text: Latest Video ANTIFA cowards threaten Tucker Carlson at home: Try to scare America into silence The Duran Quick Take: Episode 13. Published 2 weeks ago on November 9, 2018 By Alex Christoforou 1,179 Views Share Tweet Fox News host Tucker Carlson stated on his show, via telephone, that one of the members of the ANTIFA fascist group that threatened his wife at his home may have been a guest on his show. ANTIFA late night masked gathering at Carlson's home appears to have been organized by Smash Racism DC, an ANTIFA group that was co-founded by Mike Isaacson, who has appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight. Tucker Carlson stated while calling into his show… "I think we know who these people are. In fact, I think one of the people screaming at my wife last night has been a guest on our show." "So, these are semi-public people." Carlson noted that while he cannot prove that the person he is thinking of was involved in the fascist gathering, DC police are on it and will find out. Carlson further added that what happened at his home was not a protest, but an outright threat. "If you have something to say, you're always welcome to come back on and say it. Again, he doesn't want to say it, he doesn't want to convince you, he wants to scare you into shutting up." RT CrossTalk host Peter Lavelle and The Duran's Alex Christoforou take a quick look at the rise in violence from far left ANTIFA fascist groups, that have now taken city and University riots to a much more personal level…harassing conservative voices at restaurants and movie theaters, to now showing up at their homes, threatening harm to those targeted and their family members. Remember to Please Subscribe to The Duran's YouTube Channel. Follow The Duran Audio Podcast on Soundcloud. Via The National Review… A group of protesters congregated outside what they claimed was Fox News host Tucker Carlson's home in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night to chant threatening messages. Smash Racism D.C., a self-described "anti-fascist" group, posted a video of their members screaming obscenities at Carlson's house and blaming his "policies" for the deaths of thousands of people. "Tucker Carlson, we will fight!" the protesters chanted. "We know where you sleep at night!" In a first video posted to Twitter, one ANTIFA fascist can be seen ringing Tucker Carlson's doorbell and then running away. The tweet have since been removed. "Racist scumbag, leave town!" Every night you spread fear into our homes—fear of the other, fear of us, and fear of them. Each night you tell us we are not safe. Tonight you're reminded that we have a voice. Tonight, we remind you that you are not safe either.#KnockKnockTuckerpic.twitter.com/QlNVKS4oxN — Smash Racism DC (@SmashRacismDC) November 7, 2018 Another tweet posted a few minutes after 7p.m., (an hour before the live airing of Fox News "Tucker Carson Tonight") accuses the Carlson of hiding because he didn't answer his door… Tucker Carlson has been spewing nonstop hate and lies about he migrant caravan. He also has close ties to white supremacists: https://t.co/jMbQJk3o6D Activists protested tonight at Carlson's Washington DC area home. You can't hide from those you hurt, Tucker.#KnockKnockTucker pic.twitter.com/uh6xfJxztA — Smash Racism DC (@SmashRacismDC) November 8, 2018 Tweets from ANTIFA fascists also included Tucker Carlson's home address, which have been removed by Twitter soon after they were posted. UPDATE (via The National Review): Twitter suspended the "Smash Racism" account late Wednesday evening. Carlson told Fox News that one protester cracked his oak front door with his body weight and another was recorded by a security camera mentioning a "pipe bomb." The Fox News personality also revealed that his wife was home at the time of the incident and locked herself in their pantry before calling police. Washington's Metropolitan Police Department opened an investigation Thursday into possible hate crimes in connection with the demonstration outside Carlson's home. BREAKING: A mob has gathered outside Tucker Carlson's home demanding his family leave DC because he is a "racist scumbag." "Every night you spread fear into homes — we remind you that you are not safe either" Tucker has 4 children. The Left is sick.https://t.co/rXs8pUmhxu pic.twitter.com/1R9O9UcTYM — Benny (@bennyjohnson) November 8, 2018 Liked it? Take a second to support The Duran on Patreon! Related Topics:Free SpeechFox NewscensorshipAlex Jonesliberal leftTucker CarlsonAntifamidterm electionsliberal lunaticsTucker Carlson Tonightdoxxing Up Next Politics: The Cancer that must be Eradicated once and for all Don't Miss Mueller Has Begun Writing "Final Report" On Trump-Russia Amid DOJ Shakeup Advertisement You may like Hell Hath No Fury Like a Liberal Scorned: The Media Turns on Facebook and Google Midterm Elections: A Disaster Denied, and What is Coming Creepy Porn Lawyers' disgusting assault on Tucker Carlson and his 19 year old daughter (Video) 15 Comments 15 Leave a Reply This comment form is under antispam protection 8 Comment threads 7 Thread replies 2 Followers Most reacted comment Hottest comment thread 11 Comment authors Recent comment authors This comment form is under antispam protection Subscribe newest oldest most voted Notify of new follow-up comments new replies to my comments GuestPindosCowards? Who're the cowards? antifa acts and we cluck and name call. Get back to me when we out the addresses of all supreme court justices and every democrat congressman. Vote Up1Vote Down ReplyNovember 9, 2018 18:41GuestTheCelotajsIn the mean time, the DOJ, FBI and the DHS stand around and do nothing to shut these groups down. I guess the body count has to be high enough and the street gutters are running full of blood before they act. These people are nothing more then the Marxist Bolsheviks Socialist Communist Progressive Democrats military arm and army. Vote Up1Vote Down ReplyNovember 9, 2018 20:39Guestgra gorGood thing someone is standing up for your rights. Cause it sure isn't the people who are elected. Vote Up1Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 03:40GuestCudwieserJust to say they aren't marxist or Bolshey. They are self agrandised, over entitled brats who are fighting for themselves and are doing more to undo what has been done. Marxismm (can't say much for Bolshevism) were largely critiques of a contempory plight and intended as legit solutions to a problem. Antifa aren't solving a problem, just causing one. It might amaze you how many socialists, marxists and even communists would join you in crucifying the likes of antifa. The shit we face really is f*cked beyond comprehension. Vote Up2Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 04:32Guestjohn vieiraGive them all the fancy names you want to…they, and those that fund them, are nothing but despicable loathsome obscenity riddled rats…Yup! "They're to big to be mice but to small to be men thus they must be RATS!!!" Vote Up2Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 07:47GuestpenroseWho gave you the right to slander RATS? Vote Up1Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 16:58GuestManintheMoonI'm afraid that Peter seems to be missing the main point which is that law enforcement needs to be going after the monkey grinders as well as the monkeys, ie Soros et al who are financing and organising these louts. Political violence by intolerant extreme radicals is as old as politics – suffragettes in England for instance bombed the house of the then Home Secretary with his small son inside – what is new is the way that fellow travellers not fail to condemn this sort of behaviour but encourage it. in a normal society violence would damage the cause… Read more »Vote Up1Vote Down ReplyNovember 9, 2018 21:40GuestCudwieserwhat are the self defense laws in California? Vote Up2Vote Down ReplyNovember 9, 2018 22:35GuestJustin TauaAmerica is well and truly screwed, if it thinks that an "Anarchist" anti-Fascist group calling itself "ANTIFA"; is Fascist. It's like calling American Football, "Football", when it has nothing to do with "Football" or calling a Touch-Down a "Touch-down", when there isn't an actual Touch-down, like a Rugby Football "Try." We, outside the USA; look in wonderment, at what a screwed up place, the USA actually is. The USA is where, the "Republican" Conservatives call the "Democrat" Conservatives; the "Left." From an International perspective, both are Right-wing, "War Capitalist" Parties. The Democrats or any of its affiliates; are definitely not… Read more »Vote Up2Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 03:23GuestpenroseRight Wing, Left Wing, Center all belong to 2-dimensional politics. Hasn't worked well for the last, say, 10,000 years or so. Vote Up1Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 17:02GuestghartwellHold your breath and count to ten, America will stop Antifa and the bully antics. Vote Up0Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 04:18GuestJoel Walbert…a well regulated militia, being necessary for the security of a free state… Vote Up0Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 04:52Guestjohn vieiraDo not hold your breath….the "militia" has to be organized and coordinated and the only effort that appears to be moving in any direction is the seditious/traitorous Shadow Government run by the "organizer" that has been given the green light by the "political elite" and mostly "ignored" by the mainstream corrupted media…. Vote Up1Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 07:40GuestJoel WalbertThere are quite a lot of organized and well equipped People's Militias all over the country, and have been since the founding of the nation. Sounds like you have already given up hope. I pray you haven't because the Light shall prevail in the end. Vote Up0Vote Down ReplyNovember 10, 2018 07:47GuestPhoriHow ironic, trying to counter perceived narrow-mindedness with actual bigotry! What resonates with me is the correspondence to that other "all-American" institution, specifically of the D.C. Stephenson and later eras, that of the KKK. Who are these people who run around in masks and refuse to identify themselves (and expect to be taken seriously)? They try to be scary but more resemble the ilk who are too scared to be exposed. True, the KKK was seen to be racially and religiously motivated but politics was affected by the members' influence, too. And, lo and behold, one content provider posted his… Read more »Vote Up0Vote Down ReplyNovember 11, 2018 07:55 Latest Damaged goods Saudi Crown Prince MbS remains political thorn in Trump's side (Video) The Duran Quick Take: Episode 20. Published 5 hours ago on November 21, 2018 By Alex Christoforou US President Donald Trump said his administration plans to stand by Saudi Arabia amid the Khashoggi crisis. In a statement on Tuesday, Trump said he intends to maintain Washington's strong ties to Saudi leaders, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), despite the "unacceptable and horrible crime" committed against Jamal Khashoggi. The Duran's Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris take a quick look at Trump's decision to stand by the House of Saud and the Crown prince, as US lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and mainstream media outlets, have denounced Trump's statement. Meanwhile a G20 summit looms in Argentina, where MbS will be in attendance sitting side-by-side with other G20 leaders. Within the Saudi Kingdom Prince Ahmed, King Salman's only surviving full brother, has returned to Riyadh after 2-1/2 months abroad, in what many analysts believe to be a bid by the exiled brother to wrestle away the throne from the Crown Prince. Remember to Please Subscribe to The Duran's YouTube Channel. Follow The Duran Audio Podcast on Soundcloud. Read Trump's full statement below: America First! The world is a very dangerous place! The country of Iran, as an example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, trying to destabilize Iraq's fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, propping up dictator Bashar Assad in Syria (who has killed millions of his own citizens), and much more. Likewise, the Iranians have killed many Americans and other innocent people throughout the Middle East. Iran states openly, and with great force, "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" Iran is considered "the world's leading sponsor of terror." On the other hand, Saudi Arabia would gladly withdraw from Yemen if the Iranians would agree to leave. They would immediately provide desperately needed humanitarian assistance. Additionally, Saudi Arabia has agreed to spend billions of dollars in leading the fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism. After