text:
The Bush Legacy
The Bottom Line
Where previous books I've read on the Bush adventure have taken us to and briefly beyond our initial occupation, Fiasco takes through 2004, with in depth analysis of the insurgency.
The brand new book by Thomas Ricks'– Fiasco, provides the reader with an informative assessment of the conception, planning, prosecution and aftermath of the unprovoked invasion of Iraq. Intentional or not, Fiasco ends up as an indictment of, not only the Bush Administration, but the military itself for extremely poor judgment at the least and malfeasance at the most.
Ricks goes into some detail lining out to chain of events, naming the patrons of the war and their motives, along the way, which led to the war. He also describes the planning, or mis-planning if you wish, of the war, but the majority of the book centers on the immediate aftermath of the invasion, from April of 2003 through 2004. Ricks lays out the argument that during this period, Phase IV of the war (the aftermath) was so bungled that we were within an eyelash of turning victory into defeat. He also maintains that this mishandling was so endemic and pervasive that the outcome is still in doubt.
Ricks postulates that the Iraqi war was contrived by neo-conservatives led by Paul Wolfowitz, justified by handpicked intelligence, much of which had been discounted. He goes on to say the military planning was altered time and again by the overbearing Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfield, who at one time proposed an invasion force of ten thousand men.
Then after the successful invasion, despite a flawed plan, which totally by passed the ultimate enemy and the backbone of the future insurgency — the Fedayeen, our troops throughout the country stood by as witnesses to the greatest act of thievery in the history of the world, as looters stole Iraq. This was the result of having too few boots on the ground, a fact that haunts us (the military) to this day. A result of the widespread looting of Iraq, besides requiring billions to replace, was that it set a tone for lawlessness in Iraq. It also made our troops appear indecisive, which they were.
Ultimately, the biggest sin the military committed was a sin of omission. Purposely or not, they refused to recognize the character of the war they were in (with Rumsfield's help) as an insurgency and act accordingly. The lessons of the insurgency we fought in Viet Nam seem to have been lost as a bad dream and the military insisted on fighting a brutal conventional war. This was a major error in strategy.
Last but not least, the tactics used by our military lost the backing and respect of the Iraqi people and fueled the fire of the insurgency, which the generals refused to fight as such.
As a newspaper reporter, Ricks' writing takes on a news reporting style of writing — very compelling, very smooth and very easy to read. While the writer does perform an occasional analysis, the book seems to center around hundreds of quotation bites and the author's attendant explanations and elaborations.
Of course, this means that there are many opinions mixed in with the reported facts and history. Still, I give these opinions credence for two reasons — the high quantity of similar views within the book and the fact that these views mirror conventional wisdom and other publications.
Being an opponent of the war, this book was a vindication, of sorts, for the deductions I had arrived at. The Bush Administration took us to war with a marginal war plan and no plan whatsoever for reconstruction, disengagement or exit. I find it incongruous that the Administration is constantly saying the Democrats had no plan for Iraq, when they, themselves, had no plan.
By the way, according to this book, Jay Garner the one time reconstruction czar, who was unceremoniously dumped after two weeks, originally voiced the one plan the Administration keeps harping on — "we'll stand down when they stand up," in an unapproved speech: a speech for which he was chastised, but from which their big plan evolved. The plan of course was poorly implemented and has yet to bear fruit.
The true irony of the war was that the approach the Administration took toward the war. The parsimonious use of troops, telling the generals to expect redeployment in a matter of months and trying to fight the war on the cheap, actually had the opposite effect by adding to the longevity of the war and running the cost into the hundreds of billions.
I give this book a five star rating.
A Review of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades)
The Bottom Line
Most followers of Islam maintain their faith is a religion of peace and Allah (God) is merciful. Yet, the jihadists are even more vocal about their aggressive, destructive ways being directly from the Qur'an, therefore Allah (God).
Who's right? They both are. Remember Muslim hordes set out in the seventh and eighth century to conquer the world and convert all infidels (non believers) to Islam. The fact is, the Qur'an and other Islamic holy books are full of contradictions, so if you are looking for answers to questions you may have about Islam, you won't find them here. But, if you want to know what kind of people we are fighting against and why, this book will tell you.
In this timely, hot button book, Robert Spencer examines the motivation and goals of, not necessarily, just the terrorists alone but fellow extremists and, by association, all Muslims in general.
He claims there is a substantial quantity of misinformation being disseminated about Islam, some officially and some by apologists. Islam, which, translates into surrender, appears to be aptly named since there was plenty of surrendering going on among Islam's perceived enemies in the first hundred and fifty years of the religion. That's when aggressive, ruthless armies of the Prophet Muhammad, poured out of Arabia, spreading the nascent religion across a swath of Africa and Asia from the Atlantic Ocean to India. Later Indonesia and parts of India, Thailand, China, Malaysia and the Philippines were added. The victims of this onslaught were given three options: surrender and convert to Islam, surrender and become a dhimmi (a second-class citizen subject to onerous taxation) or DEATH.
This area is home to some one point two billion Muslims, which Spencer claims are all potential enemies of the rest of the inhabitants of the globe. The reasoning is that the seeds of confrontation are intertwined within the fabric of Islam, through the Muslim holy book and he cites various passages from the Qur'an to substantiate his theory. At the head of these passages is Jihad, which means struggle. The struggle, according to Spencer is to struggle against the infidels (non-believers) to achieve a position of preeminence where Islam reigns supreme.
We all know that this is what bin Laden wants but it's been widely reported that this view is a perversion of Islam. According to Spencer, this is straight out of the Qur'an and the perversion is that this information is being withheld from the public, ostensibly to not engender additional angst with John Q. Public. Even mainstream Muslim's seem to have trouble coming to grips that their holy book is the basis of so much terrorism and could be so inconsistent.
Other passages that should be of concern to Westerners are the traditions of deceit and duplicity. Muslims should not befriend infidels and it's expected that they should lie to them (but not Muslims). If they do befriend an infidel, it should only be to gain an advantage and any agreements with infidels are again, to gain an advantage and if no longer needed, should be discarded. No wonder Israel cannot get a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Spencer also takes a cursory look at the Crusades. He states that, although they appear to have been a waste of time and manpower, they kept the Muslims at bay for almost two hundred years. Spencer believes this gave the Europeans just enough time to build their strength and technology to hold their own when the Islamic hordes, once again set their sights there.
Even so, there are large pockets of Muslims left over from Jihadists incursions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania and Spain. It is Spencer's contention that without the Crusades we might all be on our knees five times a day facing Mecca. However, that still might happen since an estimated fifteen million Muslim immigrants, with more daily, have inundated Europe. As we've all seen on the news recently with bombings in London and Madrid and riots in France, these immigrants can be problematic, but they also could become a fifth column.
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) is the kind of book that can get under your skin if you let it. I'm sure it's accurate and factual and in comparison to other similar books I've read, specifically, about the plight of Muslim women, it backed what I had previously read. However, it seems to me, to be written with a conservative slant. It seems to highlight the worst of Islam, giving only perfunctory concessions to other views. The fact that Regnery Publishing, a well-known right wing publisher, published the book reinforces that feeling.
As for the author, Robert Spencer, he did a good job of presenting his case in a fluid, easily understandable and readable style. I personally believe what he wrote but many would feel it wasn't balanced. He is obviously well versed on the subject of the book, providing the chapter/verse in the Qur'an, wherever he paraphrases a passage. He has a thorough knowledge of the subject and puts his views forward in a believable method. In addition, he provides many interesting sidebars where there are comparisons of the teachings of Muhammad and Jesus, quotes from historic figures, Books You're Not Supposed to Read and Just Like Today segments.
Spencer makes several good points, such as saying our war on terror is incorrectly named, terror being a tactic. He says the enemy is the Jihadists and the war should be so named. I also got a kick out of Spencer's term for outrageous, seventy-two virgins in heaven Muslim belief. He called it bordello paradise.
Frankly, if you are looking for some good news about the Muslims, this book is not for you, unless you consider learning more about their downside, good news. The bottom line, according to Spencer, is their can be no long-term peaceful co-existence with the Muslim society unless they modify the aggressive tenants of the Qur'an. Don't hold your breath.
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) is 231 pages and contains eighteen chapters. They are titled:
1] Muhammad: Prophet of War
2] The Qur'an: The Book of War
3] Islam: Religion of War
4] Islam: Religion of Intolerance
5] Islam Oppresses Women
6] Islamic Law: Lie, Steal, Kill
7] How Allah Killed Science
8] The Lure of Islamic Paradise
9] Islam – Spread by the Sword? You Bet.
10] Why the Crusades were called
11] The Crusades: Myth and Reality
12] What the Crusades Accomplished – And What They Didn't
13] What if the Crusades Had Never Happened?
14] Islam and Christianity: Equivalent Traditions?
15] The Jihad Continues
16] "Islamophobia" and Today's Ideological Jihad
17] Criticizing Islam May Be Hazardous to Your Health
18] The Crusade We Must Fight Today
The Bush Legacy continues – Bush's Five Biggest Lies
The Five Biggest Lies was not the first book I've read on George W. Bush and or his misadventure and it probably won't be the last. Obviously, from the title, one can deduct that this is not a book that praises the forty-third president. The book is well written and planned and is generally about what the title describes – the five major fallacies that were given as the rationale for the unprovoked aggression of Iraq. It is basically set forth in an outline style, starting with an introduction, then a chapter on the reasoning and methodology behind the deception. The deceptions themselves follow, with a chapter allocated to each lie, followed by the conclusion.
The chapters outlining the five lies are titled by the lies:
1. Al Qaeda's ties to Iraq.
2. Iraq's Chemical and Biological Weapons
3. Iraq's Nuclear Weapons
4. The War Will Be a 'Cakewalk'
5. Iraq as a Democratic Model
6. Conclusion
Al Qaeda's ties to Iraq
The authors methodically expose this deceit pointing to the fact that all of the prewar suppositions regarding an alleged tie between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein had previously been discredited. Yet, as in the pattern of other falsehoods, these lies mysteriously found their way back into the conversations and speeches of administration officials.
Iraq's Chemical and Biological Weapons
Another stretch by the administration that had been debunked previously, even as the administration members continued to talk about Chemical and Biological WMD. They shamelessly continued to use this discounted intelligence as a pretext for invasion. Even though the United States and the UN had Hussein in a box, in control of only a third of his country and was unable to reconstitute chemical and biological programs; the administration pointed to this phantom program as a grave world threat.
