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Rand Paul on Free Trade
Republican Kentucky Senator
TRUMP: The TPP is horrible deal. It's a deal that was designed for China to come in through the back door. We're losing now over $500 billion in terms of imbalance with China. If you look at the way China in particular takes advantage of the US--it's through currency manipulation. It's not even discussed in the TPP.
PAUL: Hey, you know, we might want to point out China is not part of this deal.
Q: But isn't that part of the problem? That if this deal is not ratified by the Senate, then it would actually give China an opportunity to grow its economic leadership?
PAUL: There is an argument that China doesn't like the deal, because in us doing the deal, we'll be trading with their competitors. But we've missed the point a little bit. It's a mistake that we give up power to the presidency on these trade deals. We give up the power to filibuster, and I'm kind of fond of that power.
People sometimes ask me what my worldview is. My response is that even if you've crisscrossed the globe, I'm not sure that the world doesn't change by the time you return to the same spot twice. I really am a believer that foreign policy must be viewed by events as they present themselves, not as we wish them to be.
The President's agenda of increasing taxes on top of a weak dollar policy is inhibiting the country's ability of to compete overseas. One of the fundamental keys to export growth is investment. The correlation between tax rates, investment and export is demonstrated by the tremendous export opportunities and growth of East Asia.
Tax rates affect the investment decisions of firms and individuals by altering the cash flow of investment opportunities, and decrease the return on investment, resulting in overall reduced investment.
In November 2011, my office was happy to participate with the Raw Milk Freedom Riders, who set out to acquire raw milk in protest of raids on small farmers.
The Raw Milk Freedom Riders intentionally purchased and transported raw milk across state lines in violation of federal law.
Civil disobedience. Hunger strikes. Persecuted activists. The food freedom movement has all the hallmarks of the great struggles of the past, and that's because it shares a common enemy with those movements--aggressive and arrogant government.
Heritage Action summary of vote# S206: The Senate voted to table (kill) an amendment by Sen. Kirk to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. Sen. Kirk recommends voting NO. Heritage Foundation recommends voting YES because the "Ex-Im Bank is little more than a $140 billion slush fund for corporate welfare."
OnTheIssues explanation: Voting NO would allow a vote on reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank. Voting YES would kill the bill for reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank.
Cato Institute reason for voting YES to kill the bill:The Ex-Im Bank's reauthorization buffs contend that Ex-Im fills a void left by private sector lenders unwilling to provide financing for certain transactions. Ex-Im's critics [say that] by effectively superseding risk-based decision-making with the choices of a handful of bureaucrats pursuing political objectives, Ex-Im risks taxpayer dollars. It turns out that for nearly every Ex-Im financing authorization that might advance the fortunes of a single US company, there is at least one US industry whose firms are put at a competitive disadvantage. These are the unseen consequences of Ex-Im's mission.
Ratings by USA*Engage indicate support for trade engagement or trade sanctions. The organization's self-description: "USA*Engage is concerned about the proliferation of unilateral foreign policy sanctions at the federal, state and local level. Despite the fact that broad trade-based unilateral sanctions rarely achieve our foreign policy goals, they continue to have political appeal. Unilateral sanctions give the impression that the United States is 'doing something,' while American workers, farmers and businesses absorb the costs."
VoteMatch scoring for the USA*Engage ratings is as follows :
|Other candidates on Free Trade:
|Rand Paul on other issues:
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Crispy No Fuss Cauliflower2015-10-28
- Servings : 2-4
- Prep Time : 10m
- Cook Time : 25m
- Ready In : 35m
The technique used to prepare this crispy, savory, and satisfying cauliflower is perfect for these cool fall nights. Especially useful when you want to make a veggie dish that everyone will not only enjoy, but devour. You can use the same ingredients and preparation on other veggies like broccoli, potatoes, yams, mushrooms, okra, as well. The turmeric and black pepper give a nice warm taste and boast anti-inflammatory properties as well. All the comfort and taste of fried cauliflower or cauliflower buffalo wings, but none of the mess. Give it a try!
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets, stem cut into small pieces
- 2 Tbsp potato starch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, optional
- 1/2 tsp chili powder or paprika
- 1 Tbsp neutral, high heat oil of choice (avocado, sunflower, grape seed, canola, etc)
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle tablespoon of oil over metal baking sheet. Spread cauliflower over sheet, toss in oil, and sprinkle with remaining ingredients, potato starch through chili powder/paprika. Make sure cauliflower is in an even layer with as much space between pieces as possible. If needed divide between two sheets.
Step 2
Bake for 20-30 minutes, tossing once about halfway through. When crispy and golden brown it is done. Serve by itself, over rice, pasta, with potatoes, or as a filling for tacos, burritos, wraps, etc. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, tahini dressing, or aioli if desired. Enjoy!
Average Member Rating
(4.7 / 5)
7 people rated this recipe

subset: commoncrawl


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6357 Quinn Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70817, USA
6357 Quinn Dr. Baton Rouge Louisiana 70817 United States
(225) 752-5801(225) 752-5801
CAAWS is dedicated to ending the homeless animal problem in the Baton Rouge area. By adopting out animals into forever homes, we decrease the burden on Animal Control and ensure another animal lives in peace and security. Through our adoption program, and our spay/neuter and education programs, CAAWS has the goal to place every adoptable animal in a loving home.


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Having spent the latter two weeks of November in England – where the frigid arctic wind seeped into my bones while I scraped a stubborn layer of frost off the car windscreen – the autumnal weather that we've experienced in Shanghai today has been lovely.
Wandering down Yongkang Lu on my way to lunch, a clement breeze whipped golden-brown leaves from swaying tree branches and cradled them to the ground where they crunched underfoot. On the pavement a huddle of men thirty-or-so strong craned their necks jostled position to watch a mahjong game unfold on a beat-up plywood table. Fleecy bed-covers flapped and floated alongside well-worn bras and knickers on roadside washing lines, and everyone had opted for two-wheels rather than four.
My last visit to England was in May earlier this year; a fleeting catch-up with family and friends. This time my primary purpose was for work and it was the first time I'd set foot in the UK office for 18 months. It was lovely to meet with colleagues face-to-face after so long; everyone was keen to know whether I was still happy living in China, and also whether I was looking forward to moving back to the UK (my repatriation is on the horizon now, as I'll complete my 3-year assignment in April next year). Honestly, I found it hard to give a neat answer. Shanghai isn't a new adventure anymore, or a work assignment – it's my home.
I love the rich juxtaposition of familiarity and foreignness, whereby I have a favorite coffee shop and preferred dumpling vendor (yes, really), but stare wide-eyed (in amusement, or curiosity, or horror) at various culture-specific and previously unseen scenarios on most days.
I love that everything around me is worthy of a photograph. Case in point: a few hours ago, while cutting through an alleyway off Nanchang Lu close to my apartment, I glanced past the coffee shop on the corner, noted the new nail place ("trouble girl"), and settled my gaze on the festive display outside Kym's Flower shop – bright red poinsettia and colour-matched Christmas baubles. So far so normal, but look a little to the left, and you will find five fish fillets strung to a wooden pole, gutted, cleaned and drying with the aid of a rusty old fan propped up on a battered plastic cool-box. Every Shanghai street coaxes you to look closer, to be present, and pay attention (especially because these little glimpses of old-school China are becoming rarer, as the lane-house-lined streets are swept away to make room for the new and modern and shiny).
I also love my friends in Shanghai – albeit the merry-go-round of expat assignments means that they won't be here forever either; I was gutted when one friend moved back to Australia in September.
So am I looking forward to moving home? Well, not in the sense that the UK doesn't really feel like home at this moment. The prospect of moving into a rental apartment in Warwickshire, learning to fit back into a routine that is now unfamiliar, and turning on the radio to relentless updates on Brexit doesn't exactly fill me with joy. But still, there is a lot that I am looking forward to; the prospect of a new challenge at work… accepting birthday and wedding and Sunday dinner invitations… being in close proximity to Marks & Spencers food hall… fresh air on a crisp winters morning (yes, even if it does mean scraping ice off the car windscreen!), because let's be honest, my autumn-in-December experience today was a bit of an anomaly; let's take last Thursday as a comparative:
So in sum, I spent most of my week in the office explaining my feelings as "pretty mixed". When Matt and I did our expat immersion training shortly before moving to China, we were advised that the culture shock experienced by people on return to their home country can far exceed that of the initial relocation, as you grow and develop over the three years in a completely different context and culture to friends, family and colleagues back home. I intend to write more about this as I prepare to go back.
It goes without saying, but I've been a bit crap at blogging of late. I have at least 8 half-written drafts which nag at me when I find myself binge-watching Mad Men after a long day/week at work. With only a few months left in China in which to tackle a bucket-list as long as the Huangpu River, my job, a plethora of seasonal social commitments (Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year) and a predilection for at least 8 hours sleep, it may be a stretch that I'll finish all 8, but I'll try for at least a couple more!
– Em