my heavily negotiated trip to Saudi Arabia last year, the Kingdom agreed to spend and invest $450 billion in the United States. This is a record amount of money. It will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, tremendous economic development, and much additional wealth for the United States. Of the $450 billion, $110 billion will be spent on the purchase of military equipment from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and many other great U.S. defense contractors. If we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries – and very happy to acquire all of this newfound business. It would be a wonderful gift to them directly from the United States! The crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that our country does not condone. Indeed, we have taken strong action against those already known to have participated in the murder. After great independent research, we now know many details of this horrible crime. We have already sanctioned 17 Saudis known to have been involved in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi, and the disposal of his body. Representatives of Saudi Arabia say that Jamal Khashoggi was an "enemy of the state" and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but my decision is in no way based on that – this is an unacceptable and horrible crime. King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn't! That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region. It is our paramount goal to fully eliminate the threat of terrorism throughout the world! I understand there are members of Congress who, for political or other reasons, would like to go in a different direction – and they are free to do so. I will consider whatever ideas are presented to me, but only if they are consistent with the absolute security and safety of America. After the United States, Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producing nation in the world. They have worked closely with us and have been very responsive to my requests to keeping oil prices at reasonable levels – so important for the world. As President of the United States I intend to ensure that, in a very dangerous world, America is pursuing its national interests and vigorously contesting countries that wish to do us harm. Very simply it is called America First! Via The Middle East Eye… Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan called Trump's comments a "betrayal" of American values, accusing the president of putting his personal relationships and "commercial interests" above US interests. Ryan said the White House should make public any evidence it may have that would contradict an earlier CIA conclusion that bin Salman ordered the assassination of Khashoggi. "An innocent man, brutally slain, deserves better, as does the cause of truth and justice and human rights," Ryan said in a statement Tuesday. He also called on the US Congress to act where Trump has apparently failed. "In this failure of leadership from President Trump, it now falls to Congress to stand up for America's true values and lasting interests," Ryan said. Washington Post editor Karen Attiah, who edited Khashoggi's columns at the newspaper, called the White House's statement "juvenile" and "clumsy". She also condemned the US president for repeating a "Saudi lie" in his statement, which Trump used to convey Saudi assertions that Khashoggi was "an enemy of the state" and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, claims the journalist's family has refuted as baseless. In a column published on Tuesday afternoon, Attiah went on to say that Trump's handling of the crisis emboldens repression and endangers journalists around the world. "If the administration continues down this path, it will further destroy whatever is left of America's moral credibility on global human rights and freedom of expression," she wrote. "It puts truth-seekers and journalists who dare challenge the Saudi regime and other intolerant governments in grave danger, no matter where they live." US lawmakers call for MBS to be held accountable Several members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate also expressed their dismay at the president's vow to stand alongside Saudi Arabia despite Khashoggi's killing. Bob Corker, the retiring Republican chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, accused Trump of acting like a public relations agent for the Saudi government. I never thought I'd see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/MQ4JsoQtqk — Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) November 20, 2018 The incoming US House Intelligence Committee chairman, Adam Schiff, said Trump's statement harms Washington's standing in the world. "To say 'maybe he did and maybe he didn't,' or that we are incapable of finding out the truth, or that knowing the truth our silence can be bought with arms sales, undermines the Presidency, credibility of our intelligence professionals, and our role as a champion of human rights," the congressman said on Twitter. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, said she was "shocked" by the president's decision not to impose consequences on the Saudi crown prince, also known as MBS, for the murder. "I plan to vote against any future arms sales and appropriation to Saudi Arabia. I also believe that the United States should consider sanctions against the crown prince and that the Saudi ambassador to the United States should not be allowed to continue in that role," Feinstein said in a statement. Left-wing Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders also condemned Trump's "rambling and dishonest" statement. Sanders dismissed the White House's assertion that Tehran, not Riyadh, is to blame for the war in Yemen. "Trump is clearly very afraid of the prospect of the Senate delivering a serious rebuke to his policy by voting to end U.S. support for the Yemen war. But that is exactly what we will do when we vote on SJ Res 54 next week," Sanders wrote on Twitter. The President's failure to hold Saudi Arabia responsible in any meaningful way for the death of Jamal Khashoggi is just one more example of this White House's retreat from American leadership on issues like human rights and protecting the free press. — Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) November 20, 2018 Senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said although international diplomacy requires dealing with "bad actors and imperfect situations," the US should not lose its "moral voice" at the world stage. "While Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally, the behavior of the Crown Prince – in multiple ways – has shown disrespect for the relationship and made him, in my view, beyond toxic," Graham wrote on Twitter. "I firmly believe there will be strong bipartisan support for serious sanctions against Saudi Arabia, including appropriate members of the royal family, for this barbaric act which defied all civilized norms." Saudi officials have repeatedly denied that the crown prince had any knowledge of the plan to murder Khashoggi or cover up the crime. Still, human rights groups, journalists, UN experts and others have pointed the finger at MBS, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, saying it's impossible the crown prince was not involved. Former CIA chief John Brennan, meanwhile, urged the US intelligence agency to release its finding on the murder, criticising Trump's dishonesty. "Since Mr. Trump excels in dishonesty, it is now up to members of Congress to obtain & declassify the CIA findings on Jamal Khashoggi's death. No one in Saudi Arabia – most especially the Crown Prince – should escape accountability for such a heinous act," he wrote on Twitter. Brennan has been an outspoken critic of Trump, and previously had his security clearance revoked by the White House. Iran's foreign minister weighs in Trump also used his statement on Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia Tuesday to criticise the Iranian government, saying strong ties between Washington and Riyadh were necessary in "the fight against Iran". Shortly after the US president's comments were made public, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Trump's decision to bring Tehran into the crisis was "shameful". "Mr. Trump bizarrely devotes the FIRST paragraph of his shameful statement on Saudi atrocities to accuse IRAN of every sort of malfeasance he can think of," Zarif wrote on Twitter. Zarif then made a dig at Trump's suggestion – which came over the weekend after a massive, deadly wildfire ravaged parts of California – that Finland prevents wildfires by raking leaves. "Perhaps we're also responsible for the California fires, because we didn't help rake the forests – just like the Finns do?" the Iranian foreign minister asked sarcastically. Liked it? Take a second to support The Duran on Patreon! Continue Reading Latest The Geopolitical Strategy Of The US' Global Hegemony By A Notorious Russophobe Zbigniew Brzezinski The achievement of a New World Order after 1990 is being tested for some time in Washington. Published 10 hours ago on November 21, 2018 By The Duran Authored by Vladislav Sotirovic via Oriental Review: If we have to use force, it is because we are America. We are the indispensable nation. (Madeleine K. Albright, February 1998)[1] Madam Secretary As a matter of very fact, regardless to the reality in global politics that the Cold War was over in 1989, Washington continued to drive toward the getting the status of a global hyperpower at any expense for the rest of the world. The Balkans undoubtedly became the first victim in Europe of the old but esthetically repacked American global imperialism. The US' administration is a key player during the last 25 years of the Balkan crisis caused by the bloody destruction of ex-Yugoslavia[2] in which Washington played a crucial role in three particular historical cases: Only due to the US' administration (more precisely due to the last US' ambassador to Yugoslavia, Warren Zimmermann), a Bosnian-Herzegovinian President Alija Izetbegović (the author of the 1970 Islamic Declaration) rejected already agreed Lisbon Agreement about peaceful resolution of the Bosnian crises which was signed by the official representatives of the Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks in February 1992. Alija Izetbegović was one of those three signatories. The agreement was reached under the auspices of the European Community (the EC, later the European Union) that was represented by the British diplomat Lord Carrington and the Portuguese ambassador José Cutileiro. However, under the US' protection, a Bosnian-Herzegovinian Bosniak-Croat Government declared independence on March 3rd, 1992 which local Serbs decisively opposed. Therefore, two warmongers, Warren Zimmermann and Alija Izetbegović pushed Bosnia-Herzegovina into the civil war which stopped only in November 21st, 1995 by signing the Dayton Accords in Ohio (Slobodan Milošević, Bill Clinton, Alija Izetbegović and Franjo Tuđman).[3] It was exactly the US' administration which crucially blessed the ethnic cleansing of the Serbs from the Republic of Serbian Krayina committed by Croatia's police and army forces (including and neo-Nazi Ustashi formations) on August 4−5th, 1995. For the realization of this criminal operation (under the secret code Storm/Oluja) Washington gave to Zagreb all logistic, political, diplomatic and military support. As a consequence, around 250,000 Croatia's Serbs left their homes in two days which were quickly occupied by the Croats.[4] South Serbia's Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metochia was firstly occupied in June 1999 by the NATO/KFOR' forces and later in February 2008 politically separated from its motherland when Albanian-dominated Kosovo's Parliament proclaimed the formal independence primarily as a direct consequence of the Serbophobic policy by the US's administration of President Bill Clinton and his warmongering hawk Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. Today, Kosovo, except its northern part, is ethnically cleansed from the Serbs[5] and transformed into a mafia state with a silent blessing by Washington and the rest of the Western gangsters from the NATO and the EU who recognized its quasi-independence.[6] Here is very important to stress that, basically, during the Bill Clinton' administration, the US' foreign policy in regard to the Balkans (ex-Yugoslavia) was primarily designed and directed by Madeleine K. Albright who became a chief US' war criminal at the very end of the 20th century. Who was Mrs. Albright – the author of Madam Secretary: A Memoir, New York: Talk Miramax Books, 2003, 562 pages.