Iraq's Nuclear Weapons
This may have been the largest and most damaging of the fabrications. Everything that the administration put forward to justify their mushroom cloud scenario had already been discredited numerous times and in many ways, yet the people in Rumsfeld's personal intelligence gatherers, whose only purpose was to dig up intelligence that would support the administration position, wouldn't let it die. This despite the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there was no evidence of any kind of WMD in Iraq and weapon inspectors had come up empty. Vice President Cheney in no uncertain terms said they were "Flat wrong." Well, the head of IAEA ended up with a Nobel Peace Prize and we ended up with a quagmire.
The War Will be a 'Cakewalk'
Here again the administration's leading Hawk, VP Cheney was head cheerleader for invasion by going on TV and saying the war would be a "cakewalk." Others treated the invasion in a cavalier manner as well. The administration planned on reducing troop levels to 30,000 troops within three months.
The authors point out that this may be the only inadvertent lie, with administration officials truly believing their own hyperbole in this case.
Iraq as a Democratic Model
This is, of course, the back up rationale for the invasion of Iraq, but it was the primary policy on a position of expansion and policing, which authors put forth in the conclusion.
The authors don't disagree with the idea of a model democracy in the Middle East but it is generally conceived that if such an event were to occur it would have to be nurtured, not imposed from the end of a gun.
The authors postulate that the invasion of Iraq was the first salvo in a new grandiose, radical foreign policy of deterrence by aggression. In doing this the administration made numerous assumptions, all of which turned out to be fallacious. Instead the results of the invasion had the opposite effect, bogging us down in Iraq, helpless to confront other developing mischief in the globe, ie. Iran and North Korea.
My Thoughts
This book only deals with the lead up to the war and the very beginnings, having being published in October, 2003, yet the authors seem quite prescient, having correctly predicting the present situation in Iraq.
Like the other similar books I have devoured, it is meant to be informative and factual. It is probably directed at the average Bush supporter who seem to shun being confused with facts and therefore would not be caught within a mile of such 'dreck.'
Therefore this book and others like it serve as kindling, inflaming the passions of those of us that believe Dubya is, at best, a study in mediocrity. It reinforces our incredulity that this man was re-elected. I don't know about others, but it makes be mad at the voters that voted, with whatever stupid reason in mind, for Bush. I can truthfully say, not a day goes by that I haven't marveled at the fact that this man is our President.
The Iraq War – A forty Day Party
As a former Reagan Republican, I cannot help but be severely disappointed by the level of incompetence of the present administration. However, it appears there is still a good deal of support among so-called Bush loyalists, a fact that amazes me. Either they are ignoring the mountain of evidence of malfeasance that has been accruing or they pay no attention to the country's current military and financial situation. Therefore, I will occasionally post a review of one of the many books that chronicle the run-up to and the prosecution of the Iraq War. These are not Left-wing books of anti-Bush propaganda but books written by thoughtful writers, whose only purpose is to present the facts. And to any that bother to read the facts, they are disturbing.
Here is the first review,
COBRA II by Michael Gordon and General Bernard E. Trainor
The Bottom Line:
Cobra II provides a good account of the thinking and non-thinking that propelled us into this never-ending war.
While reading Cobra II – when I wasn't simmering – I got the impression that the strongest military in the world was being controlled and misused by a modern day version of the Keystone Kops. Not that I'm surprised. I and two thirds of the country (God help the other third) knew something was amiss, but many of the things I suspected were laid out in glaring fashion in this interesting text.
It's like President "What me worry?" was having his arm twisted by Vice President "Darth Vader" undersecretary Darth Maul (Wolfowitz) to throw a forty day party in Baghdad. That's right the war that has outlasted both World War I and the Korean War and is fast approaching World War II (It has now surpassed it) was expected to be a thirty to fifty day party and then we all go home with smiles on our faces. Perhaps it would have, except for two things.
First, our Defense Secretary, decided he knew more than all his generals combined. He threw out ten years of military planning for the invasion of Iraq, and proceeded to badger his generals to keep reducing planned invasion troop levels to a number he liked. I guess the secretary is into numerology. The number the generals started with was 380,000. The number the S.O.D. accepted was 140,000 – just enough to get us into Baghdad but not enough to get home.
The second thing, which some knowledgeable people foresaw, but not the myopic administration, was that the party might get crashed by some unwanted guests. Who you ask? Why, a bunch of young hot heads driving Toyotas, some wearing towels over the faces, some carrying funny objects on their shoulders or weapons in their arms and all looking for trouble. The first fatality of the war was caused, not by an Iraqi soldier but, a group of these hot heads in a Toyota Pick-up.
Commanders on the ground noticed this effective, unforeseen adversary, utilizing hit and run guerilla tactics and wanted to confront them, but the bigwigs in Cent Com ordered them to bypass these future insurgents and head straight to Baghdad, do not pass Go. Apparently they felt that once Baghdad fell everything. would fall into place. What they got when they took Baghdad was widespread looting. The authors Michael Gordon and General Bernard Trainor go on to speculate that the fediyeen, which the army was ordered to ignore and bypass on the way to Baghdad, became the backbone for the strong insurgency we now face.
Liberal, Conservative, independent – Right wing, Left wing, it doesn't matter, reading this book will upset you. The book is not a liberal rag. It does not have a political bias, unless you consider a bias toward incompetence political. It just lays out the facts, often in minute detail. That, in fact is one of the books weaknesses. Cobra II reads like a play by play description of the war to date from the rationale though the planning to the prosecution of the war, with it's attendant mis-steps. The prosecution portion of the war takes up at least two thirds of the book and unless you are a war junkie and despite some interesting parts begins, after awhile, to all sound the same.
The parts of the book I found most interesting were the initial planning stages and those portions dealing with the dissension that developed between Rumsfeld and Franks and later the turmoil between Franks and the generals in the field. The authors also point out how many of the problems that developed in the initial occupation of Baghdad and the aftermath were anticipated by various sources with suggestions, but were discounted or ignored by the administration. In short, the administration didn't want to hear anything that might disrupt their vision of a forty day party.
Unfortunately the book only takes us through the war itself and the stirrings of the nascent insurgency. Three years later we are seeing what almost everyone agrees is a low grade civil war, verging on civil war.
Author's Note; This review was written over a year ago. I would say things are pretty much the same, wouldn't you?
Turning Victory into Defeat
If you haven't lost confidence in our Pretender in Chief, then shame on you. You took your eye off the President, while he took his eye off the terrorists.
Since the atrocity of 9/11, rightly or wrongly, a majority of Americans assumed that Republicans would be more effective than Democrats in the struggle against radical Islam and the attendant terrorist threat. This even though Democratic Presidents led us to victory in both World Wars.
As a Reagan Republican I wish it were so, but I, unlike so many other Republicans, no longer think so and the reason is because of the of the ineptitude of the leader of the party – the President, his hand picked Vice President and the Cabinet.
Republican lawmakers are complicit with the Bush administration in a dismal history of mis-adventure, misjudgments, misrepresentations, mischief, misbranding, misallocation, miscalculation, mismanagement, misplanning and of course, mistake after mistake.
And now the administration's only bonafide success – the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan – is beginning to unravel with the recent strong resurgence of the Taliban. Thanks to the distraction of Iraqi malfeasance, the Taliban, who actually sheltered Osama bin Laden, have had over three years to reconstitute itself.
If a football coach or a baseball manager were to have such a miserable record, they wouldn't be surprised to be replaced but what do you do with a president.
Looking back, I don't know how anyone could think the Bush policy of error can make us safer. Can Bush ruin our country? I wouldn't bet against it.
Vote Republican at your own risk.
Career Oppurtunities
Help Wanted:
Urgent; young men needed immediately to fill recent vacancies. Opportunity for education and advancement based upon ability to lead while blindly following orders. Travel around the world, admiring sights of the civilization you are committed to destroy. Meet and live among interesting people whom you despise for their dissimilarity and may be forced to kill. Learn to work with other equally committed individuals to further honorable goals. Make your family proud by killing and maiming hundreds maybe thousands and if you die, be honored as a revered Martyr. Learn to despise mainstream Muslims for their weakness and timidity.
Job security; for life or until killed.
Income; Living expenses plus little or no salary.
Health care; You're on your own.
Life Insurance; as a martyr, you will go straight to Heaven, do not pass GO.
Education; In one of our vacation camps, you will learn how to make bombs, kill other humans silently, how to use the weapons of the West against them and become pious.
Advancement; likely as confederates become incapacitated
Fame; See your name in print or mentioned on the air.(If you're alive)
Must be Muslim (Arabs preferred).
Must be willing to relocate.
Must swear unquestioned fealty to your leader.
Must abandon your humanity, if you have it
Must be willing to tear down of destroy a millennium of human accomplishments.
Must never question the wisdom of your orders, even if it includes sacrificing your life.
Must embrace terrorism and chaos to further our nebulous agenda–the right to kill indiscriminately.
Must hate entrenched Muslim Heads of State and their infidel backers.
Must hate progress, especially of Western origin.
Must blame Western Civilization for the plight and stagnation of Islamic society.
Must hate all secular societies and proponents of such.
Must hate all pretentious non Islamic religions even if they worship the same God.
Must hate, Must hate, Must hate, Must hate, Must hate, Hate,
Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate.
Apply to Usama bin Laden c/o Al Qaeda, General Delivery Peshawar, Pakistan.
On a Lighter note: Here's a funny from one of my favorites, Rodney Dangerfield.
This girl I know calls me up and says, "Nobody's home. C'mon over." So I go over and… nobody is home. LMAO
Do You Feel Safer?
The Bottom Line I say Bush has made us less safe by morphing young Muslim hot heads into terrorists. What do you think?
The big discussion these days, just prior to the midterm election seems to be whether we are safer or less safe than we were after 9/11.
I'm confused about that myself so I've decided to take a poll.
Here are a dozen multiple choice questions to show what we think..
President Bush's pre-emptive war on Iraq has made –
a. U.S. citizens safer
b. Iraqi citizens safer
c. American servicemen safer
d. Osama bin Laden safer
President Bush and Republican claim that the Democrats don't have the stomach to fight terrorism. Is that –
a. A known known
b. A known unknown
c. An unknown known
d. Partisan bullsh*t
The Democratic response to this is that President Bush and his advisors don't have the brains to fight terrorism. Is that –
a. Partisan bullsh*t
