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Sybase is adding to its mobile portfolio, grabbing messaging service provider Mobile 365 for about US$425 million in cash.
Sybase sells applications to enterprises to help their employees work in the field. With this acquisition, it will be able to offer managed services that are hosted on Mobile 365's global network, said Marty Beard, senior vice president of corporate development and marketing at Sybase. The deal will also put Sybase in the business of carrying mobile messages among wireless carriers and handling billing for those messages, which Mobile 365 does now, he said. Beard sees growing opportunities in both areas.
Sybase can now go to companies such as Yahoo or Nike and offer to sell them a hosted enterprise application or to carry out a mobile marketing campaign to consumers' cell phones over the Mobile 365 network, he said.
The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Mobile 365 will become Sybase Mobile 365, a wholly owned subsidiary led by Beard as its president. Sybase expects the acquisition to add to its profits within 12 months after the deal closes.
The company's approximately 330 employees, mostly working in London and Singapore as well as its Virginia, U.S. headquarters, will stay on where they are, he said. The actual purchase price may change depending on Mobile 365's working capital as of the closing date.
Mobile 365 is privately held and had revenue of about $90 million in its fiscal year ended March 31. The company has its own network for carrying messages using SMS (Short Message Service), WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and instant messaging. That network links in to major operators such as Verizon Wireless, Vodafone Group, Cingular Wireless and China Mobile Communications.


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A representative body that doesn't represent.1
FOR MORE than a decade in the nineteen thirties and forties the method of representation in the city legislature was a subject of controversy in New York politics.2 The debate stemmed from a long campaign for electoral reform. Critics charged that the single-member district system of representation in the Board of Aldermen, as elsewhere, often made a mockery of democracy. Under the prevailing method the city was sectioned off into aldermanic districts, and the candidate who won a majority or plurality in each territorial subdivision carried the election. After subjecting the entire process of nomination and election to painstaking analysis, the reformers concluded that serious defects and abuses were inherent in the system.
It was argued that the primary elections lent themselves to control of nomination by the local political machines, while the general elections disfranchised minorities and discouraged independent voting. For two decades the single-member system tended to produce legislative majorities for parties lacking popular majorities; then, as the dominance of a single party was established, it invariably overweighted that party's representation. The annihilation of minorities was undemocratic and created monolithic city government. In the city legislature the minuscular opposition was easily brushed aside, and complaisant majorities failed to check administrative debauchery. A system which permitted a few votes in close districts to turn the scales____________________

subset: commoncrawl


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ISTE 4 deals with digital ethics and etiquette. In a world where students have unprecedented access to both information and interaction, teachers must promote and model respect for the intellectual property and emotions of the masses. My question for ISTE#4 is: How will I address/acknowledge digital dangers and promote and model digital citizenship in a one-on-on school setting?
In this module's required reading, Ribble and Miller point to lack of empathy and audience size as two problematic features of internet communication. The diminished emotional component of web interaction only adds fuel to the dumpster fire that is every adolescent's deficient empathy (I love them! I cannot tell you why!). The perceived distance between online life and real life make cyber bullying and plagiarism feel like small secret short comings. It would be easy for a kid to feel like no one gets hurt by this stuff.
That's why we have to teach them that cyber bullying does hurt people, can lead to bigger problems; that turning in an essay or a graphic made by someone else is like depositing their money in your bank account. It's stealing.
I'm addressing this in my classes. I teach in a unique school with a one-to-one teacher-to-student ratio. One of my students has watched me shudder at a nasty comment or two directed at groups I'm part of or people I love. The uniqueness of my teaching situation allows me the opportunity to talk through how comments spat out in private land on real readers.
A few of my students came to our school because they struggled with the social pressures of a larger school setting. Even in the context of a personal teacher-student interaction, it's helpful to have reliable, well-researched resources to lean on. I'm a fan of the Ophelia Project, not only because of the free resources they provide, but also because the organization's history has encouraged one of my students. They've provided lesson plans and a particularly helpful one sheet that have helped me think through what kids need to learn about cyber bullying. The Ophelia Project resources agree with the major points from our required reading (as well as the ALA's Standards for the 21st Century Learner, posted by a friend) in a handy format.
AASL. (2007). Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. ALA Guidelines and Standards. Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf
Miller, T. M. & Ribble, M. (year). Educational leadership in an online world: connecting students to technology, responsibly, safely and ethically. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17: 1. 137-145. Retrieved from: file:///E:/ARC/!Winter%202016/EDTC%206433/M4/Educational%20Leadership%20in%20an%20Online%20World%20-%20Copy.pdf
CYBERCOOL: 15 positively powerful lessons to teach digital citizenship and stop cyberbullying. 2010. The Ophelia Project. Retrieved from http://www.opheliaproject.org/cyber/CyberCoolMiddleSchool.pdf.
Cyber Bullying OneSheet. (2011). [OneSheet displays basic info on characteristics and contributors of cyberbullying.] The Ophelia Project. Retrieved from http://www.opheliaproject.org/facts/Cyberbullying%20OneSheet.pdf.


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I'm not much of a political activist, and it is mostly a coincidence I'm here.
It started less than a year ago, when I made an anonymous blog on a popular Danish site, which exposed me to other average people's opinions, and I started following the news, after hardly doing so for years.
That was disturbing. I found that many people are disoriented, have no firm human values (except for towards their closest kin), and willingly suck up political propaganda and biased/negative news against "terrorist regimes" and immigrants. In fact the ruling majority in Denmark have such people as voters.
I ended here because another Danish blogger linked me to the film "The War on Democracy" by John Pilger on freedocumentaries.org. Then somehow I got on to reading some articles by Noam Chomsky, and that led me to zcommunications. I was impressed by the quality of the articles, and chose to become a sustainer for that reason. It was not my intention to start a blog or a zspace, but since the staff encourages it, I'll give it a go and see where it leads.
I am not completely comfortable with socialism seemingly being the ideologi here, I've always been a mixed economy guy. Capitalism has led to a wasteful imperialist rat race, which does bother me a lot. Some of it seems due to the perverse world leadership of the U.S., and amazingly dumbed down voters all over the western world seem to consistently elect leaders who are American lap dogs.
I hope we can change that, and make humanism the new world order. Nobody should be indifferent to other people suffering or being mistreated.


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Click the links below to
visit the individual galleries.
To check out more of Michael's work, follow this link to his own blog.
These cartoons and the photo of the Little Bobby and Tommy below were supplied for the site by Michael's dad, Andy, Mr. Smudge Smith! Thank you!
Jo Moscrop runs her own business creating these gorgeous little people, there are lots of them on her website, there are little people for all occasions.
Andy Smith asked Jo to create a little Bob and Tom for him and he gave then to the guys a while ago, I am sure they absolutely loved them, how could they not?
To find out more about Jo's Little People, please follow this link to her website where you can see more of her work and enquire about little people of your own.
Another fab poem in honour of Bobby & Tommy
The Eighties were dreary and dark and sad
If you would like any pictures of yourself with Cannon and Ball or any of your creations on this page please e-mail them in to me at email@example.com - Thank you.
Home | Biographies | Chat Room | Forums | Galleries | Visual Media | News | Upcoming Shows | Merchandise | Links | Fans/Messages | Guestbook | Contact


text: ARCO Madrid 2014 Madrid or the Feria Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo (ARCO) was established in 1982 in Madrid and takes place for a few days every February, in Spain. It is commonly referred to as ARCO.Having successfully been running for over thirty years it is now considered one of Europe´s most prestigious contemporary art fairs. Its a great time for… Read more →


