text:
Bay`a Remorse? Wilayat Sinai and the Nile Valley
August 2015, Volume 8, Issue 8
Mokhtar Awad, Samuel Tadros
Operations, Plots & Attacks
It was early morning on Saturday, July 11, 2015 when Cairo awoke to the sound of a huge explosion. Coming just 12 days after the assassination of Prosecutor General Hesham Barakat, and ten days after a massive assault on the city of Sheikh Zuwaid by Wilayat Sinai, the Islamic State's local affiliate, residents feared the country's widening terrorist insurgency had claimed another high-ranking official in the heart of mainland Egypt.[1] It soon became apparent that the attack had instead targeted the Italian consulate, a rather soft diplomatic target. More significant than the target, however, was the quickly released statement claiming responsibility. Instead of a claim by Wilayat Sinai, the Islamic State mother organization itself took the credit.[2]
The following month in the early hours of August 20 residents in north Cairo awoke once again to a terrifying explosion. This time the target was a State Security building on the northern-most edge of the Cairo metropolis, and once again Islamic State took responsibility for the attack not Wilayat Sinai.[3]
This raises significant questions regarding why the Islamic State would directly claim, and presumably conduct this attack and whether something was amiss in the relationship between the Islamic State in Raqqa and its Egyptian affiliate? Reports had after all indicated back in November 2014, when Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM), or Supporters of Jerusalem, gave its allegiance to self-proclaimed Caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, that not all of its members were enthusiastic about becoming the organization's Wilayat Sinai. Perhaps these fissures had widened and the group would return to the al-Qa`ida umbrella. Or perhaps this meant that a new branch was about to be announced in mainland Egypt by the Islamic State. The Egyptian press had been abuzz in previous months with news of the awaited announcement of Islamic State Wilayat el Sa'eed (Egypt's southern governorates).[4] It was hardly a coincidence that the Islamic State had only granted ABM the title of Wilayat Sinai and not Wilayat Ard el-Kinana (Egypt) indicating the potential for more than one affiliate in Egypt.[5]
Tracing the growth of Wilayat Sinai from its obscure origins to its emergence as the main jihadi threat to Egypt sheds light on its continued struggle to balance its local environment in Sinai with its aim of transcending Sinai and dominating the Egyptian jihadi scene, all while linking to transnational jihadism in its most radical from: the Islamic State.
Understanding the complex dynamics that first allowed ABM to grow into a national-level actor, the reality of a fragmented and diverse jihadi landscape in the Nile Valley, and the possibility of growing competition in Egypt between the Islamic State and al-Qa`ida helps explain the state of affairs today both inside the Wilayat Sinai and the overall Egyptian jihadi landscape. This article argues that early assumptions about Wilayat Sinai need to be corrected and that by declaring allegiance to the Islamic State, the jihadi group has complicated its ability to maintain and extend its operations in the Nile Valley and "go national."
Rather than making a "leap" from the Sinai desert by dispatching operatives west of the Suez after the July 2013 coup that ousted the Muslim Brotherhood-led government, the group became involved in "mainland" Egypt by cooperating with Nile Valley-based operatives and groups, who reached out to them as early as 2011. The jihadism of the mainland, even under the banner of ABM, was and still is largely carried out by cells indigenous to the Egyptian heartlands, who are struggling to resurrect the lost jihad of the 1990s.
From 2004 to 2006, a series of attacks targeting Red Sea tourist resorts in south Sinai left at least 145 people dead. Terrorism was back in Egypt following seven years of relative quiet after the notorious 1997 Luxor massacre and the subsequent renunciation of violence by Egypt's then leading terrorist group Gama'a Islamiya. The Sinai Peninsula, long isolated from jihadi developments in the mainland, was now at the forefront of the jihadi revival.
Despite being a part of Egypt since the time of the Pharaohs, the Sinai Peninsula had always felt closer to Gaza, Jaffa, Acre, and the Negev desert than Cairo. Trade, and tribal ties, held Sinai's gaze to the north east. Sinai had been too scarcely populated and its Bedouin population too distinct from that of the Nile Valley to merit any attention from Cairo throughout ancient and medieval history beyond the required defenses of Egypt's eastern gate to the Levant.
Modern Egypt would prove no different. The Suez Canal created a geographic barrier to cement the psychological one. Egypt proper ended at the shores of the Canal; what was beyond was of little interest. Four wars with Israel in the Sinai left its imprint in the Egyptian collective imagination as a place of national honor- but also a land of war and trouble, its Bedouins suspected of dissimilarity at best, treason at worst. Sinai's return to Egyptian sovereignty in 1982 changed little. Though the peninsula's south quickly proved lucrative for a growing tourism industry, the north remained neglected with the worst of the civil service and teachers sent there as a form of punishment.