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- Newport. before departure.
- Like birds, the summer is over and it is time to go South. For the large yachts, November first is the starting line; the end of the hurricane season. A couple of weeks ago, I took an early going on the S/V Two an Eighty Two feet boat. Captain Rick is a long time friend and the opportunity to go Offshore with competence is a priority for me. We hit the weather window perfectly and a good ride to Charleston, South Carolina. By coincidence, my daughter Dominique had decided to move there at the same time and it was fun to have dinner together on the boat. Then onto Ft. Lauderdale.
- A few observations associated with the trip.
We motored all the way, trying to average 8.5 to 9 knots. Sometimes with the Mainsail up, sometimes with the Jib. Deliveries are just that, going as fast as you can to the destination.
- Modern sailboats have many conveniences but also drawbacks.
- One is the over sophistication in the area of sail handling. One example is the roller- furler boom which unrolled by itself while on the wind. The breeze was moderate but I can imagine what could have been a disaster in stormy weather. One instance, for example, approaching Charleston we were aware of coming heavy squalls. Fortunately, under power and already inside the very long channel, we were hit by 40 knots of wind and heavy rain. Visibility was not to bad and therefore we make out the markers as we went along. Earlier and under an unfurling sail, it would have been another story. Also sometimes in the middle of the trip the headsail dropped, the strap at the top having unleashed itself. Not so much of a problem except that with over one hundred feet of the mast length, it became prudent to wait for calmer seas before sending someone to the masthead.
- The electronic world has invaded boats with marvelous technology. I like radar, I like chart plotter and a few other things. - But again we found a vulnerability with the autopilot tripping for the last 24 hours; the continuous watching of gauges; be the black and grey water for four bathrooms with separate showers; or checking the engine room for the alternator going too hot. Lots of systems make the kiss concept goodbye. Of course, this is what it is in the public eye and the more the better it seems.
- On another subject, the watch system. For someone accustomed to the 4 on 4 off, I was introduced to a different schedule. We had a crew of seven on the first leg and six on the second. It came to divide the watch of two with three hours on and six off. Not too long time on deck and with a good resting period.
I enjoy very much deliveries, putting time in a capsule and always learning.
- A little side story:
Just back from the trip, I noticed a familiar mast across my office window. The Lunacy, ex Star Cruiser is on her way to the West Indies. Charles Doane makes the trip every two years and I was happy to see the boat again. You can follow the adventure on www.wavetrain.net
Charles is the Cruising Editor for Sail Magazine.


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Sally Ploof Hunter Memorial Library
101 Public Works Drive PO Box 25313612 Black River , NY
United States
Phone: 315-773-5163
Fax: 315-775-122444° 0' 57.3948" N, 75° 47' 10.5" W
See map: Google Maps
New York US
We will have Bill Reichard, Black River Village Historian at the library every Thursday from 2-4 to answer any questions about our local history, or you can call and set up an appointment for some other time.
Please call ahead to ensure that he is here before stopping in. Thank you.
Event Date:
Repeats every week every Thursday 100 times.Thursday, November 14, 2019
Event Time:
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm


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Rescue Diver Course in Bali
The Rescue Diver program develops your skill and knowledge to be prepared for emergency situations, especially during diving. The course will train you to confidently perform diver assists and rescues, manage dive emergencies situations and render first aid.
Generally, courses will take three days. It's a worthy three-day course considering you can help a life.
Having this skill under your belt will be an important asset to you and the people around you considering there are so many Bali dive sites, filled with divers all year around. We'll never know when this skill would come in handy.
Rescue Diver Course Program :
This course involves serious subject, but it's a fun and challenging training program.
PADI Rescue Divers or SSI Rescue Diver Specialty Program.
SSI Rescue Diver Course program takes 2 days - 3 days ;
- Day 1 : Theory session and Pool Session
- Day 2 : Open Water Session 3x dives, diving in famous Bali Dive Sites
Above Itinerary is suitable for you if you have your Emergency Training Certification active within 24 months ( CPR, Rescue Breath, and First Aid). You can take your Emergency Training with Us or may be from your home country before your arrival. Also, it is a good idea to start your online learning before your arrival to minimize the theory session in the class.
- Day 1 : Theory Session of Emergency Training and Rescue Diver Theory
- Day 2 : Pool Session
- Day 3 : Open Water Session 3x dives, diving in famous Bali Dive Sites
What are the qualifications to be a Rescue Diver?
- Must be at least 15 years old
- Completed the Emergency First Response (EFR) or a similar sanctioned program in CPR within the past 24 months
- Advanced Open Water diver
You will learn in the realistic scenario practices in the pool session & ocean session:
- Self-rescue and diver stress
- AED and emergency oxygen delivery systems
- Dive first aid
- Emergency management and equipment
- Swimming and non-swimming assists
- Panicked diver response
- Underwater problems
- Missing diver procedures
- Surfacing the unconscious diver
- In-water rescue breathing protocols
- Egress (exits)
- First aid procedures for pressure related accidents
- Dive accident scenarios
Must be at least 12 years old, complete Emergency First Response (EFR) or a similar sanctioned program in CPR within the past 24 months (or you can take EFR course with us before this course), and a Advanced Open Water divers.
This course has serious subject but the fun and challenging training sessions. Seriously!
Take this course now.
Book Your Bali Dive Trips and Courses with us
Kindly provide your information as much as you can to help us easily and send you the offers/quotes soon :
- Your available date (s) of diving / course ?
- Dates of arrival and departure ?
- How many of certified / non – certified divers?
- Your certification level?
- Logged dives that you have?
- Date of your last dives?
- Special request or any information to let us know?


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Editing Services
Comprehensive Copy Editing
When I edit a story, I find it impossible to do "just" a proofreading. Sure, you'll find I read for grammar, spelling, consistency, and any outstanding issues; however, I also tend to give comments on what I like as well as what may be confusing or needs reworking. Each edit includes:
- Checking for grammar, punctuation, and spelling issues
- Consistency checks for capitalization (especially in fantasy/science fiction) and word usage
- Noting what works well. Did you make me laugh? Am I tearing up? Did I love a specific turn of phrase?
- Alert you to passages which may be confusing or need reworking. Maybe I know what you mean, but it's not just coming across that clearly.
- Notification of consistent or spot issues with POV, characterization, scene setting, plot development, or world building.
- Limited fact checking if something doesn't "sound" right.
I do all edits in Word with TRACK CHANGES turned on. I find this makes it easier for you to go through the story, make any changes, as well as see directly where comments apply.
I'm familiar with both British and American English. I believe that rainbows are colorful, as well as colourful.
Who am I?
Since 2002 I've been published in the erotic romance field, and since 2018 in fantasy and women's lit. For ten years (2007-2017) I edited for the publishing company I ran, as well as freelance editing both before and since then for private clients. I also edited for a couple of small presses as well before I had to focus on a family member's health as well as my own. However, I am back and currently open for editing clients.
You cannot go wrong with Mary editing your manuscript. Not only will she make your book shine, you'll learn so much from her. She's just the best there is.
Up to 25,000 words –> $75
25,0001 to 50,000 words –> $150
50,001 to 75,000 words –> $225
75,0001 to 100,000 words –> $300
100,001 to 125,000 words –> $375
125,001 to 150,000 words –> $450
150,001 to 175,000 words –> $525
175,001 to 200,000 words –> $600
Over 200,001 words? Contact for price.
Ask me about my multiple book and returning customer discounts. I also provide discounts for referrals.
Need a beta reader? Contact me.
Need a sensitivity reader? Contact me for my areas of expertise.
My pricing philosophy is simple. Everyone deserves quality editing without breaking their budget or going into debt.
With this in mind, I've priced my work what I feel is fair and affordable. Because my prices are so low, for anything under $150, I require payment in full. I'll invoice you. Above $150, there will be a deposit of 50% due at the time of scheduling and 50% due within 72 hours of receiving the completed edits. If you need a payment plan, talk to me. We can work something out. Invoices will be sent and can be paid by credit card or PayPal. There is an agreement that I'll send to make sure we're all on the same page.
To Reserve Your Spot
To reserve your space, please fill out the form below. You are welcome to book ahead to take advantage of either a longer payment plan time or to take advantage of any sales that I may be having. If you would like to inquire about availability, please use the form below


