungry next-of-kin. They envisage a world in which legislation does not exist or work to protect those most vulnerable, and in some cases it doesn't. But you don't subject everyone to disadvantage or misery just because of the inevitable instances where bad, scheming people do bad scheming things, especially when criminal law is available to bring them to justice.
People Are Hurting
I can't stand suffering. I can't stand it. So if something can be done about it, then it's our duty to make it happen, but only in a way that ensures doctors, loved ones and the terminally ill are protected.
I'm forever saying: "I'm not scared of death, I'm scared of dying" and that's true of so many. Assisted suicide gives the terminally ill the ability and power to seek a more peaceful end, one they can spend in the company of their loved ones, one stripped of anxiety.
I'm sick to death of misguided 'morals' standing in the way. These people hold onto an ideology that's in conflict with reality. But guess what, death is an earthly matter. If you're religious or don't believe in euthanasia, fine, suffer until the very end, but don't you dare impose your ideology on others. People have the right to shag who they want, believe what they want and die when they want, and any legislation that can safeguard these rights within reasonable and rational parameters can not and must not be delayed, obstructed or prevented.


text:
We're phasing out plastic straws...
We pride ourselves on listening to our customers, so when Ava, aged five, sent us a letter asking us to stop putting plastic straws in her drink because "they are very bad for animals.", it spurred us to make a change.
We're now phasing out single-use plastic straws from all our 470+ restaurants from this summer, and we'll be replacing them with biodegradable and recyclable paper versions.
Zoe Bowley, Managing Director at PizzaExpress said:
"At PizzaExpress we are very conscious of the detrimental impact of plastics on wildlife and the environment. We received a letter in 2017 from one of our customers, Ava, aged 5, highlighting this impact and it spurred us on to continue working hard to significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste through our restaurants. We have already taken the decision to stop using plastic straws in our 470+ UK restaurants and will move to a biodegradable paper straw by this summer.
Ava's letter
Related news
Because we know you share our passion for great pizza, this Winter we're serving up b...


text:
What Does Which Love God You Pray to Say About You? Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Feb 14, 2017 in Roman culture
Salvete Omnes! The day is here. The day some people were dreading, others awaiting, and others ignoring. Happy Valentines Day! No matter which one you are or whether or not you have a special Valentine, you, like all of us, probably would not turn down some god-given guidance in the realm of love. So, today, let's look at who we might want to be getting this advice from depending on our situations.
Pray to Cupid and…
You're probably praying for that cupid's arrow to hit you. Maybe you've been out of love for a while, never feeling that spark. You could also be praying for some affection. Cupid was the god of love, affection, erotic desire and love. You might also be more of a traditionalist. Cupid is the one we still, all these hundreds of years later, associate with Valentine's Day. Around this time of year we see little babies with wings with pink bows and arrows. They're everywhere; on cards, posters, candies, and so on. Cupid, in the years of the Ancient Romans, was a strong and slender young man. After the Greek adopted him he became younger and chubbier. After the Middle Ages and the Romantic fascination with cherubim, we now have a "Cupid" that seems half Christian angel, half Pagan love deity. Praying to him will cover many bases that would be covered by Venus, but he is, culturally, more traditionally relevant for those in Western society.
Pray to Suadela and…
Maybe you're caught in a crush or a, as far as you know, one-sided affection. Suadela, the equivalent of the Greek Peitho, is the goddess we do not hear too much about. She was the goddess associated with the persuasion and seduction of love. As a companion and attendant for Aphrodite she was often overshadowed, but the Ancient Greeks took a particular liking to her because a young suitor often had to persuade a potential father-in-law to wed his daughter. Since beautiful young women often attracted several suitors, the young men usually had to rely on their negotiation skills to win their love. Having Suadela/Peitho on your side might have meant you had a lead in the race. Today, this is not how things play out, thankfully. If you were to pray to Suadela today it would probably be because you are looking for the charisma and confidence to "seduce" or, more realistically "attract", that person who has caught your eye.
Pray to Venus and…
You could be in any of a dozen situations. Perhaps you're praying for beauty, either within or without yourself. Maybe for someone beautiful to enter your life. You could be praying for fertility. Maybe you've already found that beautiful someone and now its time to start a new life with them. You could be praying for sexual desire, after all her name is venus which means "sexual desire" or "sexual love", wishing for something short term or long term, who knows. If it feels like you might not know what to choose when praying for Venus, that's normal. Venus has always been one of the most famous goddesses in the world. Therefore, several things have been attributed to her. She is the goddess of love, of course, but there is so much more: love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory. You could pray to her for success at your job interview, for that new promotion you've had your eye on, for the success of a favorite sports team. None of these are necessarily about love, but she can help you out with those.
So, if you're not sure who to pray for for success in love this Valentines Day its probably safe to ask Venus for some guidance, though she might be a little busy. And if you're extra confused or extra diligent in love, you could pray to all three of these deities, as members of a polytheistic pantheon, we can be sure they're used to it.
I had always heard that Eros (Greek) was the tall, slender comely young man and it was the Romans who made Cupid a cuddly, plump baby…but you have it here the other way round. Just wondering.: .from your text above "Cupid, in the years of the Ancient Romans, was a strong and slender young man. After the Greek adopted him he became younger and chubbier."