b. A chip off the ole block
c. Hard work
d. A known known
Weapons of mass destruction were not found in Iraq because –
a. They're there – buried in the desert
b. The Iraqi people were so hungry, they ate them
c. The intelligence was taken out of a comic book.
d. They was fooled
The intelligence used to justify the war was flawed because –
a. Clinton didn't do enough to catch Osama bin Laden
b. Richard Clarke was a traitor
c. Saddam Hussein started a disinformation campaign
d. They picked only the intelligence backed their position.
The real reason the Bush cabal pushed for war in Iraq was –
a. Although they couldn't prove it, they knew Hussein was behind 9/11
b. Rumsfeld was real good at playing Risk. Monopoly too! (but not sorry)
c. Cheney decided that he missed something in the Viet Nam experience after all.
d. The butt of jokes in West Texas for years, Bush wanted to show everybody he could really find oil.
If you had an emergency, like your house was about to flood from a hurricane or something. You would call –
a. George W. Bush
b. The Ghostbusters
c. Osama bin Laden
d. Your insurance agent
Democrats and some Republicans say the administration fixed the intelligence to make the case for war. You think.
a. It's partisan bullsh*t
b. The end justifies the means
c. Democrats can't take a joke
d. We should impeach the bastard
Six Generals who had served in Iraq, recently said Rumsfeld has mismanaged the war and should go. You think
a. Everybody is entitled to a booboo or fifty (look at the President)
b. Rummy is no dummy. He just acts like it
c. He gives the most interesting press conferences since Baghdad Bob
d. Put him in charge of security for Darth Cheney.
President Bush keeps saying we are fighting the terrorists in Iraq so we don't have to fight them here. You think.
a. No attacks in five years – good job George.
b. The big ones take time
c. Can't you just picture George decapitating a terrorist with his golf club.
d. At the rate we're going we won't have an army to fight them over there.
The Bush administration has recently been accused of portraying a rosier picture in Iraq than the reality. You think.
a. The Iraqis are cry babies
b. Wouldn't you
c. I like roses
d. Saddam is looking better and better
President Bush, Vice Pres, Cheney and Sec of State Rice have all said, Knowing what they know now they would still attack Iraq. You think.
a. I told you they were tough.
b. They're all nuttier than a fruitcake
c. Has there ever been a military coup in the U.S.?
d. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.
Okay. That completes the poll. Total up your answers allowing one point for an a. answer, two for b., three for c and four for d, total up you answers and look below for the results.
Twelve to fifteen points – You are a true believer. Report for duty in Iraq immediately for adventure Bush style.
Sixteen to twenty-six points – You are an independent person but not too bright and not too safe.
Twenty-seven to thirty-eight points – You are not too bright. Have you thought of running for President.
Thirty-nine points to forty-eight points – You didn't vote for Bush. Did you?
George Whopper Bush,
The forty-third President of the United States is George W. Bush. Many citizens think the middle initial stands for Walker after his maternal Grandfather, as in George Walker Bush. However, I postulate that another middle name fits reality better. In my opinion W. really stands for Whopper as in George Whopper Bush. Whopper as I shall call him from here out has spun some dandies. Perhaps you are not aware of this, preferring to believe Whopper instead of your lying ears and eyes. If so, I have some gold mine stock I'd like to unl…er discuss with you.
I have taken the time to edify you to some of the Whopprisms we all have been subjected to, yet you may not be aware of.
Since the buck stops in the Oval office, I have included some of the blatant Whoppers that have been foisted upon us by his so-called advisors.
George Whopper Bush top forty-three Whoppers. (In no particular order)
1. We'll get Osama bin Laden, dead or alive.
2. Iraq is the center in the War on Terror.
3. Brownie. You're doing a hell of a job.
4. We're fighting them there so we don't have to fight them here.
5. Oil revenues will pay for the Iraqi war
6. Mission accomplished.
7. I'm not into nation building.
8. We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.
9. Saddam Hussein tried to obtain uranium from Niger.
10. Aluminum tubes the Iraqis have obtained can only be used for nuclear centrifuges.
11. You go to war with the army you have, not the one you'd like to have.
12. Muhammad Atta met an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague
13. Iraq is known to have weapons of mass destruction.
14. We will be greeted in Iraq as liberators.
15. The damage that Katrina inflicted on New Orleans was unexpected.
16. We went into Iraq to build a democracy in the Middle East
17. Islam is a peaceful religion.
18. Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11
19. Iraq was a sponsor of Terror.
20. Abu Musab Zarqawri was an agent of Al Qaeda (not at first)
21. Iraq is a terrorist haven (now it is.)
22. We're not facing an insurgency.
23. A few dead enders.
24. We give our military all the troops they ask for.
25. Things are not as bad in Iraq as they appear (one of those lying eyes things)
26. Today marks the end of hostilities. (over three years ago)
27. We have a plan.
28. Osama bin Laden is now insignificant.
29. We will stand down when they stand up.
30. The insurgency is in its last throes.
31. The insurgency should slow down now that Iraq has a freely elected government.
32. The insurgency should slow down now that they have a constitution.
33. The insurgency should slow down now that they have an interim government.
34. The insurgency should slow down now that Zarqawri is dead.
35. The insurgency should slow down now that Hussein is in custody.
36. Over 200,000 Iraqi troops are now trained.
37. There is no civil war in Iraq.
38. We should be out of Iraq in six months.
39. We went with the best intelligence we had. (should've said we could pick)
40. Congress had the same information we had.
41. We gave the UN all the time we could.
42. The war in Iraq did not distract us from the war on Terror.
43. We didn 't start planning the invasion of Iraq until after 9/11.
Bonus Lie: I finished my tour with the Air National Guard.
Extra Big Lie: I would still go into Iraq, knowing what I know now.
Wow, all them Whoppers, sure made me hungry. I think I'll go to Burger King.
The News Keeps Getting Worse and Worse.
Dateline April 9, 2012, Baghdad, Iraq
"There is lots of news to report today but first we take you now to Beverly Watson in Baghdad where a bold new terrorist event is unfolding. Beverly?"
"Thank you Brian."
"Starting at two PM Baghdad time, three car bombs were detonated simultaneously this morning in the middle of a celebration of the eighth anniversary of the fall of the Statue of Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad. As police and paramedics approached the scenes of the explosions, rocket propelled grenades were launched at their vehicles destroying them and killing or wounding scores more. Shortly afterwards, as if on cue, rooftop insurgents started raking the remaining bystanders with automatic rifle fire killing or wounding hundreds more and herding the onlookers to a portion of the square where four more bombs went off."
"At this point no one has been able get to the dead and wounded to provide medical treatment or to assess the damage. Iraqi troops were sent in to confront the insurgents, but have been pinned down. Both the Iraqi soldiers and the insurgents have been taking heavy casualties. Coalition troops with heavy equipment including tanks are en-route to assist the bogged down Iraqis."
"Of the estimated twenty-five thousand celebrants, it is feared that as many as two thousand may be dead or wounded. That would make this the third largest onslaught of Iraqi civilians since the war began. These casualties are eclipsed only by the three thousand killed and seven thousand wounded in the Baghdad soccer stadium. That was shortly before the mysterious helicopter crash which killed the President and two members of the Cabinet on their flight back from Camp David in 2008. Then there was the twenty-five thousand killed and wounded in the clash between Sunni an Shiite militias which set off the Civil War in the summer of 2007.That was shortly after then Vice President Cheney's visit and speech to the Iraqi people after and in conjunction with the execution of Saddam Hussein and six of his most vicious henchmen."
"Back to you Brian."
"One Question, Beverly. Do you have any idea who or what is behind this attack?"
"No Brian, at this time no one has claimed responsibility but because it occurred during a celebration for the toppling of Saddam Hussein, it is suspected that it was the work of Ba'ath terrorists but with over two hundred active terrorist organizations, no one will know unless one of them claims responsibility."
"Thank you Beverly."
"To recap America's longest declared war, it is entering it's ninety seventh month (longer than all three declared wars in the Twentieth Century together) and to date has cost America the sum of two trillion dollars, equivalent to $60,000 per American or a quarter million for a family of four. Estimated Iraqi casualties in this this ongoing eight year war and the associated civil war are estimated to be about two million with a half million dead, about twice what Hussein was alleged to have butchered. Coalition casualties exceed sixty thousand with about twenty thousand dead, mostly American."
"On an unrelated matter, we now take you to Bill Thomas in Caracas, Venezuela?"
"Venezuela has announced that, with the assistance of Iran and North Korea, it now has a nuclear bomb, joining them, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and South Africa as newest members of the Nuclear Club."
"President Hillary Clinton has been in contact with the Venezuelan President For Life, Hugo Chavez urging him to reconsider, promising substantial foreign aid and further promising to buy Venezuelan crude at two dollars a barrel over the international average price, which is currently a record one hundred and twenty-four dollars a barrel."
"The Governors of our fifty-first state, Puerto Rico and fifty-second state Cuba as well as our President have also lodged protests with Venezuela over their alleged underground nuclear test on an uninhabited island off the coast of Venezuela, which the Venezuelans claim was nothing more than an earthquake."
"Back to you Brian."
"Bill you spoken with President Chavez. Did he give you any idea why his country is going the nuclear route?"
"Yes Brian, he did. He claims the reason is self defense and the country started working on nuclear weapons after the late President Bush had added Venezuela to his Axis of Evil in his 2007 State of the Union address. He said and I quote, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder and so is evil". He goes on to point out the only member of that dubious list that has been invaded, is Iraq, which didn't possess a nuclear deterrent and claims if we hadn't been bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, we would have attacked Venezuela."
"Thank You Bill."
"Meanwhile, Secretary of State, Obama has been in contact with the mayors of Cleveland, St Louis and Miami where the ongoing riots seem to be petering out. The riots are still going strong in Philadelphia and Gary, Indiana. On the international scene new riots have started in Karachi, Pakistan and Birmingham, England while the violence has finally subsided in Paris where a terrorist plane had knocked off the top third of the Eiffel Tower, causing several hundred deaths last month."
"When we return, we will discuss whether the reconstituted draft or the astronomical price of gas and oil which reached as high as $8.79 per gallon, precipitated the riots and what the present administration is prepared to do about the ongoing environmental problems, with the Secretary Obama."
OF COURSE IT'S FICTION, like I had to tell you that, but really, so has what the present administration has been force feeding us since 9/11. Fictional rational to go to war. Inadequate planning, Totally underestimation of the enemy. No exit strategy. Stationing only enough troops to perpetuate a stalemate. Continuously overlooking all the bad news to point out the paltry good news. 3,000 plus dead since the declared end of hostilities.
Regarding my scenario, let's hope nothing like this ever happens. Impossible you say? I say improbable but not impossible. Prepare for the long long,long haul, unless the new congress throws up their collective hands and says Enough!
I posted this for the first time over two years ago. I suppose it's safe to say that this fictional scenario is closer to reality than the the crazy upbeat ravings of Administration officials.