[7] Madeleine K. Albright was born in Czechoslovakia in 1937. She was confirmed as the 64th US' Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001. Her career in the US' government included positions in the National Security Council and as US' ambassador to the United Nations. The highest-ranking warmonger female hawk in the history of the US' Government was telling an unforgetable whitewashed story of lies in her memoirs of the US' imperialism at the turn of the 21st century. She was the first woman in the US' history to be appointed to the post of Secretary of State (Minister of Foreign Affairs). For eight years during the first and second Bill Clinton's terms, she succeeded drastically to ruin America's image of a democratic and freedom fighting country mainly due to her direct and crucial involvement into the US-led NATO's aggression on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (the FRY) in 1999 composed by Serbia and Montenegro that was the first aggression of this organization in its 50 years long history of the preparation for the invasion of Russia. The aggression lasted for 78 days from March 24th to June 10th, 1999 and was one of the most brutal and barbaric in the modern history of the world breaking all international laws, rules of war and, most important, the Charter and principles of the UNO. Madeleine K. Albright tried in her memoirs to whitewash her extremely important and even crucial participation in the post-Cold War US' policy of imperialism but primarily her focal role in the preparation and conduction of the US/NATO's unprecedented war on the FRY as being one of the most influential policy-makers in her adopted country. The Madam Secretary's memoirs are firstly the story of a woman of great warmongering character with a fascinating talent to lie and whitewash the truth. Her memoirs are surely a valuable contribution to the political history of aggressive diplomacy of the project of the US' global hegemony after the collapse of the USSR. But who was her mentor? Former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright If we are speaking about the US' foreign policy, the fundamental question is what are the US policy's interests and its implications in both the Balkans and Europe. The US' involvement in the Balkans and Europe The achievement of a New World Order after 1990 is being tested for some time in Washington. We have to keep in mind that for some first 20 years after the end of the Cold War, the strongest military and economic power, the leaders of the NATO and the UNO, the initiators of the international peacekeeping missions and negotiations in the regions of "failed states" in which they provoked the crises and wars, especially at the Balkans, the champions against the international terrorism and crime that was a reaction to their dirty foreign policy of unmasked imperialism and global hegemony, were the USA.[8] Nevertheless, the US' interests in the Balkans cannot be understood apart from a larger picture of the American interests in Europe in general. There are many American scientists and politicians who argued that a leadership in Europe will either be American or it will not be, since France and Germany (the axis-powers of the EU) were not too strong to take over and Germany was still in the 1990s too preoccupied with the consequences of its reunification (i.e., the absorption of the DDR). However, the recent (on November 11th, 2018) French President Emmanuel Macron's initiative to create a joint European Army shows that probably the Europeans finally became enough matured to maintain security in their own home by themselves but not anymore under the umbrella of the US-led NATO. The question, in essence, is not if, but what kind of leadership the US has and will have in the case that the current post-Cold War's international relations are not going to be drastically changed? In this respect, the US need to be aware that the best leadership is the one shared with other partners, in this case with the EU/NATO, more specifically France, Germany, and Britain but, of course, Russia have to be seriously taken into the consideration too. With the involvement of Russia into a common European security system on the bases of equal reciprocity, friendship and partnership, the final aim will be to obtain a common vision and an efficient coordination in conflict management, as well as in political and economic cooperation. At such a way, the cases of violent destructions and civil wars, for example on the territory of ex-Yugoslavia, will be avoided for sure. U.S. Marines escorting Yugoslavian soldiers in Kosovo to be handed over to Yugoslavian authorities The US' political analysts are keen to suggest that the American presence in Europe should not be regarded as a competition, but rather as a part of the transatlantic partnership between the two continents, as well as a necessity demonstrated by the sad experience in the former Yugoslavia. According to official Washington, the NATO's intervention in both Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995 and Kosovo in 1999 (in both cases against the Serbs) under the US' leadership was the only credible action along with many initiatives taken by the international community.[9] However, on the other side, military intervention is in many cases creating more political and security problems for a longer period of time. It is understandable that the US cannot assist apathetically to the collapse of countries vital to their own interest but such principle is valid to be applied for any great power too. Besides, regional instability only expands, engaging other areas and creating new confrontations. Thus, the economic support offered to some countries, and the military one offered to others shows that the US formally believe in the regional stability as an enforcer of the international stability but in reality only if such stability is put under the umbrella of Washington's interests and benefits. The case of Kosovo is, probably, the best example of such practice: by bringing a formal stability this province of Serbia is put at the same time under the full Western (primarily American) political control and economic exploitation.[10] In supporting the NATO's expansion, there is a hesitation in treating all aspirant countries in a non-discriminatory fashion. And that, because interests are more important than global security, can be the reason. The advocates of the "Pax Americana's" view of the global security would publically say that they are not propagating the US as the savior of the world, or the world's policeman, but they are just the most fervent supporters of the global peace and stability. However, in the practice they are working oppositely: as many as conflicts and insecurity issues in the world, there are more chances and practical opportunities for Washington to become the regional policeman and global savior of the order.[11] In their relationship with other NATO's countries, the USA regard the process of integration in the Euro-Atlantic space (i.e., the area of the US' control and administration) as a two-way street in which each partner needs to accomplish its tasks. An addition to those is, of course, the geostrategic position (Turkey instead of Greece, for instance, in the 1974 Cyprus crisis) and short, medium and long-term declarative promises like the economic gratification of security which can at the end to be turned to its opposite side. For instance, the US' offering military, political and financial assistance to the countries of East-Central and South-East Europe as a mean to build up their security shield against "aggressive" Russia can be easily transformed into their very insecurity reality coming from the US' imperialistic policy toward Russia as there were already the cases with Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014 as the "Pax Americana's" approach in international relations is as its countereffect just provoking the Russian (and Chinese) counteraction in enhancing its own nuclear and other military potentials as Vladimir Putin exactly stressed during his electoral campaigns. The US' geopolitical strategy by Zbig (Vietnam) war criminal Henry Kissinger (ex-US' Secretary of State), summarized the post-Cold War's international relations from the American geopolitical viewpoint: "Geopolitically, America is an island off the shores of the large landmass of Eurasia, whose resources and population far exceed those of the United States. The domination by a single power of either of Eurasia's two principal spheres – Europe or Asia – remains a good definition of strategic danger for America, Cold War or no Cold War. For such a grouping would have the capacity to outstrip America economically and, in the end, militarily".[12] It is not surprising that in the 1990s there were raised voices in Washington which required that the US has to find a way of dominating Eurasia at any reasonable cost. The US' neocon warmongering hawks, like Zbigniew Brzezinski, recognized that the area of the enlarged Middle East (with the Balkans, North Africa, and Central Asia) is from the strategical viewpoint, economically, ideologically and above all geopolitically at the center of the Eurasian issue. However, the US' neocon hawks' much wider global geopolitical aims which were coming closer to the aim to continue domination in the Middle East were launched during the Bill Clinton's presidency as a result of a wider shift in the American foreign policy's profile led by Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright ("Madam Secretary") and her extremely Russophobic mentor Zbigniew Brzezinski (known as Zbig). Warsaw-born Zbig (1928−2017) was a focal personality in the US' foreign policy's elite establishment since President Jimmy Carter's administration in which he was a National Security Advisor. During the Ronald Reagan's administration, Zbig was the main mediator between Washington and its clients in Afghanistan – the anti-Soviet Taliban forces and Osama bin-Laden with whom Zbig has several common photos (in 1979) on which he is training Osama to operate with just donated American guns to fight the Soviets. Further, Zbig has a great influence on the first Bill Clinton's administration and he was at the same time an early advocate of the NATO's eastward expansion (started in 1999). It is assumed that it was exactly Zbig who was instrumental in getting the US' President Bill Clinton to commit himself to this course of the American imperialism in 1994. Furthermore, Brzezinski's influence on the US' foreign policy became stronger during the second Clinton's administration through a Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright – his former pupil at Columbia University. It is worth to note that Albright was working under his supervision in Carter's administration. If we have to summarize Zbig's chief imperatives of the US' imperialistic global policy and geostrategy of the making America world's hegemon, they are going to be as follows: To prevent collusion and maintain security among the US' vassal states (the NATO/EU). To keep tributaries pliant and protected. To keep the barbarians (the Russians and their supporters) from coming together. To consolidate and perpetuate the prevailing geopolitical pluralism in Eurasia by manipulation in order to prevent the emergence of a hostile coalition that could finally attempt to challenge the US' supremacy in the world. Those that must be divided and eventually ruled are Germany, Russia, Japan, Iran, and China.[13] Former US national security advisor Zbigniew Former US national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski The American direct and infamous participation in the destruction of ex-Yugoslavia in 1991−1995 followed by the 1998−1999 Kosovo's War can be understood, therefore, as the steps in the realization of Zbig's geopolitical strategy of making America global hegemon. The US-led bombing of Serbia and Montenegro from March to June 1999 (78 days) was carried out by enlarged NATO and the UNO was only called at the end to sanctify the resulting colonial policy of Washington. The aggression on Serbia and Montenegro was formally justified by a reference to the TV-show plight of Kosovo's Albanians, developing at the same time the new doctrine of the "humanitarian imperialism". We have to keep in mind on this place that the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s were fought in a geographical area which is the crucial courtyard of the Eurasian continent that is as such opening a direct way to the ex-Soviet republics on the shores of the Caspian and the energy sources they control.