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When it comes to ancient history, attempting to decipher the linear timeline from one civilization to another is purposefully designed to be a real clusterfuck. Obviously volumes have been written on this subject so I hope you will take the following for what it is, a brief overview of many complexly intertwined subjects. The thinking-out-loud analysis contained herein is based on the following assumption:
Written Language, Ancient History, Brotherhood of the Snake, Phoenicians, America, Atlantis, and the Serpent Mound
calcifythelies Tags: 9/11, Abraxas, Abyss, Aether, Agartha, Akkadia, Alchemy, Aleister Crowley, Alpha, Anno Lucis, Annunaki, Apep, Archeo-Acoustic, Assyria, Atlantis, Avatars, Babylon, Bible, Bio-Electric, Bird Man Tablet, Black Sun, Boaz, Bosnian Pyramids, Brotherhood of the Snake, Caananite, Cahokia, Chris Knowles, Coral Castle, Cosmic Egg, Demiurge, Dr. Robert Sungenis, Dragon, EA, Earth, Edward Leedskalnin, Egypt, Enki, European Union, Eye of Horus, Feathered Serpent, Fish-Goat-Man, Foundation Stone, Francis Bacon, Genesis, George Bush Sr. Thousand Points of Light, Gilgamesh, Giza, Gnosticism, Gods of Eden, Golden Age, Golden Gate, Grail, Grail Bloodline, Great Pyramid, Great Work, Greece, Heaven, Hell, Hercules, Hermes, Hermetics, Hieroglyphs, Holy of Holies, Huluppu Tree, Ignatius Donnelly, Immaculate Conception, Inanna, Indo-Aryan, Isis, Jachin, James Ussher, Josephus, Kabbalah, Khyber, King Hiram of Tyre, King James Bible, Knights Templar, Kronos, Lady of Heaven, Language, Lord of the Earth, Lucifer, Maltese Cross, Manly Hall, Marduk, Mayans, Mesopotamia, Metacortex, Michael Tsarion, Michelangelo's Creation of Adam, Midnight Sun, Monarch, Moses, Mt Mashu, Naga, NAZI, Neuro-Linguistic, New Age, New World Order, Ningishzida, Ninhursag, Ninurta, Noah, Noah's Ark, Novum Organum, Oannes, Obelisk, Occult, Omega, Order Out Of Chaos, Osirus, Ouroboros, Pangea, Phallus, Pharoh, Phoenician Alphabet, Phoenicians, Pillars of Hercules, Pine Cone, Pineal Gland, Plato, Polaris, Pope, Primordial Mountain, Prince EA, Prometheus, Proto-Siniatic, Quetzalcoatl, Ra, Residence Palace, Revelations, Rex Mundi, Rome, Satanism, Saturn, Scientology, Sea People, September 11th, Serpent, Serpent Mound, Sesha, Sex Magick, Shamballah, Shepherd Kings, Silver Gate, Sirius, Solomon's Temple, St. Peter's Basilica, Stone of Destiny, Straight of Gibraltar, Sumeria, Sustainability, Taaut, Target, Thalamus, The Fall, The Flood, Theosophy, Thoth, Tore Dahlin, Tower of Babel, Tracy Twyman, Ubaid, Umbrella Corporation, Uncle Mikey's Research, Underworld, Uruk, Vatican, Vega, Vela Supernova, Venus, Vril Society, William Bramley, William Cooper, Womb, Year of Light, Yggdrasil, Zecharia Sitchin 15 Comments


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The UK's #1 Commission Free Heating Oil Site
Welcome to HeatingOilShop.com
Over 1.5 million homes in the UK rely on domestic heating oil, to keep their homes supplied with hot water and warmth especially during the winter months.
If you are looking for competitive heating oil prices in the United Kingdom we are the UK's #1 commission and surcharge free #heatingoil website. We, can help you save money on your fuel bills as we have a network of heating oil suppliers across the country.
Our site is designed to make obtaining oil central heating prices easy and quick. We make it easier and quicker for you to obtain multiple heating oil prices from all suppliers to your postcode.
Getting a quote for your heating oil is easy with our online quotation system that provides you with quotes direct from the suppliers that you choose. Not just the cheapest but those that fit into your time frame. We don't forget that you have a choice!
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Ask yourself, how many phone calls? how any web sites? shouldn't this time be better spent?
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Yes, most definitely, it's worth shopping around to find a number of heating oil suppliers to your post code. Some heating oil suppliers will be local, some not so local and some will be nationwide suppliers, but they all want your business! But the price has to be right and the service great!
So, if you are spending valuable time searching for that elusive competitive heating oil price by phoning heating oil suppliers or visiting their websites for quotes, then our site will make it easier for you?
Take control of your time and let our website introduce you to the hassle free experience, of getting competitive heating oil prices from local suppliers, for a warm house, office, or villages for less.
We are confident that we are better placed than any other similar website to get you a competitive quote direct from the suppliers you choose and without any of those commission, Saturday delivery or surcharge fees.