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Tracing Photo In Adobe Illustrator
With the introduction of Illustrator 7 in 1997, Adobe made critical changes in the user interface with regard to path editing (and also to converge on the same user.
Adobe Photoshop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop CC running on Windows.
Developer(s)Adobe Systems. Initial release. 19 February 1. Stable release. CC 2. Since then, it has become the de facto industry standard in raster graphics editing, such that the word . It can edit and compose raster images in multiple layers and supports masks, alpha compositing and several color models including RGB, CMYK, Lab color space, spot color and duotone.
Photoshop has vast support for graphic file formats but also uses its own PSD and PSB file formats which support all the aforementioned features. In addition to raster graphics, it has limited abilities to edit or render text, vector graphics (especially through clipping path), 3.
D graphics and video. Photoshop's featureset can be expanded by Photoshop plug- ins, programs developed and distributed independently of Photoshop that can run inside it and offer new or enhanced features.
Today I will try to analyze the most important of new features of Adobe Illustrator CS6, and will review the other less significant, in my opinion, improvements. Adobe Illustrator CS6 is a powerful vector drawing tool that includes everything you'll need for design, web and video projects. One major headline this time is the.
By means of these visual examples and exhaustive explanations you will discover the shortest way of reaching your creative goals, using Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Systems for Mac OS and Windows. Photoshop was created in 1988 by Thomas and John Knoll. You're here > Home > Tutorials > Adobe Illustrator; Adobe Illustrator tutorial: Create vector halftone effects One of the hardest things to accomplish in vector.
Photoshop's naming scheme was initially based on version numbers. However, in October 2. Creative Suite branding, each new version of Photoshop was designated with . Photoshop CS3 through CS6 were also distributed in two different editions: Standard and Extended. In June 2. 01. 3, with the introduction of Creative Cloud branding, Photoshop's licensing scheme was changed to that of software as a service rental model and the . Historically, Photoshop was bundled with additional software such as Adobe Image. Ready, Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Bridge, Adobe Device Central and Adobe Camera RAW.
Alongside Photoshop, Adobe also develops and publishes Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, Photoshop Express and Photoshop Touch. Collectively, they are branded as . It is currently a licensed software. Early history. Thomas Knoll, a Ph.
Discover how to trace artwork in Adobe Illustrator and convert raster graphics into vector form. This course shows how to perform auto tracing with the Image Trace. Popular Alternatives to Adobe Illustrator CC for Windows, Mac, Linux, Web / Cloud, iPad and more. Explore 53 apps like Adobe Illustrator CC, all suggested. Article Description Brian Wood, contributor to Adobe Illustrator CS6 Classroom in a Book, demonstrates how to trace raster images like the pros by using the Image.
D student at the University of Michigan, began writing a program on his Macintosh Plus to display grayscale images on a monochrome display. This program, called Display, caught the attention of his brother John Knoll, an Industrial Light & Magic employee, who recommended that Thomas turn it into a full- fledged image editing program. Thomas took a six- month break from his studies in 1. Thomas renamed the program Image.
Pro, but the name was already taken. Both showings were successful, and Adobe decided to purchase the license to distribute in September 1. Photoshop 1. 0 was released on 1. February 1. 99. 0 for Macintosh exclusively.
The handling of color slowly improved with each release from Adobe and Photoshop quickly became the industry standard in digital color editing. At the time Photoshop 1.
Sci. Tex, cost around $3. These include layers with masks, transparency, text, alpha channels and spot colours, clipping paths, and duotone settings. This is in contrast to many other file formats (e. JPG or . GIF) that restrict content to provide streamlined, predictable functionality. A PSD file has a maximum height and width of 3.
Gigabytes. Photoshop files sometimes have the file extension . PSB, which stands for . A PSB file extends the PSD file format, increasing the maximum height and width to 3. Exabytes. The dimension limit was apparently chosen arbitrarily by Adobe, not based on computer arithmetic constraints (it is not close to a power of two, as is 3. PSD and PSB formats are documented.
The . PSD file format can be exported to and from Adobe's other apps like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro, and After Effects, to make professional standard DVDs and provide non- linear editing and special effects services, such as backgrounds, textures, and so on, for television, film, and the Internet. Photoshop's primary strength is as a pixel- based image editor, unlike vector- based image editors. Photoshop also enables vector graphics editing through its Paths, Pen tools, Shape tools, Shape Layers, Type tools, Import command, and Smart Object functions.
These tools and commands are convenient to combine pixel- based and vector- based images in one Photoshop document, because it may not be necessary to use more than one program. To create very complex vector graphics with numerous shapes and colors, it may be easier to use software that was created primarily for that purpose, such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel. DRAW. Photoshop's non- destructive Smart Objects can also import complex vector shapes. Adobe creates some plugins, such as Adobe Camera Raw, but third- party companies develop most plugins, according to Adobe's specifications.
Some are free and some are commercial software.
Tracing Artwork with Illustrator- . My name is Justin Seeley,and I'm a staff author here at Lynda. I want to welcome you to this course on.
Tracing Artwork with Adobe Illustrator. Tracing artwork is an essential partof any designer's workflow. We're going to start off with somecore tracing concepts wherein I help youset your expectations for what.
Illustrator's actually capable of,and I'll walk you through some of the mostcommon tracing scenarios that you might encounterin the real world as well. From there, I'll walk you through my personal workflowswhen it comes to cleaning up your raster graphicsfor better tracing results,and scanning original artworkand getting it into Adobe Illustrator. Next up, we'll dive into using Illustrator's. Image Trace feature, and also show youhow to finalize those tracingsand turn pixels into live, editable pads. We'll turn a sketch into vector artwork from scratch. We'll also build a logo from a photographand we'll create a pop art- style poster.
By the end of this course,you should have all the information you needto recreate almost any piece of artworkthat's put in front of you. Let's jump right in and begin this courseon Tracing Artwork with Adobe Illustrator.
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Image Trace in Illustrator — a Tutorial and Guide « Adobe Illustrator blog. Image Trace in Adobe Illustrator lets you convert raster images to editable vectors using a new tracing engine introduced in Illustrator CS6. With this fresh approach to tracing, you can quickly get premium results with image sensing that automatically applies the most appropriate tracing preset.
And you still have full control to finesse your tracing with an Image Trace panel that presents all options in one place. If you're familiar with the old Live Trace feature, you'll find the new interface more intuitive and interactive.
You also get cleaner lines, more accurate fitting, better color recognition, and more reliable results thanks to the refined technology. Introduction. Image Trace replaces the Live Trace feature in previous versions of Illustrator. Both Image Trace and Live Trace convert images to vectors (editable line art) and feature presets for easily creating various effects. Beyond the presets in the new Image Trace, you will find that the sliders and check boxes are different from those in Live Trace, both in quantity and often in purpose.
And Image Trace produces far better results, more quickly, using intuitive, easy controls. No more struggling with complex options. This tutorial and guide covers how to use most of the new sliders and checkboxes, and includes a brief overview of the presets.
Discover the ease of use of Image Trace by exploring these sections: Part 1: Orientation: Anatomy of the Image Trace panel. Presets. View. Mode. Palette. Colors. Part 2: Overview: Quick start- to- finish trace using presets. Place an image. Choose among presets.
Expand the tracing Part 3: In Depth: Colors with palette selection. Limited palette. Full Tone palette. Automatic palette. Document Library palette.
Mode menu Part 4: In Depth: Assigning pixels to shapes. Pixel assignment.
Noise slider. Strokes and Fills Part 5: In Depth: Precise paths with curve fitting. The Paths slider. The Corners slider. The Snap to Lines checkbox.
Abutting versus Overlapping paths Part 6: Wrapping up. Part 1: Orientation: Anatomy of the Image Trace panel. Here is a brief tour of the Image Trace panel. Begin by creating a new document in Illustrator. Switch to the Tracing workspace so that you can see the Image Trace and other relevant panels. Place an image for tracing into your Illustrator artboard. When the image is selected, you can see that the options in the Image Trace panel become available.
At the top of the panel are the basic options; you can expose additional options by turning the triangle next to the Advanced label. The Tracing workspace opens the Image Trace panel and others particularly useful for tracing.
Presets. The icons located across the top of the panel are shortcuts named according to popular workflows. Choosing one of these will set all the variables needed to produce that related tracing result. Additional presets are accessible in the top drop- down menu. View. Beneath the Presets menu is the View drop- down menu. This controls what you see after tracing.
Mode. The Mode drop- down menu provides choices that define basic color versus grayscale modes for your traced artwork. Palette. The Palette menu determines how colors will be chosen for the output artwork. These important options will be discussed in detail later in this document, but for now here are brief descriptions: Automatic—automatically switches between limited palette and full tone for the tracing, depending on the input image.
Limited—uses a small set of colors for the tracing palette. Full Tone—best for photos, creates photorealistic artwork. Document Library—uses an existing color group for the tracing palette. Colors. The Colors slider generates slightly different results depending on the value selected for Mode, but in all cases the traced artwork gets more complicated as the slider is moved from left to right. Part 2: Overview: Quick start- to- finish trace using presets. Here is a quick way to achieve a great tracing by taking advantage of the presets in Image Trace.
Place an image. In the previous section of this tutorial you may have already completed this step, but to get started, create a new document in Illustrator and place the image that you wish to trace in the document. Select the image and check that the Image Trace panel is showing. Choose among presets.
Adobe Illustrator tutorial: Create stylish vector portraits from a photo. In this tutorial, Eelco van den Berg lets you behind the curtain to see how he creates his incredible vector portraits by turning a photo into a . He shows you how to trace the basic shapes using the main tools in Illustrator, and how to use layers to organise the photos and your new vector artwork. You will discover how to create the feeling of light and shadow, build a simple brush to work with and use the Pen tool for more geometrical shapes. You'll also discover the possibilities of the Pathfinder tool, and how to draw with the brush to create a looser feel.
We'll also show you how to play around with elements of the portrait to build up the background and how to use a simple raster to give it some texture. Time to complete. Software. Adobe Photoshop CS3 or higher, Adobe Illustrator CS3 or higher. Project Files. Login / Signup here to download this tutorial's project files (it's free!).