[14] Nevertheless, Kosovo's War became for the US the genuine precursor of its later invasion of Iraq in 2003. "Madam Secretary" was a firm advocate of bombing Serbia and Serbs in Washington primarily due to the direct influence by notorious Russophobe Zbig who saw the Balkan Serbs as "little Russians" and the Balkan wars of the destruction of ex-Yugoslavia as a testing ground for the US' policy throughout the whole Caspian and Central Asian area. However, in addition, being an advocate for the US' oil companies wishing to establish their business on the territory of ex-Soviet Union in the Caucasus and Central Asia, Zbig regarded the American political and geostrategic supremacy in this region as a crucial aim of the US' foreign policy in the 1990s. In order to accomplish his aim, among other manipulations and instruments, Zbig championed the American support to the Islamic Pakistan, the Taliban Afghanistan (till 9/11) and the Islamic resurgence in Saudi Arabia and even Iran.[15] Multidimensional aspect of security It is true that globalization, stability, and security offer to the countries a greater capacity to cooperate and focus on the economic prosperity of its citizens but in practice, this particularly means much more important businesses and more money for the US' economy and citizens. Today, security has multidimensional aspects. If during the Cold War security only had a military-political component, today it has gained a new aspect – the economic one. The non-military aspects of security comprise everything from macroeconomic stability to environmental health. The proponents of the US' global hegemony will all the time argue that where there is a harmony (established by the US) and well-being the chances of conflicts to erupt are smaller and the gain is exclusively financial and economic (primarily for the US). There is, of course, a combination between interest per se and their consequences. To illustrate, the case of Macedonia could be interesting. Macedonia at the first glance benefits of the US' military presence on her territory since 1991 as it is a geostrategic spot in the Balkans of the highest importance. As a matter of fact, this military presence maintained Macedonia's economic level at a higher standard than some of the other countries in the area up to 2001, despite the fact that was still the poorest of the former Yugoslav six republics affected by two economic embargos by Greece in 1991−1993. Macedonia was illustrated till 2001, especially by the Western media, as being a success story in conflict prevention and peace maintenance primarily due to the presence of the US/NATO's military troops. However, in 2001 erupted inter-ethnic conflict between the Slavic Macedonians and the local Albanians (supported by the Kosovo Liberation Army) what brought the question of the US/NATO's efficiency in the region. The NATO's eastward expansion is a particular story of Zbig's geostrategic designs against his eternal enemy – Russia. It is a fact that just before the NATO's aggression on Serbia and Montenegro in 1999, this military organization accepted as the member states three East-Central European countries: Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic (the next eastward enlargement was in 2004). Therefore, the southern flank of the NATO between Hungary and Greece became now interrupted only by the territory of ex-Yugoslavia. Subsequently, such situation gave NATO a considerable strategic interest in controlling the Balkans where the Serbs were the most numerous and geostrategically important nation. However, as a direct effect of the NATO's eastward enlargement, the Iron Curtain was moved further to the east and closer to Russia's borders with all spectrum of the expected and unexpected consequences of such anti-Russian Drang nach Osten. Now, the Iron Curtain, once dividing Germany, it came in 1999 to run down the eastern borders of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, ending on the state-borders of the ex-Yugoslav republics, now independent states. The crux of the matter is that a decade-long process of the NATO's eastward enlargement became at the beginning of 1999 blocked in the Balkans by the Serbs – the only ex-Yugoslav nation firmly opposing a NATO's membership. Subsequently, it was exactly Washington to assume the role of leading the NATO to the new anti-Russian front and borders. That was the crucial reason why the Serbs had to be bombed in 1999 and Kosovo occupied by the US-led NATO's troops in the form of the UNO KFOR. What regards this issue, both Zbig and "Madam Secretary" were clearly speaking through the mouth of the US' President Bill Clinton: the stability (the US' control) in the Balkans could only be established if the EU and the USA do for this region what it was done for Europe after the WWII and Central Europe after the Cold War – occupation and economic-financial exploitation within the formal framework of the NATO's and EU' (the USA) enlargement. Conclusion The brutal expansion of the NATO is very visible since 1999 and even expected if we are taking into consideration the final aims of the US' foreign policy in Eurasia framed by a notorious foreign policy gangster – Zbigniew Brzezinski. As a consequence, the EU is going to continue to be America's main colonial partner in the NATO's preparations for the war of aggression against Russia and most probably at the same time China. Subsequently, there will be a need for much work and a common will to overcome violence, injustice, and suffering in order to achieve a global security without the hegemonic dominance by any great power.[16] Endnotes: [1] Andrew J. Bacevich, American Empire: The Realities and Consequences of U.S. Diplomacy, Cambridge, Massachusetts−London, England: Harvard University Press, 2002, the page before 1. [2] On the Western approach about a modern Yugoslav history, see in Allcock B. John, Explaining Yugoslavia, London: Hurst & Co, 2000; David Gowland, Richard Dunphy, Charlotte Lythe, The European Mosaic: Contemporary Politics, Economics and Culture, Third Edition, Harlow, Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited, 2006, Section 5.3 Yugoslavia. [3] About the destruction of ex-Yugoslavia and particularly on the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, see in Jelena Guskova, Istorija jugoslovenske krize 1990−2000, Beograd: Izdavački grafički atelje "M", 2003. [4] Вељко Ђурић Мишина (уредник), Република Српска Крајина. Десет година послије, Београд: "Добра воља", 2005, 48. [5] On this issue, see more in Zoran Anđelović, Miroslav Marković (eds.), Days of Terror (In the Presence of the International Forces), Belgrade: Center for Peace and Tolerance, 2000; Dragan Kojadinović (ed.), March Pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija (March 17−19, 2004) With a Survey of Destroyed and Endangered Christian Cultural Heritage, Belgrade: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia−Museum in Priština (displaced), 2004. [6] Pierre Pean, Sébastien Fontenelle, Kosovo une guerre "juste" pour créer un etat mafieux, Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard, 2013. [7] This article is a constructive-critical contribution to the new, revised and updated edition of the memoirs of the "Madam Secretary". [8] About the post-Cold War's US' foreign policy, especially through the prism of the "Bush Doctrine", see in David P. Forsythe, Patrice C. McMahon, Andrew Wedeman (eds.), American Foreign Policy in a Globalized World, New York−London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2006. [9] About a typical American approach on the case of Yugoslavia's destruction in the 1990s, see in Susan L. Woodward, Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and Dissolution after the Cold War, Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1995. However, the focal lack of such books is the fact that a crucial US/EU/NATO' role in creating Balkan tragedy and Yugoslavia's chaos is omitted. [10] Hannes Hofbauer, Eksperiment Kosovo: Povratak kolonijalizma, Beograd: Albatros Plus, 2009. [11] There are well-known words by Theodor Roosevelt uttered in December 1899: "Of course, our whole national history has been one of expansion". [12] John Rees, Imperialism and Resistance, New York−London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2006, 18. [13] Ibid., 19−20. [14] About the issue of a strategic environment from the Adriatic to the Caspian, see in Stefano Bianchini (ed.), From the Adriatic to the Caucasus: The Dynamics of (De)Stabilization, Ravenna: Longo Editore Ravenna, 2001. [15] Differently to all other American warmongers and imperialistic hawks, Zbig favors the alliance with the Shia Islamic Republic of Iran. [16] On global security, see in Peter Hough, Understanding Global Security, Third edition, New York−London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2005. Liked it? Take a second to support The Duran on Patreon! Continue Reading Latest Trump hands over written responses to Mueller's Russia probe questions The written answers submitted by Trump Tuesday have the same legal implications as an oral testimony, meaning that if the statements are proven false, he might be accused of perjury. Published 10 hours ago on November 21, 2018 By The Duran Via RT… A lawyer for Donald Trump has confirmed that the US President has submitted answers to the questions penned by FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team. The questions refer to the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with Moscow. "The president today answered written questions submitted by the special counsel's office," Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow said in a statement, as cited by AP. The issues Trump covered in his responses are "the Russia-related topics of the inquiry," Sekulow said. Trump's legal team has indicated that the president would not answer any additional questions aside from potential follow-ups. Likewise, Trump is not expected to answer any questions that refer to allegations of obstruction of justice, with his lawyers insisting that the constitution protects the sitting President from answering questions on policies he conducted while in office. Trump's personal lawyer Rudi Giuliani said Tuesday, that "much of what has been asked raised serious constitutional issues and was beyond the scope of a legitimate inquiry," without elaborating. Giuliani has not ruled out that Trump might answer further questions if forwarded by Mueller, but said that it is "unlikely we will answer any more questions." The contents of both the answers and the questions themselves will not be made public, Sekulow said. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said he prepared the answers himself, and that it did not take him "very long." The written answers submitted by Trump Tuesday have the same legal implications as an oral testimony, meaning that if the statements are proven false, he might be accused of perjury. Trump's cooperation with Mueller's office has been seen as a compromise. The president's attitude toward a potential face-to-face interview with the federal prosecutor has shifted over time. Back in January Trump said that he was "looking forward" to speaking under oath. He doubled down in May, saying that he "would love" to sit down for an interview with Mueller "if treated fairly." There have been reports, however, that the president's legal team has been staunchly opposed to a personal encounter between Trump and Mueller and eventually talked the president out of it. The personal interview might still happen if Mueller's office issues a subpoena for Trump to testify. However, it would first need to be signed off on by the Acting Attorney General, the probe's well-known critic Matthew Whitaker, and even then it could be thrown out by the Supreme Court. Liked it? Take a second to support The Duran on Patreon! Continue Reading JOIN OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL Your donations make all the difference. Together we can expose fake news lies and deliver truth. Amount to donate in USD$: 5 100 Validating payment information... 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Car Review
2012 Scion tC: New Car Review
Pros: Sporty attitude; peppy acceleration; decent back seat; handy hatchback body style; extensive personalization options; good value
Cons: Modest performance capabilities
The 2012 Scion tC is the kind of attainable sport coupe that no one seems to build anymore. Remember the Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon twins? The Acura Integra? The Toyota Celica? It wasn't that long ago that coupes like these were fixtures in high school and college parking lots across the country. We thought they made for great first cars, providing accessible fun while remaining reasonably safe and versatile. These days, however, the Scion tC is practically the only game in town.
