text:
A teenager in Texas has been fired from a job before she even started after her manager saw her insulting her new workplace on Twitter.
"Cella" was not enthusiastic about starting work at Jet's Pizza, in Mansfield, on Saturday and showed it by tweeting: "Ew, I start this f*** a** job tomorrow" with a line of thumbs down emojis.
The fact she did not name the restaurant on Twitter did not stop a staff member seeing her tweet, taking a screen shot and sending it to her manager-to-be, Robert Waple.
Unimpressed, he replied the next day, writing: "No you don't start that FA job today! I just fired you! Good luck with your no money, no job life!"
@Cellla_ And....no you don't start that FA job today! I just fired you! Good luck with your no money, no job life!
— Robert waple (@Robertwaple) February 7, 2015
After Cella tweeted that she had been fired on Twitter, the exchange quickly went viral, reaching Venezuela, Argentina, Peru and Indonesia according to comments.
Some people cast doubts on the authenticity of the manager's account Mr Waple, who is listed as Jet Pizza's owner on LinkedIn, publicly defended himself.
@ZHIIING nope it's me. One of my workers sent me a pic of her tweet. I haven't used my account for a long time, but I did today!
— Robert waple (@Robertwaple) February 8, 2015
"Working register (the till), taking phone orders, making subs/salads. Eating free pizza. How hard would that have been?" he asked.
"I would've just called her and fired her, but I wasn't at work and didn't have her number… probably one of the dumbest things to say about a job you haven't started yet."
Cella later tweeted that she called Jet Pizza and another manager confirmed that she had indeed been fired before her first shift.
I got fired over Twitter
; Cella☀ (@Cellla_) February 7, 2015
Mr Waple's reply prompted a flood of criticism on Twitter, with former employees crawling out of the woodwork to tell him what they thought of working at his pizzeria.
"Just thought you should know I was stoned out of my mind every time I went into work, and your pizza sucks," one wrote.
"Being high would only partly explain how you could deliver a pizza to the wrong house...multiple times," his former manager replied.
Cella did not seem upset to lose her job, saying she was "not mad" and sending Mr Waple a cartoon of herself playing with stacks of cash.
@Robertwaple this me pic.twitter.com/Z1QkF9dZiu
— Cella☀ (@Cellla_) February 7, 2015
"Made my point today," he wrote. "I'll check in again in 6 years."
Reuse content


text:
Related Expert Areas
soluble polymer
water-soluble polymer
melamine-formaldehyde water-soluble resin
urea-formaldehyde water-soluble resin
phenol-formaldehyde water-soluble resin
soluble copolymer
soluble polyester
polypropylene oxide
polyethylene oxide
polyvinyl alcohol film
soluble paper
water-soluble packaging film
water-soluble bag
water-soluble dye
water-soluble coating
plastic solvent
degradable plastic
water solubility
polyvinyl chloride
polyvinyl alcohol
hydrophilic polymer
Experts Only
Join our distinguished experts for soluble polymer jobs, projects and consulting opportunities.
Expert in Polyethylene Oxide, Toxic or Flammable Chemicals, Fire Science, Specialty Chemicals, etc.Expert has over 30 years of experience in the practical application of rheological principles for solving industrial problems. He has worked with the characterization, optimization, and formulation of hundreds of products worldwide. See full profile
New York (NY), USA
Expert in Surfactant Applications, Surfactant Production, Water-soluble Polymers, Detergency, Enhanced Oil Recovery, Cleaning Products, Interfacial PhenomenaExpert worked 30 years for Shell Chemicals and Shell Exploration & Production in the fields of surfactant manufacturing and surfactant applications including detergency, enhanced oil recovery, industrial & institutional, and pulp & paper. See full profile
Texas (TX), USA
Expert in Surfactant Technology, Polymerisation, PVC Manufacturing, Cleaning Products and CoatingsExpert's expertise in surface and colloid chemistry has been applied to the free radical polymerization of vinyl chloride by both the suspension and emulsion routes. He has worked in research, developing new products and process and as technical manager ... See full profile
Cheshire, United Kingdom
Expert in Uses of Polymers, plastics, silver and other metals. EPA regulatory processesFor the past 25 years, expert has been actively involved in all phases of medical plastics synthesis, processing, and use. His experience includes custom formulation of polymers, analysis of medical markets, and selection of materials that will withstand ... See full profile
Florida (FL), USA
Expert in Textile Flammability, Textile Performance, Pulping, and Non-WovensExpert is an authority on cellulose fibers, cellulose derivatives, and especially cellulose solvents. Expert has written several book chapters on these subjects and has consulted major companies worldwide in these areas ... See full profile
Georgia (GA), USA
Expert in Water Soluble Polymers and SurfactantsDuring his career, Expert has been intimately involved in the synthesis, scale-up, and applications of hydrophilic polymers. He has experience with natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic polymers, with major application areas such as ... See full profile
Mississippi (MS), USA
Expert in Chemistry: Emulsion & Solution Polymers, Water Repellants, Wax Emulsions, Thermosetting Resins, Starch, Non-Woven bindersExpert has worked as an industrial researcher for over 25 years developing products for textiles , paper and non-wovens markets. He has worked with various types of chemistries such as wax emulsions, silicone emulsions, glyoxal resins, melamine resins, ... See full profile
South Carolina (SC), USA
Expert in Organic Coating TechnologyExpert (or "Tom") has spent much of his career synthesizing polymers suitable for radiation curing, ultraviolet absorbers, and water soluble polymers for electrocoating and low VOC coatings, as well as thermosetting acrylics for container coatings. See full profile
Indiana (IN), USA
Expert in Colloids & PolymersAntifoaming agent; defoaming; foaming; bubbles; bubbling. Expert spent three years developing novel silicone defoamers, for which he was awarded a patent. He also developed the first mechanistic model which predicts defoaming ... See full profile
Expert in Polymer Characterization, Analytical Chemistry, Design of Experiments for Complex Problem SolvingExpert performed polymer characterization using a wide variety of analytical techniques: Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC/ GPC), Field Flow Fractionation, HPLC, Dilute Solution Viscometry, Rheology, Thermal-Mechanical Analysis (DSC, TMA, DMA), Light ... See full profile
Delaware (DE), USA
Expert in Photopolymers, Flexography and UV Cure CoatingsExpert has over 20 years of experience in the area of photopolymers and radiation cure systems especially Flexography. He has 20 U.S. and 40+ PCT patents dealing with photocuring and photopolymerization in the area of Flexography. See full profile
Expert in Rheological Process ModelingEmulsion polymerization. Most of the research in Expert's career has been aimed at developing a more complete understanding of the mechanics and kinetics of emulsion polymerization reactions. He has studied batch, semi-batch, ... See full profile
Virginia (VA), USA
Expert in Biomedical Material TechnologyExpert has expertise in the practical application of charge to biomedical materials technology. He is familiar with commercially available biomaterials and the methods used to process them for use in medical products. See full profile
California (CA), USA
Expert in Phase Equilibria, ThermodynamicsExpert has expertise in the applications of molecular thermodynamics to chemical process design. He has extensive experience in the calculation of properties required for chemical process design, especially separation ... See full profile
Expert in Medical Diagnostic TestsMedical diagnostic test formulating; organic solvent; semisynthetic polymer. Expert has spent 21 years engaged in adapting analytical techniques to the quantitative analysis of medically significant substances. See full profile
Expert in Carbohydrate ChemistryExpert has over 20 years of industrial experience in the design, synthesis, and process development of biopolymers and water soluble polymers based on cellulose, guar, pectin, and chitin, which have led to new or improved products and ... See full profile
Expert in Laboratory Management; Quality Assurance/ControlExpert has demonstrated expertise with the design, development, and start-up of laboratory facilities. These facilities have been used for analytical testing, physical characterization, environmental sample conditioning, and drug stability ... See full profile
New Jersey (NJ), USA
Expert in Polymerization Reaction EngineeringEmulsion polymerization; free radical polymerization; acrylate; addition polymerization. a good deal of Expert's academic and industrial work has been in the area of reactor engineering for emulsion and miniemulsion polymerization ... See full profile
Expert in Paper Chemicals - World-Wide Market, Business, Products, Applications, Sourcing, etc.Over 25 years experience of paper chemicals and their application and marketing to industry world-wide: - Generation and selection of new product ideas - R&D and R&D management - Introduction into production - Market introduction - Marketing of new ... See full profile
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Expert in Plastics and Polymer AdditivesExpert has worked with engineering resins, commodity resins, and thermoset resins. He has first-hand expert knowledge of acetal resins such as Delrin and Celcon and of thermoplastic polyester resins such as Valox, Rynite, PBT, and PET. See full profile
Pennsylvania (PA), USA
Expert in Specialty Polymers and FibersHydrogel; polyelectrolytes. Expert's fundamental knowledge in polyelectrolytes and their interaction with small and large molecules has enabled him to offer consultation in diverse industries, including personal care, healthcare, cable wrap, food ... See full profile
Wisconsin (WI), USA
Expert in Speciality Chemicals,Fragrance & Flavor compounds,Lubricants, Textile auxiliaries, Colorants.Expert started as Technical Sales Engineer - Specialty Chemicals, responsible for sales and marketing for a wide range of water soluble polymers in diversified industries such as paints coating food, textile, paper, plastics, rubber, etc. See full profile
Expert in Chemistry, Materials Science, Polymers, Materials Testing, Plastics, Surface Chemistry, BiomaterialsAnionic Polymerization. Expert conducted anionic reaction research during his graduate school study on the rearrangement of cyclopropylcarbinyl organolithiums. His work continued as a scientist at DuPont where he studied the kinetics and mechanisms ... See full profile
Expert in Catalysis and Materials Characterization, Development of Biochemical Sensors, Electrode SurfacesExpert has over thirty years of experience in both basic and applied research. His graduate work was concerned with the development of biochemical sensors based on chemically modified thermistors and electrodes using enthalpimetric and ... See full profile
Expert in Marketing and Product Development of Raw Materials for the Cosmetics Market30 years of experience working in the cosmetics industry as a raw material supplier. Long time member of the Society of Cosmetics Chemists. Developed and marketed new hydrophilic polymers for the cosmetics industry while working for BF Goodrich as the ... See full profile
Need the right expert in soluble polymer? We can help!
Intota is now ORC Expert Advisory Services

