text:
'The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell' for Monday, September 9th, 2013
Read the transcript to the Monday show
September 9, 2013
Guests: Howard Dean, Steve Clemons, Keith Ellison, Anthony Weiner; Nia- Malika Henderson
LAWRENCE O`DONNELL, HOST: The Senate delayed a vote on military
action in Syria tonight. Congress is hoping for a diplomatic deal. The
president says he is skeptical.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over the last 4 1/2
years, I have shown great restraint when it comes to using military power.
CHRIS JANSING, MSNBC ANCHOR: Pressing his case.
ALEX WAGNER, MSNBC ANCHOR: Taking to the air waves.
JANSING: Six network interviews.
WAGNER: To convince a skeptical public.
JANSING: To (INAUDIBLE) the case for military intervention in Syria.
OBAMA: I don`t take these decisions lightly.
CHUCK TODD, MSNBCV ANCHOR: The Obama administration makes a final
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: The evidence is powerful.
SUSAN RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: There is no doubt about who is
OBAMA: The United States has to be involved.
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a fluid situation
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary Clinton will make public remarks.
CLINTON: -- with statements from Russia.
TAMRON HALL, MSNBC ANCHOR: Russia`s surprise announcement.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Russia pressuring the Assad regime to put its
chemical weapons arsenal.
JANSING: Put them under international control.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The real WMD is largely the AK-47. Those can kill
in pretty gruesome ways as well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Back in Washington --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, there is protest taking place.
WAGNER: Meanwhile, congressional Democrats are feeling pressure.
REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D), MARYLAND: We are very concerned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have been hearing from our constituents.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: How do we address that issue?
VAN HOLLEN: All of us have a special obligation to look at the
KERRY: The evidence is powerful.
OBAMA: The United States has to be involved.
TODD: The administration is pulling out all the stops.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is all about building up the crescendo, if
you will.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, lay out the case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have we achieved everything diplomatically?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there another way?
TODD: More is at stake than presidential powers.
WAGNER: The death toll stands at over 100,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole region, it would seem, is bracing for
O`DONNELL: At this hour tomorrow night, President Obama will have
completed his explanation to the American people about why he believes a
military strike on Syria is necessary. He will have a skeptical audience
according to a new "Reuters" poll. Only 16 percent of Americans think the
nation should get involved in Syria, 63 percent are opposed, 21 percent are
The president began to make his case during an interview blitz
OBAMA: Over the last four and a half years, I have shown great
restraint when it comes to using military power. And I know how tired the
American people are of war generally and particularly war in the Middle
East. So, I don`t take these decisions lightly. But if we are going to
have any serious enforcement of this international ban on chemical weapons,
then ultimately, the United States has to be involved and a credible threat
may be what pushes the political settlement that I think we would all
O`DONNELL: But the debate took a turn today after John Kerry answered
this question during a press conference in London. Is there anything the
Syrian government could do to avoid an American military strike?
KERRY: Sure. He could turn over every single bit of his chemical
weapons to the international community in the next week. Turn it over, all
of it, without delay, and allow a pull and total accounting for that. But
he isn`t about to do it and it can`t be done, obviously.
O`DONNELL: Having heard that, Russia`s foreign minister released this
proposal. We are calling on the Syrian authorities to not only agree on
putting chemical weapons storage under international control but also for
its further destruction and then joining the organization for the
prohibition of chemical weapons.
Then, Syria`s foreign minister said it, quote, "welcomes the Russian
In a phone call later today, Secretary Kerry spoke directly to the
Russian foreign minister about the new proposal. A State Department
official tells NBC News that Secretary Kerry told Russia`s foreign minister
that the United States would not, quote, "play games," and would only
consider a serious proposal.
In her first public comments on the situation in Syria, former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Russia`s new proposal is
thanks to pressure from the Obama administration.
CLINTON: It is very important to note that this discussion that has
taken hold today about potential international control over Syria`s
stockpiles only could take place in the context of a credible military
threat by the United States to keep pressure on the Syrian government as
well as those supporting Syria like Russia.
O`DONNELL: Then, President Obama said this about Russia`s new
OBAMA: We`re going to make sure that we see how serious these
proposals are. And my preference consistently has been a diplomatic
resolution to this problem. This could potentially be a significant
breakthrough but we have to be skeptical because this is not how we have
seen them operate over the last couple of years.
O`DONNELL: Joining me now, former senior advisor to President Obama
and MSNBC political analyst, David Axelrod; former DNC chairman and former
Vermont governor, Howard Dean; and Washington editor-at-large for "The
Atlantic", Steve Clemons.
David Axelrod, having worked with the president as closely as you
have, what do you think his reaction to be -- his operational reaction?
What will he do in reaction to this Russian proposal?
DAVID AXELROD, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, he was pretty blunt
about it. Obviously, this is the most desirable outcome if the Syrians
were willing to surrender their cache of chemical weapons and they were
handed over to the international community and destroyed. That would be
the greatest solution to this.
But, he properly has to be skeptical about it. He said trust but
verify. But it`s obviously a step forward.
I think the critical point was the one that Secretary Clinton made. I
don`t think anybody would argue that we would even have the possibility of
such a scenario had there not been a credible threat, were there not a
credible threat. And so, it really speaks to the strategy the president
has employed here.
The Russians and Syrians are not responding in a vacuum. They`re
responding to the possibility of an attack. And hopefully that can produce
a diplomatic solution.
O`DONNELL: Governor Dean, Charlie Rose did this extraordinary
interview with Assad which preceded this new round. It would have been
fascinating if he could have asked him directly about this new proposal.
But this does seem to change the discussion here in Washington.
HOWARD DEAN, FORMER DNC CHAIRMAN: It does change it for a bunch of
reasons. One is that we haven`t talked about yet or nobody has talked
about it yet, the Russians really do have an investment in Assad. And the
reason they do is because there are a lot of jihadists, some of whom which
come from Dagestan, which is Russian territory, that might end up in charge
of chemical weapons if they can`t fix this.
So, the Russians are doing this out of their own interest.
O`DONNELL: They are worried about those chemical weapons leaking over
into --
O`DONNELL: It could hurt Russia.
DEAN: And being used against Russia.
So, Russia, I think this is a real proposal and I do agree with
Secretary Clinton and David Axelrod that this would not have happened if
Obama hadn`t threatened to use military force.
And they -- the Russians know that if we do use military force, it`s
going to undermine Assad, even though that`s not the president`s
necessarily -- his view, his goal. And those jihadists that the Saudis and
others are now financing on the rebel side scares the living hell out of
Russia as they should.
O`DONNELL: Steve, you have been nodding when the governor said that
we got here because of the president`s threat of military action, as
Secretary Clinton says. I think we`ve got a unanimous agreement here on
that part of it.
STEVE CLEMONS, THE ATLANTIC: Absolutely.
O`DONNELL: Let me ask you, the things that Secretary Kerry said, and
the president saying, they want to make sure that the Russians are not
playing games. How do you make sure? What should that conversation be now
between Secretary Kerry and the Russian foreign minister as they continue
this discussion?
CLEMONS: Well, there should be a concrete plan on -- with Ban Ki-moon
of the U.N. specified that areas need to be specified inside Syria. Those
chemical weapons moved expeditiously to those and the destruction of those
weapons to begin.
But what we need to understand about this deal, though, is that this,
while the president very narrowly defined from the very beginning that this
was not about Assad, this was not about regime change, this is about the
use and deployment of chemical weapons against 1,429 people who died and
probably 15,000 people who were affected, this probably gives Assad
something he wants, which is less pressure on the civil war.
A lot of people have been writing along, saying chemical weapons is an
issue. But also the civil war and helping those Syrians that have been
besieged during this conflict. We won`t declare it a victory because we
move on chemical weapons, but I think that Assad has more than enough
capacity to continue to rout those people he`s been fighting inside Syria.
O`DONNELL: I want to listen to this piece of the Charlie Rose
interview with Assad where he denies that there is any evidence at all that
they did this. Let`s listen to this.
BASHAR AL-ASSAD, SYRIAN PRESIDENT: The Russians have completely
opposite evidence that the missiles were from an area where the rebels
controlled. That reminds me about what Kerry said about the big lie that
Colin Powell said in front of the world on satellites about the WMD in Iraq
before going to war, when he said, "This is our evidence."
Actually, he gave false evidence. In this case, Kerry didn`t even
present any evidence. He talked, "We have evidence," and they didn`t
present anything. Not yet. Nothing so far. Not single shred of evidence.
O`DONNELL: And David Axelrod now hours after that is broadcast, the
Russian foreign minister jumps on a possible offer to get control of the
chemical weapons that Assad is denying he used and the Syrian foreign
ministry also says, "We welcome this idea" that it seemed hours ago that
Assad would have den that it was possible that they even had any.
AXELROD: Yes, I think that the events of today have been an
affirmation of a number of points. One is they plainly have chemical
weapons. The whole word knows they have chemical weapons. I don`t think
there`s much doubt in anyone`s mind what happened on August 21st. And very
soon the U.N. inspector`s report is going to be disclosed and my guess is
that it will affirm everything that has been said.