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Free Crochet Patterns for Amigurumi
Free Crochet Patterns for Amigurumi
Amigurumi crochet patterns have become quite popular over the last few years. The term 'amigurumi' originated in Japan and simply means stuffed crocheted or knitted toys. The toys are usually dolls and animals, but any stuffed shape can be referred to as amigurumi. They make great gifts for young children to play with or to have in their rooms as décor.
Although they look difficult to do, they really are fairly easy to crochet up, depending on the pattern. The only thing with amigurumi crochet patterns is that they generally take a while to crochet because they are crocheted up tighter than normal in order to maintain their shape and to prevent the stuffing from falling out. A smaller hook than what is normally recommended for the yarn is used in order to achieve that tighter fabric. In addition, the patterns generally use single crochet stitches, which also contribute to a tight fabric.
To crochet amigurumi, you will need polyfil or another type of stuffing and a large yarn needle to sew the pieces together. For some patterns you will also need wiggly eyes and embroidery floss in order to add in facial and other small details. A stitch marker can come in handy as well because most amigurumi patterns are worked in continuous rounds. If you don't have stitch marker, you can always use a safety pin to keep track of where you are at.
You can find amigurumi crochet patterns in many pattern books as well as online. Many of them are for sale, but there are also many free amigurumi patterns. You can find patterns for amigurumi dogs, cats, bunnies, monkeys, owls, fairies and just about anything that you can imagine.
Amigurumi Elephant - Robotrish
This elephant is so well designed that it almost looks real. It has big bulging eyes, tusks, perfectly rounded and shaped ears, and many other great features. The pattern even has instructions to make a detailed throw for the elephant. - Amigurumi Elephant
Ami Monkey - Sillya1804
Monkeys are always a hit with young children and adults alike. They are always cute no matter whether they are real or in the form of an amigurumi toy. This one has a somewhat surprised look on its face, which only adds to the cuteness that it brings. - Ami Monkey
Amigurumi - Hello Kitty - Robotrish
This is by far the cutest kitty pattern I have seen. It is dressed in a t-shirt and cute overalls. It even has whiskers and a pretty little bow. It's arms are outstretched and the face is slightly looking up as if it is saying "take me home." Amigurumi - Hello Kitty
Amigurumi - Little Pony - AmiCrochet
This is the cutest pony I have ever seen. It has big beautiful eyes and a long spiral mane and tail. Although I favor the side view, both the front and side views are gorgeous. It is perfect as a toy to play with, or for decoration. - Amigurumi Little Pony
Bessie Bunnie - Diane B. on Gather
Any child would be lucky to have this one. The bunny has a nice fuzzy tail and long ears that stand up straight. The ears are done with a different color on the inside and have a small flower attached to them at the front. Bessie would make a great friend for any baby or toddler. - Bessie Bunnie
Dachshund Amigurumi - Leeses Pieces Crochet
This one is for an adorable dachshund pattern. Standing straight and tall, with the tail up and ears flopping down, it looks like the friendliest pup to have around. You can work this pattern in a continuous round or join the stitches after each round. - Dachshund Amigurumi
Little Fairy - Fun and Fang
This is a must-have for those who believe in fairies and fairy-tales. It is a beautiful fairy with a head full of hair, which is tied back in a bun. And best of all, her angelic wings and smiling face show that she's ready to grant you your every wish. - Little Fairy
Little Star - Arpelia
This is a free pattern for the Super Mario Invincibility Star. It is for all the Super Mario fans or for anyone who wants a star-shaped amigurumi. It has two small eyes, otherwise it is a plain star. - Little Star
Pete and Repeat Tortoises - Rockin4God
These are the cutest tortoises ever. Their large heads stand up tall over their shell and you can see their tiny legs sticking out underneath. They are ready to hit the road and win the race at a slow and steady pace. - Pete and Repeat Tortoises
Pug Amigurumi - Leeses Pieces Crochet
Another cutie named "Pug". It has a curly tail, small ears, big bulging eyes and a snout. It also stands tall and straight, and has its eyes fixed on something as though it is ready to play. - Pug Amigurumi
More Free Amigurumi Crochet Patterns
- Free Amigurumi Crochet Patterns
A collection of free Amigurumi crochet patterns. The collection includes bears, bunnies, owls, and other stuffed toys.
- Free Crochet Amigurumi Patterns
crochet amigurumi patterns, free crochet patterns, free crochet amigurumi patterns
- Crochet Pattern Central - Free Amigurumi Crochet Pattern Link Directory
Free, online amigurumi crochet patterns
- Free Amigurumi Patterns
- Crochet Patterns: Amigurumi - Free Crochet Patterns


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Never miss a moment of goal-scoring action with the Hisense 43-inch Ultra HD 4K TV. This Smart TV brings you non-stop entertainment with a built-in Freeview Play. With Freeview Play you can enjoy BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5 & UKTV Play, plus over 70 digital channels and 15 HD channels, it's live TV & on demand all in one place. Stream content from Netflix or Amazon & enjoy all your favourite boxsets.
With 2 USB ports and 3 HDMI sockets there's plenty of connections for plugging in extras. Connect an external hard drive or USB stick to view photos, watch films and record TV.
BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5, UKTV Play, Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, Wukai, Plex & Web Browser. Other Apps such as IPTV are available from the app store.
Television picture quality:
- LED TV Screen.
- Ultra HD 4K certified display resolution.
- Screen size: 43 inches.
- Motion rate 60Hz.
- Viewing angle 178/178 degrees.
- Resolution 3840 x 2160 pixels.
- 2 USB ports and 3 HDMI sockets.
- Smart TV.
- Composite socket.
- Optical connection.
- Headphone socket.
- AV socket.
- Wi-Fi enabled.
- Ethernet connection.
- DLNA compatibility.
- Open browser.
- Suitable for wall mounting 200 x 200 bracket.
Sound quality:
- Dolby Digital Plus sound system.
- 2 x 7 watt RMS power output.
Digital features:
- Features USB recording and video playback.
- Freeview Play digital tuner.
- Quad core processor.
- CI plus slot.
Additional features:
- Sleep timer.
- Parental controls.
- Size of TV H56.8, W97, D8.8cm.
- Weight of TV 9.75kg (unpackaged).
- Size of TV with stand: H61.8, W97, D21.5cm.
- Footprint of TV 79.5cm.
- Weight of TV with stand: 9.9kg.
- Manufacturer's 2 year guarantee.
Energy efficiency information:
- Energy efficiency rating: a.
- On mode power consumption 68 watts.
- Off mode power consumption 0.5 watt.
- Annual power consumption 99kWh.
- Standby power consumption 0.5 watt.


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Electric Daisy Carnival Gears Up To Rock London Town
Saturday, July 20, 2013 marks the date for the first-ever Electric Daisy Carnival in London, U.K.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will host a different type of ceremony as Insomniac, a premier electronic dance music festival producer, joins forces with Cream, also an electronic music event producer, to bring EDC across the pond.
"Electric Daisy Carnival is already an important and prominent international brand, and we believe it will thrive in the U.K. in 2013," said James Barton, Cream founder and CEO.
EDC has taken place in Las Vegas, Chicago, Puerto Rico and New York.
Tickets are available for purchase here.


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Yes, it is appropriate to use the greeting Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, as a greeting, refers to only one holiday. Happy Holidays is used to encompass all holidays during the Holiday season, including the Christian holidays, Three Kings Day and Christmas, the Jewish holiday Hanukkah, and the secular holiday, New Years. In fact, it is not only perfectly acceptable use both greetings interchangeably, they can also be used in conjunction with one another to wish someone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
The primary holiday season in the United States, and many other countries, runs from November into January and includes a number of celebrations. Consequently, practical reasons exist to extend the greeting of :happy holidays during this time period rather than merry Christmas. In addition, by using the happy holidays greetings, a person is able to avoid the possibility of using an inappropriate greeting to a person who may not celebrate a specific holiday.
Happy Holidays is an appropriate at large greeting because not everyone celebrates Christmas. Kwanzaa, Chanukah and the Winter Soltice are just a few of the other holidays celebrated around the same time as Christmas. Furthermore, some people celebrate nothing at all during the holiday season. It is, therefore, more inclusive to greet people, particularly those you do not know, with Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas.
Society needs God. Without God we wouldn't be here, nor would we be capable even of living or breathing. Why then, does our society absolve itself of all responsibility towards its Creator?
In our sinful state we are in desperate need of God who offers Salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Of course, not everyone is chosen to eternal life, but society is foolish for rejecting the God on whom we ALL depend.
What makes a Christian different from a non-Christian is that he/she acknowledges the work of God in every aspect of his/her life. Society needs to forget about trying to please all people, and avoiding all reference to the truth lest it might offend someone. It's God we are offending by turning away from Him! Wouldn't you much rather offend people than the God who created everyone and everything?
Before people start verbally abusing me for my faith, remember the definition of faith: "a sure knowledge whereby I accept all that God has revealed in His Word." Because faith is a 'sure knowledge', it is much more than just a belief - it is the truth. I accept that most people will disagree with me, but that does not mean that it is not the truth. It just means that many people reject the truth. When you really think about that, doesn't that sound foolish?
While Happy Holidays is not offensive in and of itself, the impetus behind its creation and promotion is a negative reaction to Christian tradition. Christmas exists to celebrate the birth of Christ, as much as secular society would like that not to be true. Saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas is a feeble attempt to change the reason for the celebration.


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SplitXML for SecureLogin
Novell Cool Solutions: Cool Tool
In Brief
Utility to create individual SecureLogin import files from SecureLogin export files containing multiple application definitions, policies or preferences.
- Product Categories:
- Identity Manager
- Secure Identity Management
- SecureLogin
- Functional Categories:
- Identity & Security Management
|13 Jul 2007
|File Size:
|Stuart Proffitt
Please read the note from our friends in legal before using this file.
Version 2.12 - July 13, 2007
2.12 additional features:
Added support for Drag and Drop of XML files into SplitXML UI
2.11 additional features:
Fixed output file so it has DOS end of line (CR/LF)
- This was done to stop UltraEdit from asking to convert file to DOS format
Added file save dialog for naming single output files
- This appears after you select single and then click the SplitXML button
* Minimum Requirements: .Net 2.0 on Windows
This utility works with export files from Novell SecureLogin (NSL), ActivIdentity SecureLogin (ASL), or Protocom SecureLogin (PSL) and provides the ability to create individual import files, or plain text files, for import back into SecureLogin. It allows you to create individual import files containing application definition(s), password policies, and/or preferences. Each created import file is in the format specified ASL, NSL v6/v3 or PSL and is ready for import via the appropriate management tool such as MMC, SLManager, ConsoleOne or iManager. See included help file for more detailed usage information.
Steps for Usage:
- Select the Input file = Exported SecureLogin file from MMC, SLManager, ConsoleOne or iManager.
- Select the Output Directory = Where you want the files to go
- Set the Output File Format =
- If you want files you can import back into SecureLogin - Choose XML
- If you want files you can look at in clear text - Choose SLS
- (Optional) Select Standardize Script Spacing = Update output script so it is consistently indented and spaced
- Set the Output File Mode( XML Mode Only)
- What format do you want the files in --> ASL, NSL v6/v3 or PSL
- Set the Output File Type( XML Mode Only)
- Select Multiple if you want all chosen items in their own separate file
- Select Single if you want all chosen items in one combined file
- Choose items to split out = Select application(s), preferences and/or password policies to split out from input file.
- Click Split File Button....
- (Optional) Select file or folder in status list box, right click and select open file/open folder as appropriate
Novell Cool Solutions (corporate web communities) are produced by WebWise Solutions. www.webwiseone.com


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We went through the past week without a menu plan. Ask me how that went…
Too much money spent and chaos…that's how that went.
This week, we have a menu plan! And I'm expecting a much easier week in the kitchen.
Lunches (serve with carrots/salad/slaw and fruit)
- spaghetti
- hot dogs, mac & cheese
- sandwiches with chips or noodles
- chicken tacos
- pork loin, sweet potatoes, peas, cabbage
- chicken and dumplings, cole slaw, rolls
- fried rice with pork, stir-fry veggies
- chicken & sausage gumbo, cole slaw, rolls
- eat out (fall festival)
Sweet treats/snacks
- sugar cookies
- popcorn/salted or kettle corn
- banana bread
- carrot chips with ranch dip
- peanut butter fold-overs and/or fruit (the old stand-by!)
What are y'all eating this week?
Check out more menus over at Organized Junkie!