subset: commoncrawl


text:
2015: Appeared in nine games with one start ... posted 0.46 ERA and one win across 19.2 innings ... 14 strikeouts against eight walks ... opponents batted .221 against him ... pitched four scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts against Fordham (April 17) ... pitched three innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts in first career start vs. Coppin State (April 29) ... pitched three scoreless innings of relief with one walk and three strikeouts vs. William & Mary (May 15).
At Gateway Community College (Arizona): Finished 2014 season with 10-2 record and 1.07 ERA in 14 games started ... totaled 67 strikeouts and 25 walks in 92.2 innings pitched ... two complete games ... led Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) with 1.07 ERA ... named National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Pitcher of the Week in early February and recently earned First Team All-ACCAC honors.
Dalrymple's Career Pitching Statistics
2015 | ||||||||||||


text:
Listen to free music played by WithOutMakeUp
Blip.fm is internet radio made social. It's easy to search for, play, and discover free music recommended by real people. Join today to create your own free station and start listening to @WithOutMakeUp.
Jordin Sparks – One Step at a Time
What other DJs are saying about Jordin Sparks - One Step at a Time (Lyrics)
You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet. Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it. You know you can if you get the chance
♥ Jordin Sparks – One Step at a Time Lyrics ♥ღ .. We each believe...Should be, Could be...etc....What Is Is... And the "What Is" doesn't care!!
:) thnx Have a great day!! @EDITHETHEL: "Cheers@WithOutMakeUp: "Jordin Sparks – One Step at a Time""
Jordin Sparks - One Step At A Time


text:
A Letter to Congress
Law, Bernard
Bibliographic Citation
Origins 1997 February 13; 26(34): 562-563
Show full item recordRelated items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
Mutual Recognition Agreement: Food and Drug Administration's Progress in Assessing Equivalency of European Union Pharmaceutical Inspection Programs Letter From William J. Scanlon, Director, Health Financing and Public Health Issues to Rep. Thomas Bliley, Jr. and Rep. John D. Dingell on the U.S. Congress, House, Committee on Commerce and Rep. Fred Upton and Rep. Ron Klink on the U.S. Congress, House, Committee on Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Scanlon, William J. (United States. General Accounting Office [GAO]. Health, Education and Human Services Division, 1999-02-26) -
CRG's letter to Congress
Byravan, Sujatha (2006-01) -
Joint Letter to Congress Protests Medicaid Cuts
Unknown author (1984-04)


text:
Please join us for the Fall 2014 Seminar Series as Majors in the department of Physics and Astronomy give talks on their summer research Tuesday October 7, 2014 at 12:10 in CNS 204
Round River Conservation Studies is a research and education organization based in Utah. They offer field-based study-abroad programs where students work with local people to study, protect and restore wild places. Study areas include conservation biology, natural history and environmental policy; and students are immersed in the cultures of indigenous peoples.
The Latin American Studies program invites you to a public lecture by Dr. Ernesto Bassi of Cornell University entitled "Captains, Sailors, and the Creation of a Trans-imperial Greater Caribbean during the Age of Revolutions." Wednesday, October 8 at 6 pm in Textor 101.
Registration is now open for THATCamp Humanities + Science at humsci2014.thatcamp.org
Sponsored and organized by the School of Humanities and Sciences in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the C.P. Snow Lecture Series, THATCamp Humanities + Science 2014 will be an exploration and demonstration of the bridge, integration of, and/or collaboration between the Humanities and Sciences. The event will be on the Ithaca College campus on Friday and Saturday, November 7-8, 2014.
The Ithaca College Medieval-Renaissance Colloquium announces a presentation by Michael Twomey (English) and Scott Stull (Anthropology) titled "Chaucer's Houses in the Tales of the Miller and the Reeve: The Architecture of Satire" on Tuesday, October 7, from 5:00 to 6:30 in the Cayuga Lake Room of the Campus Center.


text:
Play Video
Watch Sherlock Holmes 2009 Full Movie Online Free
Posted by anne75boy on Dec. 24, 2009
Ah yes, nothing better than a good Disney conspiracy theory to brighten up ...
Learn everything you need to know about how to become royalty!
Hey Break fans! Check out our latest compilation - Crazy People in Public!
Posted by anne75boy on Dec. 24, 2009


text:
Brogue was created by one person. Rogue was created by two. Dwarf Fortress? Two people. Caves of Qud – three people. Desktop Dungeons: five. Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup has had two hundred and fifty three contributors. Of these, fifty have been core developers. In the sixteen-year history of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, there has never been a lead. No design lead, no engineering lead, no art lead, no producer.
I spoke with David Ploog (dpeg) and Corin Buchanan-Howard (Lasty), two of the most prominent developers on the team, about how and why they make a game with such a sprawl of people. How many are working on the game right now? "That's impossible to answer, I'm afraid," David told me, laughing. Corin said, "almost certainly less than twenty, almost certainly more than five."


text:
The GNU Mailing List Manager, which manages email discussion lists much like Majordomo and Smartmail. Unlike most similar products, Mailman gives each mailing list a web page, and allows users to subscribe, unsubscribe, etc. over the web. Even the list manager can administer his or her list entirely from the web.
Mailman also integrates most things people want to do with mailing lists, including archiving, mail <-> news gateways, and so on. It has all of the features you expect from such a product, plus integrated support for the web (including web based archiving), automated bounce handling and integrated spam prevention.
Mailman Features
- Web based list administration for nearly all tasks, including list configuration, moderation (post approvals), management of user accounts.
- Web based subscribing and unsubscribing, and user configuration management. Users can temporarily disable their accounts, select digest modes, hide their email addresses from other members, etc.
- A customizable home page for each mailing list.
- Per-list privacy features, such as closed-subscriptions, private archives, private membership rosters, etc.
- Configurable (per-list and per-user) delivery mode
- Regular (immediate) delivery
- MIME digest
- Plain (RFC 934) digests
- Integrated bounce detection within an extensible framework. Automatic disposition of bouncing addresses (disable, unsubscribe).
- Integrated spam filters.
- Automatic web-based Hypermail-style archiving, with hooks for external archivers such as MHonArc.
- Integrated Usenet gatewaying.
- Integrated auto-replies.
- Majordomo-style email based commands.
- Multiple list owners and moderators are possible.
- An extensible mail delivery pipeline.
Available List Hosting Plans
We provide high-quality mailing list hosting using the Mailman list management program. Should you need a custom solution please contact us. We are more than happy to accommodate your needs.
Click here to order your mailing list today!
Mailman | |
Pricing (subscribers) |
up to 2000 = $9.95/month 2001-5000 = $15.95/month |
Set-up Fee | $25.00 per list |
Minimum Term | 30 days |
Importing Charges | Self-serve or $10/1,000 subscribers |
Hosted Domains |
Discussion- and Newsletter-type lists: |
Private Branding* | (your domain) $45.00 setup, up to 2000 = $14.95/month 2001-5000 = $20.95/month |
Distribution | Email and Web: Regular, Digest, No-mail (vacation mode) |
Archiving | Yes |
Multiple List Managers | Yes |
Subscriber Backup | Yes |
* Private Branding is available for domains registered and hosted with us. Canonical domains are allowed as long as the primary domain is registered and hosted with us. Should you require mailing list services for lists that are larger than 5,000 subscribers, please contact us for a Private Mailing List Server account. |


text:
The Leading eBooks Store Online
3,817,579 members ⚫ 1,261,085 ebooks
Most popular at the top
Android SQLite Essentials
Packt Publishing 2014; US$ 13.99This is an ideal book for Android programmers who want to explore SQLite databases based on Android applications. The general competency level expected of the reader is prior knowledge of developing applications and basic knowledge of Android and SQL. more...
- 1
- Page


text:
Harvester St John's
18-19 Church Street, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, CF10 1BG
18-19 Church Street, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, CF10 1BG
We've always got something tasty to share with you, including special voucher offers, new restaurant openings and exciting updates to our menus. We'll update you on seasonal events and offers throughout the year and special offers for national events along with new ways to spend time with friends and family at our Cardiff Harvester.
To get the good stuff delivered direct to your inbox, why not sign up for news and offers from your local Harvester?


text:
Thanks for all your help, and helping me getting MY WEDDING SET. They are BEAUTIFUL. I LOVE HOW YOU TOOK MY ORDER & GOT me the rings. EDGAR SANTOSRead More ->
I received the ring on Feb 26. This is a very prompt delivery, thank you. All the service I received was excellent. The ring is beautiful and the...Read More ->
Hi There! I just wanted to let you know that I received my order today. The rings are gorgeous and fit VERY well. Thank you very much. You have...Read More ->
Follow Us


text: Test Data: Food for Test Automation Framework Building a Test Automation Framework is easy – there are so many resources / guides / blogs / etc. available to help you get started and help solve the issues you get along the journey. Teams already 23 Mar 17 Author testingtv CategoryFunctional Testing No Comment Read More Automated Testing with Drupal & PHPSpec Like many Drupal teams, the CSRA/New Target web team at the Administrative Office of the US Courts is working to bring automated testing into our development and maintenance workflow. In this talk, I'll share our current thinking 7 Mar 17 Author testingtv CategoryUnit Testing No Comment Read More Are your Mocks Mocking at You? Ever since J.B. Rainsberger's 'integrated tests are a scam', many developers try to get rid of their massively integrated tests and test their units in isolation. Co-operation of units is tested with mocks and stubs. But – 22 Feb 17 Author testingtv CategoryUnit Testing No Comment Read More Security Testing Toolbox Kali, Veil, Metasploit, BeEF. All tools in an arsenal that exist to break through security barriers of software. This talk introduces the tools available and shows how they are used to get through your defense. It is 15 Feb 17 Author testingtv CategorySoftware Testing No Comment Read More jQAssistant – Verify Your JavaScript Design & Architecture This is a presentation of the approach behind the open source software analytics tool jQAssistant: It can be plugged into the build process and allows scanning of relevant structural information like Java packages, classes and Maven descriptors 1 Feb 17 Author testingtv CategorySoftware Testing No Comment Read More 1234Next ›Last »


text:
Neutral Bay, New South Wales, Australia 1892 – Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1984
not titled [Treed countryside].
1949 or 1950
Collection Title: Sketchbook [31]. Buildings, scenes, interiors and figures. England, 1949-51.
Page: Leaf 19 recto.
Place made:
United Kingdom, England
Materials & Technique:
drawings, sketchbooks, graphite; paper drawing in black pencil Support: paper


text:
Their annual show is the highlight of summer in Driffield. This large show takes place at the Showground in Kellythorpe on 20th July 2016.
It is a fantastic day out for all the family. Livestock shows, agricultural displays and craft tents are just some of the many attractions.
Life's Energy is attending the one-day event to offer a series of three Show Exclusive offers:
- Two free solar panels with every solar PV system
- One free pallet of biomass fuel with every biomass boiler fitted
- A free 12 month service and maintenance visit with every air source heat pump fitted
And we are offering every visitor to the show a free energy consultation. So come along and see us on Wednesday 20th July on the Driffield Showground near Kellythorpe.