subset: commoncrawl


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- Supposed to give 12 hrs matte yet luminous finish. I would say it provides a slightly dewy finish but doesn't quite last the 12 hours stated. It was good for about 8 hrs on my normal/combo skin.
- feels soft and lightweight on skin and gives a silky velvety texture.
- acts as a primer and foundation with its volatile oils spheres that helps to stabilise the foundation on application.
- The soufflé texture have a balling up feeling before melting and then blending into skin, something that I don't dig.
- I found it hard to spread with fingers even though it is supposed to melt on finger, buffer brushes seem to work better with this product.
- gave small smoothing and pore erasing effect for me. It did not accentuate it either.
- light coverage which can isn't too buildable. It provides inadequate coverage for those us with more problems than just skintone unevenness.
- limited colour range - only 6 colours are available in Australia but they are forgiving colours due to their sheerness and blends into skin and provides a decent colour match (slightly pink on my skin).
- did not really help with shine control as marketed
- jar packaging with screw top lid can become quite un-hygienic after use, pumps or tubes for me please.
|shade 230 Golden Honey on NC30 skin
Final thoughts
I prefer cream or liquid foundations which gives more coverage. Those blessed with naturally flawless skin will love its lightweight and silky texture and the primer & foundation-in-one formula.
Rating: 6.5/10 RRP A$34.95


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I had a half a head of cabbage in my fridge that needed to be used up, but we don't eat a lot of cabbage. I decided to freeze it and bag it in snack sized bags so that I can pull a small amount out to add to a soup when needed. I think it's the perfect way to not waste the cabbage, thus not wasting money, and a great healthy addition to soup!
I filled a pot with water and allowed it to come to a boil. I then added the shredded up cabbage and let it blanch for 2 minutes (cook at a boil). After the two minutes were up I took the pan off the burner, drained the cabbage and cooled it all off with a cold water bath. Let it set a few minutes longer to make sure it was cooled down. Then I put it in snack sized bags labeled cabbage and today's date. Stick in the freezer and when I make my family a pot of soup, I can add some cabbage to it!


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Posted by GameDemon in Amagami SS+ Plus | 1 Comment
Amagami SS+ Plus episode 06
Time flew by once again. Either that or the people behind the fansubs are getting a lot faster with their projects. I opened up my browser and saw four episodes lined up for me to watch, that's too much, even for me. I really do think it's too bad that there's no permanent schedule for these things, because that would make things a whole lot easier.
Anyway, Amagami SS Plus continues with Ai-chan doing her best at the school's Christmas festival. She seemed fine, but things when south as soon as she took a break. She kept thinking about Junichi and his exam-camp. What a way to ruin your own Christmas Eve, thinking about some guy that stupidly messed up his exams. Junichi better be worth it, or he'll have hell to pay!
Meanwhile Junichi actually tried his best at that strange camp of his. I really, really hope that those camps are just fictional, as I can't imagine people actually attending those things on Christmas Eve with such strict teachers guarding the place. Still, Junichi "escaped" the camp as soon as he finished his work for the day. The kid wanted to be with his girlfriend on Christmas Eve, can you blame the guy? What's worse is that those teachers of his actually came looking for him.
He didn't have to look very far, he found Ai as she was standing outside a shop looking at the toy that she was given the year before. That's where they took their relationship a little bit higher. The bought one another presents, did a sorts of fun stuff, and encountered several familiar faces. But it was not about other people, it was about them and them alone. They decided to go to a quiet place where they could "talk" things over.
Hehe, saddest thing is that with Junichi it really was just a "talk". It would mean something else entirely with your average guy. I mean, come on… it's Christmas Eve, they've been going out for some time, he blew his important camp to be with her, so just make the move already! But no, not Junichi, he plays everything slowly.
It was a pretty good episode, I for one enjoyed it. A lot of comedy, romance and it was a pretty nice ending. I wonder which one is next… come on Kaoru! In season one she was my favourite, so don't ruin her for me! But hell, with my luck she'll probably be last. I'll laugh if that actually happens, I really will.
You have a lot of interesting posts GameDemon. I think I might follow your work for a while.
And to answer you question: Yes, yes they do have special camps in Japan that help students with their education. Remember that Japan's educational system is a lot stricter than the ones we are used to.