text:
I'm working on getting a better template where the sidebar doesn't go all wonky if I try to use anything other than this current set-up. Maybe then, I can actually post stuff that I want visible at all times. Like this playlist. Until then, all content is going to have to be in individual posts.
I should have some more pics up soon. Promise!
For now, here are my top 3 all-time favorite Rascal Flatts songs. The ones I can listen to a million times over and never get tired of them, and usually the first ones I skip to every time I pick up my iPod. Enjoy.
Friday, October 05, 2007
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President Al-Assad: Conflict between homeland and its enemies, Syrian people and the criminal killers
DAMASCUS, (ST)_ His Excellency President Bashar Al-Assad reiterated commitment to dialogue and political solution for the ongoing crisis in Syria .
" We will dialogue and extend our hands always and ever to dialogue with parties and individuals and with all who put their guns down, " said President Al-Assad in a speech at the Opera House in Damascus Sunday, January 6th.
In a commitment to the independence of the Syrian decision , sovereignty as well as to the United Nations (UN) Charter, President Al-Assad outlined some proposals for the political solution in Syria:
The first phase includes commitment by the concerned countries to halt the financing, arming and sheltering the armed men, and then military operations are to be halted , reserving the right to respond , the finding of a mechanism to assert the commitment of all to this, especially the border control, and then the convening of the national conference for dialogue with the participation of all forces which desire participation from inside the country and from abroad.
" The second phase includes the comprehensive national dialogue with a commitment to the sovereignty of Syria , halting terrorism and violence and the unity and integrity of Syria; this dialogue would present the constitutional system, issues and agreement on new laws for elections, which are to be put for popular referendum. An expanded government is to be assigned the role of implementing the said articles, the constitution is to be put to a popular referendum and then new parliamentary elections are to be held , in case an agreement on laws and constitution was achieved," added President al-Assad.
The third phase, according to his Excellency the President, includes the formation of a new government, the convening of a national conference for reconciliation, general amnesty , reserving personal claim rights to their owners, and the working on reconstruction ,rehabilitation of the infrastructure and reparation for the damaged .
His Excellency President Al-Assad underscored that the Syrians will not stop combating terrorism and as long as progress was achieved in combating terrorism, the possibility for making such a vision a success of would increase.
President Al-Assad pointed out that such proposals are addressed for everyone who wants the dialogue and not for those who reject the dialogue , asserting that any initiative by whatever side , should be based on the Syrian vision , the halting of smuggling armed men and weapons to Syria and ceasing the financing of terrorism .
President Al-Assad made it clear that a transitional phase means the transfer from instability to stability , through constitutional means , in full abidance to the Syrian sovereignty and the decision of the Syrian people.
President Al-Assad declared that Syria does accept advice and never accepts dictations and that the interests of the Syrian people and their desire are second to none .
"Syria is above all . Nationalism and dignity run in our veins . We are to defend and protect every grain of our soil, and our armed forces are but, an embodiment of the Syrian citizen 's steadfastness." President Al-Assad added.
President Al-Assad pointed out that posts never last, but the homeland is ever to remain , asserting that Syria is to return stronger than it was and that the Golan is but for Syria and Palestine is our cause.
President Al-Assad reiterated Syria 's support to the Resistance as an approach, thinking and practice and not as persons , and that Syria ,the country of steadfastness and challenge, is unbreakable.
" We will not be terrified by their bullets, because we are the owners of the right and the God Almighty is always with the right," outlined his Excellency President Al-Assad.
The President asserted that Syria is for all Syrians and to be defended by every Syrian and that the ongoing attack targets but the entire homeland, asserting that the ongoing crisis is not for a post or an authority, but is a conflict between the homeland and its enemies. It is a conflict between the Syrian people and the criminal killers and between security and the dissemination of fear.
President Al-Assad cited but some of the heinous acts perpetrated by the criminal killers and terrorists, including their killing of innocent civilians, assassinations of the professionals and the minds, attacks against the infrastructure, the deprivation of children from their schools, destruction of electricity grids and silos, and theft of flour and wheat.
President Al-Assad pointed out that the conflict is between the homeland and its enemies in vengeance against people and that the enemies of the people are the enemies of God and many of them will be in hell in doomsday.
President Al-Assad pointed out that the terrorists wanted to take revenge from the Syrians who do not allow the killer terrorists to have the key saying , asserting that revolution means but progress and the interests of the people , not the people imported from the outside.
President Al-Assad asserted that Takfiri thinking is but an intruder to Syria, blasting the Takfiri terrorists who carry al-Qaeda mentality, flocking into Syria from every corner with their language of slaughter and amputations.
"Most of those whom we are confronting now are the terrorists who have al-Qaeda mentality. Western powers transferred them into Syria, so as to get rid of the terrorists and weaken Syria," added President Al-Assad, asserting that the Syrian victory against these terrorists is not impossible and that all the Syrians should unite to confront these terrorists.
As far as the regional situation, President Al-Assad pointed out that there are some who seek to dismember and weaken Syria, provide the criminal with finance , weapons and training, asserting that Syria and the Syrians are stronger and more solid and that the Syrians will never forget.
As far as the international aspect, President Al-Assad asserted that Syria has been and will ever be free and the master, accepting no custodianship, nor surrender.
President Al-Assad pointed out that the international community is not only the West, but there are other countries like those of the BRICS, Russia, China and Iran which reject interference in other countries' affairs, expressing thanks , gratitude and appreciation for them.
President Al-Assad pointed out that opposition should be about how to build and advance the homeland and not to destroy it , saying that we are in a state of war, confronting the fiercest foreign aggression which should be confronted with the defense of the homeland in parallel with necessary reforms.
"The defense of the homeland is but the religious, constitutional and legal duty. A political solution never means that we do not have to defend ourselves," President Al-Assad underscored, "asserting that the political solution should be with the partners with a national political project and never with gangs dictated by foreign powers, as to reject the dialogue .
President Al-Assad asserted that dialogue should not be with an extremist thinking which believes but in the language of blood , killing and terrorism , " We dialogue with the master, and never with the slaves," declared President Al-Assad.
" The West is accustomed to giving orders to the characterless. We are accustomed to sovereignty , independence and to free decision, " added President Al-Assad, asserting that the West itself has closed the door before the dialogue.
The full text of President Al-Assad's speech:
Mr. Prime Minister, Ministers,
Heads and members of the leaderships of popular organizations and trade unions,
Sisters and brothers,
Today I look at your faces and the faces of the people of our country as they are covered with sorrow and pain. I look into the eyes of Syria's children and I don't see an innocent laugh shinning, nor do I see toys that draw a smile on their faces. I watch the hands of elderly people and see them open to prayer for the safety of a son, a daughter or a grandson.
We meet today with suffering prevailing over Syria's land leaving no room for joy in any corner of the homeland. Safety and security have been absent from the country's streets and alleys.
We meet today and there are mothers who lost their sons, families who lost their breadwinners, children who became orphans and brothers who have been parted from each other, being martyred, displaced or missing.
If pain is pervading like a dark cloud over the country, the emotional state, though sublime, is not enough to compensate for the loss of the loved ones or the restoration of security and peace to the country or for providing bread, water, fuel and medicine nationwide.
Out of the womb of pain, hope should be begotten and from the depth of suffering the most important solutions rise. As the dark cloud in the sky conceals sunlight, it also carries in its layers rain, purity and hope of welfare and giving.
These feelings of agony, sadness, challenge and determination constitute a huge energy that will not get Syria out of its crisis unless it turns this energy into a comprehensive national dynamic that saves the homeland from a campaign, unprecedented in the history of the region, targeting it. This national dynamic is the only balm for the deep wounds which affected our society and were about to divide it as it is the only way that is able to preserve Syria geographically and make it stronger politically.
Each citizen is responsible and able to provide something even if it is simple or limited in his/her view, because the homeland is for everyone; we all defend it, each according to his/her capacity and capability, because ideas are forms of defense, stances are forms of defense, construction is a form of defense and protecting people's properties is a form of defense.
Since the attack is launched against the homeland with all its human and material constituents, the mindful citizen has certainly known that passivity, waiting for time or others to solve the problem is a sort of pushing the country towards the abyss, and not contributing solutions is a kind of taking the homeland backwards with no progress towards overcoming what the homeland is going through.
Because many have fallen into the trap of what has been cast as a conflict between a government and an opposition, i.e. a conflict over office and power, they have kept at a distance and remained silent and neutral. Consequently, it is our duty all to readjust our vision in the direction of the homeland. The conflict is one between the homeland and its enemies, between the people and killers, between the citizens' bread, water and warmth on the one hand and those who are depriving them of them all on the other, between a state of safety that we used to pride ourselves on, and spreading fear and panic in people's lives.
They have killed civilians and the innocent in order to kill light and brightness in our country. They have assassinated qualified and distinguished people in order to spread their ignorance over our minds. They have sabotaged the infrastructure built with the people's money to make suffering pervade into our lives. They deprived children of their schools to devastate the future of the country and express their ignorance. They cut off power supplies, communication lines and fuel supplies, leaving the elderly and children suffering from the cold weather without medicine in confirmation of their savagery. They destroyed wheat silos and robbed the wheat and flour stocks, to make a loaf of bread like a dream for citizens and to starve people. So, is this a conflict for power and office or is it a conflict between the homeland and its enemies? Is it a struggle for power, or is it revenge against the Syrian people who did not give those terrorist killers the key word for dismembering Syria and its society. They are the enemies of the people; and the enemies of the people are the enemies of God; and the enemies of God will be burnt by hellfire on the day of judgment.
At the beginning they wanted it a fake revolution but the Syrian people rebelled against them; then they tried to impose it secretly through money, the media and arms; and when they failed, they moved to the second phase through dropping the masks of a "peaceful revolution" and unveiled the cover of the weapons they were using secretly to use them openly, starting their attempts to occupy certain cities in order to attack other cities. Their brutality didn't intimidate our people, thanks to their awareness and steadfastness; so our people rejected them and unveiled their lies. Therefore they decided to take revenge on the people through spreading terrorism indiscriminately everywhere.
They call it a revolution, but in fact it has nothing to do with revolutions. A revolution needs thinkers. A revolution is built on thought. Where are their thinkers? A revolution needs leaders. Who is its leader? Revolutions are built on science and thought not on ignorance, on pushing the country ahead not taking it centuries back, on spreading light not cutting power lines. A revolution is usually done by the people not by importing foreigners to rebel against the people. A revolution is in the interest of people not against the interests of people. Is this a revolution? Are those revolutionaries? They are a bunch of criminals.
Takfiris were working at the back rows through bombings and mass killing, leaving the armed gangs at the front line, but the unity of the Syrian people and army forced them to move to fighting at the front lines where they led the rudder of a ship of blood, killing and mutilation. Because takfiri thought is alien to our country, they had to import it from abroad, whether through terrorists or thought. Thus, takfiris, terrorists, al-Qaeda members calling themselves Jihadis streamed from everywhere to command the combat operations on the ground. The gunmen, having failed, retreated to the backlines as aides in acts of kidnapping, pillaging and sabotage, as servants, and at best, guides who spy on their fellow citizens to serve criminals takfiris who only speak the language of slaughtering and mangling.
We are fighting those, most of whom are non-Syrians, who came for twisted concepts and fake terms they call Jihad, but nothing can be farther from Jihad and Islam. Most of them are terrorists instilled with al-Qaeda thought, and I believe that most of you know how this kind of terrorism was fostered three decades ago in Afghanistan by the West and with Arabs' money. After the mission of these terrorists ended with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and its departure from Afghanistan, terrorism broke loose and started hitting everywhere in the Arab world, the Islamic world and then moved to the West. They tried to get rid of it through Afghanistan War and in the aftermath of Iraq's War, but this terrorism was unyielding and pervasive, and started to infiltrate Western societies. So, the events in the Arab world, especially in Syria, presented the Western powers with an opportunity to transfer as many terrorists as possible to Syria to turn it into the land of Jihad, hence dispensing with two troublesome rivals at the same time through getting rid of the terrorists and weakening Syria which is a nuisance for the West.
An organization specialized in terrorism issued a month or so ago a report on the decrease in terrorist acts in general, especially in the Middle and East Asia, which is true, because most of the terrorists came to Syria from these countries and some even come from the Western countries. Those terrorists' infiltration into any society is a security threat, but it is possible to vanquish them when we have the will to do so. The most dangerous still is a social and intellectual infiltration. When this kind of thought infiltrates into a society, it becomes deformed unless this issue is seriously tackled regardless of the crisis in Syria. We have to be above differences. Otherwise, we would bequeath blood to our sons and grandsons. Syria, as we know it, won't be there, not necessarily geographically speaking, but Syria as a society, because this thought incites sedition and destroys geography and the political meaning of any society which it invades. This is a great responsibility, and we have to unite in order to shoulder it.
The crisis has other dimensions, not only internal ones as it became clear to
all who want to see. Regionally, there are parties who seek to divide Syria, others to weaken it, and some parties are providing the criminals with funds and weapons, while others are providing them with support and training. We were not surprised at what some neighboring countries have done to weaken and control the Syrian people, and the countries who sought a place in a history they don't have, writing it instead with the blood of innocent Syrians, but Syria and the Syrian people are strong, and they vow that they will not forget.
Syria has always been, and will remain, a free and sovereign country that won't accept submission and tutelage. That is why it has been a nuisance for the West, so they sought to take advantage of internal events to drive Syria out of the political equation in the region to get rid of this irksome problem and to strike at the culture of resistance and turn us into subordinates. But the West is not the entire international community, as there are world countries, namely Russia, China and the BRICS countries, and many other countries which won't agree to meddling in the internal affairs of countries and destabilizing the region based on their principles, interests and care for the people's freedom in determining their destiny. To those countries I extend my thanks, namely to Russia, China and Iran, and to all those who stood by the Syrian people to determine their own destiny.
In light of this, there cannot be talk about a solution unless we take into consideration these factors: the internal, the regional and the international. Any measure that does not change these factors is not a real solution and has no impact. Let's start with the internal front: if some tended to see the disagreement in the beginning as one between loyalists and the opposition, this disagreement in a civilized world should be over the way to build the homeland not destroy it, over developing it rather than taking it decades back. When part of the people becomes tied to foreign powers, the conflict becomes between the homeland and outside powers, between the country's independence and hegemony over it, between staying free being politically occupied; and hence the issue becomes defending the homeland and all of us unify against the outside aggression which is aided by some internal tools.
So, when we say external opposition or any such words we don't mean the place
where these people live; rather we mean the place where they set their hearts and minds, their affiliation and bondage, and most importantly their funding. This is what we mean by outside, whether they live inside or outside, as there are people living outside but they defend their country.
It is not a matter of loyalists against opposition, nor an army vis-à-vis gangs and criminals. We are in a state of war in the full sense of the word. We are repelling a fierce outside aggression in a new disguise, which is more lethal and dangerous than a traditional war, because they do not employ their tools to strike us; instead, they have us implement their projects, and target Syria using a bunch of Syrians and a lot of foreigners.
Such war is confronted through defending the homeland in parallel with a reform that is necessary to all of us, which may not change the reality of war, yet it strengthens us and reinforces our unity in the face of the war. Some may believe that herein lies the solution or that reforms will solve the problem, which is not true. Reforms is an influential factor but it is not all the solution.
Reform without security is like security without reform. Neither will be successful without the other. Those who keep parroting that Syria has opted for a security solution do not see or hear. We have repeatedly said that reforms and politics go in one hand and eliminating terrorism in the other.
And to those who twist facts we say: when someone is attacked and he defends himself, do we say that he defended himself or he chose the security solution? Why when a state defends its people and when people defend their homeland, they say that they have opted for the security solution?