Fortunately, the tC's got a lot going for it. The 2.5-liter inline-4 under the hood isn't capable enough to get you into real trouble, but it's entertaining, and its broad power band is ideal for someone learning to drive a stick shift. The tC's sporty steering wheel is a nice complement to the car's engaging handling character. The back seat is surprisingly handy, making the tC a legitimate four-seater for moderate-length trips. And like every Scion, the tC offers plenty of personalization options for everything from loud exhausts to thumping sound systems.
The tC should not be mistaken for a real performance car-it's based on the boring U.K.-built Toyota Avensis sedan, after all-but if you keep your expectations reasonable, this Scion is likely to exceed them. The glory days of affordable sport coupes may never return, but we're glad the 2012 Scion tC is around to remind us what these cars were all about.
Comfort & Utility
The 2012 Scion tC is offered in one trim level with many optional accessories. Standard features include 18-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, a height-adjustable driver's seat, air conditioning, power accessories, cruise control, a first-aid kit, a tilting and telescoping flat-bottom sport steering wheel and an eight-speaker, 300-watt Pioneer audio system with HD radio and iPod/USB and Bluetooth connectivity.
Available extras include 19-inch alloy wheels, foglamps, a rear spoiler, a premium Pioneer audio system with a 5.8-inch touchscreen and Pandora Internet radio connectivity (iPhone required), a navigation system with a 7.0-inch touchscreen (replacing the premium stereo's smaller touchscreen) and a variety of mild performance aids like lowering springs, performance brakes and a sport exhaust.
Also offered for 2012 is a limited-edition RS 7.0 model with a retina-searing yellow paint job, black 18-inch alloys, a Toyota Racing Development body kit, black and yellow upholstery, keyless entry with push-button ignition and individually numbered badges.
The tC's front seats are a welcome departure from Scion's ho-hum norm, boasting prominent side bolsters designed to hold you in place when the going gets twisty. Those bolsters could actually be more aggressive, though, as we suspect concessions have been made to the median American physique. The thick, leather-wrapped tilting and telescoping steering wheel has a wide range of adjustability, and it sports a racing-car-style flat bottom that reminds us of the wheel in the mega-expensive Audi TT RS.
The tC's gauges are straightforward, comprising an orange-illuminated tachometer and speedometer housed within separate hoods. The three-dial climate controls couldn't be simpler, and the entire central control panel is canted toward the driver for a cool cockpit-like feel. We've seen other publications complain about the tC's interior materials, but we're not sure what they're so angry about. Sure, the plastics are hard to the touch, but they have distinctive graining, and the overall ambiance in the tC's cabin is hardly cheap.
The tC's back seat illustrates the advantages of basing a sport coupe on an existing sedan. Unless the front passengers are unusually tall, full-size adults should be able to ride in back for miles without complaint. Rear headroom is the most significant limiting factor.
Cargo capacity seems average-plus at first blush-14.7 cubic feet-but that's just the start of it. The tC is actually a hatchback, believe it or not, and if you open that liftgate and fold down the rear seatbacks, you'll have nearly 35 cubic feet of cargo space, which puts the tC in a dead heat with the xD four-door hatchback.
The tC's standard Pioneer stereo is much nicer to look at than the typical base stereos found in vehicles under $20,000, and it even lets you customize a 16-character welcome message that appears every time you flip it on. We especially like the iPod-inspired mode-selection dial and the fact that the 300-watt output is significantly more than most other Scions provide. The optional touchscreen stereo is tempting, though, as it brings the added functionality (and cool typeface) of that 5.8-inch screen-plus an iPhone-powered Pandora feed and a little extra power-for under $500. But we'd like to see a subwoofer come standard with this premium system; if you want a sub, you'll have to buy one yourself and hook it up to the included RCA output.
The other notable high-tech extra is the navigation system, which boasts a seven-inch touchscreen. It works well enough, but given that it costs two grand, we'd rather use our smartphones to get around.
Performance & Fuel Economy
The front-wheel-drive tC is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-4 rated at 180 horsepower and 173 lb-ft of torque. The transmission choices are a six-speed manual and an extra-cost six-speed automatic transmission. Either way, the tC packs a pretty decent punch. This is essentially the same engine that powers the capable Toyota Camry sedan, and it has less mass to pull around in the tC's case. Chirped front tires off the line are a regular occurrence in this Scion, and passing power is downright respectable. For under $20,000, this is one of the quickest sport coupes you're going to find.
All things considered, EPA fuel economy estimates are pretty good for the tC, checking in at 23 mpg city/31 mpg highway.
The 2012 Scion tC comes with standard stability control, four-wheel ABS and eight airbags (front, front side, front knee and full-length side curtain).
In government crash testing, the tC scored a perfect five stars overall, including four stars for front impacts and five for side impacts. The independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the xB its top rating of Good in all categories and named it a Top Safety Pick.
Driving Impressions
The tC is a great introduction to the joys of driving. Thanks to standard stability control and an appetite for understeer, this Scion is highly unlikely to behave unpredictably. What it will do, though, is get enough g-force going in corners to whet a driver's appetite. At the same time, the tC has a civilized ride, and road noise isn't a problem by sport coupe standards. We're fans.
Other Cars to Consider
Honda Civic Si - More focused on performance than the tC, the Civic Si is a little quicker if you wind it out to the redline. The tC has closed the gap considerably, though.
Kia Forte SX Koup - The two-door Forte with the 2.4-liter engine packs style and spice in equal measure, but its boring interior gives the tC a clear advantage.
Volkswagen Golf - The two-door Golf has great driving dynamics and a character-rich inline-5 engine, along with an even handier hatchback design than the tC.
AutoTrader Recommends
The tC comes so well equipped that we'd only be tempted to spring for the sexy 5.8-inch touchscreen. We'd stick with the manual transmission, too. That's a lot of bang for the buck.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - Visas for Qatar Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Visas for Qatar Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Qatar View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message scot47Joined: 10 Jan 2003Posts: 15322 Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:35 am Post subject: Visas for Qatar Where can I get information about who needs/does not need a visa before arrival ? Is there a Govt Website ? I know that UK passport holders can arrive without a visa and stay for up to 10 days. What about people with passports from the new EU States, specifically Bulgaria ? Back to top toughcookieJoined: 26 Nov 2006Posts: 55 Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:17 am Post subject: try this: http://www.qatarembassy.net/visa.asp TC Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Qatar All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved. Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group Teaching Jobs in China


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Sammy styles was kidnapped from her family, hours after...
The girl with purple eyes
- by Aribear66
- Rating:
- Published: 16 Mar 2014
- Updated: 8 Jun 2014
- Status: In Progress
Violet Hanes and rose Dixon are two best friends who have been dreaming of moving to England when they finally do they bump into Niall Horan and the other boys at the store looking for cookies. Niall instantly really likes her but so does Harry. Will the goofy couple make it? Or will Harry plan to take this girl away from Niall too?