It`s also clear for all this notion that we have heard in the debates
that the American military power would have very little impact on Syria
that they are quite concerned about it.
One of the things that was striking about that interview today was
that he was obviously very well-briefed on American politics. He tried to
hit every hot button there was. He invoked Iraq, the false testimony. He
said we thought Obama would be different than Bush.
You know, he was really speaking to an American political audience
trying to influence -- desperately trying to influence this decision.
But one thing at the end of this day, one thing we ought to conclude
is this is not the time to take the pressure off. The pressure is
beginning to produce results and we ought to see that through.
O`DONNELL: Let`s listen to what President Obama told Savannah Guthrie
about, in response to this part of the Charlie Rose interview where Assad
said that you could expect anything as a reaction from him if there is a
strike. Let`s listen to this part.
OBAMA: First of all, Syria doesn`t have significant capabilities to
retaliate against us. Iran does. But Iran is not going to risk a war with
the United States over this, particularly given that our goal here is to
make sure that chemical weapons are not used on children.
It is very unlikely that we would see the retaliation that would have
a significant impact on U.S. interests in the region.
O`DONNELL: Governor Dean, there is the president confident that he
knows what the aftermath would be in terms of what Assad is capable. Susan
Rice today linking up this use of chemical weapons to a possible threat to
the United States, meaning it could get to Hezbollah, the chemical weapons
could get to terrorist groups and that could conceivably find its way to
harming Americans somewhere in the world.
DEAN: Well, the interesting thing is this is the same really argument
that the Russians are afraid of. We have that in common.
The interesting thing for all of this is the Russians have really put
themselves on the hook. Their credibility is now on the line. If they
can`t get Assad to do this -- if Assad does this one more time, I don`t
think that Obama is going to ask Congress the next time.
So, I think this is a big breakthrough. A bigger breakthrough than
most people think. I don`t trust the Russians either. I have that in
common with most of the people who are involved with this, but the fact is
the Russians have put themselves in the position where they`re on the hook
if Assad now uses chemical weapons again.
O`DONNELL: Steve, there`s an interesting phenomenon going on now,
which is that the whole exercise of military strike against Syria is to get
them to stop using chemical weapons, which they have stopped doing. I
mean, might we pause and notice they have stopped? You have Assad on
television saying, well, we didn`t do it, which is a strong indication that
he probably doesn`t want to try to do this again under the pressure that
has already been visited on.
CLEMONS: You certainly have peer pressure. You have a climate
building, you are reminding people -- this is a history lesson, a learning
moment, to remind people who are not familiar with chemical weapons or
biological weapons how horrible these things are and how they can be used
in ethnic cleansing and killing lots of people in a specified area.
That said, I have generally agreed to the president`s position, that
if there is no response, if there is no building of awareness about this,
it really sets up a green light not just for Assad and Syria but the
interesting impact will be on American credibility with other nations
around the world. When Chuck Hagel was in Asia, the thing that Asian
leaders kept asking him about is how they were going to respond because
they worry about North Korea, or they worry X other government and they`ll
respond, and will the United States go through the same, long,
deliberative, convulsions over helping them if they are in similar
So, this has a big echo effect beyond Syria. It impacts America`s
posture and credibility globally depending on how this comes out.
O`DONNELL: David Axelrod, you have worked with this president when
he`s had to address the nation on important things and making important
cases to the public. What do you expect him to say tomorrow night? Give
us a preview of what you would anticipate him saying tomorrow night.
AXELROD: First of all, I`m absolutely confident that he`s going to
make a very strong case. I know him well as you said, and I know how
deeply he believes in this and what he is doing. Obviously, you know, the
politics of this are tough. And he has taken it on because he believes it
is important for all the reasons that Steve and Governor Dean have
suggested here.
I think first he`s going to lay out the evidence. He`s going to lay
out the facts of what happened. And then he is going to talk about the
implication that Steve just mentioned of letting that act go without any
accountability, without any consequence, the signal that that would send
not just to Assad but to back actors across the world.
You know, we may want to feel like we can be fortress America and turn
our back on this but it has a way of washing up on our shores and people
look to the United States of America to stand up in situations like this.
But let me say one other thing, Lawrence, that is important to note
about this Russian entreaty here. If this works out, it puts the United
Nations Security Council back in play. It puts an international action
back in play. It would have -- it would give us the ability in unison with
the rest of the world to force the Syrians to do what needs to be done
here, and that`s been missing, of course, because the Russians have been
exercising an effective veto in the Security Council.
So, that`s another element of why this is so important.
O`DONNELL: David Axelrod, Howard Dean and Steve Clemons, thank you
all very much for joining me tonight.
CLEMONS: Thank you, Lawrence.
DEAN: Thank you.
O`DONNELL: Coming up, Hillary Clinton makes her first statement on
Syria and White House advisors say the threat of military action helped
begin diplomatic talks. Congressman Keith Ellison will join me next.
And later, New York candidate for mayor, Anthony Weiner, will join me.
And if you`re a New York City voter, tweet me your questions for Anthony
Weiner. New York City voters only. We`re going to do this on the honor
system, just the way we do everything else in New York City.
O`DONNELL: Registration for next year`s Boston marathon began today.
Next year`s marathon will accept an additional 9,000 runners for total of
36,000 participants. The organization the manages the race is making run
for the 5,633 runners who had to stop mid-race when the bombs exploded near
the finish line and they are allowing for people who want to run in honor
of the victims of this year`s attack on the marathon.
The 2014 Boston marathon will be held on Monday, April 21st, Patriots
Up next, the threat of military action in Syria.
O`DONNELL: Here is more of President Obama`s interview with NBC`s
Savannah Guthrie.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS: If this resolution fails in Congress,
would you act without Congress? The answer could be yes, no, or I haven`t
OBAMA: I think it`s fair to say that I haven`t decided. I am taking
this vote in Congress and what the American people are saying very
seriously. I think it`s important for me to listen, to engage in Congress.
We`re going to spend this week talking to members of Congress, answering
their questions and I`m going to speak to the American people tomorrow
night directly.
And I will evaluate after that whether or not we feel strongly enough
about this that we`re willing to move forward.
O`DONNELL: Joining me now, Minnesota Democratic Congressman Keith
These are the easy votes. This is what you signed up for. The nice,
easy ones.
What is -- what is your decision about how to vote on the resolution?
REP. KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA: I am inclined to support the
president on this vote. I`m not all the way 100 percent because I am going
to keep on taking information, listening to people.
O`DONNELL: Just tell me what`s gotten you this far to the -- so many
people are saying undecided.
ELLISON: Well --
O`DONNELL: And you`re at the point where you can say, I`m leaning
toward it. What has you leaning towards supporting the president?
ELLISON: Mass atrocities against civilians. I mean, the reality is
that there is no doubt -- I have been watching this thing carefully for two
and a half years. I have been watching the diplomatic course of events and
how the world community has been stymied at every step. How Russia has
stopped, how they chased Kofi Annan out there and shut at monitors and
everything like that.
And now, not only have we seen massive refugee flood, 2 million
people, quarter million of them kids, or half a million. Six million
people displaced, over 100,000 killed.
Now, on top of that escalating violence, we have a gas attack?
I think that Assad is not going to stop unless he`s stopped. You
know, if you look back at 1982, his father killed 20,000 in Hama. And, you
know, there are people who did live to tell about it and still horrified
but it.
You know, I`m animated by things like Rwanda, Kosovo --
O`DONNELL: Memories of actions not taken.
ELLISON: Right.
O`DONNELL: And actions taken in Kosovo.
ELLISON: Absolutely.
And, you know, the world community has to do something. I was a
staunch adamant anti-war advocate on Iraq, on Afghanistan and voted
repeatedly and getting the many resolutions to get out of Afghanistan. But
I believe the world as a community has to say something when we see gassed
And then, you know, they`ve already little gassings up in April, May.
This is mass atrocity.
So, now, where do we go from here? People say, well, what`s going to
happen next if we act? My question is, what`s going to happen next if we
We do have some indications which is that he has been slaughtering
people in an unabated fashion, creating refugees all over the region. Now,
he`s gassed 1,400. He`s -- I think he`s going to gas more.
So, I think he needs to be stopped.
O`DONNELL: Are you satisfied with the evidence that has been
presented in this case?
ELLISON: Yes, I am. And I --
O`DONNELL: Have you been in the classified briefings?
ELLISON: Yes, I have. And, but I`ve been in the classified briefing
O`DONNELL: By the way, can you tell us what reason do you know of
that they haven`t submitted this evidence to us to just put on television?
Is there anything you have seen where you say, well, I can understand why
you haven`t shown that to the world?
ELLISON: There are some things that I can understand and there are
others that I don`t. I have made it clear to White House officials you
need to seriously consider declassifying some stuff because -- of course,
they know more about what they can declassify than I do. But from what
I`ve seen, there are things that I think --
O`DONNELL: Are you expecting some declassification in effect tomorrow
night from the president?