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Sex, Drugs, Whips and Games
Filed under: Horse Racing
A big weekend at my house? Hardly. Actually, it's just a busy news week for the Sport of Kings.
Let's start with the drugs! Who got popped this week? Only some of the biggest names in the sport: Richard Dutrow, Jr., trainer of Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Big Brown; Steve Asmussen, the leading trainer in the country, not to mention trainer of 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin; and Larry Jones, trainer of the ill-fated filly Eight Belles.
Dutrow has been suspended for 15 days by the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority for an overuse of Clenbuterol, a bronchodilator, found in his horse Salute the Count, who finished second in the Grade 3 Churchill Downs Turf Sprint on May 2nd. The trainer is expected to file an appeal. (Drug infractions are nothing new for Dutrow. If you're keeping score at home, this makes 13 violations for drugging horses versus 8 for drugging himself.)
Steve Asmussen is expected to be notified by the Texas Racing Commission on Thursday that a Lidocaine positive has been detected in a blood sample taken after a victory by Timber Trick on May 10th at Lone Star Park. Asmussen is no stranger to drug infractions either, having served a six-month suspension in late 2006 for a Mepivacaine violation.
Most surprising was the news that Larry Jones, a trainer who has never had a drug infraction during his 27 year training career, has been notified this week by Delaware racing officials that his runner Stones River showed a Clenbuterol overage after his win in an allowance race at Delaware Park on June 8th. Jones garnered much unwanted attention as the trainer of Eight Belles, the filly who broke down and had to be destroyed after running in the Kentucky Derby. PETA made every attempt to implicate the filly's jockey and trainer in the unfortunate accident that caused her death. (PETA is against killing animals, unless they get to do it themselves). His first reaction to news of a positive test result was to claim sabotage, but he has since allowed that it could have been legitimate.
The most interesting drug news this week was the announcement by IEAH Stables, principle owners of Big Brown, that for the good of the sport all of their horses will be now be trained and raced without the use of any drugs other than Lasix. If sincere, and if they follow through on their pronouncement, they are to be applauded. The interesting part, of course, is that their trainer is the aforementioned Richard Dutrow, Jr. We'll see how much resolve they really have if they stop winning races. Hopefully, we'll see other owners and trainers come out in support of racing clean.
Racing received yet another black-eye this week, literally, when it was announced that jockey Jeremy Rose has received a six month suspension for 'extreme misuse of the whip'. Rose's mount Appeal to the City was struck in the face during the third race at Delaware Park on June 23rd and was treated for a laceration near his eye. The jockey says the incident was not intentional and the suspension will be appealed.
The Breeders' Cup has announced a new fantasy sports game that will coincide with their Breeders' Cup Challenge race days. The free online contest will run from July 5th to October 9th. The contest joins the previously announced Road to the Breeders' Cup Fantasy Challenge sponsored by Churchill Downs.
Admit it. You only read this far to find out about the sex. (I'm taking headline writing lessons from the New York Post). Better than Honour, the mare that dropped back-to-back winners of the Belmont Stakes, won't be having any more sex this year. After failing to conceive in May, it was decided that it was too late in the year to try again. She will be bred again in early 2009.
2008 Belmont Stakes Recap
Filed under: Triple Crown
Allen Jerkens has earned his reputation as "The Giant Killer" by repeatedly beating big favorites with longshots in high profile races. Nick Zito is well on his way to earning a nickname of his own. After upsetting the past two Triple Crown attempts, maybe it's time to start calling him "The Dream Killer". Although, there were seven other trainers this year whose horses just as effectively ended Big Brown's Triple Crown dream. Big Brown didn't beat anyone.
Big Brown staggered home in last place and rather than continuing on down the stretch to cool out like normal, he hung a quick right just past the finish line and left the track long before the other runners returned to be unsaddled. I can't say I blame him. I'd want to get off the track as soon as possible after that uninspired performance.
As of late Sunday night, there were no reports indicating a physical problem with the horse. Neither the jockey or the trainer were able to offer any explanation for Big Brown's lack of response when he needed it most. Maybe he just wasn't in the mood.
It may be that Big Brown was just too lightly raced to withstand the stress of three big races in a five week span. Maybe with a few more races under his belt he would have been professional enough to dig a little deeper when he wasn't at his best. There will be another Triple Crown winner someday, but it will take a tough, talented, and professional race horse to get it done. There are no shortcuts to a Triple Crown.
Hat tip to Nick Zito for envisioning this result. He knew before the race his horse had a chance to steal the race on the front end. I wish I had spent a few minutes myself considering the possibility.
2008 Belmont Stakes Analysis
Filed under: Triple Crown
Big Brown will attempt to become just the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown, and the first since Affirmed in 1978, when he enters the gate at Belmont Park on Saturday for the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes. While Big Brown's wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes clearly demonstrated that he was much superior to his rivals, consider these names: Spectacular Bid, Pleasant Colony, Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Charismatic, War Emblem, Funny Cide, and Smarty Jones. That's quite a list, isn't it? Every one of them was voted the Champion Three-Year-Old Male on the strength of their wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and most were odds-on to win the final leg of the Triple Crown. They all lost the Belmont Stakes.
As if the weight of history wasn't enough to stop Big Brown, since he won the Preakness Stakes three weeks ago he has missed several days of training due to a quarter-crack in his left front hoof. It appears that the hoof has responded well to treatment, as indicated by a strong workout at Belmont Park this week, but this is certainly not how you would like to get a horse ready for a Triple Crown bid. Add to that a disadvantageous post position draw and you have to come to the conclusion that you would be crazy to take 2-5 on Big Brown, no matter how good he's looked so far in his brief career.
It's not all bad news for Big Brown. The second choice in the Belmont Stakes, Japanese runner Casino Drive, has only raced twice in his life. More of a concern is that he appears to have developed a stone bruise on his left rear foot that could affect his performance if he runs or could cause him to miss the race entirely.
So, will Big Brown win the Belmont Stakes? Who knows? If Casino Drive has to scratch, I don't see who can beat him. Even with Casino Drive in, Big Brown looks to be the best horse, but I'm sure I thought the same thing about those ten horses I listed above.
I don't see any way to bet on Big Brown at 2-5. I also don't see how I can bet against him. So I won't do either.
I'll be at Belmont Park on Saturday hoping to see history made. I'll consider it a big win for me if I can get an in-focus, properly exposed photo of Big Brown crossing the finish line as the first Triple Crown winner in thirty years. And I'm definately not a 2-5 favorite to do that.


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The Joint Economic & Community Development Board Executive Committee will meet at 7:45 AM on Thursday, January 3, 2019 at the JECDB office at 200 Aviation Way, Suite 202, Lebanon.
A Wilson County technical training center to be operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents at the old Lebanon High School vocational building which has been vacant along with the entire old Lebanon High building on Harding Drive since the school opened a new campus in 2012 could be open for students in January.
Governor Haslam, Commissioner Hagerty Announce Under Armour, Inc. to Create 1,500 New Jobs in Mt. Juliet
New Distribution Center Brings More Than $100 Million Investment in Wilson County.
Each year the Nashville Business Journal publishes the results of The Beacon Centers most and least business friendly cities in Tennessee.
Any career in the field of economic development is unique. It will eventually lead to the most basic question from your parent, spouse or child of "What exactly is it that you do"?
Expansion Solutions had an opportunity to visit with representatives of Wilson County, a charming and growing community nestled in the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee.


text: The 73-year-old retired chairman and founder of Holiday Inns Inc. is not out of the hotel business yet. Kemmons Wilson, now chairman of Kemmons Wilson Cos. of Memphis, Tenn., plans to open his third Wilson World Hotel in Cape Canaveral early next year. Wilson said construction of the $7 million, 180- room structure should begin in June. The first Wilson World Hotel opened on U.S. Highway 192 near Kissimmee about 18 months ago. Another Wilson World is under construction in Memphis. Wilson said he was attracted to the Cape by the space program, and despite the recent shuttle disaster he said he is optimistic about the program's eventual rebound. The hotel complex will include meeting facilities capable of handling 600 people. Sixty percent of the market for the rooms, half of which are suites, should be business travelers, he said.