text:
Photographer: Sebastian Siah, Shooting Gallery
Brake Assist Plus. Extra braking force when you need it.
Executive Creative Director: Jagdish Ramakrishnan
Copywriter: William Mathovani
Advertiser's Supervisor: Patricia Ho
Account Manager: Lim Lee Huang
Art Directors: Andrian Pranata, Ivan Hady Wibowo
Retoucher: Reina Teo (wishing Well - The Imaging Station), Wei Xin
Highest Rated
real nice idea. i liked it. i don't know why some people are obsessed with (or against) the abstract visualization of this ad, but it gives the message with a good sense of humor, and that just works for me...
concentrate on copy dude... speed declining 80-0
Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm
Nice...very nice. But it's only ONE ad.
"I love some things, and don't love some other things."
I'm sure it did. In some expat magazine. Probably the whole campaign in the same issue. With luck the client never saw it so no embarrassing questions.
The word scam is redundant btw. That information was obvious from the word 'Singapore'.
When I look at the work actually run for Merc here, and the sort of work that ends up in the award books for the client... well let's just say the real work is from Mars and the award work is from Alpha Centauri.
Quote: "That information was obvious from the word 'Singapore'."
No, never saw it in any magazine here in Spore. Maybe I missed that expat mag you mention.
Have to agree full-heartedly on the work that ends up in the mags and papers: all rubbish, but who's gonna check if a campaign is for real or not. Cannes wants to cash in on entries so who cares.
if your car speed is above 80, I have doubt whether this Brake Assist Plus works or not
I like these. And that's not just because there's no metal in the advert... ;)
Can we stop with the giant numbers/letters? The Cannes judges overall really choked this year.
Stop Mediocrity. Start Creativity.
There are two kinds of people in the world; people who like mustangs (cool people) and people who like camaros (idiots).
real nice idea. i liked it. i don't know why some people are obsessed with (or against) the abstract visualization of this ad, but it gives the message with a good sense of humor, and that just works for me...
Popular Reads
Clio Awards
RKS Design's Scott Clear on Product Design's Crucial Role in Adland
Read More -
Clio Fashion & Beauty
Moving Image & Content Founder Quynh Mai On Bringing "Creative Firepower" To Digital Storytelling
Read More -
Clio Awards
Agency of the Year X Country Winners Showcase Creativity Defined by Culture
Read More -
Pursue a Passion Project? We Want to Showcase It!
Read More


text:
We are Bristle. Take a look around--we've got photos, audio, visual, and news on upcoming shows. Thanks for dropping in. Enjoy!
We are Bristle. Take a look around--we've got photos, audio, visual, and news on upcoming shows. Thanks for dropping in. Enjoy!
Posted at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Hey y'all--getting ready for another tour, this time to the East Coast!
In the meantime, you can keep yourselves busy with the Bristle Channel, a compilation of live performances and the infamous Future(s) Now(s) promo reel. Continues to startle and amaze...
Posted at 01:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
As Bristle gets ready to hit the road in a couple of days, here's a link to one of the highlights of our last tour, the night we did at Gold Lion 7-2-15. Thanks to our buddy Charles Smith for the great footage and to Ross Hammond for setting this up. Enjoy!
Posted at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Bristle's got another whistle stop tour happening this first weekend of December, and what better way to kick it off than a live radio show at KVMR-FM at their new headquarters in beauticious Nevada City, Thursday night, December 3, from 8:00-10:00 PM. Our pal Julia Boorinakis-Harper, she of the amazing graphic design for both of our CDs, not only fabricated the amazing poster for the event, but she will be hosting the whole she-bang. Julia had us on her show Notes from Underground way back in January 2010, so it'll be great to be back on the air with her. We'll be playing two sets for a live audience, plus during a break will do an on-air interview with Miss Julia. if you can't make it there in person, you can tune in or stream it live! Thanks to Music Director Sean Dooley-Miller for putting the whole thing together!
Posted at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Getting ready to hit the road soon! Thanks to our pal Julia Boorinakis-Harper for the nifty poster. Please check out our Live and Press pages for more info!
Posted at 05:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
OK--true confessions: I was a TV addict from ages 8-18, during the Golden Age of 70's sitcoms, 60's reruns, and Monty Python. All these influences, and their accompanying onslaught of advertising, contriubted to my latest creation: the promo video for Bristle's new album, Future(s) Now(s)
(click on the bouncing "B" below):
Or perhaps it was Cory's amazing Whistle Tune: the jingling soundtrack to the video. Or the great series of photos that Myles Boisen took for the album that inspired me to create the animation (& what a fun shoot that was, I might add--Bristle + the very game John Finkbeiner (who recorded and mastered the CD at his very own New,Improved Recording) in lab coat):
Or was it the great retro-futuristic CD design work by Julia Boorinakis Harper (who just started HER very own label Beehive Sound)?
Or was it the expert video footage by Charles Smith, that tireless chronicler of the Northern California creative music scene, the footage that I give the late-night-greatest-hits-commercial effects treatment to throughout?
Take a look and be the judge!
P.S. Don't the forget the upcoming CD release shows at Maybeck and Cafe Luna's. Information on the Live page.
Posted at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The future has arrived! The new Bristle recording Future(s) Now(s) is available at Queen Bee Records. You can preview tracks, get digital downloads, or buy CDs (which include some snazzy corporate swag), your choice. Yeah baby!
Please check out our Live and Press pages for information on the CD and our release parties coming up 12/6 at the beautiful Maybeck Studio in Berkeley and 12/8 at our home away from home, Luna's Cafe in Sacramento.
Posted at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
On Wednesday, September 24, Bristle will be playing at the Center for New Music in San Francisco with the international string trio Hear in Now, featuring Chicago-based cellist Tomeka Reid, New York violinist Mazz Swift, and bassist Silvia Bolognesi from Italy. Cory and I are working on new pieces--they've been slow to coalesce, but are offering rich new vistas for improvising. For me, it's the tricky balance of wanting every new piece to be its own animal, completely different from what's gone before it, while at the same time wanting it to fit into the Bristleverse of sounds and approaches. We've been toying with mixing and mashing the written material with more improvisational transitions and interludes. It's always new, always different with this group of four musicians--Cory, Lisa and Murray are up for anything; it's a delight to write for them, I'm always trying to come up with new challenges for these amazing players. Methinks Hear in Now's improvisational approach will be a nice complement to what we're about. I'm looking forward to the gig--hope you can make it out!
Posted at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Combing through the archives of late, discovered these performances from a night down at the radio station at UC Davis. Enjoy!
Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
For the next Bristle gig (Sunday 5/25 at Berkeley Arts), premiering a new piece--still finishing up the form, but drawing inspiration from the Mad Magazine Fold Ins. I loved those things when I was a kid--we had a stack of Mad mags around the house, the fold-in was on the inside back-cover. The image was often some elaborate picture, chock-full of detail, with a caption posing a question or description. When you folded in the sides to meet in the middle ("A meets B"), the picture was transformed into something entirely different, with the ends of the caption also joining to form the answer.
My piece is inspired by ragtime compositions, but been working on and off trying to figure out how to vary the form so it's not just a straight read through of some jaunty syncopated licks. The Fold Ins kept coming to mind, take a straight presentation of some material but then truncate it, pick the best parts, twist it around a bit, try to rejoin it in some novel way, see what you get. Could work it in reverse--the listener hears these not-quite-flush arpeggiated, rhythmic bits, that eventually make some kind of sense when the original context for them is presented. We'll see what happens--I hope to make Al Jaffee proud...
Posted at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted at 01:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)


text:
Running Along Seaside
Each year, Seaside, Florida, hosts a 3-day half marathon and 5K event that starts with Emeril Lagasse's Taste of the Race, continues with a grand running expo at the Seaside Lyceum, and ends with the Half Marathon and 5K presented by Vera Bradley races starting and finishing by Seaside's iconic post office. See what happened at this year's event.
12 March


text:
Minor luminaries such as Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Chick Corea, Glenn Gould, Keith Emerson, Bill Evans, Joe Zawinul, Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock come and go, but one keyboard artist stands head and shoulders above the rest. The genius of Scots home organ guru Eric McWhirter is renowned throughout the keyboard-playing universe, but for years, his very existence was a closely guarded secret.Click your keys and read all about it here.
What makes America Great Again? Is America First Christian?
for 7 timer siden


text:
Breaking News—Gateway's weekly e-newsletter—is now posted. This week's headlines include:
PLUS: the Week at a Glance, Weblink of the Week and this week's Superintendent's Corner!
The annual showcase of the high school's top musical talent will be featured at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 30. Read the complete article for details.
The last day to help will be April 5; donated items may be dropped off at the crib in the Gateway main entrance.
The First Annual Hilltown Chili Challenge will be held on Friday, March 31 from 6 - 8:30 p.m. in the Cafeteria at Gateway Regional High School. Admission is $5 and covers a sampling of up to 20 chili varieties. Competitors, judges needed. Read more!
Updated Information
Annual showcase of elite performing groups (Show Choir, Jazz Band).
Click here for more information.
(Snow Date is 3/31)
For the love of chili!
Competitors AND judges needed! (Contact Dawne Piers-Gamble by March 21). Up to 20 competitors will compete for the first annual "Best Chili in the Hilltowns" trophy!
Admission is $5 and you can sample up to 20 chili varieties, along with beverages and corn bread. Homemade desserts will be available at an additional charge.
Sponsored by, and a fundraiser for, the freshman class at Gateway Regional High School.