Defending the homeland is a duty that isn't up for discussion and is a legal, constitutional and religious duty and is the only choice. The security solution is no choice. Here there is one choice, which is self-defense. If we chose the political solution and sought it since the first days, this doesn't mean not to defend ourselves, and if we chose the political solution since the first days, this means that we need a partner that is capable and willing to move in a political process and enter a dialogue process on the national level. If we chose the political solution and didn't see a partner, that doesn't mean that we didn't desire one; this means that we didn't see a partner during the past stage. To be clearer, for instance, if someone wants to get married and sought a partner but didn't find someone to desire and accept them, this doesn't mean that he doesn't want to be married. Therefore, any proposition that the state in Syria chose the security solution is incorrect and wasn't proposed at any time; and no state official announced that we chose the security solution.
When you're under attack and you defend yourself, it's called self-defense, not choosing a security solution. We didn't choose war; war was imposed on Syria, and when the state defends the people and we defend ourselves, no reasonable person can call that choosing a security solution. Defending the homeland is a duty and an only choice, and accepting the political solution doesn't mean not defending ourselves, but also accepting the political solutions means the existence of a political partner that is capable of dialogue and willing to engage in it.
We never rejected the political solution as we have adopted it since day one based on dialogue as its main pillar as we lend our hands to those who have a national political project that moves Syria forward. But who do we conduct dialogue with? With those who are carrying extremist thinking, and do not believe except in blood, killing and terrorism.
Should we conduct dialogue with gangs that receive their orders from abroad and follow a foreigner who orders them to reject dialogue because it believes that dialogue will foil his schemes aiming at weakening and undermining Syria?
The leaders of some regional countries know that if Syria came out of the crisis, it will undermine their political future after they were involved and drowned their peoples with lies, spent their countries' potentials in supporting terrorism and involved in the bloodshed and the killing of the innocent.
As for the west, the descendant of colonialism and owner of the first seal in the policy of division and despicable sectarian strife, it is the one who closed the door of dialogue not us, because it's used to giving orders to the submissive, and we're used to sovereignty, independence and freedom of decision, because it's addicted to hirelings and the subjugated and because we're raised on dignity and pride, and so shall we remain. So, how can it hold dialogue with us, and why would it hold dialogue with is? Therefore, those who talk about the political solution only and ignore these facts are either ignorant of the facts or are weak. They deliver their country and the people of the country as a tender morsel to criminals and those who stand behind them, selling their people and the blood of their martyrs for free, which we will not allow.
Some speak of the political solution only, and some speak of combating terrorism only, and this discourse is imprecise, as the solution should be comprehensive and must contain several axes: the political axis, combating terrorism, and the third axis that is very important which is the social solution. We have examples in Homs and Daraa in particular where the situation improved significantly because of this social solution, as patriotic people with a patriotic sense and national affiliation and morals made initiatives between the state and some of those who were misled among gunmen and terrorists, producing very important results in reality. These people don't belong to parties nor do they have a political program; they only have national affiliation; and this type of initiative is very important, particularly since any crisis in any country, even if it were a normal crime, will exacerbate; therefore, we must always return to the social roots.
I salute those who made national achievements, each according to his/her capability. I know some of those and met with them directly and there are some others whom I heard of. There are unknown soldiers to whom we extend greetings and say that we count a lot on their initiatives.
It might seem from all we have went through that there is no one for us to have dialogue with, but this is incorrect. We will always extend our hands for dialogue. We will have dialogue with all those who don't agree with us in politics and who have stances contrary to ours providing that those stances are not based on affecting the national principles and basics.
We will have dialogue with parties and individuals who did not sell the homeland to strangers, and with those who dropped weapons to have the genuine Arab Syrian blood running back in their veins. We will be real honest partners with every honest patriotic citizen who works for Syria's interest and for its security and stability.
Accordingly and out of our firm principles, on top being the sovereignty of the state and the independence of its decision, and based on the principles and goals of the UN Charter and the international law which all stress on the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of countries and non-interference in their internal affairs, and out of our belief in the necessity of having a Syrian-led dialogue among the people of Syria and restoring the atmosphere of security and stability, the political solution in Syria will be as follows:
Stage 1:
First: the concerned regional and international countries commit themselves to putting an end to funding, arming and harboring armed elements. On parallel, armed elements stop their terrorist operations, which will facilitate the return of displaced Syrians to their original residential places safely.
Immediately afterwards, the Armed Forces halt the military operations but preserve the right to respond in case the homeland, citizens and public and private facilities came under any attack.
Second: Finding a mechanism to make sure that all are committed to the aforementioned item, particularly with regard to border control.
Third: The current government immediately starts making intensive contacts with all the spectrums of the Syrian society with all its parties and bodies to conduct open discussion to pave the way for holding a national dialogue conference in which all the forces seeking a solution in Syria take part, whether they are inside or outside the country.
Stage 2:
First: The current government calls for holding a comprehensive national dialogue conference to reach a national pact that adheres to Syria's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity as well as to rejecting interference in its affairs and discarding terrorism and violence in all its forms.
The government's call upon the parties and the spectrums of the society is aimed at setting the criteria for this conference which is to be held later.
As for the pact, it will draw the political future for Syria and propose the constitutional and judicial system and the political and economic features, as it will also include agreement on new laws for the parties, elections and local administration, etc.
Second: The pact will be put to referendum.
Third: An expanded government will be formed to represent the components of Syrian society, which will be assigned with implementing the provisions of the national pact.
Fourth: The new constitution will be put to referendum, and after it is approved the expanded government will adopt the laws agreed on at the dialogue conference according the new constitution, including the elections law. Afterwards, new parliamentary elections are held.
We may put the word 'if' as far as everything related to the constitution and laws is concerned because everything will be contingent on reaching agreement regarding the contribution and laws in the dialogue conference, which will be then presented by the government once they are agreed on.
Stage 3:
First: A new government will be formed according to the constitution existing at the time.
Second: A general conference for national reconciliation will be held and a general amnesty will be granted to those detained due to the events while preserving the civil rights of plaintiffs.
Third: Working on infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction and giving and compensating those affected by the events.
As for the amnesty, the civil rights of the complainants will be preserved as the state can waive its right but has no right to waive the rights of the plaintiffs.
I believe though that when we have reached that stage, it will be an amnesty granted not only by the state but also by those who have rights. Then we will have practically reached the national reconciliation when everybody would forgive everybody else.
These main features of the political solution as we view it are only titles that need details. The government will be in charge of this issue as it will be tasked with drawing out the details and expanding on these titles so as to later present this vision in the form of an initiative in the coming few days and follow up on all these stages according to the aforementioned items.
Let us put each issue in its context, since we are living now in an age of falsification and misinterpretation. It's not us who are interpreting things, but this is the general case, that is to interpret things contrary to their meanings. Therefore, let us place things in their context and correct the ideas and terms being proposed.
First, regarding this vision, some will be worried and feel concerned, considering it a step backwards in terms of security, but I reassure everyone that when it comes to combating terrorism, we will not stop as long as there is a single terrorist in Syria. What we started, we won't stop. Anything we do in this initiative doesn't mean at all that we will neglect combating terrorism; to the contrary, the more we make progress in combating terrorism, the more there's a chance for the success of this vision.
Second, this vision, whether they want to call it an initiative or a vision or ideas, is directed to all those who want dialogue and all those who want to see a political solution in the near future in Syria. It isn't directed to those who don't want dialogue and thus we'll hear as of today much rejection by parties you know well, and we tell them in advance: why reject something that isn't addressed to you in the first place. So they don't need to waste their time.
Third, any initiative proposed by any party, figure or country must be based on the Syrian vision; meaning that no initiative can replace what we view as a solution to the crisis in Syria. In clearer language, any initiative is an initiative to help what the Syrians will do and doesn't replace that. After posing the ideas by the government, any initiative that comes from abroad must be based on these ideas and assist them. There's no need to waste our time and others' time with initiatives that deviate from this context.
At the same time, if we wonder how foreign initiatives can help us, there are two axes: the political work axis, and the counter-terrorism axis. In the first axis, we don't need help, and we as Syrians are capable of carrying out an integrated political process, and those who want to help Syria in a practical actual and honest manner and want to succeed can focus on the issue of stopping the entry of gunmen, weapons and funds to Syria. This is a message to everyone working from abroad to know where to focus. We don't want someone to come to Syria and tell us what to do in a political process. A country that is thousands of years old knows how to manage its affairs.
The fourth point, supporting helpful foreign initiatives doesn't mean in any way accepting its interpretation if it doesn't match our vision. We don't accept any interpretation of these initiatives except in a manner that serves Syrian interest. In this framework I'm talking about the Geneva initiative which Syria supported but had an ambiguous article which is the transitional stage article.
Of course, it isn't explained for a simple reason, because when we speak of a transitional stage then the first thing we ask is transition from where to where, or from what to what. Is it a transition from a free, independent country to a country under occupation, for example? Do we make a transition from a country that has a state to a country without a state and a state of utter chaos? Or do we make a transition from independent national decision to handing this decision to foreigners?
Of course, opponents want all three together, and for us in such circumstances, a transitional stage is transition from instability to stability, and any other interpretation doesn't concern us. In other situations if there hadn't been a crisis, a natural transition would be from a state to a better state. This comes in the context of the development process, and any transition in terms of any transitional stage must be through constitutional means. For us, what we're doing now, these ideas; for us this is the transitional stage.
Fifth, any initiative we accepted, we did so because it is based on the principle of sovereignty and the people's decision. Indeed, the initiatives that were proposed and we dealt with, focus on this point from the beginning. Therefore, things agreed upon within Syria or outside it must be by the people's decision. Thus, even the national pact which could be approved by the national dialogue conference will not pass without a referendum. This means that there must be a popular referendum on anything, particularly in these difficult conditions. We told everyone we met that anything or any idea that comes from outside or inside my pass through popular referendum, not through the president, government, dialogue or any other thing.
This constitutes a type of guarantee to always take steps that actually express popular consensus and national interest. If we understand these simple and clear words, then all those who come to Syria and leave it know that Syria accepts advice but doesn't accept dictations and accepts help but doesn't' accept tyranny.
Based on all that, all you could have heard or did hear in the past of terms, ideas, opinions, initiatives and statements via the media and from officials don't concern us if they're terms of a "spring" origin. They are soap bubbles as the "spring" is but a soap bubble which will disappear.
Any interpretation of any issue that deviates from Syrian sovereignty for us is but mere dreams. They have the right to dream and they can live in their dreaming fantasy world, but they can't make us live in their realistic world, and we won't make any initiative or action except based on Syrian reality and on the interest and desire of the people.
Sisters and brothers,
The homeland is above all, and Syria is above all. We can strengthen Syria through political initiatives and defending every single grain of its soil. Syrians abound with forgiveness and tolerance, but pride and patriotism run in their veins. The majority of people have risen against terrorism. Some have helped through providing the competent authorities with valuable information which enabled them to abort terrorist attacks against citizens. Others have risen against terrorists and deprived them of a support base, whether through defending their areas or even taking to the streets in protest against gunmen, many even fell martyr while doing so, and others have defended the cities, districts and infrastructure hand in hand with the armed forces.
I will mention one example of a small village in the farthest north of Syria in al-Hasaka province named Raas al-Ein where the valiant young men of this village, which lies directly on the Turkish border, confronted over several days repeated terrorist attacks and were able to force out the terrorists who came from Turkey. So, we give our salute to this village.
There are others who argued, convinced, forgave and were forgiven through national reconciliation initiatives on the local level, which blocked the road before the terrorists and shifted the general situation from escalation to calm.
Those citizens have demonstrated deep awareness. The aspired-to security does not come through fence-sitting, watching, escaping or groveling to the outside. If we are not fine in our country, we won't be so anywhere outside it. The homeland is not for those who dwell in it, but for those who defend it. The homeland is not for those who enjoyed its blessings and shade but were not there when it called for them.
The homeland is for those who rose from all walks of life and affiliations when their homeland needed them, even though they were wronged at times. This is the time for giving and their giving has been without bounds. Some were honored with martyrdom, and their blood had punctured the fake 'Spring' and shielded the people from deceit that was about to bear fruit in the beginning. Their blood has punctured what the West falsely dubbed Spring, but was a vindictive fire that sought to torch whatever came its way through an abominable sectarianism, blind hatred and loathsome partitioning. It was a Spring only for those who planned it and tried to make it a reality, which is now collapsing.
The blood of martyrs protected and will protect the homeland and the region, and will protect our territorial integrity and reinforce accord among us, while at the same time purify our society of disloyalty and treason, and keep us from moral, human and cultural downfall, which is the strongest victory. When the homeland triumphs, it does not forget those who sacrificed for its sake.
I'd like to extend my salutation to those who deserve it most: the Syrian Arab army who are shedding blood and sweat for Syria which they see uppermost. Greetings to our armed forces who are fighting the fiercest of wars and are determined to restore security and stability to the homeland through uprooting terrorism.
The armed forces have written down the epics of heroism thanks to their cohesion, steadfastness and national unity which reflected those of the people, thus doing citizens proud and keeping them safe. Glory to every soldier who is completing the mission of his colleagues who passed away.
I salute every single citizen who did his national duty through standing by the armed forces, each from his position. Those are the pride of Syria whose names will go down in history, for they are writing history with their blood and valor.
Sisters and brothers,
I know as you all know that what the homeland is going through is painful and difficult, and I feel the pain which is felt by most of the Syrian people over the loss of loved ones and the martyrdom of sons and relatives as the fire of the grudge has reached everyone, the pure coffins of the martyrs have entered the houses of many and I am one of them because I come from the people and will remain so. Offices of state and government are transient but the homeland is everlasting. The tears of bereaved mothers will refresh the pure souls of their departed loved ones and burn the criminals, who stole the laugh of our children and here they are trying to steal their future in a safe, strong and stable country.
Syria will remain as it is and will return, God willing, stronger. There is no ceding rights or giving in on principles. Those who placed their bets on weakening Syria so that it might forget the Golan and its occupied lands are mistaken. The Golan is ours and Palestine is our cause for which we offered every precious thing, blood and martyrs. We will remain the supporters of resistance against the one enemy. Resistance is a culture, not individuals. Resistance is a thought and practice not concessions and seizing opportunities.
The people and state who bore the brunt of standing with the Palestinian people in their just cause for decades, despite all the challenges and costs that every Syrian citizen has paid materially and emotionally in terms of pressures and threats, cannot be but in the same place towards Palestinians.
Any attempt to implicate the Palestinians in the Syrian events is aimed at deflecting attention from the main enemy, and is stillborn. The Palestinians in Syria are doing their duty towards their second homeland like any Syrian. We are responsible, as Syrian people and state, for doing our duty towards them as towards any Syrian citizen. I salute every honest Palestinian who valued the Syrian stances and did not treat Syria as a hotel which he leaves when conditions get a little tight.
Sisters and brothers,
In spite of what has been planned against Syria and what has been done to us by those who are near before those who are far, they could never change us. Patriotism runs in our blood and Syria is the most precious of all. Your steadfastness over two years tells the whole world that Syria is impervious to collapse and the Syrian people impervious to humiliation. Steadfastness and challenge is deeply rooted in the Syrian body which we have inherited over generations. We will always be like that. Hand in hand we will move ahead despite all the wounds, taking Syria to a brighter and stronger future. We will move forward and we will not be frightened by their bullets or panicked by their hatred because we have rights and God is always with the right.