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In a week, Vero has gone from obscurity to the hottest app in social media. But its rise in popularity has been matched by the shady business dealings of its founder.
Millennials found a new Instagram in an old app.
Photo-sharing app Vero — which was launched in 2015 by the billionaire Lebanese businessman Ayman Hariri — never really got going. That is until this week.
Out of the blue it shot to the top of Apple's US App Store rankings for free apps, and is sitting at number one on Google Play as well.
Vero became the flavour of the month, after years of anonymity, through the implementation of a US-focused advertising campaign targeting dissatisfied Instagram users.
It flaunted its algorithm-free chronological feed, and explained that unlike Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat, it prohibits advertising.
It also claimed to collect minimal data from its users, while giving them total control of their posts. They can turn followers off and on, and publish to one of four categories — close friends, friends, acquaintances, or anyone.
This paired with strategic brand ambassadors like Hollywood director Zack Snyder, photographer Greg Williams and musician Banks, saw the visual content platform go viral.
Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of digital agency VaynerMedia — who has 3 million followers on Instagram and a million Twitter — even signed up and suggested his employees download it.
What goes up…
Having experienced nothing like it before, the Vero team couldn't handle the influx of traffic.
The first million downloads are free, at which point newcomers will be charged to subscribe (there is talk it will be a few dollars a year). So, social media users were scrambling to beat the cut-off.
As a result, from February 21 the app has crashed regularly. There were also issues with registration and the language used in the company's terms of service.
Tweets along the lines of the one below were regularly trotted out, as complaints came in thick and fast.
Due to very large traffic, we're experiencing intermittent technical issues.
We're working to resolve them as soon as possible.
— Vero (@verotruesocial) February 24, 2018
People then began reading up on Vero's founder Ayman Hariri and were alarmed to learn that the family construction firm Saudi Oger made headlines in 2016 for refusing to pay thousands of its migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, and cutting off food, water and electricity in the labour camps.
His father — five-term former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri — founded the company, and it had fallen to Ayman and Saad (also a former Lebanese PM) to lead after his assassination in 2005.
welp Vero was fun until i realized their CEO stopped paying salaries to 9,000 Filipino workers at his previous construction company rendering them essentially homeless and reliant on food donations. peace ✌🏼
— tyler hansen (@_heyheytyler) February 27, 2018
The social media outcry over both the alleged human rights offences, and the app's practical flaws, saw Mashable just hours ago, publish a 'how to delete your Vero account' article.
Despite its charge up the official rankings, on Apple's App Store it is currently rated a 2.1 out of 5 product from 2,800 reviews, and on Google Play it has a score of 2.5 out 5 after 12,000 respondents weighed-in.
But with the momentum the app has at present, and the reasons for the interest in the first place, it is unlikely to fall off the map any time soon.
And as Hariri tells Mashable, Vero — which reportedly has about 30 employees scattered across Europe and the US — was built to be "the most sustainable [social media platform] emotionally".
"Vero is a social network that lets you share the things that you love from TV shows, to movies, to books, to photos, stuff that you find online with whoever you want. It's really built to mimic real world interactions between people," he said.
"The greatest social network is the one that interacts between people. We're trying to create one that is the most natural. That is the most sustainable emotionally."


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I feel like I've abandoned this blog. Have not had time to update it at all due to school and work.
For sure I will start updating it more often as soon as I can.
In the mean time you can find me on:
Instagram: raulisnotcool
Tumblr: http://raulisnotcool.tumblr.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/raulisnotcool


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The view from my couch
Fox Coverage of Aaron's 499 from Talladega
This broadcast showed improvement on the part of Fox in some areas, but in other areas, there seemed to be some backsliding. One positive thing was that I noticed Mike Joy trying to keep the viewers at home up-to-date on the status of cars coming back on the track after being involved in the early wreck. This was a significant improvement over recent weeks and I really appreciated it. Unfortunately, as usual, Fox did not actually show very many of the cars outside the "lead pack" all day long. Also, after several weeks of really good commercial spacing, Fox chose some very poor times to inundate the viewers with a lot of commercials during this race.
The Pre-Race Show
I'm not really sure why the powers that be in the Fox corporate office decided they needed an hour long pre-race show for Talladega. This is simply too long. But then again, it was sponsored by Pepsi, so maybe they decided how long to make the show. I noticed after the command to start engines and the cars going out on the track, Fox filled the period between 12:50 and 1:00 with nothing but commercials. Perhaps this is Fox' way to draw out the anticipation for the race, but frankly, I was really bored by this time. During the pre-race show, Chris Meyers started a discussion about the smaller fuel cells being used at Talladega. Darrell Waltrip spoke out and said he was against them because he felt they put too much emphasis on pit-stops and he felt the race should be won on the track not in the pits. I thought this was very good. There was also a history of how the restrictor plates came into use because of Bobby Allison's accident here in 1987. Larry McReynolds did a nice feature about the first time he came to Talladega in 1973, as an Alabama native, and his start as a crew chief in the local area. Jeff Hammond did his usual excellent job in using the Cutaway Car to illustrate what caused David Green's car to be disqualified after qualifying on Friday. There was a long feature on Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with comments by many of his fellow drivers. The pre-race show ended with a terrible rendition of Sweet Home Alabama. I'm not sure who the female was doing the singing, but Fox would have done a better job using the original version done by Lynard Skynard.
The Race
As I said earlier, there was a huge block of commercials before the booth announcers came on and the starting grid was shown. Included in this was a canned promo by the owners of Aaron's, which set the tone for the day - way too many Aaron's commercials and way too much of Michael Waltrip on each one of them. At 1:00, Mike Joy told the viewers that NASCAR had moved the start of the race because of the threat of storms in the Talladega area. After a one hour pre-race show, NASCAR was going to make the fans wait even longer for the start of the race? Fox showed the starting grid quickly and the announcers didn't even run down the names at all. Maybe I'm strange, but I have a hard time concentrating on the grid when the guys in the booth are jabbering about something else.
Unfortunately as much as Fox talks about and seems to anticipate "The Big One," they didn't seem prepared for it to happen so early into the race. Yes, we had the usual excellent and numerous replays, but it bothered me that no one assured the viewers at home that all of the drivers were okay. Johnny Benson appeared to take a hard hit into the wall and no one ever mentioned him at all. It seemed like Fox spent an inordinate amount of time showing replays over and over again, and telling us how many cars were involved in "The Big One." So much so, that they never told the viewers about pitstops during the resulting caution. Going to or returning from each commercial, they showed a graphic of the top five. First it showed Robby Gordon in fifth place and the next time in second of third, so it seemed obviously some cars were pitting. In the meantime, Chris Meyers and the rest of the Fox team seemed to want to dwell on the sensationalism of the number of cars involved in the wreck. We got a graphic showing how this one rated against other major wrecks and Meyers seemed gleeful when he told us that the count was now up to 27 cars involved, rather than just 26.
During this time, Larry did tell the views that at the caution speed of 70 miles per hour that it took the field almost three minutes to circle the track. I found this very interesting. There was also good use of the highlighted circle on one of the replays to show us exactly where Ryan Newman was when he started the incident. Jeanne Zelasko had interviews with some of the drivers involved. She asked another silly question of Jeff Green with, "What can make this better?". And for whatever reason, she just seems to rub Ryan Newman the wrong way. Just like after his crash at Daytona, her question of "How are you doing?" elicited another seeming sarcastic reply from the normally even-tempered young man. It really bothered me that driver, Jimmy Spencer, who was involved in the wreck was the first one to say he was glad everyone was okay. Watching a wreck like that at home, I know I'd have liked the announcers to tell us that, not one of the drivers. Getting the hint, Meyers did say something right after Spencer mentioned it. After neglecting to give us an update on pit stops during this extended caution, Fox also managed to miss the restart because they were at another commercial. I guess Aaron's wanted to make sure they got all their commercials in (more on this later). After the restart, we did get a couple of brief comments about pit stops from the pit reporters.
All day long when Fox used their ridiculous pointers, they seemed to never be pointing at the right cars. If the techies running these things can't keep up with the cars, why does Fox continue to insist on using them?
As I mentioned early, Mike Joy really seemed to make an effort to update us on cars involved in the wreck, when they returned to the track, how many laps they were down, and if they went behind the wall again. This began when the second caution (this one for debris) came out. During this time, Steve Byrnes gave an update on the overheating problems on Greg Biffle's car and the team continued to update the viewers on his problems throughout the day. Jeanne also had a good report on the problems with Steve Park's spoiler coming loose after damaged sustained in the earlier wreck. Mike told us that NASCAR would not allow Park to return to the race until the spoiler was fixed and that put him two laps down. During this caution, the producer showed us replays of several of the pit stops.
Throughout the day there were some excellent replays of crew communications between the drivers and their teams. The first of these was Jimmy Johnson asking his spotter to tell him where Jeff Gordon was so that he could draft with him. Another was when Kurt Busch was talking to his crew about overheating problems. The producer also did a good job keying the in-car communications immediately after Michael Waltrip spun. Later, there was a good sound bite when Elliott Sadler was asking his teammate, Dale Jarrett, where he could help him on the track.
After Waltrip's wreck, Jeff followed this up with an excellent analysis of what caused him to spin based on the replays. Steve reported on the damage to Mike Wallace's car after he was hit by Waltrip, including the fact that his battery was damaged. Later there was good coverage of the repairs made to Busch's car, including a shot of the tread coming off his tire as we went to the pits.
Mike asked if one make was better than another on gas mileage and Larry told us that the Dodges seemed to be getting a lot worse mileage than the other makes. He also said this was affecting the Chip Ganassi teams, including Sterling Marlin. Later Dick Berggren told the viewers when Marlin came in at the end of a caution to top off with fuel. He also explained that Marlin had been keying the radio once and accidently hit the kill switch on his car. Fox also told us which teams took two tires or fuel only during pit stops. Jeanne updated us on Ward Burton's problem with with a vibration and later we were told that it was because of heat cycles between two old and two new tires.
After the good commercial spacing the last few weeks, Fox really disappointed me today. Not only in the number of commercials around 4:00, but because the announcers didn't mention any of the on-track action that occurred while they were away. I couldn't take anymore Aaron's commercials and located a distant AM radio station. I was able to hear about the action going on while Fox was at commercial. During one of those times, there was a three-wide battle for the lead between Johnson, Gordon and Earnhardt. This was around lap 147. I know this because MRN actually told their listeners what lap they were running, not how many till the end of the race. The next time Fox went to commercial, Johnson got the lead from Earnhardt and lost it again. When Fox came back, they didn't even mention this and just started speculating about the next round of pit stops. I guess they figured since there was no net gain the viewers at home didn't need to know about it. This is sad.
Fox continues to promote it's tabloid-like nature, with a Virtual Crew Chief question asking "Who is NASCAR's Sexiest Driver?" Excuse me - what does this have to do with being a crew chief?
At the end of the race, when NASCAR made another controversial rule interpretation, I was surprised when DW spoke up and said he felt Earnhardt, Jr. went below yellow line. He even went so far as to point out that he should probably be black-flagged, but if NASCAR did penalize him, it would "be an unpopular move." Mike then told the viewers that NASCAR was reviewing the incident. After the race ended, Jeff Hammond explained that NASCAR had stated that after last weekend, if they were going to err, it would be in the driver's favor.
As I said earlier, this broadcast had some good points; however, some of the bad things seem to overshadow the positive strides that the announcers made this week. After nine straight weeks of watching the races on Fox, I could sure use a week off from the Fox hype, DW, endless commercials, and the pointers.
NOTE: The Couch Potato and I will be getting up off our couches this week to attend the races at Martinsville. We decided we deserve a break from TV and are looking forward to experiencing some great short track racing up close and personal at one of our favorite tracks. So there won't be any race reviews next weekend. The next Winston Cup review will be for the California race in two weeks. Please stay tuned for updates and bear with us. It always takes a few days to get back into the swing of things after enjoying a great weekend at the track!
You can send me email at .
Return to the mainspeedcouch.com page.