ELLISON: I don`t have any expectations of that. I have just urged
them to look carefully at what they can declassify so that people don`t
have to just trust us, so that they can know -- they can see what we have
seen and say, yes, that`s kind of compelling.
O`DONNELL: What is your sense of the way your colleagues are making
up their minds? Are people doing a fair job of evaluating the situation?
Is there a lot of partisanship in it? Is there not much partisanship in
what you`re watching?
ELLISON: Well, you can`t take politics out of politics. So, there is
a bit of that.
Then, there are people who are simply pacifists. They`re not ever
going to support any military action. I respect that.
Then, there are people, and I`m less sympathetic to this group, that
says it`s not our problem and I don`t really care.
And then, there is other people who say, well, I agree with the
intelligence. I`m just not sure that a strike will achieve the goals that
you say they will and I need to know more.
So, we have seen people in various camps. You know, I don`t have a
problem with the anti-war pacifists because they are taking that position
as a matter of conscious. But I do have a problem with folks who say,
look, I am open to use of military force but not to help poor women and
children who have been gassed, just other stuff like I don`t know, oil
wars, I don`t know, stuff like that.
My bottom line is, you know, the world community has a responsibility.
We can`t let, you know, Rwandas go on like this, 800,000 people killed with
machetes. But the world could have and should have done something if we
have been threatened to do something, maybe it would have stopped.
I am very excited about the possibility of Russia finally coming to
the table. But, you know, we have been trying to get them involved for two
and a half years and they have promised and rejected and blocked and
obfuscated on numerous occasions.
And so, I`m not in the point where I`m willing to say your word is
good enough. You know, we`ve got -- they`ve got accelerate inking this
deal to the point where I think the world should, you know, slow down and
do the deal. At this point, I think the only that`s brought them to the
point where they are going to negotiate anything is the fact that they are
worried about what can happen as a result of the president`s decision.
O`DONNELL: There are a variety of ways to get people to the table and
the military threat turns out to be one of them. It may be what has done
ELLISON: Well, you know, I hope that it is. I can tell you this,
though, our troops have gone into harm`s way and so far we haven`t had to
worry about them getting gassed. There`s been worries about it, but they
haven`t been gassed.
If we let this thing float around and don`t do anything about this,
what will happen if we do need to ever deploy? You know, my son is in the
army. I`m worried about him. I`m worried about his colleagues. And I
honestly feel like this is, in fact, a red line.
I agree with Obama when he says it is not his red line it`s the
world`s red line, I buy that because, you know, we do have international
treaties. We have passed legislation on this stuff. He`s not out there by
O`DONNELL: But if we are about to find out if it is Congress` red
ELLISON: Well, yes.
O`DONNELL: Keith Ellison, thank you very much.
ELLISON: You bet. Thanks, Lawrence.
O`DONNELL: Really appreciate it. Thank you.
ELLISON: Thank you, sir.
O`DONNELL: Coming up, Hillary Clinton speaks for the first time about
United States intervention in Syria. Nia-Malika Henderson will join us.
And the rewrite tonight, the most laughable Republican take on
President Obama`s handling of the Syria crisis comes not from Rush
Limbaugh, but from one of the intellectual pillars of modern conservatism.
You will have to hear this to believe that anyone actually thinks this and
it`s coming up.
O`DONNELL: In the spotlight tonight, the White House enlists the help
of Hillary Clinton during a previously scheduled event at the White House
today, Hillary Clinton began her speech with her first public remarks on
Syria. The former secretary of state confirms she had just returned from a
meeting with President Obama and fully endorsed his and the
administration`s position on the need for a retaliatory strike on Syria.
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: As the president has
said, the Assad regimes inhuman use of weapons of mass destruction against
men, women and children violates a universal norm at the heart of our
global order and therefore it demands a strong response from the
international community led by the United States. Achieving a political
solution that ends the conflict is in the interest of the United States.
The president and I discussed these challenges today. I will continue
to support his efforts and I hope that Congress will as well.
O`DONNELL: Joining me now "the Washington Post`s," Nia-Malika
Henderson, a helpful voice to be held from today for the president.
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yes, I
think so. I mean, she essentially with the first to raised this idea that
it could be the president`s threat of military intervention that is
actually leading the side talks around Russia and Syria and having some
international oversight around chemical weapons.
I do think though, it could be that the White House in some ways in
selling these efforts is suffering from message muddle, right? And I think
you have had a lot of different explanations for why this is a good idea,
whether it`s moral, whether it`s about America`s place in the war, whether
it is national security, whether it`s really a proxy war where you had
Dennis McDonough making that argument on the Sunday shows.
So, in some ways it could be that I`m not sure how helpful Hillary
Clinton necessarily is to this. And we will, obviously, see the president
make his case tomorrow.
O`DONNELL: Let`s listen to more from Hillary Clinton today.
CLINTON: As has been emphasized many times and I did so as secretary
of state, the broader conflict in Syria is a threat to regional stability
and security of our allies and partners. As well as a humanitarian
catastrophe for the Syrian people and the neighboring countries attempting
to absorb hundreds of thousands now, more than two million refugees.
O`DONNELL: The more I hear the threat to the neighborhood and we know that
APAC here, the group that in lobbying efforts mirrors always the Israeli
government`s desires, working very, very busily here today on Capitol Hill
that there is as much regional dynamism in the White House decision here as
there is a specific reaction to chemical weapons.
HENDERSON: That`s right. I mean, you see the regional dynamism. I
think the Saudis have come out to say that they back this, obviously.
Israel, a lot --
O`DONNELL: Saudis and Israelis agreeing on an action. It is unusual
moment for the White House.
HENDERSON: Right. And then, I mean, you have on the Capitol Hill.
On Capitol Hill, a lot of dynamism there. And I think the White House`s
perspective was that they were hearing all of these things, congressmen
back in their district, were hearing all of these things from their
constituents. And that coming here could change their minds.
I think at the same time you have reed feeling that maybe the support
isn`t there. They are pushing this vote off and folks in the house, in
some ways not really wanting to take the vote on this. And so, I think
everyone feels like they got something of a lifeline with this recent
development that came out today where, you know, Kerry seemed to back into
this when he was completely like gaffe. And then it seemed like all of the
sudden, it could be a reality.
O`DONNELL: Well, I think we will see more on the Russian front
Nia-Malika Henderson, thank you very much for joining us tonight.
Up next the most amazing thing a Republican said about President Obama
and Syria today.
And later Anthony Weiner will join me so, you still have a few minutes
to tweet me your questions. We are going to take questions on twitter from
New York City voters only. And we are using the "Last Word" honor system
on this one as we always do. Questions for Anthony Weiner, hurry up.
O`DONNELL: George Zimmerman`s estranged wife called 911 from her
father`s house today and told the police that George Zimmerman was
threatening them with a gun and that he had punched her father in the nose.
SHELLIE ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN`S WIFE: Dad, get behind the car
or something. I don`t know if he is going shooting at us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you guys outside?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, we are. (INAUDIBLE). Dad, get inside the house.
George might have been shooting at us. I don`t know. We are going inside
the house.
O`DONNELL: That is the woman who knows George Zimmerman better than
anyone else and she thought, quote, "George might start shooting at us."
George Zimmerman`s wife chose not to press charges today.
The rewrite is next.
O`DONNELL: There is an op-ed piece in "the Wall Street Journal" today
with a headline that is almost worthy of the onion.
Obama`s successful foreign failure. The piece by the conservative
essayist Norman Podhoretz was obviously written within serious intent. But
if you wanted to rewrite it as a parody of a Republican attack on President
Obama`s position on Syria, you would not have to change a word.
You would, of course, highlight the words incompetent and amateurish
as the piece does, and you would include, quote, "the anti-American
preacher, Jeremiah Wright and the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayres" whoa
are of course included in this assessment of President Obama`s handling of
the Syria crisis. Community organizer is in there, of course, as is
socialist and left wing radical.
According to this parody of Republican thinking which is actually
Republican thinking, you can`t possibly understand why President Obama
wants to bomb Syria if you don`t understand that he is a left wing radical
socialist guided in his every thought to this very day by Jeremiah Wright
and Bill Ayers.
The piece never allows that the president has even once consulted with
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or his Republican secretary of
Now, get ready for the theory of the piece. Because you`re not going
to hear this right the first time I say it. That`s how strange this
unmunish (ph) kind of piece is. I told you that Norman Podhoretz uses the
words incompetent and amateurish, but he uses them in a sentence where
unlike the rest of the president`s Republican critics, he is insisting that
the president has not been incompetent and amateurish in the face of the
Syria crisis. He corrects his Republican friends who say that the
president has been incompetent and amateurish and insists that the
president`s Syria policy suggests exactly the opposite.
Let me suggest that it signifies not how incompetent and amateurish
the president is but how skillful. His foreign , far from a dismal failure
is a brilliant success as measured by what he intended all along to
And what is it that the president of the United States intended to
accomplish all along?