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Travel Essentials Every Traveler Should Bring
Traveling will always be one the most fulfilling ways to de-stress from life. Life provides you with countless of surprises that will either bring joy to your existence or will knock you off completely. Well, that's life! And if you think you need a break from all of uncertainties of life, traveling is the best remedy.
Certainly, there are a lot of places to visit in the world. You will never run out of destinations to explore. Once you've decided to go traveling, you need to equip yourself with some travel essentials. These items will surely make your journey more fun and memorable. So before you start venturing the unknown, here are the travel essentials every traveler should own.
Travel Documents
The most important things to bring in a trip are your travel documents. Of course, you need to have with you your identification cards/ papers, tickets, passports and the like. For some countries, you may need to present your itinerary and some other documents before they will allow you to enter or depart. Always keep your travel documents in your hand-carry bag because it can't be avoided that check-in baggage could be lost along the way.
For first-time travelers, you might want to consider Rio de Janeiro in Brazil or Prague in Czech Republic. Here is a Stylish Travel Guide in Rio de Janeiro and the Top Things to do in Prague.
Reliable Bags
Since you will be moving from one to place to another, it is best to own a sturdy bag, preferably a backpack. There are a lot of brands in the market, but make sure to choose the reliable ones, so that you will not end up buying one bag for every trip. You will also need a hand-carry bag for your everyday dealings, unless you want to bring your big backpack all throughout your travel. And if you are a beach lover or an adrenaline junkie, it is best to own a waterproof bag or commonly known as the 'dry bag'. These handy containers will keep your important items from being soaked in any body of water.
Comfy Clothes
Though fascinating OOTD's are important when you visit a stunning location, it is best to wear comfortable clothes during your trips. Comfort is way significant than style. If your comfy outfit includes tees and tattered jeans, then go for it. There's no rules in fashion, but just take into account the places you will visit as some attractions like temples and pagodas have certain rules when it comes to dressing up. And a friendly reminder to every traveler, just pack enough amount of clothes. There's actually no need to bring your entire wardrobe, not unless you will be relocating soon.
Electronic Devices
Bringing some electronic devices during your travel is apparently very convenient and practical. One of the most significant items you ought to bring is the cellular phone. This gadget is likely a manna from heaven. It can make your trip more comfortable as there are several applications you can utilize while you are traveling. For instance, almost all phones have built-in GPS, which is used to track your current location or to find your next destination. Aside from the well-loved phones, you should never forget to bring earphones and chargers. Long-haul travels could be dreadful, but with these significant gadgets, you will somehow forget about the lengthy journey. So, be sure to stack your phone or tablets with some of your favorite tracks and series to keep you sane all throughout the trip.
Technically, cameras are part of the electronic devices. However, this particular item is very valuable in every trip. Cameras have the ability to pause, play and replay time. Thus, it is one definite essential every traveler should have. Whether you use your camera phone or DSLR, as long as you capture those precious travel memories, that's way too perfect! Just make sure to charge all camera batteries and bring spare ones.
First-Aid Kit
Traveling means you will be visiting the new territories, with different weather conditions and diverse locals. Thus, you should always be ready with your first-aid kit that should include medicines, alcohol swabs, band aids, ointment and the like. And if you have some existing medical conditions, don't forget to keep a sufficient supply of your maintenance medications to avoid any misfortunes and to truly enjoy your travel.
Since you will traveling to another city or even another country, always keep in mind to bring some of your sanitation necessities such as toilet papers, wet wipes, alcohol, toothbrush, toothpaste and all your needed toiletries. Pack all these items into one bag, if possible zip-top bags, to avoid disarray and possible leaks.
Travel Pillow & Blanket
Long-haul journeys can be a test of patience and endurance. Consequently, some essentials can do its magic in making your trip more worthwhile, even if you are in a plane, in a train or in a boat. A seasoned traveler always brings a pillow and a blanket. As much as possible, make your trip a very comfortable one. You don't want to deal with neck pains and butt soreness, right?
To-go Foods
For a long trip, it is advisable to pack some snacks to keep your energize for the whole journey. You can bring with you nuts, biscuits or grain bars. You should never let hunger strike or else you it will affect your trip, especially if you are acidic. However, trying something new is also exciting, so never forego to relish the local delicacies to fully enjoy your travel. Food will always be part of a trip and it is one of the best ways to delve into the culture of a place.
Traveling is definitely an exciting adventure you should try. It may sound intimidating for some, but visiting the unknown brings so much satisfaction and appreciation. Never limit yourself to the corners of your home because the world is a very interesting place to explore. So, are you ready to book your flight, pack your bags and conquer the world?
If you believe you are a travel expert, check out these vacation spots and name them.