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Some Benefits of Enrolling in an Honor Society
Organizations which are formed so as to award excellence among the peers are called honor societies. The honor societies award peers who have excelled in different fields. For instance, the Order of the Arrow is an example of a non-academic honor society. You must pass in an exam or relevant area in order to become an honor society member. There are other honor societies which need one to first go through a certain program. So as to become an honor society member, you are supposed to have a high level of discipline. In order to differentiate between honor societies, different honor societies have different academic regalia and medal. If your son or daughter is in high school, college or university, you should advise him/her to join an honor society. The following are some benefits of joining an honor society.
Your C.V will be boosted after joining an honor society. A curriculum vitae is an important document in a job application. The C.V is also known as the resume. An employer will be happy to see you are or you were a member of an honor society and he/she may consider you for a job opportunity. As a proof of being a member of an honor society, you need to attach the honor society's certificates with the C.V
An honor society will enable you to gain more knowledge. In the honor society, you will meet new people who have excelled in different areas and you will be able to exchange information and ideas. The members of the honor society also come from various areas and races and therefore you will be able to learn the way of their living. When you are exchanging ideas and knowledge, you are not supposed to take what is wrong.
In order to feel like a champion, you need to join an honor society. In the honor society, you will be able to compete with the other members in various activities and you will be awarded if you are the winner. The awards you will get will offer you a feeling of accomplishment. Honor Society is an example of an honor society which will enable you to celebrate your success.
Honor societies enable there members to observe discipline. The rules and regulations of the honor society must be followed otherwise a member will be punished. The honor societies have produced law-abiding citizens.
Finally, an honor society offers you membership benefits. The advantages of being a member of an honor society are uncountable. For instance, many honor societies enable their members to get jobs and scholarships to study in outside countries. The honor society will also enable you to socialize with great people.
The 10 Commandments of Resources And How Learn More


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The book covers a wide range of topics— some in depth, some only a tantalizing glimpse of possibilities which therapists dream of succeeding at. This book is more than simply a concrete understandable application of Neuro-Linguistic Programming patterns to theory. Lankton's way of perceiving and expressing his experience of succeeding with Neuro-Linguistic Programming technology pulls at the edges and stretches the cool precise style of the structure of Magic and Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson series. The outcome is a happy event which therapists, novice or veteran, will find useful.
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"Sex His Way" started as a one-act play written, produced and directed by Lyn Richardson. It is a faith-based production that had its inspirational foundation from the scripture Romans 6:16. The show was first performed in 2011 at the Arizona Broadway Theater.
The play follows the lives of four women, Monica, Brandy, Stephanie and Elle. These four women are close friends who meet on a monthly basis to discuss topics of interest for women. This time of gathering is known as their "Monthly". This particular month, the women have decided to meet at their favorite, upscale restaurant to talk about the forbidden topic of SEX! As layers from each story unfolds, this jaw-dropping story is sure to leave you speechless. This production tackles real-life issues that many would not talk about within "the church". The show has comedy, drama, suspense and ministry.
In 2015, it was submitted and selected by the National Black Theater Festival in North Carolina as part of the Reader's Theater of New Works. From that experience, one of the actresses that was a reader for the performance, requested permission to perform the show as part of her final theater assignment at the "Senior Week of Plays" at Alabama State University. Lyn was an honored guest in the audience when the seniors performed the show to a standing-room only auditorium, filled to capacity with college students and adults. The feedback was overwhelming. In addition, one of the readers of the scripts from the selection committee also requested permission to do a reading of the one act play, for her theater company in South Carolina. They requested permission for 2015 and 2016 for AIDS Awareness month. It was from these experiences that Lyn realized something greater was happening.
In 2016, Lyn decided to make the one act play a full-length production, "Sex His Way – The Musical". It made its inaugural debut to a sold-out audience on November 16th at the Herberger Theatre Center. By popular demand, the show returned to the stage in April 2017, again to a sold-out audience at the Herberger Theatre. Due to the cliff hanger of the first show, Lyn begin to dive deeper into the stories and realized there is still more to be told. Many people were inquiring "When is part two?"
"Sex His Way 2" is now in production and the story picks up right where it left off. It answers many unanswered questions from the first installment and is also creating many more thought-provoking issues than before. "Sex His Way 2" will make its debut on April 14, 2018 at the Salvation Army's KROC Community Center. There will also be "Sex His Way 3 – The Final Chapter" in early 2019.
"Sex His Way" is show that captures the attention of not only women, but men as well. The diversity of the music and characters has something for everyone. It is relatable to real-life, modern day people who are trying to navigate their way through everyday trials. The show is somewhat interactive and makes the vibe more of an "experience" instead of simply "seeing a play". It is suitable for teenagers and adults. Demonstrating the results of careless decisions that we can often make, it is a show that anyone can connect with regardless of their religious background.
Lyn continues to receive testimonials from audience members about how the show has changed their lives. Four couples have gotten married (2) and engaged (2) after being inspired by the show. Many others have shared how the show has encouraged them to re-evaluate their own lives and decisions they are making.
Lyn's ultimate goal is to have a tour of the show, reaching people from around the world with this powerful message. She would also like to make the show a feature film one day.
Although "Sex His Way" is a faith-based production, it doesn't define the "HIS" in the title. Instead, it encourages people to look at themselves and determine who is the "His"…in THEIR lives. If you are looking for a feel good, fluffy, "everyone is perfect" type of show, "Sex His Way" is not it. But if you want to laugh, be challenged in your thinking, witness twist and turns that you never saw coming, and leave with a compelling question to examine yourself and your relationships with, this is the show for you!
Romans 6:16 teaches that Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)?
Who do YOU let dictate your actions? Is it God or is it Man?
About the writer:
Lyn Richardson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 15, her parents made the decision to move the family to Arizona, where she has resided for the past 32 years. She graduated from Moon Valley High School and attended Arizona State University for two years, before realizing she was not quite ready to pursue her college goal. Lyn then entered the work force, got married and started her family. Through many ups and downs, Lyn eventually found her niche in customer service healthcare. She had a love for helping people, which she would eventually come to realize was her ministry. She started as a customer service representative and worked her way up to management positions. She was a customer service manager, client liaison, provider services manager and a contracting negotiator. Lyn stayed in the healthcare field for 16 years.
Lyn was also very active in the local church. Her heart for worship soon led her to serve as a Worship Leader, as well as perform Christian comedy at church events. Lyn created the comedic, loveable character "Ms. Della". She performed original song parodies within her church and eventually began to get bookings for other churches and events. She also created full plays for the church with this character. The church is where Lyn began to dive back into her childhood dream of writing plays. In 2009, Lyn decided to step outside of her comedic character and write her first full-length musical entitled "The Choir". Although it was originally written to be performed in the church, the drama ministry dissolved and there she was with a play but no stage. With the help of a thespian friend, Lyn held a casting call and the show was performed to a sold-out crowd at the Arizona Broadway Theatre. After this inaugural show, Lyn knew without a doubt, what she was called to do. She took a giant leap of faith and left her well-paying corporate job to pursue ministry through the Arts full-time (which she continues to do to this day). Since then, Lyn has written, directed and produced six major play productions within the Valley. She also went back to college (Liberty University Online) and obtained her Bachelor's degree in Religion with an emphasis on Biblical and Theological Studies in 2016.
Lyn, and her husband Brian, created "Lyn Richardson Ministries" (formally Comical Blessings) to bring customized Christian entertainment to local events. She has established an expectation for audience members that come to the plays or request bookings. People know that it is always more than just a show and that ministry will be prominent. The shows are written with a comedic under-tone that soon turns into a powerful, life-changing message for all who attend. She was commissioned by the Arizona Black Theater Troupe to write a production for their 2013 theater schedule entitled "Tellin' It on the Mountain". Lyn's most recent production, "Sex His Way", has seen the most success as far as reach and impact. The one act version of this show was originally performed in 2011 at the Arizona Broadway Theatre. It was then selected by the National Black Theatre Festival for the Reader's Theater of New Works in 2015. It was performed for the "Senior's Week of Plays" at Alabama State University in 2016 and was selected by a Reader's Theater (New Life Productions, LLC) in South Carolina in 2015 and 2016 for AIDS Awareness Month. Lyn continues to enhance the message of this production, writing and producing "Sex His Way 2" which is scheduled to hit the stage on April 14, 2018. She was nominated for an AriZoni Award in 2014 for her writing of "Tellin' It on the Mountain". She is also an award-winning comedian.
Lyn is married to Brian Richardson. She has four children and three granddaughters. She still actively serves in the local church (Vertical Church Phoenix) as a Worship and Arts Pastor. Lyn will have her official ordination ceremony on April 29, 2018, where she will become an Ordained Pastor. Lyn gives all glory to God for the things He has done in her life and ministry. With God, all things are possible. "Lyn Richardson Ministries" is committed to providing ministry and entertainment for the betterment of the world. We live in trying times and there is always room for encouragement, support and uplifting productions that will make an impact. That is her goal.