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Advice designed for businesses doing creative work.
High quality advice and a different way of doing things.
Contracts and advice you can understand, predictable pricing, and a value guarantee.What CreateLegal is About.
Business law and industry expertise for freelancers, studios, and agencies.
From drafting a service agreement to a complete overhaul of your legal practices.Learn about CreateLegal's Services.
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From Parameters, Autumn 1998, pp. 21-34.
"Great statesmen have never lacked a feeling for geography" -- Friedrich Ratzel, Politische Geographie, 1903
The debate in the United States over NATO enlargement ended on 30 April 1998 when the Senate voted 80-19 in favor of admitting Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to the Alliance as full members. Whether for or against, many of the participants in and observers of the debate are just glad that it is over; after almost seven years, it had become an exercise more hackneyed than illuminating. Like it or not, NATO is moving East.
A question pregnant in the extreme remains for those dealing with the strategic level of military affairs in Europe. Just what is it that we've enlarged and just what is this enlarged alliance to do? Strategists will find little guidance, for the component most missing from the high-level political debate over NATO enlargement was the geopolitical one. US administrations seem to have avoided geopolitical rationales during the years that NATO enlargement has been evolving. Geopolitics might have offended Russia (an exclusionary and encircling military alliance moving ever closer), left the Baltic nations in a hopeless gray zone (your geography is your destiny), and forced everyone to link closely the future of the Bosnia intervention with the future of NATO (out of area or out of business). As Michael Roskin recently pointed out in these pages, none of this was desirable when most American officials were selling NATO enlargement as a no-cost, feel-good, end-of-history shoehorn for democratic systems and market economies rather than hard and fast military affairs.[1] The Secretary of State even described US policy as one "that should appeal to our hearts as well as our heads."[2]
And yet the newest noncommissioned officer in any service knows something that seems to have disappeared from discussions at Foggy Bottom: geography and geopolitics still matter. Geography[3] itself, as we know, is not a strong suit for many Americans.[4] Confusion over the nexus of strategic and political geography clouds further the most sophisticated foreign policy mind. Take, for instance, the pronouncement of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright just before the July 1997 enlargement summit in Madrid: "We must pledge that the first members will not be the last and that no European democracy will be excluded because of where it sits on the map" (emphasis added).[5] Or deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott arguing that with the end of the Cold War, "military and geopolitical considerations" can be put aside as "other nonmilitary goals . . . shape the new NATO."[6] In fact, the rallying cry of the enlargement campaign was that it would not create "new lines in Europe."
But a military alliance is about lines, lines that demarcate territory which alliance members have taken solemn oaths to protect, as opposed to other lines that identify territory in which they might have an interest, but certainly no obligation to defend. Military alliances, formed for collective territorial defense, define their entire existence by their "lines." There is no doubt that the Cold War NATO, Truman's "shield against aggression," fit this bill. But even in 1998 and beyond, it is still officially so for the Atlantic Alliance. Indeed, NATO officials have gone on record that "enlargement will do nothing to dilute NATO's focus" and that following enlargement, "the alliance's core mission will remain the collective defense of NATO soil, and the addition of new members will improve its ability to carry out this mission."[7] How, then, to account for the seeming discord between US rhetoric during the enlargement campaign and the Alliance's stated purpose?
There are three possible explanations. First, Administration officials simply might not understand what a military alliance is and what it does. Former Ambassador Robert Hunter affirms that "NATO is not a club, it is a military alliance."[8] Nonetheless, NATO is nowadays thought of more as a political grouping than a military alliance (it is both, of course). But, as many critics of enlargement have pointed out, if that is the case and enlargement was as much about democracy and free markets as we have been led to believe, expansion of the European Union, not NATO, would be the hot topic. Does not the flag follow trade in the post-Cold War world? In the absence of a security threat, would not the economic benefits of European Union membership serve former Warsaw Pact countries far better than an expensive military commitment to NATO aimed at the defense of their "soil"?
The second reason for the gap between rhetoric and reality might be that these same officials may be Machiavellian stealth-geopoliticians who deliberately chose to soft-pedal geopolitical considerations during the enlargement campaign, planning to bring them quietly back into play after all was said and done. However, this explanation does not make sense given the debate over which states will be the next to be invited to join the Alliance. Those upcoming discussions will be much more animated by geopolitical considerations. In fact, as explained below, the geopolitics has only begun to get serious. If NATO enlargement is to be a continuous process, as Secretary Albright insists it is, geopolitical discussions can only temporarily be restricted to NATO's cloakrooms. Sooner rather than later, geopolitics will explode onto the scene. When it does, who is where on "the map" will become a terrifically important question. Geopolitical issues were, for the most part, purposefully excluded during the first round of accessions.
The final possible explanation is that the Clinton Administration has in mind, as do many in Europe, a very different kind of NATO. There have been hints to that effect. Secretary Albright observed that NATO should evolve into "a force for peace from the Middle East to Central Africa,"[9] and in a letter President Clinton urged the Senate not to call for a pause in the enlargement process after the entry of the three new members. Both of these visions, of NATO bigger in size and mission, are relatively modest compared to Deputy Secretary of State Talbott's enthusiasm for eventual Russian membership in NATO. But it was former Administration official Gordon Adams who summed up the changing vision most clearly. "The [enlargement] decision does not enlarge an alliance whose core purpose is to defend against the Soviets. Rather, it recognizes NATO's new mission: collective security."[10] So if Adams's view prevails, NATO is being primed to evolve into what some wags have variously called "a white man's UN" or "a rich man's Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)." If that is the case, geopolitics truly will not matter.
But for now at least, NATO continues to insist that it is focused on the collective defense of its member states, not regional collective security. To that end thousands of American service members, millions of man-hours, and billions of dollars will have to be dedicated to defining and preparing to defend NATO's new strategic concept and the territory of all its members. And although geopolitics may have been the skunk at the first post-Cold War enlargement garden party, in the next round of invitations there are questions of geography, power, resources, and the political ambitions and strategies of many states to address. And as those invitations are scheduled to be issued in 1999, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of NATO, little time remains to develop the geostrategic foundation on which they must rest.
It is our contention that should NATO divorce itself from geopolitics, whether by design or default, it will cease to be an effective alliance. It will no longer be an organization that should command the extraordinary attention and resources from the United States that it has for the past 50 years. If NATO (regardless of whether it has 16, 19, or 25 members) gets out of geopolitics, then it will indeed go out of business--and deservedly so.
Why Geopolitics Matters
The meanings and consequences of boundaries and terrain--the essence of geopolitical thinking--shape the discussion from this point, just as they should in determining which states receive invitations to join the Alliance. What, however, is geopolitics? The most useful definition of the term is offered by Geoffrey Sloan: "a theory of spatial relationship and historical causation whose perspective is the international system as a whole."[11]
Geopolitics, broadly defined, may actually be seen as two broad schools that comprise the organic state theory and geostrategy. The organic state theory originated in the thinking of two European scholars: Friedrich Ratzel (1844-1904) and Rudolph Kjellen (1864-1922). Ratzel, a professor at the University of Leipzig, argued from Darwinian theory that states are like living organisms. The size of a state and its resources, he reasoned, would gauge its strength. Therefore, states would seek to grow in size in order to retain their vitality. He is generally credited, quite ominously, with the term Lebensraum (living space).[12] Ratzel also argued that states were constantly in competition, in which larger states would naturally seek to expand in order to consolidate their power. In this way the world would eventually be composed only of super states that would have immense resources and power at their disposal.[13] Kjellen, a member of the Swedish parliament and a political scientist, took Ratzel's theory one step further, concluding that states actually were organisms. Kjellen's theories would soon thereafter gain an insidious popularity with a generation of emerging Nazi, and then other Axis, geopoliticians.[14] This strain of geopolitical thinking, as Robert Strausz-Hupé has written, was revolutionary, and dangerous, because it tried to transcend the 19th-century conception of the balance of power and in fact sought hegemony and domination.[15]
At roughly the same time, an American and an Englishman would compose their theories of geostrategy. Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) argued that seapower was vastly important to the state. He concluded that seapower was the key to commerce and economic competition, if not strategy and global political advantage.[16] Mahan's theories helped to shape America's growing international interests at the turn of the century and are said to have deeply influenced Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.[17] Conversely, Sir Halford Mackinder (1861-1947), a professor of geography and director of the London School of Economics, felt that the relationship between sea power and land power had been altered. Mackinder espoused the view that inventions such as the railroad would cause land power to be the determinant in international affairs.[18]
To Mackinder, the area known as the Heartland was the key to understanding the shift from an era of seapower's dominance to one where land power would reign. The Heartland was defined as the Eurasian core (read: central Russia) at the center of the World-Island[19] which is protected from seapower by vast distances of land. In Democratic Ideals and Reality, Mackinder warned: "Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland. Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island. Who rules the World-Island commands the World."[20] Therefore, he proposed that Eastern Europe is the central piece of terrain for balancing the Heartland's power. His ideas would help to shape the West's perception of the Soviet threat and the conduct of the Cold War.
Early in the 20th century another American, Nicholas J. Spykman (1893-1943), entered the debate. Spykman, a professor of international relations at Yale University, argued that the Heartland was not of primary geopolitical significance, offering instead an area that he called the Rimland (the area bordering Mackinder's Heartland). He departed from Mackinder in recognizing the importance of seapower in what we are calling today the "littoral." He capped Mackinder in these words: "Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia; Who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world."[21] The intellectual give and take generated by these theories, and among geostrategic writers such as Raymond Aron, Luther Gulick, and Hedley Bull, greatly influenced those responsible for strategic policies and plans during World War II and the Cold War.
Subsequently, the demise of the Soviet Union found many theorists and most practitioners ready to argue that geopolitics were no longer relevant in a world where there was no apparent global contest for power. The End of History meant the end of geopolitics. Power in the post-Cold War world would be transferred to boundary-less entities such as ethnic groups, nongovernmental and international organizations, or corporations.[22] Those who subscribed to that point of view would argue that NATO should be expanded not because of some Mackinderesque calculation, but because it was part of the triumph of liberal democratic systems and market economies. Considerations of power and geography were not to be linked to alliances like NATO. All that was required for membership would be a stock market, some environmental regulations, and election booths. Many who concluded that the raw calculations of geopolitics were passé joined the long line of hopeful Western intellectuals who have since classical times forecast the end of war and of strategy.[23]
Reports of the death of geopolitics, however, were greatly exaggerated. Core geopolitical concerns propelled India and Pakistan into the nuclear club in spite of resistance and sanctions from those who espouse the global agenda of peace, free trade, and a safe environment. Closer to home for NATO, the proliferation of ethnic conflicts since 1989 tends to support Sloan's definition that geopolitics is about spatial relations and historical causation. Serbian and Croatian ethnic cleansing in areas of Bosnia show that disputes involving cultural, political, and physical geography can have intensely severe outcomes. After all, what was being played out in the hills around Srebrenica and Banja Luka was not an environmental dispute. Harvey Sicherman explains the enduring significance of geopolitics (writ small) after the Cold War:
An overarching geopolitical struggle has merely given way to numerous "underarching" struggles. The Kremlin may be emptied of ideologues plotting campaigns against America, her allies, and strategic points around the globe, but the world as a whole teems with as many geopoliticians as ever. One might call them the "meat-eaters," those to whom power, territorial possession, military action, and pirated wealth matter far more than do environmental issues, diplomatic niceties, human rights and other hobbies of social transformers.[24]
Sicherman refers to this latter group as the "plant-eaters,"[25] whose "one-big-happy-family" theories, spun out of think tanks and academe just after the Gulf War, have proven to be off the mark in their assumptions about what motivates humankind. But even as these untested theories shaped our behavior in the post-Cold War world, they left us wanting. As Thomas Friedman noted, "globalization doesn't mean the end of geopolitics."[26]
For his part, Colin Gray maintains that even in our progressive age, "Geography defines the players (which are territorially organized states, or would like to be), frequently defines the stakes for which the players contend, and always defines the terms in which they measure their security relative to others."[27] Gray's observation and Sloan's contemporary definition of geopolitics suggest that states and other political groups worry very much about their geographical locations. This is particularly the case when states are surrounded, or are bordered, by states with historical grudges or by states that have previously used their power against weaker states. In this century alone the Central and Eastern European states, particularly the Czechs, Hungarians, and Poles, have been dominated and occupied by two great powers, the Germans and the Soviets. It is for this reason, more than any advanced by politically correct American "enlargers" on the right and left, that the great majority of former Warsaw Pact nations want to join a NATO focused on collective defense. They understand, even if presently we seem not to, that a military alliance, like an umbrella, is most useful on a rainy day.
The Nature of Alliances
Gray and like-minded thinkers argue that states constantly worry about their security relative to other states, and that this preoccupation defines national interests. Those interests may be advanced by membership in an alliance, which may be defined for our purposes as:
An agreement by states to support each other militarily in the event of an attack against any member, or to advance their mutual interests. Alliances may be bilateral or multilateral, secret or open, simple or highly organized, of short or long duration, and may be directed at preventing or winning a war. Balance-of-power systems tend to encourage the conclusion of military pacts to offset shifts in the power equation.[28]
Stephen Walt adds that alliances may be offensive or defensive in nature and may offer "a restraining influence on allies and adversaries alike." Most important, however, is his assertion that alliances are not collective security arrangements.[29]
Others have defined collective security in these terms:
A power system in which each state of the world would guarantee the security and independence of every other state. The key to the collective security pattern is universality of participation and obligation. Under these conditions, an aggressor nation would have to expect to face the united opposition of the entire community.[30]
The important differences to note here are that collective security is universal while alliances are limited and, as Walt notes, alliances are exclusive in their membership whereas a collective security arrangement is inclusive.[31] That distinction gets to the heart of the matter; exclusiveness has historically been the key to concerted multinational military actions. Different historical circumstances notwithstanding, the more exclusive a multinational military arrangement, the more dynamic and challenging the military operations it can hope collectively to sustain over time.[32]
Collective security exists only in the abstract, whereas alliances have often put collective defense into practice, at times quite successfully. Collective security remains abstract because universality can never be achieved. At times various collective security groupings (the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) have acted as the forum through which like-minded members approach problems collectively. But solutions produced by such organizations are most often diplomatic, economic, or quasi-military in nature (peacekeeping for instance). They are almost never decisive military reactions to aggression. When the going gets tough in multinational military operations that are managed through large and diffuse collective security organizations, the tough tend to go in many different directions. The experience of Bosnia is but the most recent demonstration of what happens when organizations not so habituated try to deal effectively with interstate violence on a large scale. Figure 1 below highlights the differences between alliances and collective security arrangements.
|Collective Security
But can an alliance such as NATO, not facing even a potential case of military aggression against one of its members, buck this trend and transform itself into an effective collective security organization? Walt points out that the preponderance of American power and sheer bureaucratic inertia in Mons and other NATO headquarters might combine to help NATO survive. He maintains that alliances persist when "there is a large asymmetry of power within them, when the allies share similar political values, and when the relationship is highly institutionalized. Such alliances will find it easier to adapt to new conditions and will be better equipped to handle the conflicts of interest that inevitably arise."[33] Conversely, alliances disintegrate when the threat they once defended against has ended; when their credibility has declined to the point where they are no longer viable; and when domestic political issues among member nations, such as demographic and social trends, domestic competition, regime changes, and ideological divisions, cause their dissolution.[34]