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Karl Lagerfeld held the show for his Pre-Fall 2011 Chanel collection on the second floor of the eponymous Maison on Rue Cambon in Paris.
The collection was inspired by the empress Theodora, and the lost culture of Byzantium. Focusing heavily on luxurious fabrics like heavy wool and tweed, the collection consists mainly of swinging capes and traditional Chanel skirt suits.
Emerald green outfits were accessorized with gold trimmings and jewels, and decadence took on a new meaning when a dropped shoulder evening dress and those classic skirt suits hit the runway. Stunning suede thigh-high boots in a candy-colored array of sky blues and maroon reds offset the heavy fabrics and costume jewelry perfectly, making each piece a perfect representation of Byzantine glamour.
Watch the full version of the show at chanel.com, and get behind-the-scenes news at chanel-news.com.


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text: Toshizo Maeda is the Director of the IGES Regional Centre specialized in urban environmental management and local environmental policies (P. E. Jp (Environmental Engineering). Before joining IGES, he worked for UNDP Malaysia Office as a program manager of the Energy and Environment Cluster, CTI International Co., Ltd. as a civil engineer and Japan Overseas Cooperative Volunteers program as a high school teacher in Ghana. He graduated from Sanitary Engineering Division, Hokkaido University, and obtained a Masters Degree on Environment, Development and Policy from Sussex University.


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'education' tag.
So what do you know? Is there any measure to determine how much you know? If you needed to know something new would you know how to learn it?
Your answers to these questions matter more than any set of information that you memorized in school.
The reason is that the sum of knowledge is growing at an ever increasing rate.
The growing rate of knowledge was described by philosopher/inventor/genius Buckminster Fuller, whom you should learn about.
In his 1982 book "Critical Path" Fuller presented an analysis of collective knowledge based on scientific and technical milestones through history.
He assigned values to the earliest known innovations, tools of the Stone Age going back 3 million years, up to the year 1 CE and designated that value a "knowledge unit."
Using that measure he found that it took about 1,500 years from 1 CE for that knowledge unit to double to 2 knowledge units.
It doubled again 250 years later to 4 knowledge units and again in 150 years, around the year 1900, to 8 knowledge units.
Other thinkers have used Fuller's analysis to extrapolate that by the year 2000 collective human knowledge was doubling every year.1
Some observers project that with coming changes in our information networks, such as the internet of things (IOT), total knowledge doubling will occur on a daily or even hourly basis.
Using this system it follows that the pace at which human knowledge is accumulated is accelerating; not only is the amount of total knowledge increasing but also its rate of growth.
Is there a natural or functional limit to knowledge acceleration? We do not know.
In some respects self-knowledge is one of our areas of greatest ignorance.
Just months ago our species learned something new about ourselves – that each individual's brain memory power is greater by an order of magnitude; a factor of 10, than previously believed.
In 2015 Thomas Bartol and associates of the Salk Institute reported that the anatomic structures of the trillions of synapses in the brain support a carrying capacity measured in petabytes – millions of gigabytes.
This finding is important because in addition to the amount of available storage it reveals sophisticated synaptic processes that use probability to create and retrieve memory.
The fact that knowledge is increasing rapidly does not imply that our intelligence is unable to handle it.
Creating strategies for managing complex information is what intelligent organisms like us do.
The acceleration of human knowledge does imply that the primary skill of a future knowledge worker will be research, analysis and synthesis of the not-yet-known.
You will succeed at your job by finding relevant streams of data, turning it into meaningful information from which you will produce usable knowledge.
At present that set of intellectual skills is the realm of the expert who is typically hired as a consultant.
In the near future those forms of expertise will be the foundations of all knowledge work because every career will consist of navigating a steep learning curve in the face of the accelerating velocity of knowledge.
The knowledge that drives your field will have changed significantly by the time you start the job won via your degree.
Your core strength in that job will be your capability to learn.
You can hone that capability now in your work at OSU, but to do so you must color outside of the lines of specialization.
Here are three practical ways that you may ramp up your learning prowess.
First, treat all of your learning as valuable. The process of learning anything strengthens your capabilities for learning something new. It is short sighted to negate a learning experience just because you do not see value in the information. You are not a giant flash drive for storing information. You are a learning organism that can grow and adapt to changing conditions.
Second, broaden your range of learning. Mastering subjects in depth is powerful and so is challenging your mind with subjects outside of your specialty. As the sum of human knowledge grows its complexity increases. Diversifying your learning experiences inculcates stronger strategies for managing complexity.
Third, plan to keep on learning. A degree is not a finishing line, it is a portal to new learning in new contexts. Set your sights on a continual path of life-long learning beyond any program or position and you will increasingly thrive in a world of complexity that many people find overwhelming.
Some time soon you will wake up each day to a job that is already obsolete, but you will not be obsolete because of your skill at navigating the raising rate of cognitive change.
Human knowledge is growing at a scale that is hard to measure and so are you.
1. Disinformation Alert!: As quickly as knowledge grows, disinformation spreads faster, even on the topic of knowledge.
A claim widely reported on the web is that IBM predicted that knowledge
doubling will increase to occur on an hourly basis. The re-telling's of this this vary and are frequently referenced back to a web article by David Russell Schilling, Knowledge doubling every 12 months, soon to be 12 hours in which he writes;
" According to IBM, the build out of the "internet of things" will lead to the doubling of knowledge every 12 hours."
Schilling links "IBM" in the sentence to a 2006 article from IBM; The toxic terabyte How data-dumping threatens business efficiency. On page 2 of that article is this sentence;
"It is projected that just four years from now, the world's information base will be doubling in size every 11 hours."
The IBM article says no more about this matter than that single sentence and does not reference any source for the projection. We have to treat that claim as anecdotal and not authoritative as it has been subsequently played out on the web.
Moreover, that article and claim are about the growth of digital data which is entirely separate from the knowledge acceleration concept based in Fuller's analysis. Schilling misinterpreted the IBM document. Nothing in that document supports the claim that is presented in the title of his article.
Schilling is a credible writer and typically provides sources for his articles. Sadly, his erroneous article title has been takes as a demonstrated truth by not-credible media personalities such as Glenn Beck who opined on his talk show;
"IBM has just come out and said all of human knowledge soon will double every – think of this – all human knowledge will double every twelve hours."
Beck was adlibbing live from Schilling's story on an iPad and adding his own embellishments ad hoc.
The assumption of authority and facticity of this hourly doubling claim increases with each retelling. Of course, we know that IBM said nothing of the sort.
Anyone may quickly check the sources and find for themselves the basic misinterpretation. That popular pundits such as Beck and his production staff do not do such basic fact checking underscores the key point of my posted article above, that the intelligent uses of information and knowledge are based in research, analysis, and synthesis.
Basic Intelligence Skill: Before replicating a claim, be sure that you have check the sources for yourself.
Beck, G. (2014). Will human knowledge soon have the power to double every 12 hours?
IBM Global Technology Services. (2006). "The toxic terabyte How data-dumping threatens business efficiency." http://www-935.ibm.com/services/no/cio/leverage/levinfo_wp_gts_thetoxic.pdf
Schilling, D.R. (2013). "Knowledge doubling every 12 months, soon to be 12 hours." Industry Tap into News. April 19. http://www.industrytap.com/knowledge-doubling-every-12-months-soon-to-be-every-12-hours/3950
Image Acknowledgements
Hi Tech fans! This is my Diigo list for the Dr. Tech column in the Oregon State University Daily Barometer. You will find here links to resources mentioned in the column, grouped under each week's article.
The Center for Digital Education published its annual report:
Technology Innovation in Education
From the compelling data and case studies in the report, five main points emerge:
- The recession has gravely impacted K-12 and Higher Education technology investment.
- Technology use among students and educators is growing and diversifying; especially mobile devices.
- Strategic planning, particularly respecting infrastructure and standards, is necessary to effective educational technology use in the future.
- Training and support, especially for educators, are essential to effective educational technology use in the future.
- Models of effective practice for planning, investment, and training already exist in our schools. Capable leadership involves making use of those models and the people on the ground who are driving them.
The report sums with this conclusion;
"When proper technology professional development is in place; teachers are able to better deliver a lesson, students are more informed digital citizens and administrators effectively implement technology that is aligned with learning objectives and standards." P.13.
I put it thus: Staff development will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no staff development.