The fundamental transformation he wished to achieve here was to reduce
the country`s power and influence. Thanks to his handling of the Syrian
crisis, he is bringing about a greater diminution of the American power
probably better than his wildest radical dream.
You get that? I know. I know it is crazy and it is hard to follow.
It is just unbelievably weird and I don`t want to re-read that whole mess.
But, the essence of it is that the left wing radical president who
hypnotized a majority of voters twice into thinking he is not a left wing
radical has all along, thanks to constant guidance of Jeremiah Wright and
Bill Ayers been trying to reduce America`s power and influence in the
world. And so, the use of chemical weapons in Syria is a dream come true
for President Obama because it has offered him an opportunity to bring
about quote, "a greater ammunition of American power than he probably
envision even in his wildest radical dreams.`
That`s right. Norma Podhoretz, and presumably many of "the Wall
Street Journal" editors who thought this piece was actually worth printing
believed that the current president of the United States, the left wing
radical president closes his eyes on his pillow in the White House every
night and has wild radical dreams about the collapse of America and the
collapse of American power and influence.
But now, we know that when Norman Podhoretz rests his head on the
pillow and closes his eyes every night, he has very wild radical dreams
about the president of the United States. And his wildest radical dreams
actually top of the page treatment on the wall street journal op-ed page.
O`DONNELL: In the state Iowa, a person who is legally blind or
completely blind can now get a permit to carry a gun in public. Iowa state
law prohibits county sheriffs from denying gun permits anyone based on
physical ability. The Des Moines register reports that in Polk County
alone, three blind people have got the permits and those people could not
legally drive and were unable to read the application forms. Delaware
County sheriff John McLear (ph) told the register, if you see nothing but a
blurry mask in front of you, then I would say you probably shouldn`t be
shooting something.
Up next, Anthony Weiner.
O`DONNELL: Good news for Anthony Weiner tonight, the latest poll in
the New York City mayor`s race shows him running ahead of the five other
candidates. That is the other candidates who have absolutely no chance of
winning. Anthony Weiner is at seven percent, City controller John Liu is
running at five percent, Eric Salgado and Sal Albanese are at one percent
and Randy Credico and Neil Grimaldi are polling below one percent and that
is the first and only you have heard those names of those candidates on
national television.
Bill de Blasio has surge to a lead over all of the candidates in the
poll at 36 percent followed by a tie for second place with Bill Thompson
and Christine Quinn who are both at 20 percent, which brings us back to
Anthony Weiner who is in for third place with that seven percent.
And joining me now for his last television appearance before the polls
open tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. in New York City is Anthony Weiner.
Thank you very much for joining us tonight.
ANTHONY WEINER, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR CANDIDATE: It`s my pleasure,
Lawrence. How are you?
O`DONNELL: Just fine.
I have really just one basic question for you that I think a lot of
people have wondered about for different reasons over the course of the
campaign. For me it comes down to this which is what is wrong with you?
WEINER: I don`t understand the question. What is wrong with me that
I care so much about the issues that I fight for every day that I have my
entire career?
O`DONNELL: No. What I mean is this. What is wrong with you that you
cannot seem to imagine a life without elective office?
WEINER: That`s ridiculous. Of course I can. Are you saying it`s
because I have things in my life that are embarrassing, I shouldn`t run for
office? OK. That`s a fair position.
O`DONNELL: No, I am not. I am going to be very clear to you now. I
have never once criticized you in any way for anything involving your
texting. I think your photography is just perfectly standard American
photography that is floating around the Internet now. I have never said
anything about that.
What I find strange about your campaign is what seems to be your
absolute desperate need for elective office and what seems to be your
inability to live outside of it. What did you do, for example, with your
time away from elected office? Did you find any problem anywhere in the
world that you thought I think I would like to apply myself to that and try
to help some people who might need my help? You didn`t do that. You just
set yourself up for running for elective office again.
WEINER: OK. You`re wrong. Is there a question I could possibly help
you out with?
O`DONNELL: All right. You started in politics right out of college
working here in Washington as a congressional aide. You got yourself
elected to city council before you were 30. You have been pursuing
elective office for over 20 years now.
WEINER: I have been serving the people in queens and the city.
O`DONNELL: Anthony, it does not seem to be a fully healthy pursuit.
WEINER: I know there are a lot of people who talk -- there are a lot
of people who talk --
O`DONNELL: If you take the totality of your life, Anthony, do you
think you have spent your time well?
WEINER: Yes. I think I have devoted almost my entire life to serve the
constituents that I have represented. I fought very hard for them. I
fought very hard for the middle class and those troubling to make it.
There are a lot of people who don`t believe that is a noble pursuit. I
disagree with them.
O`DONNELL: Well, what I would like to know why you didn`t find
anything to do during your time away -- I mean, look at President Bush.
WEINER: I`m curious about something, Lawrence. Let me try to squeeze
in a word here, you know. So, I took some time away from Congress after 20
some odd years that I devoted for public life. I think I`m entitled to
O`DONNELL: OK. And what did you do? You immediately offered your
services to lobby --
WEINER: I didn`t immediately do anything.
O`DONNELL: You did. You went out to make --
WEINER: I didn`t lobby at all. That`s not true.
O`DONNELL: You know it.
WEINER: Lawrence, I didn`t do it. It`s not supported by the facts.
It is not supported by the evidence. You`re just saying something that is
not true. It`s your show, but it`s not true. I didn`t lobby anybody.
O`DONNELL: Hustling your services.
WEINER: What do you mean hustling? Lawrence, you can use however
many words you like.
Lawrence, do me a favor. Do me a favor. I just need a hand signal
when the when harangue is done. You are putting a list of things that are
not true in front of everyone. I can tell you I didn`t lobby anyone. I
took time off from public service. I came back because I had some
important things that I thought I wanted to fight for that no one else in
the campaign was doing it. You think public service is not a noble thing
to do, I disagree with you. So, I guess we are at stand still.
O`DONNELL: Anthony, I think there is something wrong with you.
WEINER: I know, you just said. That repeating it doesn`t make it
more interesting.
O`DONNELL: I`m looking at your life.
WEINER: I appreciate it.
O`DONNELL: You are relentless about certain things in your life.
WEINER: That`s not true. I actually took time off from government.
I took time off from doing that. I guess you don`t like they did that.
O`DONNELL: You didn`t. You were a lobbyist, Anthony.
WEINER: I`m not a lobbyist. That is not true. Do you care that it`s
not true? Do you care that it`s not true.
O`DONNELL: Come on, I know the racket of ex-officials in this town.
WEINER: Lawrence, do you care that what you are saying to your
viewers is not true?
O`DONNELL: You did something for no money? Try to go out there and
do some good.
WEINER: You don`t like the way I --
O`DONNELL: Why didn`t you try to go out there and do some good? Why
don`t you do some good, somewhere anywhere in the world.
WEINER: Lawrence? Lawrence? Chillax, buddy. (INAUDIBLE) a second.
So, your critique of me is I have to be in public life, but wait a
minute, when you take time off from public life, here is a checklist of
things that we want you to do. I devoted that time to making some money
because I have to support my family and not being in public life. And now
I am back running for mayor.
OK, yes, we have established those facts. What news are you breaking
O`DONNELL: What I`m trying to get at, Anthony, is what drives you in
your pursuit of public office?
WEINER: In that case, ask me that question.
O`DONNELL: Anthony, I mean it from a psychiatric level.
WEINER: Dude, I don`t need your psychiatric question. You ask me a
question. Do an interview here.
O`DONNELL: You are being driven by some kind of demons?
WEINER: Lawrence, do you want to ask me a question or do you have me
on a hang with the split screen? It can`t be good TV for anybody?
O`DONNELL: All right, you know what, Anthony, we got about 20 seconds
left. Here is what I would like to do. I would like for you to stay. I
would like you to stay, if you will, and we will continue this online and
you can say what you like.
WEINER: Nobody watch the show.
All right, buddy. It has been great doing a split harangue with you,
Lawrence. At some point you ever want me to respond, you let me know.
O`DONNELL: The question is, Anthony, what is wrong with you? That`s
what I want a response to.
WEINER: OK. I heard the question. And I said, what do you mean
because I desperately --
O`DONNELL: All we are going to continue it online. We will find out
if Anthony Weiner sticks around. You`ll get the last word online if you
want it.
WEINER: Good night, Lawrence.
O`DONNELL: Chris Hayes is up next.
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text:
FEH necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 574 diseños de 136 diseñadores freelance.
We are looking for an updated logo design for our current vending business. Our current logo seems very plain and outdated. We provide a turn key solution for corporations servicing their facilities with vending, office coffee, water cooler systems and other aspects of facilities management. This new logo will be used on our new website, business, cards, letterhead, marketing materials etc. We require a simple, clean and high quality logo.
We look forward to seeing what ideas you can come up with.
ESS Vending
We are a service based company providing facilities with vendig, office, coffee, and water cooler services. We are looking for a logo that is clean and presents a high quality.
We must be able to use the logo on both black and white backgrounds. It must be faxable (we want to be able to see the logo clearly when faxed, scanned or printed).