Based on Walt's qualifications, a reinvention of NATO as an effective and robust collective security arrangement would require both a disintegration along the lines outlined above and a resurrection made possible by his conditions for persistence. The threat that shaped NATO is dormant, if not eliminated, and NATO's credibility remains intact. And if one puts aside Greek-Turkish issues and the role the French have created for themselves within NATO, issues among members do not divide the Alliance to the degree that Walt's theory could not be applied. An asymmetry of power clearly exists, allowing the United States to lead the Alliance without question, the Allies generally share political values, and their relationship is highly institutionalized within the Alliance. Thus it would appear that NATO could theoretically allow itself to evolve from a defensive alliance to a collective security organization. The Alliance would only seem to disintegrate, but would endure by morphing into something else, dragging into a new future the sense of purpose, sacrifice, and institutional resources that once made it great. That's the theory anyway.
Toward Tomorrow's Alliance
Several times during the Cold War, the Soviet Union officially proposed that NATO and the Warsaw Pact be disbanded and replaced with one pan-European collective security arrangement. For geopolitical reasons, the United States and its Allies resisted this and other proposals that would have diluted both the US role in Europe and the focus of NATO. The Soviets knew, as the West did, that a broader focus on collective security with dozens of disparate nations involved would assuredly divide the Alliance, dilute its influence, and weaken its ability to counter Soviet initiatives. Removing the simple, common, and fundamentally profound goal of collective territorial defense would have removed the glue that had originally caused the Allies to pool resources in such an unprecedented fashion. As one senior European diplomat remarked recently when the French balked at certain out-of-area ideas, "If NATO is changing a military destiny once based on geography to a defense of common values, then where do we draw the limits? Will we all agree on which values to fight for? And just how far do we then go to defend them?"[35]
Article V of the NATO treaty is flexible (as Roskin pointed out), but fairly unambiguous: it's about real estate after all. New or modified articles to the original treaty might claim to identify the broader aims of a new NATO, especially goals that exclude geopolitical considerations. But such pronouncements stand a good chance of being merely paper assurances. Security guarantees made in the absence of a peek at the map, as the Secretary of State suggested, could well be reckless for the guarantor, meaningless for the recipient(s), or both in varying degrees. Geopolitical considerations, while sometimes not politically correct, have the advantage of being tangible. They add weight, focus, and cohesion to NATO, underpinning the myriad daily activities of the Alliance with a foundation that rests on national interests that until recently 16 sovereign states thought were worth fighting and dying for.
Conversely, a large collective grouping that ignores geopolitics while expecting broad military sacrifices for a certain concept of human rights, pluralistic democracy, environmental standards, or laissez-faire markets will not endure, especially during the desperate times when its effectiveness is most needed. It should be remembered that a military alliance is ultimately constructed for those desperate times, not for periods when the international arena is calm and cooperative. Effective alliances institutionalize collective responses when such responses might not otherwise be made. The considerations of geopolitics that cause interests to converge act as fences that discourage horses from bolting when the herd has been panicked.
Eventually one must ask whether a new NATO Strategic Concept, divorced from geopolitical realities, would hold up under pressure. Collective responses in an alliance whose raison d'être had ignored geopolitics will merely be the sum of the loosely coordinated constituent parts, with nothing greater than the whole. Make no mistake: in the absence of the threat that created NATO in the first place, the simultaneous burdens of undertaking enlargement and controversial new missions have reduced cohesion. As Frederick Bonnart wrote after the July 1997 summit in Madrid,
Behind the euphoria, a hollowness has appeared that had not been evident before. The leaders seem unclear about the purpose of the organization, and therefore about the political and military shape it is to take. Worst of all, strains have shown up in the alliance that indicate weaknesses in its most vital asset: its cohesion.[36]
Cohesion can neither be directed nor invented; it evolves through common purpose and shared experiences. In NATO's case, cohesion must continue to be grounded in calculations of political, economic, military, and cultural geography.
Geopolitics and the New Members
Geopolitically, the new member states of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary add spatial depth to the Alliance. If one subscribes to Lord Ismay's famous dictum that NATO's raison d'être is to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down, then the invitation of these three nations was indeed a coup. Robert Hunter implicitly recognized this in his all-too-brief discussion of the significance to NATO's future of geographic location and proximity.[37]
From the strategic perspective the inclusion of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary achieves two prime objectives. First, the addition of these states creates a de jure buffer zone between the historic great powers of continental Europe, Germany and Russia. Second, the inclusion of Hungary creates a firewall against Balkan instability. A drawback is that Hungary will not share a common border with any Alliance member. It has, however, proven useful as a staging area for NATO operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The inclusion of these three nations in the Alliance does not create immediate operational or tactical concerns. Poland's short border with Kaliningrad is the only common border between any of these nations and the Russian Federation. Poland's common border with the former Soviet republics of Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine should not create tension, but the defense of the Polish plains remains a strategic challenge. Because no new NATO troops will be stationed in Poland, its nine mechanized divisions, one armored cavalry division, one air cavalry division, and numerous brigades and regiments will have to suffice for contingency planning, no matter how fantastic such scenarios may seem today.[38] These units, and those of the Czech Republic and Hungary, are on their own until they are fully incorporated into the NATO command and control network--a process that could take several years.
Nonetheless, the absence of a clear threat and other geographical considerations surrounding Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary do not make them a geopolitical risk at the strategic, operational, or tactical levels. The incorporation of these nations into the NATO command structure and infrastructure will make them more easily defended in the event of conflict on the continent.
Geopolitics and the Failed Suitors
If geopolitical issues emerge in the next round of invitations, what sort of decisions might we expect? Slovakia, despite the disastrous way in which it (mis)managed its NATO campaign, might be forgiven its struggle to adapt to the ways of the West. It is puzzling, in geopolitical terms, to admit Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic without Slovakia. Not only is there a gap in the territorial contiguity of NATO's new eastern border, but an important one at that: the Slovak Republic occupies geographically and strategically what Sun Tzu would call key and difficult ground.[39] The Carpathian Mountain range covering the eastern part of the country causes a canalization of key rail and road hubs leading to Germany, Poland, and Hungary. Slovakia shares a common border with Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, and Hungary. Slovakia offers a growing industry, tremendous timber resources, zinc deposits, and an eastern oil field that it shares with a region of southern Poland and western Ukraine. Several former Soviet airfields and bases provide the potential to project Alliance power for all manner of military missions.
Slovenia might also get the nod because it is a land bridge to Hungary and an important firewall sealing off the Balkans. Romania might be accepted based upon its geostrategic location, natural resources, and Black Sea access. Conversely, Slovenia and Romania could be rejected precisely because of their proximity to potential hotspots such as the Balkans and Moldova. Or perhaps the defense of Slovenia and Romania, even in the absence of a clear and present danger, would be a chimerical exercise. Moreover, an Article V commitment to these and similar aspirants could challenge the interests, if not the conscience, of NATO's principal players.
This is very much the case for the Baltic nations. Extending an iron-clad security guarantee now to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia as full NATO members is sheer whimsy and sends the message: "We are no longer a serious military alliance."[40] Nonetheless, the well-earned notoriety of their intellectual class's struggle against the Soviet Union has helped form a special bond with NATO states not enjoyed by the likes of the Romanians, Slovaks, Bulgarians, or Ukrainians. This has led the United States to promise the Baltics, implicitly and repeatedly, full membership in NATO, causing resentment in Moscow and rolled eyes among military planners in Brussels. Questions such as these are difficult and emotive. There are good reasons why modern diplomats prefer ambiguous generalities to the harder-edged answers spun out by geopolitical analysis. The former allows the diplomat to answer successfully, albeit temporarily, the "Do I look fat in these pants?" question.
But to avoid geopolitical questions (and their answers) will eventually make the Alliance a mere shadow of its former self. Geopolitical considerations in deciding what NATO does and who belongs in the Alliance must underpin any collective military grouping that hopes to respond effectively in times of crisis. This does not mean NATO should not enlarge again. The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently observed that a well-studied and geopolitically based enlargement "will make constructive relations with Russia easier, because a stronger NATO will shut off Russia's avenues to destructive patterns of behavior."[41] Senator Jesse Helms recognizes that maintaining good relations with Russia and aiding its transition to a democratically oriented state are among the paramount tasks of US foreign policy. He also recognizes, however, as Robert Frost once wrote, that "good fences make good neighbors." Even a Russia that "looks like us" will have interests in Europe that conflict with those of the NATO countries. A geopolitically informed and enlarged NATO can help to avert conflicts when interests inevitably clash.
It is facile to think that a military alliance is inherently adversarial and should therefore not exist until conflict is full-blown. We subscribe to Henry Kissinger's view that Russia should participate in NATO deliberations, but in a very limited way. It will be difficult enough to keep nearly two dozen states focused on the important issues in the years ahead without giving the former adversary a veto over Alliance business.
Geopolitical analysis would not necessarily refute NATO enlargement, nor would it prescribe that NATO should not take on new regional missions or decide to operate out-of-area. However, new missions should not detract from the cohesion created and fostered by the Alliance's core purpose of territorial defense. That purpose serves as a form of centripetal force in NATO's organizational dynamics and gives the Alliance its cohesion. But collective defense must be preserved as the pillar on which NATO strength rests for other reasons as well. First, it is the hardest mission for which to prepare and must be practiced in peacetime with an uncommon sense of urgency and focus. Second, it is the most consequential, even if least probable, military mission that NATO performs. Failure to prepare for it means nothing less than the dissolution of the Alliance. Third, it is far easier for combat troops to flex downwards for the occasional peacekeeping operation than for specially trained peacekeeping troops or paramilitary police to flex upwards for war. The experience of the Dutch peacekeepers at Srebrenica offers stark evidence of that phenomenon.
A NATO cognizant of the geopolitical dimensions of its new or redefined roles and its expanded size stands a good chance of continuing as a useful tool for advancing American and Allied interests and values. One that ignores such changes will not endure. A static and reactionary NATO refusing to conclude a victor's peace or to respond to the changed geopolitics of post-Cold War Europe will fade away because it is an anachronism. An expanded NATO trying to transform itself into an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe with slightly more muscle will ultimately lose American support because it will not match America's role in European security to its interests there. The United States will not long keep nearly 100,000 troops in Europe to settle regional disputes in which it no longer has a unique and decisive role to play. In addition, security guarantees made regardless of "the map" have the legitimacy and buying power of today's ruble. Flooding the market with them will cause inflation and collapse.
Both of these extremes--NATO standing fast or NATO becoming a competitor of the OSCE--would make NATO the end in itself, instead of the means to advancing vital American interests. We should not, however, sustain NATO in any form merely for sustainment's sake. It is quite natural for alliances to wither and die. Hans Morgenthau noted that "whether and for how long [an alliance] will be operative depends upon the strength of the interests underlying it as over against the strength of the other interests of the nation concerned."[42] For now US national interests and those of its allies are well-served by US leadership in NATO. The continued evolution of this role and of the Alliance itself--both in scope and in size--appears inevitable. Evolution can be both manageable and useful if we reintroduce geopolitics into the debate.
1. Michael G. Roskin, "NATO: The Strange Alliance Getting Stranger," Parameters, 28 (Summer 1998), 38.
2. Madeleine Albright quoted in US Department of State, The Enlargement of NATO (Washington: State Department, February 1998), p. 9.
3. Geography may take the forms of topographic, human, economic, cultural, linguistic, and political. For our purposes in this essay we will focus first and foremost on political geography.
4. See for instance, David G. Hansen, "The Immutable Importance of Geography," Parameters, 27 (Spring 1997), 55-64.
5. Quoted in Michael Dobbs, "U.S. Indicates Preference for Just 3 New NATO States," The Washington Post, 30 May 1997, p. A30.
6. Quoted in Jesse Helms, "NATO Expansion Has All the Safeguards it Needs," The Wall Street Journal, 23 March 1998, p. A22.
7. US Department of State, The Enlargement of NATO, p. 7.
8. Robert E. Hunter, "NATO in the 21st Century: A Strategic Vision," Parameters, 28 (Summer 1998), 19.
9. Quoted in William Drozdiak, "European Allies Balk at Expanded Role for NATO," The Washington Post, 22 February 1998, p. A27.
10. Gordon Adams, now deputy director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, letter to the editor, The New York Times, 4 March 1998, p. A26.
11. G. R. Sloan, Geopolitics In United States Strategic Policy, 1890-1987 (Brighton, UK: Wheatshaf Books, 1988), p. 20.
12. Martin Ira Glassner, Political Geography (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1993), p. 224.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. See, for instance, Robert Strausz-Hupé, Geopolitics: The Struggle for Space and Power (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1942), and his The Balance for Tomorrow: Power and Foreign Policy in the United States (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1945). These two books would have a great effect on a generation of strategists and diplomats in the Unites States, particularly during the early phases of the Cold War.
16. Glassner, p. 225.
17. Sloan, pp. 87-104.
18. Glassner, p. 226.
19. For Mackinder, the World-Island is composed of the areas of Eurasia and Africa.
20. Halford T. Mackinder, Democratic Ideals and Reality (New York: Holt, 1919); as quoted in Glassner, pp. 226-27.
21. Nicholas J. Spykman, The Geography of Peace (New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1944), p. 43; as cited in Glassner, pp. 227-28.
22. See Jessica Mathews, "Power Shift," Foreign Affairs, 76 (January-February 1997), 50-66.
23. See Michael Howard, War and the Liberal Conscience (Piscataway, N.J.: Rutgers Univ. Press, 1989); and Donald Kagan, On the Origins of War (New York: Doubleday, 1995), introduction.
24. Harvey Sicherman, "Agenda 200: The Revenge of Geopolitics," Orbis, 41 (Winter 1997), 7-8.
25. Ibid., p. 8.
26. Thomas Friedman, "The New Iron Curtain," The New York Times, 20 March 1997.
27. Colin Gray, "The Continued Primacy of Geography," Orbis, 40 (Spring 1996), 248-49.
28. Jack C. Plano and Roy Olton, The International Relations Dictionary (4th ed.; Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1988), p. 169.
29. Stephen M. Walt, "Why Alliances Endure or Collapse," Survival, 39 (Spring 1997), 157-58. See also Walt's The Origins of Alliances (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell Univ. Press, 1987).
30. Plano and Olton, pp. 17-18.
31. Walt, p. 158.
32. See John Hillen, Blue Helmets: The Strategy of UN Military Operations (Washington: Brassey's, 1998).
33. Walt, p. 170.
34. Ibid., pp. 158-64.
35. Quoted in Drozdiak, p. A27.
36. Frederick Bonnart, "Either Get Back to Alliance Basics or NATO is in Big Trouble," The International Herald Tribune, 25 July 1997.
37. Hunter, p. 25.
38. International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance 1997-98 (London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1997), pp. 90-91.
39. To Sun Tzu key ground is "Ground equally advantageous for the enemy or me." Difficult ground, on the other hand, speaks to the Slovak Republic's vast timber coverage and the daunting Carpathian Mountain chain. Sun Tzu, translated by Samuel B. Griffith, The Art of War (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1963), pp. 130-31.
40. This does not preclude membership down the road (if geopolitical realities are borne in mind) nor alternative security arrangements between the United States and the Baltics such as that concluded between the United States and Ukraine. The Baltic nations have been very inflexible in this regard however and the United States has been less than creative as few officials, as noted, are concerned with these sorts of issues.
41. Helms, Wall Street Journal, 23 March 1998.
42. Hans J. Morgenthau, revised by Kenneth W. Thompson, Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace (6th ed.; New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1985), p. 205.
John Hillen is the Olin Fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributing editor at National Review. His most recent book is Blue Helmets: The Strategy of UN Military Operations (Brassey's, 1998). This is his third piece for Parameters.
Michael P. Noonan is a Ph.D. student in political science at Loyola University Chicago, and an Associate Scholar of the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Among other scholarly and professional affiliations, both authors are officers in the US Army Reserve, fellows of the Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, and members of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. As with all Parameters articles, the views expressed here are the authors' own.
Reviewed 12 August 1998. Please send comments or corrections to email@example.com