text:
Offered at:
Boise & Eagle/Meridian Area
04/03/2017 - 05/20/2017
Member Price: $62
Non-Member Price: $97
Non-Member Price: $97
This spring will be the perfect occasion for your little leaguer to get some time on the diamond! Participants will play on a team that practices one evening per week and play games on Saturdays. T-Ball will be a great opportunity to make some new friends and learn new skills from volunteer coaches


text:
The Realm (Windows)
ESRB Rating Genre Perspective Pacing Setting |
Critic Score
100 point score based on reviews from various critics. 3.5
User Score
5 point score based on user ratings. |
The game ratings for each category and platform are displayed below. The score for a particular platform is the average of all categories. Games must have 5 votes before they are given a MobyScore.
Breakdown by Rating Category
GameplayHow well the game mechanics work (player controls, game action, interface, etc.) | 3.8 |
GraphicsThe quality of the art, or the quality/speed of the drawing routines | 3.2 |
Personal SlantHow much you personally like the game, regardless of other attributes | 3.8 |
Sound / MusicThe quality of the sound effects and/or music composition | 3.4 |
Story / PresentationThe main creative ideas in the game and how well they're executed | 3.2 |
Overall User Score (5 votes) | 3.5 |
User Reviews
There are no reviews for this game.
Executive Producers:
Designer and System Architect:
Assistant Designer and Programmer:
Art Director:
Team Artists:
Quality Assurance Manager:
Quality Assurance Team Leader:
Quality Assurance:
Nathan Clark, Steve Deckert, James R. Gisler, Marsha McCarty, John Ratcliffe, James Romero, Bobby Steele, Douglas Wheeler
Writer:NPC Dialogue:
On Line Coordinator:
CD Booklet Layout:
Web Page Design:
Installer Programming:
Original Concept:


text:
Pax Americana Is Winding Down -- Arnaud De Borchgrave, Washington Times
Is the world's balance of power shifting away from the West and moving over to India and China? That's what a number of geopolitical sages are discussing in think tanks from Moscow to Beijing to London to Washington. In a joint SOS piece in the November-December issue of Foreign Affairs, former Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman and the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Richard N. Haass, warn U.S. leaders to curb "the current debt addiction - or global capital markets will do it for them." An age of austerity and draconian belt-tightening - and sudden decline in U.S. power - is upon us. Gridlocked Congress, fiscal train wreck, climbing without a rope, all the stuff of headlines the world over.
Read more ....
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Bombing Iran for votes, the strange path of a dumb idea from Marc Lynch
Bombing Iran for votes, the strange path of a dumb idea
from Marc Lynch by Marc Lynch
David Broder has raised some eyebrows with his bizarre Washington Post column arguing that "with strong Republican support in Congress for challenging Iran's ambition to become a nuclear power, [Obama] can spend much of 2011 and 2012 orchestrating a showdown with the mullahs. This will help him politically because the opposition party will be urging him on. And as tensions rise and we accelerate preparations for war, the economy will improve." It should only be surprising to those who haven't been paying attention, though. Leaving aside the truly odd ideas about the economy, Broder is actually offering a warmed over, mainstream version of the argument coined in August by former Bush Middle East adviser Elliott Abrams that "the Obama who had struck Iran and destroyed its nuclear program would be a far stronger candidate, and perhaps an unbeatable one." Since then, each time the argument pops up I've tagged it on Twitter with "this idea was stupid enough when Elliott Abrams wrote it in August."
Broder's column is an interesting study in how really dumb ideas bounce around Washington DC. Fortunately, it's not an idea which seems to have any support at all in the Obama White House. Unlike Abrams (who it's fair to assume does not wish Obama well in November 2012) and Broder (who... well, it's anyone's guess), the Obama team can see perfectly clearly that the American people have no appetite for a third major war in the Middle East and that launching a war with massive strategic consequences for short-term political gain would be epically irresponsible. They find this argument ridiculous. Even if they were primarily interested in their electoral fortunes in designing Iran policy, they would quickly see that such an Abrams-approved strategem would wipe out their support on the left and gain absolutely zero votes on the right.
Now, I'm very worried that Obama's Iran strategy will lock the U.S. into ever more hawkish rhetoric which ties their hands and paves the way to future military confrontations. I think that serious people disagree about the likely effectiveness of sanctions or of diplomacy, and that all are struggling to find meaningful off-ramps in the glide towards ever-more stringent and militarized regional containment. I worry about a lot on Iran policy. But this isn't one of the things which I worry about. I don't think that anyone in the Obama White House takes remotely seriously the epically bad Abrams-Broder advice to pursue military showdown with Iran for political advantage. This may offer an intriguing window into how Abrams thought about foreign policy in the Bush White House, and a depressing case study in the circulation of ideas in Washington, but it tells us nothing at all about how the Obama administration is thinking about Iran.
Broder's column is an interesting study in how really dumb ideas bounce around Washington DC. Fortunately, it's not an idea which seems to have any support at all in the Obama White House. Unlike Abrams (who it's fair to assume does not wish Obama well in November 2012) and Broder (who... well, it's anyone's guess), the Obama team can see perfectly clearly that the American people have no appetite for a third major war in the Middle East and that launching a war with massive strategic consequences for short-term political gain would be epically irresponsible. They find this argument ridiculous. Even if they were primarily interested in their electoral fortunes in designing Iran policy, they would quickly see that such an Abrams-approved strategem would wipe out their support on the left and gain absolutely zero votes on the right.
Now, I'm very worried that Obama's Iran strategy will lock the U.S. into ever more hawkish rhetoric which ties their hands and paves the way to future military confrontations. I think that serious people disagree about the likely effectiveness of sanctions or of diplomacy, and that all are struggling to find meaningful off-ramps in the glide towards ever-more stringent and militarized regional containment. I worry about a lot on Iran policy. But this isn't one of the things which I worry about. I don't think that anyone in the Obama White House takes remotely seriously the epically bad Abrams-Broder advice to pursue military showdown with Iran for political advantage. This may offer an intriguing window into how Abrams thought about foreign policy in the Bush White House, and a depressing case study in the circulation of ideas in Washington, but it tells us nothing at all about how the Obama administration is thinking about Iran.
Related articles
- Broder eyes Tehran (washingtonmonthly.com)
- Iran And 2012 (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)
- Dean Baker: David Broder Calls for War With Iran to Boost the Economy (huffingtonpost.com)
- Will President Obama Bomb Iran? (outsidethebeltway.com)
- Sean McBride: Striking Iran Is Unwarranted, and It Would Mean Disaster - International - The Atlantic (Marc Lynch) (theatlantic.com)
- Sean McBride: Attacking Iran: The Last Thing the U.S. Administration Wants to Do - International - The Atlantic (theatlantic.com)
- Broder's middle is a strange place (washingtonmonthly.com)
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Obama, Clinton Visit India With Wary Eye On Rising China -- Christian Science Monitor
Obama, Clinton Visit India With Wary Eye On Rising China -- Christian Science Monitor
President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton are making trips to India and the region in the coming weeks, with an eye toward strengthening alliances to counterbalance China.
President Obama and his secretary of state are embarking on Asian trips to build up an insurance policy in case the rising power China ever turns aggressive.
Mr. Obama's first and longest stopover next month will be India, a country that his predecessor touted as a counterbalance to China. The Obama administration initially reversed that talk, but has lately come around to seeing India as a key link in a regional safety net.
Read more ....http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/1029/Obama-Clinton-visit-India-with-wary-eye-on-rising-China
Related articles
- Clinton heads to Asia to assure China's neighbors (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- With China on mind, Obama for larger Indian role in East Asia (topinews.com)
- Clinton heads to Asia to assure China's neighbors (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- In India, Obama to stay at site of terror attack (sfgate.com)
- Amid disputes, US seeks common ground with China (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Obama Asia trip no slap to Pakistan, China: aides (reuters.com)
- Asia to play key role with rise of India, China: US (topinews.com)
- Clinton Renews Asia Dispute Push (online.wsj.com)
- US urges China to soothe tensions (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Gillard nimble on regional tensions (theage.com.au)
- Clinton Tells East Asia Summit to Take on Maritime Disputes (businessweek.com)
Is Yemen Becoming The New Front In The War On Terror?
The discovery of a suspicious package in Britain on a plane going from Yemen to Chicago is the latest in a number of suspected terrorist related incidents to involve the Middle Eastern country. Is Yemen the new front in the war on terror?
The multiple crises afflicting Yemen are not a surprise to anyone who has been watching, and certainly not to those in Washington. There is every reason to suppose that the US authorities are far more alarmed over events there than they were over Major Hasan, but they have been similarly unsure how to react. Some commentators in the Middle East are starting to see this as a trend: an uncertainty over how to deal with the Muslim world is leading to disaster.
Read more ....
More News On Yemen Being The New Front In The War On Terror
Out of Yemen, a Top Al Qaeda Threat -- Wall Street Journal
Yemen Emerges as Base for Qaeda Attacks on U.S. -- New York Times
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- L.A. Times
Obama: US commits to destroying al-Qaida in Yemen -- Washington Post/AP
Yemen leader's hold on country growing more tenuous amid al-Qaida fight, multiple challenges -- Canadian Press
Obama Vows to 'Destroy' al Qaeda in Yemen After Bomb Discovery -- Politics Daily
Factbox: Al Qaeda's wing in Yemen -- Reuters
Related articles
- Obama Vows to 'Destroy' al Qaeda in Yemen After Bomb Discovery (politicsdaily.com)
- Obama aide: US ready to aid Yemen against al-Qaida (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Yemen hunts parcel bombers, al-Qaeda suspected (nationalpost.com)
- Cargo plane bomb plot: Yemen doubts its link to the plot (telegraph.co.uk)
- Explosive packages show growing Yemen threat (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Obama: US commits to destroying al-Qaida in Yemen (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Terror investigators examine more packages (huffingtonpost.com)
- Explosive packages show growing Yemen threat (sfgate.com)
- Yemen emerges as base for terror attacks (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Petraeus: NATO Pressure Forcing Taliban to Seek Peace -- Voice of America
Al Pessin | Pentagon 29 October 2010
The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan says coalition progress in recent months has stopped Taliban advances in most of the country, and is putting pressure on even senior leaders of the group to seek a peace deal with the Afghan government.
General Petraeus has spoken of progress in specific parts of Afghanistan before, but now he says that in the last three-to-six months Afghan troops and his international forces have changed the situation in most of the country.
Read more ....http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Petreus-NATO-Pressure-Forcing-Taliban-to-Seek-Peace-106319724.html
More News On Afghanistan
Afghan president condemns joint US-Russia raid on drug labs -- M&C
Afghan head condemns US-Russia drugs raid -- Sydney Morning Herald/AFP
Afghanistan says US-Russia raid violated sovereignty -- DAWN
Karzai demands investigation into NATO-led drug bust in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
U.S.-Afghan forces, aided by Russian agents, seize drug facilities in major raid -- L.A. Times
Petraeus: Iran's Kabul Payments 'Disingenuous' -- Voice of America
80 dead in Afghan military base attack -- CNN
Coalition forces kill 80 militants in E. Afghan province: official -- Xinhuanet
NATO: 30 insurgents killed, five coalition soldiers wounded in Afghan outpost attack -- MSNBC/AP
Nato troops repel insurgent attack in Afghanistan -- BBC
NATO: Forces Kill 30 Militants in Eastern Afghanistan -- Voice of America
NATO: 30 Fighters Killed In Afghan Outpost Attack -- Radio Free Europe
U.S. troops repel Afghan attack -- Reuters
Hopeful signs in NATO's Kandahar offensive: British general -- AFP
Kandahar campaign's fate not clear until June: NATO -- Reuters
NATO: True test of Kandahar to come in June -- AP
Taliban makes demands in Afghan peace talks -- The Telegraph
US Official: No High-Level Talks Taking Place with Taliban -- Voice of America
Envoy: No peace talks underway with Afghan Taliban -- AP
No Peace Talks With Taliban, U.S. Envoy Say -- Radio Free Europe
'Less than meets the eye' on Taliban talks: US envoy -- AFP
Holbrooke on Taliban Talks: 'There's Less Here Than Meets the Eye'-- ABC News
Afghanistan Peace Talks: 'NATO Wants a Quick Political Deal' -- Spiegel Online
Afghanistan Tops Agenda at Upcoming NATO Summit in Portugal -- PBS Newshour
Russian choppers again soon in Afghanistan -- UPI
Scoring goals not main point of women's soccer match in Afghanistan -- Stars And Stripes
Teleconferencing from the war zone improves treatment for wounded soldiers -- Washington Post
Profiles of a Dustoff 57, medevac team in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Troops angry about Taliban negotiations -- Washington Examiner
Nato's dilemma: how to stop the Taliban's return -- The Independent
Related articles
- Militants Launch Major Afghan Outpost Attack (foxnews.com)
- Holbrooke Denies "High Level" Taliban Talks (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
- Russia Returns to Afghanistan for a Joint Drug Raid (time.com)
- Afghanistan complains about Russians in drug raid (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Thirty insurgents killed after attack on Afghanistan base (telegraph.co.uk)
- 80 Taliban killed in failed attack on NATO outpost: report (nationalpost.com)
- Russia Returns to Afghanistan for a Joint Drug Raid (time.com)
- Envoy: No peace talks underway with Afghan Taliban (sfgate.com)
- NATO repels insurgent attack on Afghan combat outpost (ctv.ca)
Clinton Proposes China, Japan Join 3-Way Talks With U.S. To Ease Tensions -- Washington Post
The United States has called on China and Japan to hold talks to ease tensions [AFP]
HANOI - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Chinese and Japanese officials Saturday that she wanted the two countries to end their month-long spat and consider a three-way meeting with the United States to improve ties.
Clinton's push, made at a summit of 18 Asian nations in Vietnam, underscored the increasing alarm felt in Washington about persistent tensions between East Asia's two big powers.
Read more ....http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/30/AR2010103001380.html
More News On China - Japan Tensions
U.S., Japan Seek to Calm China Tensions Over Disputed Islands -- Bloomberg
Clinton pressures China to settle island dispute -- AP
US takes firm line with China over rows with neighbors -- AFP
Clinton, in rare US visit to China's Hainan Island, presses Beijing over territorial disputes -- Canadian Press
U.S. wants Japan-China tensions to cool down -U.S. -- Reuters
China and Japan hold informal talks -- Financial Times
Japan, China leaders met informally: Japanese official -- Reuters
China Chastises Japan, U.S. Over Territorial Disputes Before G-20 Summit -- Bloomberg
Related articles
- Clinton says US has a stake in Asian security (msnbc.msn.com)
- U.S., Japan Seek to Calm China Tensions Over Disputed Islands (businessweek.com)
- Clinton says US has a stake in Asian security (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Clinton says US has a stake in Asian security (sfgate.com)
- Clinton pressures China to settle island dispute (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Hillary Clinton keeping up pressure on China (sfgate.com)
- China, Japan leaders meet informally amid islands row (ctv.ca)
- U.S. Works to Ease China-Japan Conflict (nytimes.com)
US Faces Substantial Obstacles to Increasing Rare Earths Production
Reader James S. highlighted a useful article at the MIT Technology Review, "Can the U.S. Rare-Earth Industry Rebound?" Our only quibble to this solid piece is its summary, which underplays some critical aspects of the article:
And this issue has frequently been mentioned in passing in accounts of why rare earth production moved to China in the first place. It's nasty, and advanced economies weren't keen to do the job. China was willing to take the environmental damage. For instance, the New York Times points out:
The U.S. has plenty of the metals that are critical to many green-energy technologies, but engineering and R&D expertise have moved overseas.In fact, the while the article does discuss US versus foreign engineering expertise in rare earths mining, it describes in some detail how difficult rare earths mining is in general (more accurately, not the finding the materials part, but separating them out) and the considerable additional hurdles posed by doing it in a non-environmentally destructive manner. Thus the rub is not simply acquiring certain bits of technological know-how, but also breaking further ground in reducing environmental costs.
And this issue has frequently been mentioned in passing in accounts of why rare earth production moved to China in the first place. It's nasty, and advanced economies weren't keen to do the job. China was willing to take the environmental damage. For instance, the New York Times points out:
China feels entitled to call the shots because of a brutally simple environmental reckoning: It currently controls most of the globe's rare earths supply not just because of geologic good fortune, although there is some of that, but because the country has been willing to do dirty, toxic and often radioactive work that the rest of the world has long shunned.From the MIT Technology Review:
Getting from rocks to the pure metals and alloys required for manufacturing requires several steps that U.S. companies no longer have the infrastructure or the intellectual property to perform….Yves here. I'd be curious for input on this point from any informed readers. China has allegedly made R&D advances, but are these processes aimed at increased efficiency? If so, they'd give China a cost advantage, but not contend with environmental issues; indeed, it's conceivable that the toll with these new processes is even worse. Back to the article:
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Mountain Pass mine in California produced over 70 percent of the world's supply. Yet in 2009, none were produced in the United States, and it will be difficult, costly, and time-consuming to ramp up again…
The two mines that will be stepping up production soonest are Mountain Pass, being developed by Molycorp, and the Mount Weld mine, which is being developed by Lynas, outside Perth, Australia. Mountain Pass has the edge of already having been established. But the company cannot use the processes used in the mine's heyday: they're both economically and environmentally unsustainable.
Several factors make purification of rare earths complicated. First, the 17 elements all tend to occur together in the same mineral deposits, and because they have similar properties, it's difficult to separate them from one another. They also tend to occur in deposits with radioactive elements, particularly thorium and uranium. Those elements can become a threat if the "tailings," the slushy waste product of the first step in separating rare earths from the rocks they're found in, are not dealt with properly…
Mountain Pass went into decline in the 1990s when Chinese producers began to undercut the mine on price at the same time as it had safety issues with tailings. When the Mountain Pass mine was operating at full capacity, it produced 850 gallons of waste saltwater containing these radioactive elements every hour, every day of the year. The tailings were transported down an eleven-mile pipeline to evaporation ponds. In 1998, Mountain Pass, which was then owned by a subsidiary of oil company Unocal, had a problem with tailing leaks when the pipeline burst; four years later, the company's permit for storing the tailings lapsed.