We provide the highest quality of service and customer satisfaction and want our logo to express that.
OUR TAG LINE: Every Single Solution
Please incorporate this some where in the logo design. Be creative we are looking for a good logos that will represent who we are.
- Our design needs to appeal to our corporate clinets as well as college students for campuses.
- Logo MUST be scalable and work well for print, web and large signage.
- Fresh and innovative design
- Plenty of variety in concepts
- A look that inspires confidence, reliability, and proffessionalism, that will stand the test of time.
- Needs to Contain the Initial ESS with tag line Every Single Solution
- Color scheme is open for suggestion no crazy colors, no florescent colors. We were thinking of having blue in it.Our current logo is blue and white. Please be creative but keep the number of colors to a minimum.
- Please provide a file in a vector format produced by adobe photoshop, or illustrator. We also want to the following file formats to be included when file is delivered (.eps, .jpg, .gif .tif)
- Design MUST be memorable
- PLEASE ask questions!
- Unique and Creative Design
- Cookie Cutter Design
- No pre-purchased logos (we will know if they are not original)
- No photographs
- unproffessional images
- No Cartoons
- Nothing unproffessional
- No Clip Art Images
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Create Picture–Perfect Patio. Your backyard can have a piece of concrete burning under the bright Perth sun, or welcome family and friends by having a warm space to enjoy in. Have you thought about pavers? Perth's pavers are an excellent option to make your patio an extension of your home. There are many to choose from; Coral pavers give you extra texture you can feel when barefoot, and Glowpave shines by day and emits subtle touches of light by night, just to name a few. Pavers of all sorts will give you an added sense of sophistication and luxury into your dream backyard oasis. Shake Off The Sun. Enjoy the exterior without the nasty consequences of sunburn. By creating shady spots, you will be able to find relief from the exhausting sun and also give your backyard a bit more distinction. A fun way to add a little splash of colour into your design is by adding umbrellas or arbours. If you prefer Mother Nature to do her thing and envision your getaway a little more in touch with natural elements, mature trees will do the trick. Even the sun lovers welcome a little shade once in a while.
If you have a backyard, this will be interesting post for you. It is already the middle of the summer and most of the activities you can perform in the backyard, if you create optimal conditions for it. Create the ideal place for morning coffee, family lunches, intimate dinners. Yard and garden do not always have to look boring and monotonous, exclusively with grass and some flowers. There are countless ways to quickly, easily and simply your yard to convert it into a natural paradise. Besides the flowers, pay very careful attention to the arrangement of stasis, with stone decorations, as well as the place where you will sit. Beside that, the landscaping is also important part of decorating your backyard. You must pay attention, and beautify your backyard to create perfect place for everyday relaxation. See our proposals, and maybe you will find some ideas that will serve as inspiration! With a little good will,a little effort and with good ideas, you can make your yard more practical and interesting, using things that are at hand. Take care about the things that make your yard ugly and make it to look nice. In today's photo gallery, we will show you some ideas that you can apply to your yard. Water as an element of the garden, that always gives unique effects, visual and aesthetic, so it is known as particularly effective means of relaxation. After all, wherever we go near the water, we approach it because it has the ability to transform our negative energy into positive.
The end of the hot and sunny days of summer is getting near but that is not a reason not to make the best of what's left. There are numerous ways you can enjoy the summer and some of those include going on a vacation to a place that has a sea or if you prefer a mountain resort. But you can't always be somewhere, so you should make sure that you can enjoy the beautiful weather even when you are at home. Do you feel your backyard lacks attitude and style? When was the last time you enjoyed spending some relaxing time out there? Summer is just around the corner and whether you have a big or small family, this is the ideal season to spend time having fun outside. Outdoor activities don't have to be far from home when you have an inviting area designated for it.
About Us
Serve you with pleasure, Watwa proudly presented its first inspiration in 2015. We're interior design and architecture enthusiasts, just like you. Today we're going to have more than 1,000 unique articles with more than 15,000 pictures & ideas …so We are pretty sure that you can find everything you want here.
The primary focus of this interior ideas publication is to give you inspiration to make your home, your office, or your childrens space more beautiful, organized and healthy. We believe that a calm, healthy also beautiful home is a necessary foundation for happiness and success in the world.
In most people's vocabularies' design means veneer. It's interior decorating. It's the fabric of the curtains and the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. by Steve Jobs
© 2005-2020 Inspiring House Design Ideas. Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited. All Rights Reversed.


text:
Your search for Wedding Dresses produced the following results. If you would like to modify your search, please use the dropdown boxes below.
Wedding Dresses | Wedding Dresses UK | Overseas Wedding Dresses | Bridal Accessories | Bridal Gown Cleaners | Bridal Jewellery | Bridal Lingerie | Bridal Shoes | Bridal Tiaras & Wedding Veils | Wedding Dress Designers | Wedding Dress Hire | Wedding Dress Makers | Wedding Dress Preservers | Wedding Fabrics


text:
(Set A) Fractions
per item
Math is not about crunching numbers; true math is about pattern recognition.??This does not mean that mastering basic calculations is not important.? Learning math facts is like learning the alphabet. A child who must sound out words, syllable by syllable is not able to comprehend a reading passage.? Likewise, a child who struggles to complete basic computations is not able to recognize new mathematical relationships.
Each "Fractions Activity Packet" contains SIX worksheets.
Each "Fractions Activity Packet" contains SIX worksheets.


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We don't know how the military will handle their power and how this will all play out.
But can we hold on to this image, and remember it when we talk about public space, not just in Egypt, but here at home, and everywhere where we aspire to democracy?
Lian, dam straight!
Some of my thoughts on this [url=http://namhenderson.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/midan-tahrir-the-square-site-of-public-site-of-performance/]here[/url
try again
Thanks, nam! Thanks for the link to that great post.
I'm interested by the idea that "The true value of an urban public square is that it is free from large obstructions. The square allows people to make use of its openness for a range of activities." When I was in Tiananmen Square, there are no physical obstructions, but a heavy visible (and, one could say, invisible) police presence. And that is a considerable obstruction.
Thanks, Lian. I agree there's an incredible sense of power in how public space is reformatted, perhaps early on in the revolution by digital networks, but then by actual people, in masses, later on. My own thoughts on social movements and urban space, the inaugural post on MVMTBLDG - architecture and social justice,
lian good point of course. The publicness of a space does not depend solely on the lack of physical obstructions, it can be rendered neutral by less physical (in the built environment sense) forms of control. However, having public space whether, square, cafe or street does i think reinforce the sense of a shared public realm. Which can also be virtual, see the role of twitter et al in egypt etc..
Within context of China such a discussion could perhaps look at the less physical but just as controlling/obtrusive virtual "Great (fire)Wall" and its impact on a "public" realm.
Vishaan Chakrabarti has a nice piece over at Urban Omnibus on Liberation Squares
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Lectures and exhibitions, news and events, now primarily from the Bay Area! Please note that all live blogs are abridged and approximate. If you want to see exactly what happened, in many cases a video of the event is posted online by the event's hosts.


text:
Forms Jobs
"My partner, my friend, you are greatly missed!"--Cpl. T.J. Convery
Breed: Belgian MalinoisBirthplace: BelgiumDOB:March 28, 1998Commands in: Dutch Retired: July 2005Tour of Duty: 5 yearsEOW: Saturday, September 26, 2009Age: 13 years old
K-9 Ricky, during his law enforcement career, apprehended numerous suspects, recovered evidence, conducted explosive detection sweeps, and loved conducting K-9 demonstrations for children. K-9 Ricky conducted explosive sweeps for the following dignitaries; President George W. Bush, Colin Powell, Margaret Thatcher, First Lady Barbara Bush, Vice President Al Gore, "Marine 1" (Presidential Helicopter), New York City Mayor Bloomberg, and Elizabeth Edwards (former presidential running mate John Edwards' wife).
He was a true, hardworking police dog and an asset to the Winston-Salem Police Department.
Return to K-9 Tribute
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Having just been recently rolled by tea party Republicans in the debt-ceiling circus, Barack Obama now says that his priority is job creation.
Wow, what took him so long?
Jobs should have been Priority No. 1 when he first took office. But instead, the Obamacans put Wall Street banksters first, dumping trillions of dollars from our public funds into saving the butts of greedheads who crashed our economy. They bailed out Wall Streeters without even requiring the bankers invest in job-creating, grassroots enterprises.
The jobs will come later, they said.
A fragile recovery did sprout in 2009, but, oxymoronically, it was called a "jobless recovery," and workers keep getting pink slips. Obama himself explained jobs are "a lagging economic indicator."
Later, he told us.
Then, last December, with an exploding crisis of joblessness knocking our economy to its knees, who did the White House help?
The super-rich! Their ridiculous Bush tax breaks were extended for another two years, without any requirements to use this windfall to create a single job.
"Soon," Obama said back then - we'll get to that pesky job issue ... soon.
Now, the day after signing the debt reduction monstrosity that slashed trillions from programs to help working families, the president says, at last, he's ready to take action on jobs.