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This compilation of recipes makes Japanese cooking accessible, even to beginners. With its easy-to-follow dishes for Japanese-cuisine novices and inventive dishes which encourage experienced chefs to further master their skills, this book demonstrates how simple it is to prepare simple, elegant meals with an authentic Japanese flair. Adapted from recipes made famous at the restaurant Hirozen Gourmet, this cookbook features a combination of traditional and original recipes that chronicle Mr. Obayashi's inventiveness in the kitchen. From its detailed instructions on how to prepare rice and create basic broths to creating sukiyaki and exquisite sushi dishes, this cookbook contains a balanced mixture of recipes that are accessible to those just learning and challenging to those more proficient in the art of cooking.
Simple Delicacies: Japanese Recipes from Hirozen
- Buy Now:
- Amazon.com
- Price:
- $14.50
- By:
- Crossbridge Publishing Co
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Michael Flosi
Open Educational Resources, or OER, are documents, lessons, activities, and other forms of media that can be used in a classroom or at home that can assist in a students learning, assessment, and research. For the most part, Open Educational Resources are freely accessible; however, there are some online sources that require a fee. OER allows equal access to information and a wide rang of knowledge that will ultimately increase educational culture.
Open Educational Resources is worth the time and investment, because they allow any person to access a mass amount of information at a push of a button. As stated before, OER are either free or cost a small fee. This would save school districts and colleges millions of dollars. Districts use an incredible amount of money on educational resources such as textbooks, reusable activity books, and other resources used in the classroom. Recently, Antioch Unified School District requested that the school board authorize an expenditure of $3.2 million for textbooks, which will most likely be out of date by the time they are used in the classroom. Open Educational Resources would eliminate a majority of the cost. Types of open educational resources include: full courses, course materials, units, open textbooks, open licenses (streaming videos), quiz/ testing sites, materials, lessons to support and facilitate learning.
Open Educational Resources ultimately sponsors high-quality open content for teachers and students, which can remove barriers and stimulates learning. Another positive aspect of OER is that content can be used, re-used and shared among students and teachers. Ultimately, Open Educational Resource creates equal access for all learners.