Meanwhile, throughout the 1990s, Chinese mines exploited their foothold in the rare-earth market. The Chinese began unearthing the elements as a byproduct of an iron-ore mine called Bayan Obo in the northern part of the country; getting both products from the same site helped keep prices low initially. And the country invested in R&D around rare-earth element processing, eventually opening several smaller mines, and then encouraging manufacturers that use these metals to set up facilities in the country.
By 2012, Molycorp expects to produce 20,000 tons a year, and under its current mining permits could double capacity to 40,000 tons. Sims also says the company will produce rare-earth products at half the cost of the Chinese in 2012. According to the company, these savings will be made possible by several changes, such as eliminating the production of waste saltwater. Molycorp will use a closed-loop system, converting the waste back into the acids and bases required for separation and eliminating the need to buy such chemicals. The company will also install a natural-gas power cogeneration facility onsite to cut energy costs.The story is not quite as dire as one might conclude from this article, which focuses strictly on the US mining question. The US is not the only country looking to gear up its rare earth production. Rare earths can be extracted from used products, particularly cars. And some products can be designed to eliminate the use of rare earths, although the tradeoff is typically more bulk and weight. Nevertheless, it is clear that advanced economies will need to make a lot of adjustments, including more investments in R&D and product design, to contend with the challenge of rising demand versus constrained supplies of rare earths.
But Ames Lab's Geschneidner notes that one major source of cost in the separation process can't be eliminated–the fact that it simply takes a long time. Milled rock is shaken again and again in a mixture of solvents to separate the elements by weight; depending on the ultimate purity that's required, this must be done 10,000 to 100,000 times. The result is then sold as a concentrate or treated to produce rare-earth metal oxides.
Even if Molycorp does succeed in reducing the costs of separation by half, the next step in production may cause a hiccup. Rare-earth oxides and concentrates do have a market, for example as catalysts for the petroleum industry, but they can't be made into magnets. To make magnets, rare-earth oxides must first be converted into pure metals, a process that produces caustic byproducts, and is done solely in China today. Sims says that Molycorp is investigating pathways that are environmentally friendly and aren't covered under intellectual property owned by foreign companies. These metals must next be made into alloys suitable for the magnets, another capability that's concentrated overseas, mostly in Japan and Germany.
Related articles
- Can the U.S. Rare-Earth Industry Rebound? (technologyreview.in)
- Can the U.S. Rare-Earth Industry Rebound? (merid.org)
- Will we cope if the rare earths live up to their name? (newscientist.com)
- Names You Need To Know In 2011: Baotou, Rare Earths Capital Of The World (blogs.forbes.com)
- Molycorp Says Rare-Earth Price Gains Real, No Bubble (businessweek.com)
- Rare metals (bbc.co.uk)
- After China's Rare Earth Embargo, a New Calculus (nytimes.com)
- The Money Man Behind America's Rare Earth Minerals (blogs.forbes.com)
- Analysis: Rare earths next big thing or will the bubble burst? (reuters.com)
- Molycorp Plunged: What You Need to Know (fool.com)
Uri Avnery Bread and the Circus
I WAS surprised when, towards the end of 1975, I received an invitation from the Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, to meet him at his residence. He opened the door himself, poured me a glass of whisky, poured one for himself, and without any further ado asked me: "Tell me, Uri, have you decided to destroy all the doves in the Labor Party?"
Some weeks before, my magazine, Haolam Hazeh ("This World"), had started to publish disclosures about the corrupt dealings of the candidate for President of the Central Bank, Asher Yadlin. On the eve of the conversation, we had also started to publish suspicions concerning the Minister of Housing, Avraham Ofer. Both were leaders of the Labor "doves".
I answered that, unfortunately, I could not offer immunity to corrupt politicians, even if their political positions were close to mine. These are separate matters.
I TOLD this story this week at a conference held by Tel Aviv University devoted to a new book by Prof. Yossi Shain, "The Language of Corruption".
The panel was very mixed. There were two former Ministers of Justice – Yossi Beilin, the chairman of the "Geneva Initiative", and Daniel Friedman, a right-winger whose unrestrained attacks on the Supreme Court had aroused public indignation; Yedidia Stern, a national-religious intellectual who is advocating reconciliation with the secular camp, and retired General Yitzhak Ben-Israel of the Air Force and the Israeli Space Agency, a member of the last Knesset for the Kadima party. I was introduced as the creator of Israel's investigative journalism, who was responsible for the exposure of the first big corruption affairs that rocked the nation.
Prof. Shain vigorously attacked those who fought against corruption - including judges, police officers, prosecutors and such. He claimed that they endanger Israeli democracy and undermine national strength. These two words – "national strength"- are typical of the Right.
And indeed, everybody knows that corruption affairs are currently occupying the center of the public stage. A former President of the state is awaiting judgment in a rape trial. A former Prime Minister is suspected of accepting fat bribes. A former Finance Minister is in prison. A former senior minister has been convicted of indecent conduct for forcing his tongue into the mouth of a female army officer (it happened on the day the government decided to launch Lebanon War II). The Foreign Minister is under investigation. A long list of assorted politicians, senior civil servants and army officers are in various stages of investigation and prosecution.
Shain's book does not deal with the affairs themselves, but with the place they occupy in public discourse. He believes that they should be taken off the headlines and removed from center stage.
His arguments deserve consideration.
IN THE headlines, corruption scandals often fill the space that should have been devoted to the matters that are crucial to our future.
Take, for example, two topical cases.
Case 1: A Knesset committee has just adopted a law that enables "reception committees" of "communal localities" with less than 500 families to refuse would-be residents not to their liking.
The law, which will come into force in a matter of days, is designed to circumvent the judgment of the Supreme Court forbidding the refusal to admit Arabs. The wording of the law is a masterpiece of verbal acrobatics, in order to avoid the use of the word "Arab". But the meaning is clear to everybody.
An investigation by the Arab "Adala" organization has shown that the 695 agricultural and urban communities to which the law will apply occupy the greater part of the lands that belong to the government (most of which, by the way, were expropriated from Arab owners after the foundation of the state). Almost all the real estate of Israel belongs to the government.
This is a clear case of racial segregation, of the kind that existed in the US against Jews and blacks. There it disappeared 50 years ago. It concerns the very essence of the State of Israel. It turns the status of Israel's Arab citizens, 20% of the population, into a time bomb.
(Lately, the chief rabbi of Safed, a government employee, has decreed that selling or letting apartments to Arabs is a sin. Before 1948, Safed was a mixed town with an Arab majority. Mahmoud Abbas was born there. The day before yesterday, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the unquestioned leader of the Oriental Jewish community, also decreed that selling land to "foreigners" – meaning the Arabs who have been living here for more than a thousand years before the venerable rabbi himself was brought to this country from Iraq – is expressly forbidden by the Jewish religion.)
Case 2: A senior army officer has distributed a document that describes an alleged plot by the incoming Chief of Staff (Yoav Galant) to smear the present Chief of Staff (Gabi Ashkenazi). The document is a forgery, and many signs indicate that it originated in the immediate surroundings of Ashkenazi. It appears that the forger is a personal friend of Ashkenazi and his wife. The State Comptroller is now investigating the matter.
A juicy affair, by any standard. An intrigue in the highest echelons of the army.
How were these two matters covered by the media? The first one was mentioned a few times. The second has occupied the headlines for months now, with no end in sight.
NO DOUBT, the big corruption scandals help the media – and the public at large – to push aside the central problems of our existence: the occupation, the elimination of the chances for peace, the enlargement of the settlements, the continuing blockade of Gaza, the racist laws against the Arab minority in Israel proper, all the dangers connected with the ongoing 130-year-old conflict between us and the Palestinians.
The public does not want to hear about this. It wants all these matters to disappear from its sight, so as to be left to enjoy life. This is a national exercise of escapism.
It is much more convenient to deal with a forged document in the safe of the Chief of Staff, Ashkenazi, than to deal with the war crimes committed in the course of the "Cast Lead" operation, whose commander was Ashkenazi.
It is much nicer to pursue the private affairs of public personalities who are caught in flagrante: the Philippine maid illegally employed by Ehud Barak, the air ticket fraud of Ehud Olmert, the long tongue of Haim Ramon, the fat bribes handed out to municipal leaders in Jerusalem for a permit to build an architectural monstrosity on a hill overlooking the center of the city.
The rulers of ancient Rome gave the masses panem et circenses (bread and circus games) to take their minds off matters of state. Our corruption affairs, which follow each other in quick succession, are ersatz circus games.
ALREADY WHILE serving as editor-in-chief of Haolam Hazeh, when we were conducting the fight against government corruption, I was conscious of the dangers inherent in such a campaign.
More than once I was troubled by the thought that when we reveal the repulsive doings of corrupt politicians, we may be encouraging the public to detest all politicians, indeed politics as such. Are we not helping to create a public climate of "they are all corrupt" and opening an abyss between the public and the political system?
If politics stinks, good people will not opt for a political career. Politics will be left to people of low intelligence, bereft of talent and ethical standards, even criminal elements. The results are already obvious in the present Knesset.
The loathing of politics and politicians can pave the way to fascism. Fascist movements all over the world exploit the contempt for politicians in order to arouse the longing for a "strong man", who will turn the rascals out.
ALL THIS may lead to the conclusion that we should reduce the fight against corruption, or at least refrain from talking about it.
But this is a very dangerous idea.
A society that confers immunity on corrupt leaders is digging its own grave. That is the way the Roman republic rotted and imploded. This has happened to many states since then, even in our lifetime. It is not the talk about corruption that destroys democracy, but corruption itself. Corruption cannot be swept under the carpet for long. Even if the media were to stop dancing around it, rumors would get around and undermine trust in government even more.
When ministers fill public positions with their political protégés or their relatives, the management of public affairs and monies is turned over to the incompetent and/or the dishonest. The best and the brightest are pushed aside by "political appointments". When politicians are bought - quite simply – by business tycoons, they are compelled to serve them against the public interest. The quality of leadership goes down, and incompetents decide our fate in matters of life and death, peace or war.
This is not a specifically Israeli problem. Corruption rules many countries. Some believe that the US is more corrupt than Israel. Just now the Supreme Court there has opened the gates to corruption even wider, allowing large corporations to buy politicians almost openly. True, unlike us, Americans kick out politicians who have been caught. (Remember the immortal words of Vice President Spiro Agnew: "The bastards changed the rules and didn't tell me!")
THE STRUGGLE against the occupation and the fight against corruption do not contradict each other. On the contrary, they complement one another.
The occupation destroys our ethical standards. A society that loses its repugnance of the daily cruelty in the occupied territories loses also its resistance to corruption.
The occupation is a life-threatening disease, corruption is "simply" nausea. But if the patient is nauseous, no medicine will stay down.
The Threat of Politicized Intelligence By MANSOOR IJAZ
Mansoor Ijaz, an American of Pakistani origin, negotiated Sudan's offer of counterterrorism assistance to the Clinton administration in 1996 and 1997 and jointly authored the blueprint for a ceasefire of hostilities between Indian security forces and militant Islamists in Kashmir in July and August 2000. If new US National Security Adviser Thomas E. Donilon needs a reminder of how stark the enemy threat is, he need look no further than today's discovery of printer cartridges rigged like explosive devices aboard UPS airliner cargo holds that left Yemen bound for Jewish Synagogues in the United States. A dry run? You bet. And not just to test the holes in air cargo security systems, but to test the reaction time and responsiveness of our national security apparatus.
The backroom maneuvering that led to Donilon's ascent and the departure of his predecessor, Gen. James L. Jones (USMC Ret), is a dangerous reminder of what happens when politics enters the world of intelligence gathering, analysis and policymaking. Donilon, whose reputation as a backroom Democratic Party wheeler dealer precedes him, would do well now to shed that skin and get down to the serious business at hand in containing and controlling threats that are approaching four-dimensional complexity against American--and global--security interests.
History is replete with bad decisions made by men and women charged with securing America who lamely, selfishly and often purposefully politicized intelligence for narrow political objectives. Those failures should serve as a reminder to Donilon and the team he assembles that America's enemies are lurking and waiting for any sign of weakness to attack us. And attack us they will.
Much of the failure to deal with militant Islam inside the Clinton presidency came from his national security team, which (with the exception of former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke) had little practical experience with military campaigns, counterterrorism strategies, guerrilla warfare tactics or other facets so critical to ensuring modern-day security. They repeatedly, and with increasing stridency, politicized intelligence gathering, analysis and policy responses. Sudan, on which I write from personal knowledge and experience, was a prime example of what America can never afford to allow again.
Politicized intelligence was the Achilles heel of many a past president, with disastrous consequences emerging every single time. President Obama must insure that the principal legacy left by his outgoing national security adviser--integrity of the intelligence analysis and policy-response process, and a strategic vision for securing America against an ever growing array of threats--remains the baseline from which America makes its national-security policy decisions. If he does not, he may find one day soon that the very terrorists he was elected to thwart have come home to roost. More at:
China is on path to 'militarization of space'
The Asian space race is moving along slowly, but steadily – and China is in the lead, with technology that could give it a military advantage over the US.
China's space program are not lost on India, Japan, or the United States.
The Pentagon notes that China, through its space program, is exploring ways to exploit the US military's dependence on space in a conflict scenario – for example, knocking out US satellites in the opening hours of a crisis over Taiwan.
"China is developing the ability to attack an adversary's space assets, accelerating the militarization of space," the Pentagon said in its latest annual report to Congress on China's military power. "PLA writings emphasize the necessity of 'destroying, damaging, and interfering with the enemy's reconnaissance ... and communications satellites.' "
More broadly, some in the US see China's moon program as evidence that it has a long-range strategic view that's lacking in Washington. The US has a reconnaissance satellite in lunar orbit now, but President Obama appears to have put off the notion of a manned return to the moon.
With China slowly but surely laying the groundwork for a long-term lunar presence, some fear the US may one day find itself lapped –"like the tale of the tortoise and the hare," says Dean Cheng, an expert on China's space program at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. "I have to wonder whether the United States, concerned with far more terrestrial issues, and with its budget constraints, is going to decide to make similarly persistent investments to sustain its lead in space."
The security implications of The Pentagon notes that China, through its space program, is exploring ways to exploit the US military's dependence on space in a conflict scenario – for example, knocking out US satellites in the opening hours of a crisis over Taiwan.
"China is developing the ability to attack an adversary's space assets, accelerating the militarization of space," the Pentagon said in its latest annual report to Congress on China's military power. "PLA writings emphasize the necessity of 'destroying, damaging, and interfering with the enemy's reconnaissance ... and communications satellites.' "
More broadly, some in the US see China's moon program as evidence that it has a long-range strategic view that's lacking in Washington. The US has a reconnaissance satellite in lunar orbit now, but President Obama appears to have put off the notion of a manned return to the moon.
With China slowly but surely laying the groundwork for a long-term lunar presence, some fear the US may one day find itself lapped –"like the tale of the tortoise and the hare," says Dean Cheng, an expert on China's space program at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. "I have to wonder whether the United States, concerned with far more terrestrial issues, and with its budget constraints, is going to decide to make similarly persistent investments to sustain its lead in space."
Related articles
- China's Second Moon Probe to Launch This Weekend (space.com)
- Orbital Paths of U.S., China Diverge (online.wsj.com)
- NASA chief visits China manned space launch site (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- China launches second unmanned lunar probe (theglobeandmail.com)
Friday, October 29, 2010
U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy Boomerangs in Yemen, Somalia By: James M. Dorsey | Briefing