What kind of action?
"I will urge (Congress) to immediately take some steps - bipartisan, commonsense steps - that will make a difference," he boldly declared.
But as we've seen, "bipartisan" steps only go backward.
And, as for "immediately," the Urger in Chief added lawmakers should do it not right now, but when they get back from their month-long August vacation.
It's always manana with Obama when it comes to workaday families.
But, get ready - President Obama says he is now ready to "pivot" to that nagging issue of American joblessness!
How about focusing on it relentlessly, even (dare I say it?) presidentially?
After all, our economy is in the ditch not because of government deficits, but because of our deficit in good, middle-class jobs.
It's way past time, Mr. President, for you to put on your FDR hat and get cracking on a real jobs program.
So, what does Obama's pivot amount to?
"There are things," he recently said, "that Congress could do right now that will help create good jobs."
And - cue the trumpets - those things are:
� First, pass more free-trade agreements.
� Second, overhaul the patent laws!
What, you expected boldness?
This is pathetic.
We already have a mess of free-trade scams, and they've led to job losses for America.
Patent reform? Any jobs that might come from that are years down the road. Are people just supposed to sit still and wait?
These proposals are nothing but more trickle-down economic tinkering, not a jobs program. They make Obama seem not only small, but ridiculous.
He wasted a ton of political capital on his senseless debt-ceiling deal with ideological know-nothings in the Republican House, when the American people were crying out consistently and emphatically that the issue is jobs, jobs, jobs and more jobs.
Labor Day is coming up. What better time to propose a national recovery program that would hire millions of people to go to work on infrastructure and green-energy projects that America urgently needs?
Put something real on the table, let the right-wing Koch-heads howl against it, then go to the countryside a la Harry Truman and hammer them with their own know-nothing do-nothingism.
The people are waiting.
Do they have a president or not?
JIM HIGHTOWER's column is distributed by Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.


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All of the items listed below are ATV essential for a successful ride. However, a little knowledge also goes a long way. Know the trail and area you are riding in before you really start riding aggressively. Are you covering great distances or are you riding in a commercial off-road park with a central parking area? If you are miles away from any help these items are critical to have with you. If, on the other hand, you are at a commercial off-road park or riding around in a small area, help may be close by and some of the below items could possibly stay with your truck or trailer. How much storage does your ATV/UTV allow for? If storage is at a premium possibly bring a backpack to store items on your person.
As with any power sport machine, ensure that it is in perfect running order and is maintained per the manufacturer's guidelines to reduce the chances of a mechanical breakdown. Also, always try and ride with another rider in case of an emergency. If one machine breaks or gets stuck the other can go for help or double up on one machine in an emergency and ride out.
- Proper riding gear - Helmet, boots, long sleeve shirt, gloves, long pants, and most importantly eye protection, also is your gear season appropriate? Will it be warm or cool enough for the duration of the ride even if it gets wet?
- Winch - if you ride alone a winch is very important if you get stuck. If you don't have a winch another machine and a tow rope should work.
- First aid kit - Injuries from any sport such are common, some first aid supplies can go a long way.
- Let others know where you will be riding and how long you plan on being gone, similar to a boater's float plan. This way if you fail to return help can be summoned.
- Cell phone with a fully charged battery - Although in some areas cell coverage can be sparse it can be a life saver most times. Helpful hint: put it in a plastic sandwich/water proof bag to protect it from water damage.
- Tire repair kit and an inflation device - don't let a flat tire strand you, repair it on the trail and ride out. Bring some form of inflation device as storage permits whether it's an electric pump, manual pump or a CO2 inflator; fixing a hole in a tire does no good if you can't put air back in the tire.
- Water and possibly snacks - riding off road uses a lot of energy and in warm climates dehydration can and is a big concern.
- Map - depending on where you ride a simple low-tech map can be a life saver.
- Lighter and or matches - again depending on where you ride having the ability to start a fire could be a life saver. Hint: put these in the waterproof bag with the cell phone.
- Basic tool kit.
- Small jump pack in case of a dead battery - most ATV/UTV's today are electric start with no good way to push start or kick/pull start. There are several small battery packs that can be used with cables to jump start a machine and also provided added battery life for your cell phone.


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VAN, Turkey — Trapped under the rubble after an earthquake brought down the hotel she was staying in, Japanese aid worker Miyuki Konnai had more to worry about than her fear of the dark, but a "ray of light" from her laptop helped her survive the ordeal.
Konnai had come to Van, a city in the remote east of Turkey, along with other Japanese aid workers to help survivors of a major 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Oct. 23 that killed more than 600 people and left thousands of families homeless.
The Bayram Hotel where she was staying was so damaged by that quake that when a smaller 5.7 magnitude tremor struck on Wednesday night, the five-story building came tumbling down.A flattened hotel, a heart-stopping flashback
Rescue teams frantically searched for more survivors after the quake heaped misery on the predominantly Kurdish region where more than 600 people died following a major quake on October 23.
At least 12 people were killed in the latest temblor, including compatriot Atsushi Miyazaki, a doctor who had been helping the stricken community. Miyazaki, of Japan's Association for Aid and Relief, Japan, had been Konnai's colleague.
Miyazaki died in a hospital after being dug out Thursday from the rubble of the Bayram Hotel. Rescue workers performed CPR on him before taking him to the hospital.
"We first heard a voice but could not determine whether it was that of a woman or a man. Then we opened a small hole in the concrete where we thought the voice came," a Turkish rescue worker told state-run TRT television. "When I checked inside with my hand, he suddenly grabbed my fingers. I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life."
TRT did not identify the rescue worker.
Konnai, a slightly built 32-year-old woman, was still conscious when she was dug out after waiting in the rubble for five hours.
"When I was waiting for the rescue team I kept telling myself, 'I cannot die here. I have lots of things I want to do in the future' ... (I kept) cheering myself up and waiting," she told Reuters at a hospital where she was taken for checks.
Sitting on a couch in one of the few parts of a hospital deemed safe enough to withstand jolts from the many aftershocks still rattling the region, Konnai looked exhausted and overwhelmed, but eager to describe how she survived.
"I really hate being in the dark so I was scared of opening my eyes and finding out I'm in complete darkness. So I was trying not to open my eyes," she said, her pale face marked by scratches and her hands fluttering as she spoke.
"But I was also afraid of not knowing what's going on outside and I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't because of lots of dust getting in my eyes.PhotoBlog: Aid worker rescued from rubble of earthquake dies
"When I finally managed to open my left eye slowly, there was a ray of light I could see in what I thought was complete darkness. That light gave me a relief and gave me a hope to live. That was the light from the computer I was using."
Outside the hospital, medical staff sat huddled round an open fire to keep warm. Hospital beds were lined up in the open with medical equipment set up as an outdoor emergency center, while a tent served as a ward for patients.
Konnai said she had been moved by the amount of support Turkey had given Japan in the wake of the tsunami and nuclear disaster earlier this year, and had wanted to repay Turks for their support.
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay visited Konnai in hospital and asked her if she needed help to return to Japan.
"I want to stay here and continue our work," she said.
'This is wrong'
Protests erupted as 200 demonstrators called for the resignation of the provincial governor in a rally close to the two hotels that collapsed during the latest quake.
Riot police charged the crowd with batons, and some people fell in the melee. Police used pepper spray to disperse the protesters, but the gas also affected nearby rescue and health workers, the Hurriyet newspaper said on its website.
"How is it that these two buildings were not sealed off and were allowed to continue operating?" asked Osman Baydemir, a mayor for the southeastern city of Diyarbakir and a member of a pro-Kurdish opposition party. "The government must bring those responsible to account."
Residents accused local authorities of not properly inspecting damaged buildings and called for the resignation of Gov. Munir Karaloglu, who arrived to tour the damage. Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay tried to talk to the protesters, but he angrily walked away as they booed the officials.
Some of those buried in the second quake were Turkish journalists covering the aftermath of the first earthquake, which left thousands homeless as cold weather began to close in on the mountainous region.
Two reporters from Turkey's Dogan news agency were still believed to be trapped in the hotel debris.
Thousands of families are living in makeshift camps with temperatures falling to freezing with the onset of winter. The government says there are enough tents for anyone who needs them.
"Our people are freezing. We are sleeping outside — all seven of my family ... Some people take five tents, some 10 and others get nothing. This is wrong."
The October temblor destroyed at least 2,000 buildings in Van and in the worst-hit town of Ercis. About 1,400 aftershocks have rocked the region since then.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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My Hong Kong 2011 hauls *PIC HEAVY*
Onto the good stuff!
Of course I had to buy some nail polishes even though I said no more xD You might notice my very 1st Lippmann collection polish!!!! EEEEEEEEEK!!! OMG I just about passed out when I happened to come across them. My sis was so embarrassed haha. I'm desperate for Glitter in the Air but they sold out and didn't get any stock in again before I left so I only walked away with Across the Universe as they were quite pricey. Other polishes I got included some relatively cheap OPI I found (well compared to Aus prices), Nicole by OPI including Beiber ones, GOSH Purple Heart which my sis got me, Lioele polishes and some AWESOME holos I'll show you in another post.