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Posts from the 'Customs' Category
- August 12, 2014
This iOS app will reduce customs time at U.S. airports for U.S. & Canadian citizens
Expected to reduce the wait time in the customs line at the point of entry in United States, U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) have launched a new app called Mobile Passport Control (MPC), for iOS devices where an eligible U.S. or Canadian citizen can submit their passport information and customs declaration form using the […]
- March 20, 2012
Know these food etiquette before you travel
Make it easier for you and your local hosts/friends/fellow-travelers by educating yourself with the local customs and etiquette when traveling to foreign countries. This can also make you not stick out as a tourist. MSNBC rounds up some interesting food customs for globetrotters. For example, when you're in India, make sure not eat with your […]


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- Details
- Category: Grow Products
The BloomBox All-in-one Grow Box
The all-in-one growing appliance
that lets you harvest with ease
Want a completely contained hydroponics growing system?
The BloomBox is world renowned as the premium dual chamber, all-in-one indoor hydroponics grow box. The BloomBox has won multiple S.T.A.S.H Awards from High Times Magazine.
From seed or clones, this baby can churn out nine flowering plants to harvest every six to eight weeks. Plus, its self contained and carbon filtered air system ensures your crop is safe from prying eyes… unless, of course, you want to brag.
Here's a quick tour:
Quick Stats
- Width: 54.375"
- Height: 54.5" (on wheels)
- Depth: 28"
- Odour control
- Standard CO2 regulator included
- 400W digital ballast
- Automated electronic timer
Safe, Professional Construction
The BloomBox is not just a grow box; it's an automated growing appliance. Professionally wired and built to last, The BloomBox is safe, secure, and made with premium electronics and parts.
Designed For Easy, Clean Use
When growing indoors cleanliness is very important. That's why all of the parts that go into The BloomBox have been specifically designed for ease of use and clean operation. There are no secret places for mould or mildew to hide in your growing environment.
Discreet World Wide Shipping
Every month we ship, our all-in-one BloomBoxes around the world to enthusiastic indoor hydroponic growers. Your package will not attract any attention in its discreet packaging.
The BloomBox comes pre-programmed from the factory with light timing, watering, CO2 injection, air circulation, and air stone pumps.
All BCNL grow boxes come with all of the nutrients, grow medium (rockwool), extra parts, clone domes, nutrient recipes, bulbs, manuals and unlimited technical support that you need to get growing fast and easily. Just add seeds or clones and you're good to go.
What do I do If I Need Help?
The big problem with most grow box manufacturers (or if you build one yourself) is that you don't get any support. I mean, what the heck are you supposed to do when something goes wrong? If you don't know what to do your plants could die and you could lose a ton of hard work!
That's why BCNL is dedicated to providing you with top notch customer service seven days a week. And we're not just talking about email support (although you can reach us through email, too). We mean you can reach an actual human being who grows in the same equipment that you are growing in.
These guys know everything from how to clone, how to get the biggest crops, how to solve growing problems (like nutrient burn), to how to customize the programming or even take the entire box apart to get it through a narrow door (yes... it's happened).
We're even available on Christmas Day! Because if you have mites, they're not going to wait around before chewing up your hard earned crop.
What do I get with my BloomBox?
The BloomBox
- The BloomBox Grow Box
- Six (6) months of Silver Nutrients
- CFL & HID bulbs
- Odour-destroying carbon filter
- Rockwool grow medium
- CO2 hookup and hoses
- Airstones
- Air pump
- Water pumps
- Clone tray
- Hydro tubs
- Mixing tub (for nutrients)
- Golden Grow Power Cloner
- Hydro pot for mother plant
- Industrial-strength casters
- 400w digital ballast
The BloomBox Royale
- Everything to the left
- The Dryer with carbon filter
- One (1) year of Silver Nutrients
- T5 lighting upgrade
- Extra HID bulbs
- Extra CFL bulb
- Extra airstones
- Extra drip emitters
- pH pen
- TDS pen
- Storage solution
- Extra water pumps
- Pruning scissors
- Cloning scalpel
- Digital thermometer
- Odour-killing Ona block
- Air ducting collar
- 25 ft. of ducting
- 1 syringe
- 1 measuring cup
The BloomBox Royale With Cheese
- Everything to the left
- Upgrade to Gold Nutrients
- Extra T5 Bulbs
- Extra Carbon Filter
- T5 Reflector Upgrade
- Internal air mover fan
How long until my first sticky crop?
That depends on a few things. First up, if you're growing from seeds it's going to take a bit longer because you have to germinate them first. If you're growing from clones you can get them in the flowering chamber almost immediately (depending on their size).
The beauty of the BloomBox is that you get a second chamber for maintaining a mother plant.
A mother plant is a plant that you've already determined to be female (the ones that give you your crop). Once you get a mother plant you can maintain it in the smaller "veg" chamber of your Bloombox and cut clones off of it for months or even years!
That means the BloomBox turns into a lean, mean cloning machine. Once you get your motherplant churning out clones you can expect a crop every six to eight weeks from your BloomBox.
What size yield can I expect?
The BloomBox will grow up to nine plants to harvest. Depending on your strain (the type of plant you're growing) you can expect anywhere from 1/2 to 1 full pound of yield every 6 to 8 weeks.
Be careful about other grow box manufacturer claims of yields. Some of them say you can get up to 4 pounds out of 9 or 10 plants (that's insane) and claims like that should be questioned.
We've been testing and tweaking our grow box designs for over 10 years and continue to advance the technology in these grow boxes. We've optimized them to get as much yield as possible as easily as possible. Oh, and the premium medical grade construction ensures you'll be growing crops for years to come.
Ready to get growing?
We ship out our grow boxes twice each month. If you're interested in purchasing a premium grow box you can request a quote by clicking here:
Can I upgrade my BloomBox?
Hell yeah, you can!
The BloomBox package comes with everything you need to grow indoors in a full hydroponics setup. However, we have a few upgrade packages that are available:
The BloomBox Royale
The BloomBox Royale is our most popular BloomBox upgrade. It gives you a new set of lights mounted on the grow tub called our "T-5 Lighting Setup." It also outfits you with over a year's worth of backup parts and nutrients.
The BloomBox Royale with Cheese
Everybody loves cheese! If you want to upgrade your Bloombox even more you can get the Bloombox Royale with Cheese. It upgrades your nutrient package to our custom Gold Package, adds T5 lighting reflectors, and an internal air mover fan.


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I need to replace my skimmer, the complete assembly.
The one that came with the pool is a Waterway Plastics model and I can't find a replacment. My problem is; I would like to replace it with a solid name brand "Hayward" but none of the ones I have looked at have the same cut-out dimentions or number of mounting holes what do I do?