Rather than weakening militants, Western counterterrorism and counterinsurgency strategies in Yemen and Somalia are fueling radicalism and turning wide swathes of the population against the West. With little real effort to economically and politically stabilize the two countries, U.S. military and security support exacerbates local fault lines and strengthens deep-seated anti-Americanism. More at:
https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&shva=1#inbox/12bf953ea1b466b8Related articles
- Cargo plane plot: Yemen focus (telegraph.co.uk)
- Yemen's rising radical star (msnbc.msn.com)
- Yemen leader's hold on country growing tenuous (sfgate.com)
- "Profound Equities with Yemen in Terms of Counter-Terrorism" Justify Child Soldiers? (emptywheel.firedoglake.com)
- North Africa to become a battleground for al-Qaida, West is warned (theprovince.com)
- Yemen leader's hold on country growing tenuous (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- "Obama Administration's Expansion of The War on Terror Abroad" and related posts (talkleft.com)
- Uphill battle to prevent failed state in Yemen: experts (alternet.org)
NATO in an Age of Austerity By: James Joyner | Feature
A lack of political will and a wave of defense budget cuts would seem to spell doom for NATO as a global expeditionary force, at least in the foreseeable future. While in all likelihood NATO will pull through, there's reason to fear that it will do so as a hollow organization. At the same time, there's some reason to hope that the forced belt-tightening will force a rethink of how to make NATO even more central to trans-Atlantic security. More at:
Related articles
- NATO in an Age of Austerity (outsidethebeltway.com)
Commentary: Managing decline By ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE UPI Editor at Large
In a joint SOS piece in the November-December issue of Foreign Affairs, former U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger Altman and the President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass, warned U.S. leaders to curb "the current debt addiction -- or global capital markets will do it for them." An age of austerity and draconian belt tightening -- and sudden decline in U.S. power – is upon us. Gridlocked Congress, fiscal train wreck, climbing without a rope, all the stuff of headlines the world over.
The political move to center stage of satirical humorist Jon Stewart with his mass "Rally to Restore Sanity" is seen by some as throwback to the collapse of Germany's post-World War I Weimar Republic.
But where can the United States afford to disengage and leave heavy geopolitical lifting to regional powers? In some key areas, U.S. power remains indispensable for the indefinite future. The Persian Gulf and its huge oil resources are at the top of the list.
North Korea, faced with total economic collapse, is unpredictable and makes a U.S. Army division-plus an indispensable tripwire in South Korea. Everything else is marginal -- and debatable.
America's global military footprint (outside of Iraq and Afghanistan) tops $250 billion a year. There are still 200 U.S. military facilities in Germany 65 years after World War II. U.S. military hospitals for U.S. casualties in transit from Afghanistan and Iraq as an intermediary stage home are important. All else is marginal. If CENTCOM and SOCOM can be in Tampa, Fla., why not EUCOM in Norfolk, Va., where NATO's Atlantic command is based?
World War II hastened the end of the British Empire but it took several decades to manage its decline. The partition of India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947 triggered a bloodbath that took 1 million lives.
There were several more last gasps of empire before a British government decided in October to live within its means, slashing defense to where it could no longer be used to defend the Falkland Islands against another Argentine invasion, as it did successfully in 1982.
In the mid-1950s, British-controlled Aden was the world's largest bunkering port, servicing traffic in and out of the Red Sea and Suez Canal. But in 1967, Britain took another drubbing as it exited Aden, then, a year later, London, under Laborite Harold Wilson, gave up all its commitments and obligations east of Suez, from the canal to the Persian Gulf to Singapore. It took another 10 years to turn over Hong Kong to its original owner.
From Oman, at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, all the way up to Kuwait, Britain kept the peace until 1972 with the British officered "Trucial Oman Scouts" for a total annual outlay of $40 million. The Nixon Doctrine succeeded Pax Britannica in the gulf and the Shah of Iran became America's proxy.
Instead, the shah was overthrown in 1979 and a hostile, obscurantist religious dictatorship has kept the rest of the gulf in psychological thrall ever since.
The French empire unraveled with 16 years of rearguard fighting (1946-54; 1954-62) -- eight years in Indochina, followed by a six-month break before another eight years of warfare in Algeria. World War II hero Charles de Gaulle rode to the rescue and managed decline by putting France on the road to modernity -- with nuclear weapons and a new high-tech vision of the future (that produced the Caravel and the supersonic Concorde).
Is the time at hand for a new leader to manage the decline of the modern American empire? Iraq was clearly an expensive geopolitical illusion, a weird concoction of motives, inspired by neocons who thought they were making Israel more secure.
Precisely the opposite was achieved. Seven years and $1 trillion later, Iran now has more influence in Iraq than the United States. Its agents are also dropping off the occasional million-dollar bundle to keep Afghan President Hamid Karzai's chief of staff sweet and compliant.
Psychologically, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is more beholden to Tehran these days than to Washington. After the United States coughed up $1 trillion it didn't have to fight the Iraq War, Baghdad still has less electric power today than it had under Saddam Hussein.
None of our modern knuckle-headed empire builders, who thought they perceived Israel's interests more clearly than the rest of the country, understood that Saddam Hussein, albeit a cruel dictator, was our best defense against Iranian expansionism.
In 1980, Saddam had taken on the evil empire next door. But Iran's obscurantist zealots used teenagers with golden keys to paradise to walk across Iraqi minefields and a million dead and eight years later, the two gulf giants fought themselves to a Mexican standoff.
The decline of the American empire may be hastened by another war in the gulf -- this time triggered by Israeli and/or U.S. bombs on Iran's nuclear installations. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to be pushing his luck by moving Iran's frontiers to Israel's borders -- with Hezbollah to the north in Lebanon, Syria to the east and Hamas in Gaza to the south.
Iran's medieval hawks have convinced themselves an asymmetrical gulf war would speed up the end of what they call "American imperial colonialism."
The burdens of a global Pax Americana have shunted domestic priorities off center stage. Long postponed and now increasingly urgent infrastructure projects are pending.
Bridges, roads, railroads, airports (from runways to terminals to air traffic control), schools, hospitals, all have deteriorated to what author Arianna Huffington's new book describes in the title -- "Third World America." Some $1 trillion worth of urgent infrastructure is in arrears.
The once acclaimed Acela Express in the eastern corridor is an embarrassing joke next to the high speed trains of Europe, Japan and China. A bullet train that covers the equivalent mileage of Washington-New York in 90 minutes made its debut last week on China's rapid rail network of 4,617 kilometers.
At the same time, the United States is awash with unemployed -- pushing 18 million if one includes those who have given up looking and whose benefits have run out. Surely this points to a domestic Marshall Plan for a high-tech renaissance. But the current political rumblings -- from the Tea Party to ultra-liberal kibitzing -- leave little hope for a quiescent phase of historical reawakening.
Meanwhile, China continues to spread its worldwide influence -- without the military. Its new supercomputer just beat America's, with a speed of 1.4 quadrillion operations per second.
Analysis: Saudi seen edging cautiously into Afghan talks By Ulf Laessing
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is being drawn into efforts to reach a settlement to the Afghan war, despite its reluctance to become too embroiled with Islamist militants it once backed, diplomats and analysts say.
But they say Saudi Arabia would be unwilling to formally mediate in any peace talks. Like other countries involved, it wants Afghans to take the lead with outside players acting more as facilitators.
"Everybody has a very bad experience in their efforts to mediate between Afghans," said a senior diplomat in Kabul.
"It's very simple, if you try to mediate between them, both sides will push their luck and it will fall, believe me it will fall. The third party cannot hold it," he said.
Saudi Arabia has made no public comment on an appeal from Kabul to help mediate in talks with insurgents to try to bring an end to the nine-year war in Afghanistan.
But analysts and diplomats say the kingdom, which hosted secret talks with the Taliban in Mecca in 2008, is expected to come under pressure from the United States to help Washington find an exit strategy from an increasingly unpopular war.
Saudi Arabia enjoys considerable influence over the Muslim world both because of its authority as home to Islam's holiest sites and its hefty financial clout from oil earnings.
"There is a lot of pressure on the Saudis from the U.S. to help mediate in Afghanistan," said one western diplomat in Riyadh.
Official sources say that for the first time all the main parties involved, from the government to insurgents, from Washington to Pakistan, are seriously considering ways to reach a peace deal.
They have cited Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates as potential intermediaries, along with Pakistan, in what are as yet very preliminary "talks about talks."
"Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan can make the right kind of noises saying: 'we support it' and I think that will make a difference," said the diplomat in Kabul.
One source with knowledge of talks about Afghanistan said Riyadh might be more willing to help than before since peace efforts now have the backing of Washington -- missing in 2008.
Saudi Arabia, along with Pakistan and the United States, backed Islamist insurgents fighting the Soviets in the 1980s, and later become one of only three countries to recognize the Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
But it is reluctant to become too closely associated with peace talks after working hard to shake off any public perception of links to Islamist militancy.
Fifteen of the 19 men involved in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States were from Saudi Arabia, and al Qaeda shares the kingdom's fundamentalist Wahhabi interpretation of Islam.
Diplomats say Western visitors have been lobbying the kingdom since last year to help mediate but it remains wary after the 2008 talks came to nothing.
"The Saudis might intermediate but they want to hear from the Afghan factions first in public that they are serious about talks this time," said a senior Western diplomat.
"They don't want to put their reputation at risk by backing a peace project that may not work."
Afghan diplomats say they hope Riyadh will get involved.
"Saudi Arabia has a major role and we hope in Afghanistan that Saudi plays an important role as it did in the past in Afghanistan and in other countries," said Said Anwarshah Ghaffari, Afghanistan's charge d'affaires in Riyadh.
"The kingdom has its weight in the Islamic world and we look at it as our older brother," he said.
Former intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal, who has dealt with the Taliban before, last week cited reconciliation efforts in the past as a sign of Saudi support for Afghanistan, but he gave no hint about revisiting the talks.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said in January the Taliban must deny sanctuary to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden before the kingdom would act as mediator. Militants using the al Qaeda name began launching attacks on Saudi Arabia in 2003.
Riyadh froze its ties with the Taliban in 1998 over their refusal to hand over bin Laden who had been stripped of Saudi citizenship for activities against the ruling Al Saud family.
Diplomats and analysts say Saudi Arabia will be heavily influenced by the approach of Pakistan, with which it shares close military and intelligence cooperation.
"If Pakistan supports peace talks then the Saudis will help but they don't want to get too involved," said Haroun Mir, an Afghan analyst.
Pakistan is keen for a peace settlement in Afghanistan to end a war which it sees as increasing instability at home, though it is also anxious to curb the influence of rival India.
At the same time Sunni Saudi Arabia has to balance out the influence of Shi'ite Iran, its main rival in the Middle East and a powerful Afghan neighbor.
"I think Saudi Arabia should get more involved in Afghanistan. If we don't do it then others will," said prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
But Saudi Arabia's rivalry with Iran could also mean that Tehran would look askance at any Saudi role in helping mediate.
Dubai based political analyst Theodore Karasik said it was significant that Saudi King Abdullah had spoken several times to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the past few weeks to discuss regional issues.
Asked whether Iran and Saudi Arabia could reach an understanding on Afghanistan, he said: "It's possible."
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Burch in Kabul and Asma Alsharif in Jeddah; Editing by Myra MacDonald)
Related articles
- Analysis: Saudi seen edging cautiously into Afghan talks (reuters.com)
- Afghan peace council wants Saudi Arabia's help (ctv.ca)
- DAWER-DAWER - Jiddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia (travelpod.com)
- Kabul seeks Saudi sponsorship, Pakistan help for peace (teabreak.pk)
- Saudi Border With Yemen Is Still Inviting for Al Qaeda (nytimes.com)
- Afghan peace council to offer concessions to Taliban (reuters.com)
- Billions For (Saudi) Defence (plastic.com)
Adrian Hamilton: Of course Iran wants to meddle in its region
When a friend of mine from university joined the Foreign Office, his first posting was to Yemen where one of his duties was security. Opening his instructions for what to do in case of rioters attacking the embassy building, he was told to go to the safe and get out the bag of gold coins kept there. If the rioters broke through he was to stand at the top of the stairs and toss the coins down to the crowd below and then make his escape.
Cash has always been the currency of the East. So it's hardly a surprise that Iran was found bringing bags of it to President Karzai's office in Afghanistan, nor that the world's best-dressed leader should admit it with a smile when caught out.
What is a little more confusing is the contortion with which the US government has reacted to the news. Since, as Karzai cheerfully revealed, Washington pays him in precisely the same manner, the State Department is hardly in a position to denounce Tehran's act. On the other hand, it is terribly anxious to demonise the country and paint it as a supporter of terror throughout the region and to keep it from having any influence in Afghanistan. Just as in Iraq one might add, where the recent WikiLeaks documents have been pored over by the New York Times, to show that it proves Iranian complicity in arming and directing terrorist groups against the US forces.
So they may have. They were also aiding and abetting with cash the forces of Moqtada al Sadr, al-Maliki and anyone else they thought was useful. As for working against the interests of the US, how else do you expect a country to behave which has been threatened by bombing by a power taking over the countries to the right and left of you?
With its two greatest regional enemies, Saddam Hussein and the Taliban, overthrown, Tehran could have hardly been more delighted and it rushed to offer convenient views, and co-operation with Washington to sort out the aftermath. It was an offer meant to limit US involvement as much as aid it, but it could have been built on to lock Tehran into the post-war reconstruction of the two countries. Instead it was flatly rejected.
And so, with British backing, the US has proceeded ever since, with a persistent and ever louder accusation that the Iranians are wreckers, determined to wreak havoc and terror wherever they stretch their hand.
It's a convenient view for the US military – and the WikiLeaks documents are from the military – because outside interference can be used to explain away their own failures in Iraq and now Afghanistan. And it suits the State Department, under Mrs Clinton as much as George Bush, because it allows a neat focus by which it can pursue a policy of isolation and crippling of the enemy of corrupt Arab regimes in the Gulf and Egypt and of Israel.
It also represents such a complete misunderstanding of Iran, its role, history and intentions that one stands aghast each time it rears its ridiculous head in public. Of course Iran has an interest in its neighbours and their future.
The Afghan wars have left it with over 2m refugees within its borders. The Iraq invasion has pushed as many into camps on the other side. As much as any other nation it wants stability next door. As much as any country it works to use its influence, through its Shia religious connections, aid and military assistance as well as its relations with radical movements, to produce friendly regimes about it.
But that doesn't mean it can command the Shia abroad, let alone deploy the fanciful "Shia Arc" which has so obsessed Washington analysts. The Shia fought without objection in the Iraqi army as it invaded Iran. The Hazara Shia are very much a minority in Afghanistan, where the majority Pashtun loathe them.
It is precisely because the Iranians are not Arabs or Sunni that they feel vulnerable and need to bring ever bigger bags of cash and arms into play. It's not a nice government. Indeed it's a particularly nasty one at the moment. But any diplomatic effort should be directed towards using Iran's influence and interests in stability positively, as Qatar's ruler, now on a state visit to Britain, keeps trying to say. Isolation is the worst policy.
The pity of it is that Britain, of all countries, should best understand that. Unlike America with its armed forces and China with its cash, both of whom feel they can proceed without local knowledge, Britain, which built an empire on few resources of manpower, could only do it by working the local power structure.
Instead, we now tamely follow a Washington policy towards Iran that is neither intelligent nor effective.
Related articles
- Adrian Hamilton: Of course Iran wants to meddle in its region (independent.co.uk)
- Iran may regret promoting WikiLeaks now they have been implicated | Meir Javedanfar (guardian.co.uk)
- Iran is buying political influence in Afghanistan | Massoumeh Torfeh (guardian.co.uk)
- Iran admits funding Afghan government (msnbc.msn.com)
- Iran's Cash Support of Karzai: Hardly a Surprise (time.com)
- Afghan President Hamid Karzai Taking Money from Tehran (time.com)
- How to influence friends, bribe neighbours and miff the U.S. (theglobeandmail.com)
- Iranian Ex-Officials: U.S. Knew Hikers Were Seized in Iraq (newsweek.com)
- Karzai says his office gets "bags of money" from Iran (reuters.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)