I stocked up on nail stickers that I found last time which I think are fantastic. I've used these stickers before in my Valentines Day manicure and my 25th Birthday manicure. Not all are for me! I'll be giving some to friends of course hehe.
I wanted the new Konad plates but they sold out of m82 so I had to go with m83, m42 and m66. I've been needing a new special polish in white so lemming fulfilled.
Some nail mags of course for inspiration ;) Nail Venus and 2 Nail Up! magazines. There's now an app for Nail Up! but nothing beats the actual mag that you can peruse at your own leisure and bookmark your favourite manis ;)
My Beauty Diary Mask overload!! I asked my Aunty to look for the Hello Kitty ones for me and she looked all over HK for me but alas to no avail. So she asked her friend who visited Taiwan to find some for me!!! Gosh I am so blessed to have such a wonderful Aunty =) The other masks are Aloe Vera and the new Earl Grey Tea & Macaroon and Chocolate Truffle masks.
Assorted BB Creams and a Missha base for my sis and I to trial. Can you tell we like BB creams??!! I also got the Clinique BB to try bringing the total number we own now to 7. This is kinda a lot seeing as I only have one face and usually don't wear much makeup to work where I spend most of my time! xp
Some MAC goodies!! I've been lusting after MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study after seeing it used by so many lovely bloggers for beautiful FOTDs. I also just had to get the Viva Glam GaGa 2 lipglass - it's such a beautiful nude gloss! And I swear by MAC concealer so I got the Select Cover-Up to round out my collection of concealers.
My very 1st Chanel beauty products! *happy dance* I got the limited edition Lèvres Scintillantes in 154 Liaison and Rouge Coco Shine in Évasion and Romance. I only intended on buying one lippy and instead I walk out with 3 products! I was also given a sample too which was nice. Gotta love samples!
I stocked up on most of my Clinique supplies when I went last year so I only picked up a few things this trip. My most important mission was to hunt down Chubby Sticks!!!! HK unfortunately only carries 4 of the colours in the range and Woppin' Watermelon and Super Strawberry were sold out in most stores and counters. However thanks to the insistence of my sis I managed to score them!!
I picked up a 50ml bottle of the Derma White Clinical brightening essence which is marketed here in Aus as even better clinical dark spot corrector. I've been using this for a while now and my skin is looking so much better! The green tube is the Clinique age defense BB cream which I purchased on the plane as it's a duty free travel exclusive. I have no idea why! I also got the bottom lash mascara and was given some samples too.
I had the pleasure of meeting up with the lovely Jen from Life and Lens of Beauty again and we did some browsing before having dinner. Jen has the most enviable blush collection and I just drool at all the Jill Stuart items she has so who better to help me choose my 1st Jill Stuart blush! I got the mix blush compact in milky strawberry and it's so beautiful I don't want to use it! x)
Jen very kindly gifted me with the Korres wild rose mask (which smells BEAUTIFUL!) and e.l.f blush in candid coral. Thank you so much Jen!! It was absolutely wonderful catching up with you again and I hope we can get together when I go next year =D I hope work is treating you ok!
I've wanted to try a lip concealer for ages so I picked up B & C Makemania Nudy lip concealer. I got the Cosmagic sweet deco cheek blush to try because it has this really cute fluffy pink applicator haha. I doubt it will apply it well but it's cute!
Some beauty tools - a beauty blender sponge thing, Everyday Minerals brushes and a generic lip brush from Sasa.
Vitacreme B12 creams!! I picked a tube up last year and I LOVE it. It's great for my sensitive skin, smells OK and feels wonderful. These 3 tubes should last me until my next trip!
I love the pastel purple packaging that Biore products have for some reason and I'm always drawn to their products! I picked up my favourite facial wipes and also tried out the cleansing oil. I used the cleansing oil while in HK and it's great! I wanted to pick up another bottle but I was worried I would be over the baggage allowance so didn't doh.
Stella McCartney perfumes are my absolute favourite and are my signature scent - I've gone through 3 bottles of the original Stella perfume alone! This set is great as it includes a body milk.
So there you have it! My beauty hauls from Hong Kong for 2011. I hope you enjoyed this post! Is there anything you'd like to see in greater detail? Let me know and I'll do my best!
Thanks for looking as always! =)
48 comments:
Jealous - especially of the MAC and Clinique!!!ReplyDelete
Sir, I am jealous!ReplyDelete
wow you got some great things! The Chanel Rouge Coco Shines are gorgeous and I love Stella Mc Cartney perfumes too!ReplyDelete
I want to go to HK now!! lolReplyDelete
Have fun playing with all your amazing new products xx
Oh wow. Great haul ^^~ looks good.ReplyDelete
Do you have any recommendations for places to shop in HK? (for beauty related things - the boyfriend is going in September & I wanna get a few things ^^)
Wow, very nice! I'm looking forward to a review on the Chubby Sticks, they've been marketed like crazy so curious as to whether or not they're actually good!ReplyDelete
GASP! So jealous! What lovely haulage you had! I can't wait to see what you come up with using your lovely new polishes xxReplyDelete
That's a haul!! Amazing! ^-^ReplyDelete
Wauw, that's an awesome haul! :DReplyDelete
so many things!!ReplyDelete
Have fun with all this!
i miss hong kong a loooot! went there last april. :)ReplyDelete
stay pretty! followed your blog
Lovely haul!ReplyDelete
So jealous! I wanna go HK now! D:
Wow, what a fantastic haul. Looks like you had a fabulous time shopping over there ! I wish I was back in HK !!ReplyDelete
I'd love to see swatches of the lip products. Ah-maaaazing haul 'Chelle!ReplyDelete
Great haul Michelle! What a rewarding trip :DReplyDelete
Wow, just wow! I'm so jealous; that is one amazing haul!ReplyDelete
I love this post! everything looks so amazingReplyDelete
Wow hauls are so much fun! Is buying MAC from hong kong cheaper?ReplyDelete
Nice haul. My sister and I started using BBcreams recently. We're using Missha as well, though different creams. It's become my foundation for this time of year.ReplyDelete
Wow you got some amazing stuff!ReplyDelete
Awesome stuff! =)ReplyDelete
I sometimes use stickers for my nails.
Like it! =)
*Speechless* ;___; I want those too!!!!ReplyDelete
Whoa, amazing haul!!!ReplyDelete
I will be travelling to Taiwan this summer, and I can not wait to stock up on the MBD masks too! :)
So much awesome goodies! Makes me miss Hong Kong :PReplyDelete
Where did you get your lioele polishes and the white konad white polish in Hong Kong? I never know where to look for things like that there!
Btw, you should totally show your fashion hauls as well!!! :D
Awesome haul! I would totes love to see your fashion haul as well, pretty please?ReplyDelete
OMG!!love all your hauls..ReplyDelete
and Deborah Lippmann-Across the Universe!!!!gosh, i've been dying to get my hands on this particular polish...*envyenvy*
MBD mask are just wonderful..i love their Barley Whitening mask...=)
So much wonderful haulage, can't wait to see it all put to use :DReplyDelete
:D you're welcome michelle! i enjoyed hanging out with you, lets do that again next time (and let me know what sort of food you'd like to try, haha :P)!!! alas, i'm looking for the HK masks too but no luck, it's only available in TW!!ReplyDelete
did u say u got everyday mineral brushes in hk Sasa?!?! which one was it? *gasps*ReplyDelete
OMG this is such an amazing post, you got so many things :)ReplyDelete
Love Christine ♥
So many pretty things!! Lucky you :DReplyDelete
And that Deborah Lippmann's polish must be gorgeous, hope in a swatch very soon ;)
Have a nice day!
@Clare: Oops sorry! I get my beauty fixes in HK because I just can't justify the inflated prices here. I go crazy!ReplyDelete
@Rachel Marie: LOL sorry to make you jealous xp
@Heather Does Make Up: Thanks hun! Glad to hear you like her perfumes too, I'm wearing it now actually hehe.
@Beauty Soiree: I tell everyone to go there at least once! Great food, shopping and nightlife. I need to clear out some of my stash to make room for my new goodies haha.ReplyDelete
@Jen: Thanks Jen! Email me if you like and I can let you know my favourite stores ;) I'm in the process of writing a guide to nail polish in Hong Kong at the moment actually.
@Joan: I actually did a review of Whole Lotta Honey Chubby Stick last month! They are absolutely fantastic <3
@Sara-May: Thanks lovely! I always think I don't buy enough when I'm there and then I get home and realise just how much I got xDReplyDelete
@VampiressDoll & xlittle.girl: Thanks ladies!
@rock-or-not: I definitely will have fun thanks! =)
@makeup,hauls, and anything under the sun!: I miss HK already and I only left last week! Thank you so much for following my blog =)ReplyDelete
@Amy: Oops sorry to make you jealous! Yes go to HK!