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Automated Traffic Enforcement in the United States Dr. Anthony Kane ([email protected] org) Director of Engineering and Technical Services American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials at IBEC, ITS World Congress London, England October 8, 2006
Overview Safety "Progress" in the United States n Range of Automated Driver Enforcement/ Behavior Tools n Common Success Factors n Issues n References n
About one-third of all fatalities occur in speeding-related crashes in the USA
Automated Enforcement in Use n Red l l Light Running In use Statewide Authorized STATES 23 14 n Speed Freeway Work Zones IL l School Zones/ Residential 10 l Intersections ? l Freeways (AZ, DC) l
Illinois Photo Enforcement n Work Zone Fines Apply n Workers Present n No Restriction on Time of Day n WZ Must be Signed
Automated Enforcement in Use (Cont'd) n Rail-Grade Crossing STATES 3 (authorized, but not in use) Toll Booths n Truck Safety/ Size and Weight n Many
U. S. Cities Using Speed Cameras n n n Arizona: Mesa, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe California: San Jose Colorado: Boulder, Denver, Ft. Collins Iowa: Davenport Maryland: Montgomery County New Mexico: Albuquerque North Carolina: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Ohio: Northwood, Toledo Oregon: Beaverton, Medford, Portland Tennessee: Jackson, Red Bank Washington DC Source: IIHS
Evaluation of speed cameras in Washington, D. C. Percent change at camera sites relative to control 6 months after enforcement average speed proportion exceeding speed limit by 11+ mph Source: IIHS
Other Automated Driver Behavior Tools n n n STATES Speed Warning (mainline) Many Speed/ Truck Warning (curves) Many Dynamic Speed (DMS Signs) Few Alcohol Interlock for Convicted 21 Offenders (43 states allow) HOV Lane Use None
Common Success Factors with Automated Speed Enforcement Use where Safety Problems Exist n "Correct" Engineered Speed Limit n Top Level Support (Police, Politicians, Transport, Businesses) n Technology "Correct" n "Police" Somewhere in Ticket Chain n
Common Success Factors with Automated Speed Enforcement (cont'd) n n "Fair" Return for Vendors Safety/ Traffic Use of "Profit" Advance Warning Signs Used Metrics Used l l n n Before/ After Site/ Area-wide Tell the Story Start Small – Build Public Support
Issues in the United States n Slow Penetration l "Federal" System of Government – 52 "Countries" n " Individual Rights" l n Attitude in State Legislatures Poor Public Sector B/C l Analyses/ "Stories"
Beware of Hostile Reactions n Manchester, England: Driver blows up "fake" camera -- gets caught n n Canada: Photo radar vandalized Hong Kong: Automated license plate covers n Australia: False and defaced license plates
U. S. Federal Government References n Guides developed by Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration l Red Light Camera Systems: Operational Guidelines, January 2005 l Automated Speed Enforcement System Operational Guidelines, January 2007
Other Example References n n n Insurance Institute for Highway Safety http: //www. iihs. org/ The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running www. stopredlightrunning. com/ "Speed Cameras: An Effectiveness and Policy Review" David K. Willis, Center for Transportation Safety, Texas A&M, May 2006 ([email protected] edu)


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This roll of images took me once again about a month to finish. I took it to the streets, to a hiking trip and when I went out to take out the trash. The result is few street shots, few nature shots and few trash shots. Here are the few street shots I liked. These versions are straight from the scanner without any editing in Photoshop or Snapseed etc. Once again: Olympus OM-1, Kodak Tri-x 400 pushed to 800, zuiko 50mm f1.8 lens. Mostly sunny 16'nd all the exposures.
I finally caved in. I usually try to avoid shooting walkers or people on cell phones, but let's face it — that is what people do on the streets. I don't find the image fascinating as such, but at least it is a documentary of a typical street scene of our day and age. Avoiding shots like these is a big challenge in street photography. Just try to find people doing anything else than just walking around or fingering their cell phones. Everyone… I mean EVERYONE are on their phones all the time. One other note. This is one of the few times that I've shot from the other side of the street. I usually hate shots like that, because they seem so lazy and easy. On this image it kinda is justified, because the two people make almost a perfect pair with a nice symmetry in the composition. Also the lighting favours this kind of composition. So I guess sometimes it's ok to shoot from the other side of the street.
Bunch of young people of Helsinki. For once I kinda like a picture taken from a further distance. This is also something I try to avoid, but this time I let it go and just shot from a distance without even trying to make an effort to go in. I like the big REX sign on the background and the sunny tones.
Another one taken from a distance. I like the sense of movement in this photo. The two people entering the frame and the hobo is clearly turning to see who's coming.


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So there's not long till the British thriller/sci-fi film High-Rise premieres in the UK, and I really hope it gets a Danish release date soon
or my next trip goes to London to see this film!
But in preparations to this film I'm currently reading the book by J.G. Ballard… and it has become one of my favourite books to read, and I am a little obsessed with the Laing character and I thought of a new thing I would do to let it out – by posting different descriptions of Laing and scenarios he is in. So here's some of them.
In the role as Dr Laing is the talented Tom Hiddleston. He is joined by Jeremy Iron as the architect of the high-rise Anthony Royal, Sienna Miller as Charlotte Melville, Luke Evans as Richard Wilder and Elisabeth Moss as Helen Wilder.


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Coral Gardens Snorkeling
The 11th most popular snorkel dive spot in Maui.
Monday 30 April 2018 06:25 GMT
South of Lahaina and west of Maalaea on Maui, the snorkeling at Coral Gardens is known to be excellent. Coral Gardens is for experienced snorkelers only due to long swim from shore.
To reach the snorkeling at Coral Gardens from Lahaina, head south on Highway 30 to roughly 0.5 miles north of the tunnel near milepost 11. Use the first parking area north of the cliffs. From the parking area water access, snorkel south in front of the cliffs. To reach the snorkeling on Maui by air, you will need to fly into Kahului Airport (OGG) which is located in the middle of the north coast of Maui. It is served by direct flights from the mainland US and also by inter-island flights from several other Hawaiian Islands by regional carriers. When planning a trip to the Hawaiian islands, be aware that the State Of Hawaii has banned all sunscreens that oxybenzone, which has been proven to kill coral reefs.
Overall, Coral Gardens is the 11th most popular snorkel dive spot of all 21 snorkeling dives in Maui. Several of the better snorkeling spots are nearby Coral Gardens including Olowalu Reef, Papalaua Wayside Park and Wahikuli State Park.


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The concept is pretty straight forward - "What would happen if Shakespeare's Ophelia and Desdemona entered the theatre together before our very eyes? What would happen if Ophelia and Desdemona came back from the very swamps of death where they have endured the longest exile?" From the start where the two characters dragged their rotting corpses onto the stage stating that they are seeking the catharsis they never found in life, you knew this was not going to be a typical Shakespearean commentary. The oppression these characters faced at the hands of the men in their lifetimes (husbands, fathers, etc.) were given a modern context by referencing Hitler, Mussolini etc. as well as controversial right wing figure Ann Coulter as examples of how womens' lives are not necessarily much better. However everything was done and said with a wink and a nod so that it did not come across as too heavy handed.
The director's notes in the programme call this "a biting, Bouffon-inspired satire that puts "Man" and his cheerleaders on trial". Bouffon is a modern theatre term referring to clowns who typically point out the uncomfortable truths through humorous mockery. This device was used frequently in Shakespeare's plays and it was done effectively in this play.
I found that the scenes where they acted out their deaths were very effective, in particular where we see Ophelia drowning, done with beautiful fluid movement making her appear to be underwater, while the other actress read out the "to be or not to be" monologue as this gave an interesting context to Hamlet's words. The reading was done in a mocking style as Hamlet mused about taking his life as Ophelia was experiencing the real thing. While I would have liked to see more actual references to the Shakespearen plays, the performances were engaging and definitely held your attention. Some of it was a little unsettling, but this was not necessarily a bad thing. Definitely worth seeing, but very unusual.
"Death Married My Daughter" premiered at the Toronto Festival of Clowns in May and was performed earlier this month at the Fringe Festival of Toronto. It was co-created by Gilmour and Buonastella along with Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith who are co-directors.
Upcoming performances at HTI are Wednesday, July 24 at 9:30pm, Thursday, July 25 at 7:00pm, Saturday, July 27 at 4pm and the final performance will be Sunday, July 28 at 2pm.


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1CommentsJoined April 8th, 2016
- ChristopherK82 commented on TechJoint's instructable How To Make A Bootable Kali Linux USB With Persistence3 years agoView Instructable »
Great tutorial! One question, what do I boot into the next time I startup? Keep booting into Live Persistent mode from the boot screen of Kali? Thanks