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Purley & Coulsdon Clubs for the Elderly (PACE)
25/07/2018 15:57:00......Posted by Ian Parker
I was delighted to attend their AGM and to meet their new Chairman Mrs Patricia Painter (yes – she insists on Chairman not Chair which is "a piece of furniture!"). We wish her well in her new role. Jim the retiring Chairman will remain involved with the important work of the organisation for which all members present were grateful.
PACE has a strong and growing committee and tribute was quite rightly paid to the many volunteers who help with lifts for members and organising a fantastic range of events from dominoes, bingo, quizzes to flower arranging, trips and painting. The paintings were proudly displayed at the Centre where the AGM was held.
I was particularly pleased to hear that school children support the Centre by organising events.
"Respect your Oldies – your turn will come sooner than you think!" was a message on the wall at the Centre. I certainly respect the good work of PACE and was grateful for the invitation.
Superb scouting send-off for Steve
16/11/2018 22:44:00.......Posted by Luke Clancy
Great send-off tonight for Steve French, District Scout Commissioner at Royal Russell School.
From Christmas 2018 Steve is stepping down from role and Greg Cook takes over as DC in Croydon.
Steve says the role has been challenging but very rewarding over the past 10 years and trusts everyone will continue to give Greg all the support that was previously given to him.
You can find more about what the famous and well-regarded scouting movement does locally here: www.croydonscouting.org.uk
Coulsdon Town paint markings
13/11/2018 17:56:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
The worn paint markings in the town centre have been causing some concern, and I've been on a mission to get them re-painted. As ever, never an easy process...
Some years ago a decent investment in the public realm of Coulsdon high street was made, and the standard tarmac approach to road maintenance was forgone in favour of some nice granite stone slabs. The standard road markings were applied using the usual paint, but the two do not work together as well as in other parts of the borough. This has lead to much easier than expected wear and tear, so the point where road markings are barely visible. In the case of the zebra crossing outside Tesco's, this is clearly dangerous, but it also affects driving and parking behaviour up and down the road.
The Council is recommending using a sprayed on paint as opposed to the usual thermoplastic paints – something that they use extensively in Westminster. The Council is working hoping to do a test initially to see how effective the treatment is and are intending to use the forthcoming closures in Malcolm Road to facilitate this – the entry point adjacent to Waitrose. This will likely take place 19-23rd November.
Hopefully this trial will be a success and the markings can be re-applied soon after.
Remembrance Sunday
11/11/2018 22:54:00.......Posted by Luke Clancy
"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers."
The Remembrance Service at Croydon Minster and the wreath-laying in the Town Centre was very well-attended event this year, at the centenary of the ending of the First World War.
It was great to see so many members of the armed forces and uniformed groups who marched from North End, and the wreaths that were laid to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Pay-to-use cash machines
30/10/2018 18:24:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
I've sent versions of the below letter to the CEO of both Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail after learning that there is apparently to be a network-wide rollout of pay-to-use cash machines at stations across Croydon. I've also sent on to the MD for Cardtronics UK. I'll update with a reply as soon as I received one.
I am writing as a councillor in the London Borough of Croydon, for the ward of Coulsdon Town.
Over the last few weeks cash machines in stations across the borough have started to charge residents for the withdrawal of funds - £1.99 per withdrawal. These include those at East Croydon station and South Croydon station.
Govia Thameslink Railway have reportedly told commuters that the decision was taken by an organisation called Cardtronics, and that all cash machines on all stations will be pay-to-use by the end of October 2018. Croydon Council has informed me that these machines are on land owned by Network Rail.
It is reported that Croydon has more pay-to-use cash machines than any other London borough. These machines particularly affect those on low-incomes as they are likely to have a relatively small amount of money in their account. The news that this is to become standardised across the network is therefore deeply concerning.
Those on low incomes rely heavily on cash to manage their finances. The Citizens Advice Bureau revealed that despite a third of all cash machines in 2011 being pay-to-use, 'almost 97 per cent of UK cash withdrawals at UK cash machines were made free of charge, demonstrating our understandable reluctance as a society to pay to access our own money.'
In January this year the Government introduced rules which say that all surcharges for using credit and debit cards should be halted.
With this in mind, I would appreciate your answers to the following:
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Kind Regards,
Cllr Mario Creatura, Coulsdon Town
And to Cardtronics:
Govia Thameslink Railway have reportedly told commuters that the decision was taken by your organisation, and that all cash machines on all stations will be pay-to-use by the end of October 2018. Croydon Council has informed me that these machines are on land owned by Network Rail. Statements from Cardtronics say that this hike is due to rental increases, but LINK claim this only accounts for 1.5p per transaction, significantly lower than the £1.99 being charged.
With this in mind, I would appreciate answers to the following:
The mystery of the missing fireworks banner...
29/10/2018 16:35:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
Councillors from just across the borough border in Chipstead recently put up a banner advertising a nearby charity fireworks display on the fence leading up to the Cane Hill estate in Coulsdon.
This disappeared within a week or so and so far enquiries have drawn a blank.
Croydon Council has said that it was not removed by them.
If you have any idea where the banner is, or who might have removed it, then please do let me know by emailing email@example.com!
Air pollution concern at Coulsdon South station
28/10/2018 17:44:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
I've taken up the case of a resident who noticed that a number of drivers waiting to pick up passengers at Coulsdon South station appear to be leaving their engines running.
There's no real need for this, particularly if the wait for for a decent length of time, and the resident is concerned about the air pollution in the local area.
I've written to Network Rail who manage the site to ask if they'd consider a sign similar to that used in Kensington and Chelsea to advise drivers that it is not permitted to have the car stationary and still running.
I hope to update with progress soon.
Evolving the suburbs
15/10/2018 08:25:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
Today is the deadline to respond to the Council's 'Evolution of the Suburbs' planning document, a piece of work that will provide the framework for a significant number of buildings and developments across Croydon.
Residents have until tomorrow to feed their views into the process - my submission is below. You can find the full document here and email your views to email@example.com.
To whom it may concern,
I am writing as one of the elected representatives for Coulsdon Town ward, please accept this as a submission on the SPD2 Document that is currently out for consultation.
I have a number of concerns about the language used in the paper, not least that it appears to be a subjective document that raises significantly more questions than it is supposed to clarify. The report should be more of a definitive piece of work, instead it appears to allow a substantial amount of interpretation which could have detrimental effects on the character of Croydon.
There appears to be scant suggestion about developing the infrastructure needed to support significant population growth – was this not considered to be something merited in the document? Will there be a supplementary paper outlining the plans for increasing capacity on roads and services to cope with the residential increase? My fear is that the impartiality of the Planning Committee necessitates that each application is considered on its own merits, but that this does not factor in the wider implications of many applications sequentially being considered for the same area over a period of months. Put simply – if 10 applications are considered and approved in the same area over the period of 12 months, what guarantee is there in SPD2 that commensurate infrastructure improvements will be developed and progressed to aid in the increase in parking, sewage and other vital requirements for a good standard of living?
A good example of this is contained in paragraph 2.30 on car parking – an issue that is plaguing my ward in Coulsdon. Multiple blocks of flats are being erected, without commensurate car parking spaces. Residents moving into the properties, knowing that parking space on the street is limited, still bring their vechiles. They feel it will be the job of others to abandon their cars. Coulsdon is on the edge of the North Downs and is quite hilly. Whilst public transport is well-connected, the train service quality is intermittent and most modes do not reach out into Reigate, Banstead and wider Surrey in way that means cars lose their value. The increase in population due to the density of the new developments means there is a huge volume of vehicles needing parking space, causing traffic gridlock most mornings and evenings. Parking is not a luxury, it is a basic necessity to support the sustainability of development and communities.
Has the recently rolled out amended waste service programme being accounted for in paragraph 2.31? If not, then this will have implications on the ability for officers and councillors to interpret the report.
Whilst I am fully supportive of the need to develop new housing opportunities, these can and must be done in line with the reasonable support of the local residents already habiting in the area. Paragraph 4.2 details the papers support for 'character' but then details the three residential extension approaches of subservient, innovative and seamless. Can a development policy simultaneously respect the existing 'character' whilst being 'subservient/innovative'? I am fearful that good quality affordable housing that fits into the local community aesthetic will not be a red-line in the document, meaning anything can and will happen to my residents.
In paragraph 2.7 and 2.8 the three types of approaches to character is described as 'sympathetic and faithful', 'innovative and original', 'contemporary reinterpretation'. Surely any application, development or scheme can apply to any of these? Isn't the scope for interpretation so large that this set of descriptions is legally meaningless? How can it be measured and enforced on each application? What happens if it can be easily justified (due to its lack of definitiveness) that a scheme has breached this criterion?
This fear for the respect of the local residents and existing character is not eased when I read paragraph 2.2 which details the overarching principles for development: to provide the right mix of homes in the right location, improve or positively contribute to local character and minimise impact on neighbouring amenity. How is this monitored and maintained? Is this rhetoric or are there tangible figures and targets that can be applied to what is a laudable aim? What is to stop someone ignoring this piece of guidance? To what extent are the views of the local people and their representatives taken into account on inappropriate developments that do not fit this nebulous aspiration?