text:
Enkar (New Earth)
Redirected from Enkar
98,805pages on
this wiki
Add New Page
this wiki
Guardian of Hadis, the afterrealm of the New Gods.
- 1 Appearances of Enkar (New Earth)
- 1 Images featuring Enkar (New Earth)
- Quotations by or about Enkar (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Enkar (New Earth)
Jack Kirby's Fourth World This character or group of characters are related to Jack Kirby's Fourth World, either the original concept and group of titles by Jack Kirby, or any of their subsequent adaptations by other creators. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Fourth World Characters category. |


text:
NOTE: SlideShow 7 Premium is available as a Giveaway of the day! You can only download and install it within December 23, 2015
Click download button below to download SlideShow 7 Premium
Never miss a cool giveaway, Subscribe us by email now
Express your creativity with SlideShow 7 Premium! Create wonderful slideshows with multiple effects and transitions, apply text anywhere on your photos and save them to MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV or MPEG with ease!
Save your slideshows to the computer, burn to a disc, add to ZIP archives or share in social networks directly.
DOWNLOAD FREE and Get Free licensed now!
Click download button below to download SlideShow 7 Premium
Unzip the package of "SlideShow 7 Premium" you've downloaded, and carefully read the instructions for get Serialnumber or License included.
PLEASE NOTE: SlideShow 7 Premium is only available to FREE download and install within December 23, 2015.
Did You miss this? Don't worry. You may find the best discount (up to 90%) from Coupons.ivoicesoft.com. Click it then type to search what you want.
Subscribe to keep updated on the latest shareware giveaway, tutorials and more self-help materials from us
Video review & tutorial
File Morpher – Easily morph & save pre-recorded voiceAudio4fun Brings 40% Discount to All Audio Tool on Christmas 2014
Get FREE Media Player Morpher Plus when buy Voice Changer Diamond
AV Music Morpher Gold coupon code 40% OFF 2015
How to change voice in Voice Application and Chat client
AV Voice Changer Software Diamond – Free Download