@Mish: Ahhhh I most definitely had a fabulous time on my holiday. I wish I was back there too x(
@Ria: No worries! I have so much to show you guys and the lip products are on the list definitely.ReplyDelete
@Steph: Unfortunately for my wallet every trip is a rewarding trip for me! Haha. I just go crazy over there because things in Aus are just too expensive.
@Varnish Vixen: I tend to go a little overboard buying stuff because I stock up for the next 6 months - 1 year!
@Manicured Monkey: Awww I'm glad you liked this post!!ReplyDelete
@JuLiAnnE: Buying MAC from HK is much cheaper for us in Aus! I think the prices there are similar to US prices.
@marox79: Which ones are you both using? I love using them as they just feel and look fantastic.
@Cherry: Thanks Cherry! Everything over there is amazing to me hehe x)ReplyDelete
@Shorby: Glad you like it! Nail stickers are awesome - a quick and easy way to do nail art and everyone can do it.
@Akuma Kanji: Get yourself to HK!!!!
@Jess: I hope you have a fabulous time when you go! I can't wait to see what you haul, I bet it will be amazing. I would love to go to Taiwan, maybe next time =)ReplyDelete
@Edwina: I got the Lioele polishes from Colour Mix and the Konad polish and plates from the distributor. I'm in the process of doing a "where to buy nail polish guide to HK" so stay tuned for it!
My clothes are kinda boring as I don't dress very "fashionably"! I'm not sure you want to see all grey/black/white clothes lol.
@Megan: Oh man I don't know about my fashion haul! I'm a very boring dresser - I dress quite conservatively and it's all black, grey and white =p
@yokeMun: I've wanted it for soooooo long too but a lot of the US sites don't send to Aus. Ooooh I don't think I've tried that one before, thanks for letting me know you like it!ReplyDelete
@Jade: Cheers Jade! I have so much to show you lovely ladies so hopefully I'll be able to post about my goodies soon ;)
@Jen: I love catching up Jen!! =) I hope you find the HK masks! Will they ever be available in Hong Kong?
@Christine Iversen: Thanks Christine =)ReplyDelete
@Elsa P: I save up all my purchases to buy in Hong Kong ;) I'll definitely swatch Across the Universe soon! It's so gorgeous =)
- AnonymousMay 27, 2011 at 8:23 PM
Wow, I actually live in HK and am always impressed at everyone's hauls! Glad you love it here so much!ReplyDelete
I HAVE to know where you got your holo nail polish from - I'm so some desperate attempt to hunt down every holo in HK (don't get me started on trying to find flakies!).
Also, I've been round at least ten Clinique places now, on the hunt for the Strawberry Chubby Stick. They all told me it's sold out, so I'm super impressed you managed to track one down and desperate to know which branch hooked you up!
Looking forward to reading more in-depth reviews and stuff soon!
P.S. First time commenter, long-time lurker, hello!
You are a shopping master! That's an incredible haul! I'd love to go to Hong Kong someday... I've been to Japan, but it's so expensive to shop there. Your post makes me really want to go to Hong Kong even more! Not just to shop, also to eat and go sightseeing, but you know. :)ReplyDelete
'Chelle! Welcome back! I'm always so jealous when you come back from HK because of the great items you were able to purchase over there! I glad you came back safe and sound. :) Hope all is well for you! Please post pictures of your shoes! I want to see them! :DReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 29, 2011 at 5:27 AM
i thought i commented, but great haul chelle! yay for awesome mbd masks, the new ones look really cool, and omg HK ones, how cute!! you'll have to let us know how those bb creams work for you :D:DReplyDelete
I just found your blog and I absolutely adore it! Just my type of read - I've clicked follow so I can keep up to date!ReplyDelete
I'm the same as you - I completely can't stand how inflated the prices for cosmetics and skincare is in Australia so I end up buying everything in HK! LOL.
Impressive haul there I must say!
May I ask where in HK you got the Vitacreme B12 cream? I've been seeing it alot in blogs but I didn't know you could buy it in HK!
OMG! What an amazing haul. I'm drooling all over the makeup you got! Haha. Great blog! I'm now following you.ReplyDelete
so cute! i love hong kong the food the shopping, and of course all the culture! :)ReplyDelete
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and comment! I love reading your feedback and suggestions and truly appreciate each and every comment. I try to respond to all my questions as soon as I can in the comments so make sure to check back later.


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Sermon delivered May 4, 2008
Before this past week or month you may have never heard of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. After this week, just about everyone knows who he is. His association with presidential hopeful Barack Obama, his interview with Bill Moyers on PBS, and his recent provocative speeches before the NAACP and the National Press Club launched Rev. Wright into the national spotlight. I saw the live broadcast of the National Press Club speech and thought immediately of the need to address the main underpinnings of Rev. Wright's comments—Liberation Theology. He gave a brief history of its roots and how it interplayed with the development of Black Theology or the Theology of the Black African Churches.
Beginning in Latin America, Liberation Theology is based on the belief that the Christian Gospel demands "a preferential option for the poor," and that the church should be involved in the struggle for economic and political justice in the contemporary world—particularly in the Third World. Dating to the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the Second Latin American Bishops Conference, held in Medellin, Colombia (1968), the movement brought poor people together in Christian-based communities, to study the Bible and to fight for social justice. However, since the 1980s, the church hierarchy has criticized liberation theology and its advocates, accusing them of wrongly supporting violent revolution and Marxist class struggle" (Columbia University Encyclopedia 2004).
Black Theology developed alongside Latin Liberation Theology and had its roots in the Civil Rights and the Black Power movements of the 1960s. In the process, many "black ministers consciously separated their understanding of the gospel of Jesus from white Christianity and identified it with the struggles of the black poor for justice." Rev. Wright correctly credits two books written by James Cone, "Black Theology and Black Power" in 1969 and "A Black Theology of Liberation" in 1970, that made liberation the organizing centre of his theological system and subsequently of many Black churches.While Latin Liberation Theology was concerned with classism and Black Theology was concerned with racism, both held a common concern for the poor (Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology 1984).
So what's the problem? Is there a problem at all? Certainly Orthodox Christianity teaches the dignity and equality of all human beings, regardless of socio-economic class, race or gender, because we are all created in the image and likeness of God. The divine Son and Word of God became incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ to save all of humanity from evil, sin and death. Orthodox Christians around the world, historically and now, are involved in activities and ministries that seek to bring God's mercy and justice to suffering and oppressed people.
The problem is that Liberation Theology, Black Theology, Feminist Theology or any other similar theology have tended to supplant the theology of God revealed in the Law and Prophets of Israel, in the person of Jesus Christ, and continuously revealed by the Holy Spirit to the Saints in the Church. These theologies become heresies when they take part of the truth and try to make it the whole truth. It is like taking a theatrical spotlight and placing a red lens over it and then saying that whole world is red.
This distortion is what caused some in the Latin Catholic Church to support violent revolution motivated by godless Marxism. This distortion is what caused feminist Christians to demand ordination for women while dismissing many traditional forms of Christian spirituality in favor of pagan rituals. This distortion is what caused James Cone to say:
Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community ... Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love. (See William R Jones, "Divine Racism: The Unacknowledged Threshold Issue for Black Theology", in African-American Religious Thought: An Anthology, ed Cornel West and Eddie Glaube (Westminster John Knox Press)).
As Greek Orthodox Christians, we know well the history of oppression and suffering under the Turkocratia, the Ottoman Muslim persecution that lasted nearly 500 years. We know that the freedom fighters of the Greek Revolution in the early 1800s were mostly Orthodox Christians. While the bishops and priests certainly prayed for the freedom fighters, one does not find writings emanating from the Church encouraging armed revolution and slaughter of the Turks. The same pattern is found under Roman occupation/persecution of the first three centuries and under the Communist Regime in Russia during the 20th century. Even St. Paul's epistles encourage patient endurance and faithfulness to God, not armed resistance, under persecution. If Greek Orthodox took the same approach as the most radical Liberation and Black theologians we would see everything through the lens of Ottoman oppression. This might motivate us to say things like "God is only the God of the Greeks!" or "Every Turk is evil!"
Certainly do not misunderstand my words to imply that Rev. Jeremiah Wright is evil. In fact, I'm sure he is good person with many redeeming qualities. During his speech to the National Press Club he mentioned many of the ministries of his parish, Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. I would like to hear more about those ministries to seniors, youth, the poor, and prisoners along with many others. These are the words and activities that can unite people. That will not happen with the divisive words coming out of an extreme Black Liberation theology.
Rev. Wright quoted Jesus' inaugural sermon which quoted the Prophet Isaiah (61:1-2). It is the gospel passage we read every September 1st, the beginning of the Ecclesiastical/Church Year, from Luke 4:18-19. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." We must be careful not to read this from a purely literalist perspective. For any one of us can be wealthy, healthy, powerful and free by worldly standards while at the same time be very poor, sick, weak, enslaved and oppressed in terms of our relationship to God and each other.
Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews is the pastor of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fr. Andrews is the past president of Minnesota Eastern Orthodox Christian Clergy Association (MEOCCA), and a volunteer chaplain with the St. Paul Police Department.