This subjectivity and lack of clarity also exists in figures 1.3a, 1.3b and 1.3c which detail the evolution of the different types of suburbs, but are open to interpretation.
I believe that SPD2 requires a substantial reworking to address the concerns I've outlined above. These are very real, practical fears that I know many of my residents feel. Each time they attend a Planning Committee meeting to comment on a scheme they leave disheartened. I hope that by engaging with some of my concerns that this may be limited in the future.
Croydon badly needs good quality, affordable family homes. I know my residents would support them if they are proposed, and this plan is vital in making that happen.
Response to local planning consultation SPD2
14/10/2018 17:59:00.......Posted by Luke Clancy
Documents setting out planning guidance for the borough and how the Council will engage with stakeholders are available for comment. Below are some of the points from my response to the consultation on Suburban Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD2).
Figures 1.3a, 1.3b and 1.3c are used to justify expected development patterns including 'backland development' in the suburbs over a period of 10 – 15 years, "so that change is gradual and can be managed to ensure that the benefits of such growth are optimised." But the examples given of the types of development expected are not defined in sufficient granularity and are too scattergun to give an objective sense of whether what is being proposed would be acceptable.
In terms of how acceptable a development might be to existing residents, the bullet points provided in paragraph 2.2 will be key, in particular emphasis on two of them: whether a proposal improves or positively contributes to local character; and how the impact on neighbouring amenity can be minimised as far as possible. Much will depend on how sympathetically these policies are applied.
Para 2.3.2: "Smaller suburban proposals providing up to 9 dwellings should also seek to maximise the number of dwellings with 3 or more bedrooms." It would be helpful if this could be expressed more accurately, perhaps setting a target or requirement for three bedroom family units in developments of 9 dwellings or less.
Para 2.3.6: "A development proposal that seeks to deliver a scheme that could form part of a larger potential development on the same or adjoining land will be assessed as an application for the larger development potential." Whilst the intention of this policy might be laudable, I have concerns that in borderline cases this could result in developments being tipped over the threshold because more studios, one- and two-bedroom units are built at the expense of larger three bedroom properties which would be suitable for families.
Paras 2.3 & 2.4: "Optimising sites building across boundaries." Whilst in economic terms this makes sense, in reality the developments that result from such consolidation may not be sympathetic to an area if they create 'mega' blocks. The schema in Figure 2.4a is an alarming example of the type of over-development that could result.
Paras 2.6.3 and 2.6.4: 'Minimal necessary car parking will be the starting point for all development proposals and the borough will encourage lower parking provision in areas of PTAL 4 and above.' I can see why the Council may want to do this. The Croydon Local Plan currently seeks to reduce the need to travel by concentrating development in areas with a higher PTAL rating. As such, from 2011 to 2014 the majority of new homes (58%) were in areas with a PTAL rating of at least 3 - typically areas that have already undergone a degree of intensification. Only 10% of homes were built in areas with a PTAL of 4. The proposals therefore seek to increase density in less urban areas. But this ignores the fact that areas with PTAL ratings of 4 can have quite patchy access to public transport. Also, that residents in those areas will still aspire to owning a car. Any policy should seek to balance these challenges in part by ensuring sufficient provision of more public transport and other sustainable methods of transport, as is encouraged in 2.6.8.
Para 2.7.2 refers encouragingly to some areas within Croydon "being defined by the predominance of certain types of homes". This aspiration may give hope to residents that the Council will extend protection to what is perceived to be the character of their areas on those grounds. But the three approaches to how to respond to local character in the design of new developments that the Council goes on to endorse in Para 2.8 would appear to allow a very broad interpretation of what is acceptable in any area, if interpreted loosely. A braver and more specific interpretation of what is acceptable would be welcomed in the SPD.
Para 2.9.9: "Where there is a concern that a development would appear overbearing to a neighbouring property and/or create a poorly designed streetscene, they will not be supported." This is to be welcomed.
Para 2.15.2: "Proposals which span plot boundaries may seek to achieve this through stepping form to create a link element between two main building forms located on each of the original plots." I am not convinced that such designs necessarily reduce sufficiently the sense of massing created by developments that incorporate links.
Para 2.23: A prohibition on materials that are proven not to weather well or provide longevity is to be supported.
Labour threatens U-turn on free bulky waste collection
14/10/2018 12:23:00.......Posted by Luke Clancy
Last week at a meeting of Croydon Council's Streets and Environment Scrutiny Sub-Committee, I challenged the Cabinet Member, Cllr Stuart Collins, when he said that Labour is looking to renege on a manifesto pledge to run a free bulky waste collection service.
The meeting was webcast here: http://webcasting.croydon.gov.uk/meetings/4215
Labour only made the pledge after the Conservatives had come up with the idea earlier this year. We put the policy to tackle the fly-tipping plaguing Croydon's streets in our manifesto ahead of May's local elections. We were pleased when Labour later also recognised the soundness of the idea by copying it.
It would be cynical of Labour to steal this policy only to drop it once they got re-elected.
The free bulky waste collection service is extremely popular, but Labour now says it is expensive to run and creates a too much of a financial pressure on the Council's budget.
At the meeting, Cllr Collins claimed the free bulky waste service was always intended as a "trial" to see what effect it would have on fly-tipping. But when he was challenged to demonstrate it was only intended as a trial - and not introduced to residents as a more permanent measure - he could not do so.
Even Cllr Collins' Labour colleagues on the Committee then went on to express their concerns that a review of one of their manifesto pledges was taking place so soon after this year's election.
The Conservatives will continue to hold Labour to account over the withdrawal of a key policy to tackle fly-tipping in the borough.
Petition on wheelie bins achieves partial win
14/10/2018 11:36:00.......Posted by Luke Clancy
Last week at a meeting of the Full Council in Croydon I presented a petition to residents objecting to the new wheelie bins in Ashdown Park in Coulsdon.
The meeting was webcast here: http://webcasting.croydon.gov.uk/meetings/4244
Residents in Ashdown Park felt that as their houses all have small frontages they did not have the facilities for storing two large bins, one medium sized bin and a food caddy in a discreet way.
In 2005, the estate was granted an exemption from the Council's requirement for landfill collections to be from medium sized wheelie bins, as these would not fit inside the bin cupboards.
Shortly after the petition was sent in, the Council granted a continuation of the concession for retaining the smaller cupboard-size landfill bins.
Residents do support aspirations in the borough to increase recycling rates but say they already separate their rubbish by type and think it unlikely that they are withholding materials that could be recycled if bigger bins are provided.
Looking around the estate, residents say the majority of houses are struggling to hide the new bins away. All the houses on the estate have covenants that the associated grounds be maintained in a good and tidy condition, and the front gardens be open plan - the latter making it difficult to store the bins.
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The Giles Sutherland Rich IP Moot Court competition is one of the most prestigious competitions available to Chicago-Kent students. Although the problem generally involves patent issues, students are not required to have taken patent law prior to competing, however, students must have completed Legal Writing II. Other rules may apply to students wishing to compete, so please refer to the Chicago-Kent Student Handbook for all applicable requirements.
Copies of the problem are available from Andrew Dallmann in room C70. Students who wish to compete can register for the competition during the upcoming Spring course registration. The competition counts as 1 credit on a pass/fail basis. For students enrolled in the IP Certificate program, this credit does count towards the IP Certificate.
Students who compete in the competition must submit a brief to Andrew Dallmann by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 18, 2000. All students must compete in an intramural competition held at the school on Saturday, January 22. Students must argue both on and off-brief. Up to four students may advance to the Midwest Regional competition in Chicago on March 17-20. Students who advance from the Regional competition will compete in the National Finals held in Washington, D.C. on April 12-14, 2000. Last year, Chicago-Kent students Brad Bertoglio and Eric Baude placed first in the Regional competition and advanced to the Semi-finals in Washington. Jason Shull and Peter Siavelis placed third in the Regional competition.
If you have any questions about the competition, please send an e-mail
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LCA + non-observed patterns
Mplus Discussion
Latent Variable Mixture Modeling
Jon Heron
posted on Monday, October 19, 2009 - 10:16 am
Hi there,
unless one has a very large sample, the incorporation of more and more indicators into a latent class model will invariably result in a smaller and smaller proportion of possible data patterns being realised in ones' dataset.
In Bartholomew's discussion of latent class analysis
Bartholomew, Galbraith, Moustaki, Steele: Analysis and Interpretation of Multivariate Data for Social Scientists (Chapman and Hall/CRC, February 2002)
the number of patterns has an impact on the global goodness of fit G, as does the number of cases in those patterns that *are* observed, hence the suggestion to collapse over patterns to improve matters.
Since Mplus uses different fit indices, and the d.f. are not affected by the number of patterns, I was just wondering if there was a rule of thumb regarding this issue when using Mplus. Would it be detrimental to have 50% of all patterns unobserved for example?
many thanks for any insight you may have
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 4:13 pm
Perhaps their global goodness of fit G is a chi-square test of the frequency table? If so, such test typically are not useful with more than say 8 variables due to empty cells. In Mplus you can instead look at the Tech10 bivariate residual testing.
Jon Heron
posted on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - 2:55 am
Thanks Bengt,
Yes I think you are right regarding G
A supplementary question I have is about structural zeros - some patterns might not be possible given the nature of the data.