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Emily Badger
Emily Badger is a former staff writer at CityLab. Her work has previously appeared in Pacific Standard, GOOD, The Christian Science Monitor, and The New York Times. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area.
Cities are often studied as a kind of organism, a complex entity capable of evolving, and ruled by self-organization. Which raises an awkward question for urban planners: Where do they fit in? If cities evolve in size and shape according to their own unwritten rules, does "central planning" really change anything?
Several French academics recently analyzed one of the most obvious case studies for this elusive question: Paris in the time before and after infamous master-planner Georges-Eugène Haussmann rolled through town razing roads, plotting new ones, and trying to rationalize the city's windy medieval street grid (hat tip to the BBC for noticing the study). The paper in Scientific Reports digitized historic maps of the city from 1789, 1826, 1836, 1888, 1999, and 2010.
The analysis borrowed as much from complex networks theory as from the more traditional eyeball method of assessing old-timey maps. Street networks generally follow some pretty common patterns over time, as new intersections and roads are created both pushing the network outward and densifying it at its core (as we've previously written, OpenStreetMap contributors actually follow these very same processes, too).
In studying those six maps of Paris, these mathematical physicists and historians, led by Marc Barthelemy, were trying to count and measure these links and nodes, and the best ways to travel between them. They focused on Haussmann's modifications and the street network contained within what was Paris in 1789, or what constitutes the central city today. On the below left-hand map from the paper, the 1789 network of Paris in blue is plotted atop a map of the city today. The teal lines at right show the roads created during the Haussmann period of the second half of the 19th century:
The number of nodes and the length of roads appeared to increase between 1836 and 1888 in predictable proportion with the city's growing population, suggesting not much influence by Haussmann's hand. "Our results for central Paris reveal that most indicators follow a smooth evolution," the authors write, and one that mimics cities studied elsewhere.
But the roads Haussamnn planned did have a dramatic impact on how people spatially navigated through the city, likely alleviating congestion. The researchers gauged this looking at something called "betweenness centrality," which we will let them explain: It "essentially measures the number of times a link is used in the shortest paths connecting any pair of nodes in the network, and is thus a measure of the contribution of a link in the organisation of flows in the network."
Certain roads, in other words, become more important in connecting people to points across town. And while Haussmann's new roads and avenues made up only 6 percent of the total length of the area's network today, that 6 percent appears to have fundamentally shifted the spatial organization of the city. Here, those most central nodes that enabled people to travel the shortest paths through town are plotted across time:
Post-Haussmann, from 1888 onward, the spatial pattern has remained pretty stable. Barthelemy and colleagues offer little guidance as to how we should use these results to look back on Haussmann's legacy:
It is unclear at this stage if Haussmann modifications were optimal and more importantly, if they were at a certain point inevitable and would have happened anyway (due to the high level of congestion for example). More work, with more data on a larger spatial scale are probably needed to study these important questions.
Top image: Map of Paris from 1853, which shows the city with some of Haussmann's newly planned streets: Paniconography by Firmin Gillot (b 1820, d 1872). Engraving by F. Delamare/courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Oslo's Powerhouse collective wants buildings that make better cities in the face of climate change.
Urban planner Alain Bertaud's new book, Order Without Design, argues that cities are really shaped by market forces, not visionaries.
By adding thousands more jobs outside the Texas capital, Apple has followed a tech expansion playbook that may just exacerbate economic inequality.
Congestion pricing is gaining ground in New York City and Los Angeles. That could help turn around ride-hailing's losses.
Through the organization Architecture for Children, Hong Kong architect Vicky Chan has taught urban design and planning to thousands of kids. Here's why.


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American Ceramics: Voulkos, Reitz, Soldner.
Influenced by the Abstract Expressionist Movement, Peter Voulkos (19924-2002), Paul Soldner (1921-2011), and Don Reitz, revolutionized the art of American Ceramics.
Don Reitz
Don Reitz is one of the most important and influential ceramic artists of the 20th century and one of the most important living ceramist today. Born in 1929, he was trained at Alfred University in the early 1960s. He is represented in numerous museum collections. Click here to see his work at the Gallery.
Reitz has pursued a life-long investigation of salt and wood firing preserving the energy and freshness of his artistic marks and gestures. Reitz is credited with almost single-handedly reviving the technique of salt firing, and through long experimentation developed a range of colors and surface effects previously unknown. His passionate approach to salt and wood firing has been widely influential over the past fifty years.
Here are some images Reitz sent us of him making beautiful work in his studio!
Paul Soldner:
Paul Soldner has made numerous invaluable contributions to the field of ceramics, including developing what has been come to be known as "American Raku", and a technique known as "low-temperature salt firing". His involvement with raku, for which he is now internationally known, came by chance.
Soldner in the Gallery:
Paul Soldner
Ceramic Raku Platter
19"w x 4"h
Click here to see Soldner's work.
Peter Voulkos:
Voulkos started his career making large vessels until he encountered the work of Abstract Expressionist painters. They inspired him to reinvent ceramics as he knew it, a decision that yielded a lifetime of monumental and bold sculpture that had tremendous influence on the field of ceramic art worldwide.
Voulkos and Reitz currently have work in The Arvada Center: Uncommon Ground, Impact and Influence. The show will be up until November 13th!
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog! Please leave us a comment :)


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Published On Sep 15, 2018
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When you're in a long term committed union with someone, nothing can change everything like the infidelity of a loved one. If you're worrying whether or not your spouse is faithful and you want to know how to catch a cheating spouse, here's a list to help you.
There's no guarantees that you partner is cheating on you if her or his actions fit the list below, but you should consider this as a warning sign.
- Has your partner suddenly started to take more care with their appearance? Are they more interested with how they look and what they wear? Are they suddenly interested in getting fit? Again, none of these things means that your partner is having an affair or is interested in having one, but these changes coupled with other changes could be a warning sign of an incoming problem.
- Is your spouse suddenly more concerned about privacy when they're on the phone or online? If they used to openly carry on conversations and they suddenly have to leave the room when they talk on the phone that could be an indication that they are saying something they don't want you to hear.
- Does your partner seem uninterested in sex. During any long term relationship sexual appetites will vary and that is perfectly normal. Many times fatigue and pressure will play a factor in a lower interest in sex, so if your lover isn't interested in sex don't just accuse them of cheating, take everything into consideration such as financial pressure, job stress, family stress, etc. If, on the other hand, there isn't anything uncommon ( or at least anything that you know about) and your spouse still doesn't seem interested in having sex with you, this could be a problem.
- Is your partner suddenly a lot more attentive to you? Do they send you gifts or flowers for no apparent reason? If this isn't their normal behavior, it's likely that they're doing to hide something that they are feeling guilty of. You need to figure out what it is.
- Does your partner suddenly start using different language or terms? Are they suddenly talking about new interests like music or books that they've never shown an interest in before? If this happens ask them where they've heard of these new things. If they've picked them up from a friend, they'll tell you. If, on the other hand, they say they've just heard it 'somewhere' or give you some other vague answer you are probably smart to be a little suspicious.
I wish nobody would have to deal with this kind of situation, ever, but it happens all the time. So if you do, these tips will give you a great place to start when searching for the truth.


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BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) Jr C# Software Engineer in Drachten, Netherlands
Job Description Summary
Job Description
Are you looking for a fresh C# / .NET challenge? Looking to avoid the Randstad commute and still take home the greatest award of all…Contribute to help save people's lives? If so, read on.
At BD Kiestra you will have the opportunity to work and learn in a fast growing and innovative environment and be part of a project team of international experts. As a c# / .NET Software Engineer you will be part of R&D, which currently consists of 17 Software Engineers, and other disciplines like Mechanical Engineers. You contribute to the development of new machines, technologies and software applications. bring high-quality IT solutions in practice and to make it function in a fast, intuitive and stable manner.
We are recruiting for a Junior C# / .NET Software Engineer
Core activities include
Development of software according to the established specifications, and the design, programming, testing and updating of that software.
Documenting and archiving specifications and designs.
Determine the technical feasibility and planning your own work.
Collection of supplies needed for building and testing of the basic set-up for product innovation.
Contribute knowledge and documentation, mostly related to the specific technologies, to departments such as Technical Services and Product Management.
Specializations may arise in the area of PLC, vision / imaging and / or embedded systems Techniques
You'll love our position if…
(This is the stuff you MUST have to be a fit)
You have 3+ years of experience with developing web applications with C# /.NET Frameworks.
Bachelor's Degree or MSc from an accredited university or college.
You have experience with assisting development teams in the build out of schema and database technologies.
You have experience with modeling databases and development of tables, stored procedures, views, triggers, and other database objects.
Willingness to travel up to 10%.
It's a definitive PLUS if you are:
Experienced within a regulated (medical) environment.
Experienced with real-time software.
Interested in an (international) career perspective either in management or technical scale.
Want to Apply?
Are you interested in this position? Please Click the APPLY button
Questions about the procedure, please contact Richard van der Vegt (Talent Acquisition Specialist) on +31649983439
Primary Work Location
NLD Drachten - Marconilaan
Additional Locations
Work Shift
BD is a leading global medical technology company that creates medical technology, devices and laboratory equipment for a variety of needs across the healthcare continuum. At BD, we are looking for candidates who possess passion, innovative solutions and a commitment to our one mission of improving access to groundbreaking medical and biotechnology services for people near and far, delivering state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge research in the battle to fight and cure infectious diseases. With a global reach that extends across 50 countries worldwide, our network of professionals collaborates on effective measures to deliver enhanced patient quality such as lower health care delivery costs, improved health care and safety, and expanded health care for all. Join our company and see how you can become a part of one global mission to make a difference in human health.