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Employment Contracting
Five Key Elements of a Physician Employment Agreement
Are you considering a position as an employee of a hospital, health system, or physician group? Know the basics before you negotiate an employment agreement.
These five elements are just the starting point. There are a number of other important contract-related considerations to take into account. A health care transactional attorney can help you review a specific employment agreement in detail to be sure it is fair and appropriate and represents your best interests.
Employment Contract FAQs
Find answers to frequently asked questions about family physician employment contracts and compensation.
On-demand Webcast: Employment Contracts
Learn all you need to know before negotiating your compensation and employment agreement.
MACRA: A Guide for Employed Physicians
Make sense of MACRA and learn all you need to know about MIPS participation with the Making Sense of MACRA: A Guide for the Employed Physician Supplement.
1. Physician Compensation
When you're negotiating an employment agreement, ensure that the following are true:
- The compensation you're being offered is comparable to that of physicians with similar skills and experience in your region
- Access survey reports on physician compensation (for example, from Medscape(www.medscape.com))
- Ask employed colleagues in similar practice situations about their compensation
- Access survey reports on physician compensation (for example, from Medscape(www.medscape.com))
- Your base salary is guaranteed for as long as possible without adjustment
- For physicians coming directly out of training, this period may only be one year.
- Physicians joining a health system as part of a practice sale may be able to negotiate a longer period of guaranteed base salary (three to five years).
- Specific requirements regarding all activities and metrics (e.g., productivity, quality, cost) that will affect your compensation are included in the employment agreement or in an established written policy
- A written policy should be applicable to all similarly situated physician employees and not subject to the employer's discretion.
- A written policy should be applicable to all similarly situated physician employees and not subject to the employer's discretion.
- All benchmarks you will be measured against are stipulated in the employment agreement
- Understand how your data will be collected and submitted
Incentive Compensation: What You Should Know
If an employer offers a base salary plus incentive compensation, look closely at how you would qualify for incentive payments and how they're calculated. Many incentive models are still based on collections or work relative value units (wRVUs). However, these models are evolving to support high-quality, cost-efficient care (e.g., value-based payment models).
AAFP Membership: Invest in Your Career
When negotiating your employment contract, remember to include opportunities for professional support and development. Share with your employer why supporting your AAFP membership is a great investment.
Explore the AAFP's interactive web portal for resources dedicated to improving physician well-being.
See Also
- A Fundamental Asset in Health Care: Valuing Family Physicians(12 page PDF)
- Preparing for Value-Based Payment: Five Essential Skills for Success -- Family Practice Management
- Physician Employment Trends and Well-being
- AAFP Policy: Physician Compensation for Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Oversight
2. Benefits
In general, hospitals and health system employers offer a better range of benefits and more retirement options than private practices.
Employers typically provide the following:
- Health insurance for the employed physician (and possibly for family members)
- License fees
- Medical staff dues
- Stipend for continuing medical education (CME)
- Malpractice insurance (occurrence-based or claims-made coverage)
- Three to four weeks of paid time off (a benefit that typically combines vacation, CME time, and sick time)
Some employers may also offer the following:
- Retirement plan
- Moving expense allowance (if you're taking a position in a different area)
- Educational loan forgiveness
- Paid sick leave (less common)
Malpractice Insurance: What You Should Know
For employed physicians, it's preferable to have occurrence-based malpractice insurance coverage. This covers incidents that happen during the coverage year, regardless of when a claim is filed.
If you have claims-made coverage (for claims filed during the coverage year), you will need a reporting endorsement ("tail coverage") when your employment ends. This covers incidents that happen during employment but aren't litigated until after employment ends. If the employer offers a claims-made policy, your employment agreement should specify whether the employer will pay for part or all of your tail coverage upon termination of employment.
Paid Time Off: What You Should Know
More employers are combining vacation, CME time, and sick leave into a "paid time off" concept. Be sure that your employment agreement specifies the amount of paid time off to which you're entitled. If not, changes to your employer's leave policy could reduce your benefits without your consent.
If your compensation is based in part on productivity, analyze how your income may be affected when you take paid time off.
3. Schedule and Call
From the outset of negotiations, be clear and open about your schedule expectations to ensure that they align with the employer's requirements.
Employers often leave scheduling provisions loose so that employed physicians have flexibility to deal with the needs of their patients and the practice. However, the following should be stipulated in your employment agreement:
- Promises the employer has made regarding your schedule – For example, if the employer promises that you won't have to work more than one Saturday per month or agrees to a flexible schedule, get the specifics in writing.
- Call and coverage obligations – Be sure your call responsibilities are not more burdensome than those of other family physicians employed under similar terms. Also, find out whether the employer offers compensation for taking additional call.
- Specific part-time schedule (if applicable) – This is especially important if you're paid on a salary basis. It prevents the employer from taking advantage of you by requiring you to work more hours than agreed upon.
4. Terms and Termination Provisions
Termination provisions set the term of the employment agreement, regardless of the stated term. If you or the employer can terminate the agreement without cause, the actual term of the agreement is the length of the notice period (e.g., 30 to 90 days).
The following termination provisions are often included in physician employment agreements:
- Termination without cause – Many employers (especially physician groups) include a provision that allows you or the employer to terminate your employment without cause. A notice provision that requires written notice 30 to 90 days prior to termination is typical.
- Termination for cause – Almost all physician employment agreements allow the employer to terminate for cause. Be sure the agreement requires your employer to give you written notice of the cause for termination and an opportunity to "fix" alleged breaches or deficiencies within a reasonable period (typically, five to 30 days).
Some hospitals and health systems will guarantee a minimum one-year term for an employment agreement. Be aware that if you agree to this, you're contractually obligated to stay for the full term.
5. Restrictive Covenants
Many states enforce restrictive covenants to reasonably protect the employer's interest against competition, although state law may impose limits on enforcement. These states generally require that restrictive covenants must be limited in the following:
- Duration – It is typical for restrictive covenants to last for one to two years following termination of employment.
- Geographic radius – A reasonable geographic radius depends on where you practice. A restriction of 25 miles might be appropriate in a rural area, whereas a one-mile radius might be enforced in an urban setting.
When you're negotiating an employment agreement, ask if the employer will agree to limit the instances in which the restrictive covenant would be enforced. For example, the agreement could specify that the restrictive covenant will not be enforced if you terminate your employment for cause.
Some states do not permit restrictive covenants. However, these states often allow non-solicitation provisions. These provisions prevent you from soliciting former patients, employees, and referral sources after your employment ends.
On-demand Webcast: Employment Contracts
Learn all you need to know before negotiating your compensation and employment agreement.
AAFP Membership: Invest in Your Career
When negotiating your employment contract, remember to include opportunities for professional support and development. Share with your employer why supporting your AAFP membership is a great investment.
Explore the AAFP's interactive web portal for resources dedicated to improving physician well-being.
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