I would expect that in output such as Tech10 there is still an expected cell frequency for all 4-cells of each bivariate comparison. Can I restrict the model in some way to guard against this, or is this not something worth worrying about.
I have seen LCA's with structural zeros in smoking research whereby the bottom category of a repeated ordinal is a 'never-smoker' category which obviously can never be re-visited once it is left.
Bengt O. Muthen
posted on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - 11:29 am
I haven't seen structural zeros used in LCA, but it has been used in LTA, that is, longitudinal LCA. Sounds like you may have an LTA situation given that you use the word "repeated". See for example the Kaplan article on LTA on our web site.
Jon Heron
posted on Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 1:20 am
My memory was rusty, it was actually a GMM
"The five ordered categories are as follows:
0 = never smoker;
1 = puffer (not ever having smoked a whole cigarette);
2 = experimenter (having smoked a whole cigarette but <100 cigarettes total in a lifetime);
3 = current smoker (smoked 1�19 days in the last 30 days and 100 cigarettes in a lifetime);
4 = frequent smoker (>=20 days smoked in the last 30 days and >100 cigarettes in a lifetime)."
it's from here:
Rodriguez D, Moss HB, Audrain-McGovern J.
Developmental heterogeneity in adolescent depressive symptoms: associations with smoking behavior.
Psychosom Med. 2005 Mar-Apr;67(2):200-10.
My concerned about category zero remains, although the authors state that "This categorization is entirely consistent with the literature on adolescent smoking".
I am inclined to agree with you that an LTA seems sensible. Methinks I will contact the authors as we have mutual acquaintances.
all the best, Jon
Jon Heron
posted on Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 2:37 am
Having thought this over some more, I guess in reality a GMM on these data is little different to a similar model on physical growth data where subjects are pretty unlikely to shrink between measurement occasions.
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For boaters in search of the perfect sporting yacht, Galeon redesigned the 340 to offer a hardtop version, and christened it the 350 HTC.
The 350 cabin is spacious and filled with natural light, which flows from the glass roof top. Visibility is amazing due to the extremely broad front windscreen. The salon doors open to reveal an exceptionally roomy open space, while the seating rotates to face the cockpit. This design allows you to enjoy the sea no matter the weather.


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Gluten Free Crab and Avocado Soup with Cucumber Topping
Pull together the tastes of the land and sea with this medley of crab and avocado with cucumber topping soup. It's sure to be a crowd-pleasing favorite dish for the gluten free diner in your life.
4 oz. butter
8 scallions sliced
4 oz. sherry wine
1 qt. prepared RC Healthy Foundations™ Gluten-Free Seafood Base
1 quart prepared RC Healthy Foundations™ Gluten-Free Vegetable Base
14 each ripe avocadoes
10 limes juiced
2 qts.buttermilk
1 tbls. RC Chipotle Chile Flavor Concentrate
1 tsp. RC Cilantro Flavor
3 tsp. dry RC Healthy Foundations™ Gluten-Free Vegetable Base
2 tsp. ground white pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 TBSP. Healthy Foundations™ Gluten-Free Seafood Base
1 lb. "cleaned" crab meat
(yield – 2 gallons)
Cucumber topping
4 ripe tomatoes seeded and cut into a very small dice or (brunoise)
2 cucumbers peeled, seeded and cut into a very small dice (brunoise)
2 oz. red onion cut into very small dice (brunoise)
1 tbls. RC Basil in Oil
2 oz. shallot oil*
2 oz. very good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt & white pepper to taste
(yield – 2 lbs.)
Shallot Oil
1 gallon blended vegetable oil
1 lb. RC Chopped Shallots in Oil
(yield - 1 gallon)
- Melt butter in a small sauté pan and sweat scallions until tender.
- Add sherry and cool to 40°F.
- Combine prepared Healthy Foundations™ Gluten-Free Bases, peeled & seeded avocadoes, lime juice & buttermilk; puree, strain & season with remaining ingredients and fold in crab meat.
- Keep prepared soup very cold under 40°F and tightly covered.
Cucumber topping
- Combine all ingredients together and keep refrigerated.
Shallot Oil
- Heat the oil in a sauce pot and add RC Chopped Shallots in Oil.
- Cook until shallots are a dark brown & strain out.
- Soup will get a grey oxidized layer on surface if not covered & especially overnight. It is suggested that you produce only enough of this recipe that you can serve within 2 days.
- Serving Suggestion:
Portion 6 oz. of very cold Crab & Avocado Soup in a pre-chilled bowl and place ¾ oz. Cucumber Topping in the middle of the soup portion. Drizzle with extra shallot oil if you wish and garnish with thinly sliced scallions. The crunchy texture of the cucumbers works very well with the creamy crab & avocado flavors.
- (They can be used in other dishes if you wish, but are a little bitter plus you can make garlic oil this same way only toast the chopped garlic to a golden brown. One easy way to help tell them apart in the cooler is strain shallots out & leave toasted garlic in the flavored oil).


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Cubitek Magic Cube 8HDD Review
One of the most important things in any build to consider is the case you buy. For many a case is simply something to just house your components in and keep them cool. For some however, this may simply not be enough. A case should look good but at the same time protect the components you spent your hard earned money on. Today however, a new comer to the case market, Cubitek, has something a bit different than usual to present.
You may be familiar with modular cases because of the ThermalTake Level 10. In case you aren't though a modular case incorporates separate sections for the motherboard and other components in order to isolate heat sources from one another. Unlike the Level 10 this case from Cubitek, dubbed the Magic Cube 8HDD model, it goes about separating the components in separate cube shaped chassis. Thus we have a separate box to house the motherboard, CPU, and video card in addition to other expansion components as well as separate boxes for the hard disk drives and CD/DVD or other 5.25" devices you may have. This case already seems interesting enough given the modular design, but how much will this really impact internal temperatures? First let's see what exactly we have here.
Closer Look:
First impressions given the front of the box, only lead me to believe this case is somehow cube shaped. Accord to the front of the box this series of case from Cubitek supports E-ATX as well as XL-ATX. The side of the box is a little deceiving, as first it informs me that this case supports Mini-ITX which scared me a bit, although after a look at their website my fears quickly went away. This is the only area the multi language specifications mess up on, otherwise this case appears to be quite a contender just from these specs, which include support for up to eight hard disk drives and the inclusion of a total of six fans.The back of the box gives a little more description of the major case features in addition to giving us a glance of what this case looks like. Finally on the last side of the box we have a printed list of features, which include large graphics card and heatsink support as well as mentioning that the chassis is split between three separate units, which house the motherboard and PSU, 2.5" and 3.5" internal drives, and 5.25" external drives.
Upon opening the box we are greeted with a piece of Styrofoam which covers the top of the first two case components. Once outside of the packaging we are greeted with our three modular cubes wrapped in plastic.
So just what does it look like? More on that in the next section.


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Skies of Glory Review
How many flying games are you willing to dish out money for? SGN, the makers of F.A.S.T., are hoping that you're not willing to commit a cent. First F.A.S.T. went free, and now their latest game, Skies of Glory, has followed suit. But there's a big difference between these two games beyond the modern-day and WWII settings.
F.A.S.T. originally came at a cost, so there is more readily available content, whereas Skies was designed to be a free game with additional paid content from the onset. When you download Skies for free, you're getting little more than a teaser, as the rest of the game only becomes available through paid expansions.
Tactical bridge destruction.
We're not talking about additional planes, which can be purchased for the oddly high price of a couple of dollars each. You only get one mission, a handful of dogfights, and a limited amount of online multiplayer for that free admission. For $4.99, you can buy 10 additional missions. You can churn out more dough for more dogfights than you'll ever care to play, and unlocking unlimited multiplayer will also cost you. Throw in the aforementioned planes and you could easily spend $30 for what was originally a free game, making it one of the costliest games for the platform.
So, let's just forget that this is a free game and assume that you're willing to pay SGN more for the full experience. Padding their pocketbooks is ultimately worthwhile if you dig the whole WWII scene, because Skies of Glory knocks it right out of the park.
A silky smooth frame rate (even on a 3G iPhone), some gorgeous environmental texturing, a variety of weather effects (rain, fog, snow, and the like), multiple camera angles, and planes exploding to bits are all amazingly rendered. Tilt controls, aided by a few manual controls to tweak your left and right movement, make dogfighting easier than you'd expect, and having two types of weaponry at your disposal adds some tactical gameplay to the mix.
You'll need a government bailout if you buy everything available in this game.
The missions are lengthy, given the game's portable nature, with plenty of exploration and story to move things along and keep you from getting bored. It's so good that you might be upset when that first mission is over and you've got no single-player campaign to play. It's just substantial enough to make you want to fork over a few dollars to make it last longer.
The dogfights lack the sophistication of the missions, though, so you're much better off jumping into online matches. These load quickly, face you off against a number of real-life opponents, and are immensely enjoyable, even if there are not a lot of options. You're probably going to find yourself forking over more money for this expansion, as well.
Even if you feel that the free game is little more than a lite version in disguise, we cannot deny that this is among the best pay-as-you-play games to be released yet. The hook sets in early, and we foresee a long life for the game, should SGN continue to release more missions and upgrades.
As it stands, the overall price you'll pay to play what we consider to be the full experience is too high when compared to similar games, so that keeps Skies of Glory from earning our highest marks. Aviation fans are sure to be pleased with this finely crafted piece of software, if you're willing to make the investment.