text:
St. Joseph's Day Pastry
Zeppole Pizza Fritta
Cream Puffs
una ricetta davvero deliziosa!! Io adoro i cannoli. Bravissima claudiaReplyDelete
How fun! Congrats! I am not surprised, your food runs the full gamut of everyday comfort to specialty items for celebrations. Have a great day Claudia.ReplyDelete
Super cool!! Nice feature - no surprise - another delicious and beautiful treat.ReplyDelete
Aw, you are a sweetie pie!
You're the best!ReplyDelete
Congrats Claudia! Of course Trix would invite you - your recipes are fantastic!!ReplyDelete
Awesome! Your recipes are always a celebration. Well done.ReplyDelete
Looks gorgeous!
Thanks for visiting! Have a nice spring!
Congratulations! I'm going over to Trix's site now :)ReplyDelete
Congrats on a great feature:)ReplyDelete
congrats , going visit Trix's site.ReplyDelete
Big Congrats! I love homemade cannoli! I went to visit the blog and now I am a follower. Blessings, CatherineReplyDelete
Congratulations, Claudia!!!! You're exactly who I'd pick to write an article about a wonderful Italian treat!ReplyDelete
Yummerz, Claudia! You guys eat so well. I don't know if I can even imagine the taste of a homemade cannoli made by an Italian mother:-) I'm sure I've never had one.
So nice that your son wanted to learn. Yes!
Oh how fun, Claudia! This is almost my recipe (don't use tapioca). And it is grand to see you recognized. The photos invite and invite and invite!ReplyDelete
Before the metal molds came out, we used the dowels from window shades. Great job, Claudia. How wonderful that your son is preserving the recipes for posterity.ReplyDelete
Congrats on the feature. Who better to write about than you my friend!ReplyDelete
A huge congrats to you!ReplyDelete
How awesome!!!! Beautiful!ReplyDelete
Congrats Claudia! How very exciting!! Your cannoli are gorgeous... thanks for linking up your success story and GORGEOUS food pic :)ReplyDelete
Well done sweetie! have a great weekend.ReplyDelete
I have never, ever made cannoli, Claudia. Yours look perfect. I can't wait to try this recipe to introduce me to this classic Italian treat!ReplyDelete
this looks delicious how special this desset could beReplyDelete
How exciting congratulations, Claudia! I just checked out the article that it just wonderful!
The cannolis look fantastic. I bookmarked the recipe!
Have a beuatiful weekend!
Hi hopped over from Erin's Friday potluck - Congratulations!!
I have had canolis in Italy, thanks to the Everybody Loves Raymond show where Marie's Canolis are often topic of conversation!Just finished dinner and have some room for dessert - I'll bet they are a dash sight better than Marie's best ;))
Congrats Claudia! That's awesome!ReplyDelete
Congratulations, Claudia! The picture looks awesome as well. I believe you can do more than that.
Best wishes, Kristy
I'm still buying the shells and filling them myself with all kinds of goodies.
It is lots of work to make them...but I can imagine the satisfaction.
Congrats on your article Claudia, you deserve to be recognized for the wonderful food that you prepare.
Ciao for now,
Thanks for this post about cannoli. Congratulations on your big news.ReplyDelete
Congratulations! I will stop over and check it out :)ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for your kind words and questions, I will try and reply to each of them. If you need help right away, contact me on Facebook or my email @firstname.lastname@example.com
Copyright What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine. Sophie Template designed by Georgia Lou Studios


text:
Patience is something I really need to work on. I don't think I've ever been a patient person and I think it's really annoying...to me and to others.
I rush everything...I think that's why this nursing school thing is already such a challenge for me. I guess I don't have too many things that I've had to really wait for...or work really, really hard for. Wait...this makes me sound like a spoiled brat. I guess it makes me sound that way because I kinda am...UGHHHH...who wants to admit that!!!! Okay, you can't change what you don't acknowledge...so, Step 1...acknowledge that you're a spoiled, rottten, brat...CHECK!
In high school, I never had to study to make straight A's...it didn't work that way in college right out of high school, so I couldn't hack it. I was even really impatient when it came to getting married. Jake and I wanted to get married on the beach in Mexico, but we had to wait 2 weeks for a blood test and I didn't want to wait...part of it was timing because Joey was out of the hospital...but mostly, it was beacause I didn't want to wait 2 weeks...so we hopped a plane to Vegas and tied the knot.
I remember being horribly impatient when I was pregnant and I remember begging my doctor to deliver those kids just a few days earlier than he wanted. Hell...I won't even let Jack poop while we're out shopping or out to eat because he is a slow pooper and takes his sweet time and I don't have the patience to stand in the public restroom and wait for him. I'm probably doing serious psychological damage to the child by rushing his bowels the way I do!!!
So, it's settled...I'm going to get a jump on my New Year's Resolution this year and REALLY try to learn to be patient!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Patience is NOT MY virtue...
Patience is something I really need to work on. I don't think I've ever been a patient person and I think it's really annoying...to me and to others.
Posted by Nikki B. at 11:07 AM
Labels: patience, resolution
2 comments:
- Heidi said...
OK, I read JAKE not JACK on the whole pooping thing, and thougth I was going to have to stop reading because it was way too much information, but then I reread it. Thank goodness. I am working on patience too, but damn it if it isn't coming quickly enough.
- November 3, 2008 at 2:18 PM
- Kameron said...
My mom told me never to wish for patience because then you always get more chances to use them! I feel you though. I too am a spoiled brat and had a wake up call when I got to college, but I managed somehow!
- November 4, 2008 at 6:54 PM


text:
If you want to make a website for your business, the first obstacle that you face, even before the actual creation of the site is the domain registration. How can you choose the right domain? You want something that represents your company appropriately. It is not easy to choose between so many combinations of top level domains and domain names. Just make a short search, and you will see plenty of possibilities.
Why is it so important?
Continue reading "Domain registration. How to choose a domain name?"