It was in the north that a jihadi cell formed at the turn of the century. Prior to 2004, the only terrorist attacks in the Sinai were directed against Israelis and carried out by men like Suleiman Khater and Ayman Hassan, renegade Egyptian military officers originally from the Nile Valley who had once served in the Sinai. This time was different. Early members belonged to the tribal mosaic of al-Arish and Sheikh Zuwaid. Salafi tenets and jihadi discourses imported from the Nile Valley had been carried by the train of modernization. Teachers sent from the mainland carrying the radical ideology were supplemented by native sons who had crossed the Suez Canal to study at its universities.
The North Sinai cell was called al-Tawhid wa al-Jihad (Monotheism and Jihad). Three men emerged as its early leaders. Khaled Mosa'id, from al-Sawarka tribe graduated from Zagazig University in 1999 and worked as a dentist in al-Arish where he gave religious lessons at al-Malayha mosque. In Zagazig he had befriended the half Bedouin Nasr Khamis el-Malahy who was studying law and would later move to al-Arish and give religious lessons at al-Tawfik mosque. The third was Salem Khedr el-Shanoub who became the group's military commander, providing members with training on weapons and bomb making. Recruitment was limited to trusted members of the family and along tribal lines. Altogether, the group recruited around a hundred people with its presence outside of Sinai limited to a cell in the neighboring Ismailia governorate across the canal.[6]
The group's success was short lived. The ruthless crackdown by the regime crushed the jihadis. Khalid was killed in September 2005, Salem in November 2005, and Nasr in May 2006.[7] Scattered and leaderless, the remaining members of al-Tawhid wa al-Jihad either hid or made their way to Gaza. For the next seven years relative calm returned to the peninsula as things seemed to go back to normal.
It proved to be a temporary illusion. Gaza at the time was witnessing a flourishing of Salafi-jihadi groups. Hamas's control of the strip had failed to bring about the promised Islamist utopia and the group had disappointed true believers with its ceasefires with Israel. In 2009, Hamas cracked down on Jund Ansar Allah (Soldiers of the Supporters of Allah) after its declaration of an Islamic Emirate.[8] There was only one gate open for Palestinian jihadis to escape: through the tunnels to Sinai. In Sinai, veterans of Palestinian and Sinai jihadi groups morphed together exchanging experiences.[9]
The security collapse following the Egyptian revolution provided Sinai jihadis with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Upheaval throughout the country created a security vacuum in the peninsula. While the tribes were always well armed, the wave of advanced weapons from Libya was unprecedented. Most importantly however, international jihadi networks and individual Egyptian jihadis were beginning to eye the peninsula with great interest.
Though hiding in Afghanistan/Pakistan, Ayman al-Zawahiri had never forgotten his homeland. Prior to joining al-Qa`ida, al-Zawahiri had attempted to revive cells inside Egypt through Tala'e' el-Fat'h (The Vanguard of the Return), only for the whole apparatus to fall into the hands of Egyptian authorities including the leaders Ahmed Ashoush and Ayman's brother, Mohamed al-Zawahiri. Released from prison following the revolution, the two quickly attempted to recruit and rebuild jihadi groups, but with a focus on the Sinai.[10] Many factors contributed to this development. The peninsula provided a natural safe haven for jihadis and with Israel across the border, there were abundant opportunities for spectacular attacks that would help al-Qa`ida regain the momentum after its heavy losses in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. Moreover, Sinai was the site of numerous jihadi attacks against the gas pipeline to Israel. Seeking to connect with those jihadis was natural.
The two years of rebirth for jihadism in Sinai from 2011 to 2013 were filled with great confusion. At least half a dozen groups claimed attacks and a new group seemed to spring up every month. Some of the new groups were the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Jerusalem, Supporters of Jihad in the Sinai Peninsula, Salah el-Din Brigades, the Umma's Army, Allah's Soldiers, Ansar al Jihad, and Ansar al-Shari'a.[11]
The period of confusion would soon end with the ascendance of ABM. The leader, Tawfik Ferrij, had been a veteran of al-Tawhid wa al-Jihad and a close companion of Khaled Mosa'id and Nasr el-Malahy. It had been his idea for jihadis to target the gas pipeline and he masterminded the August 2011 operation targeting southern Israel, which left eight Israelis dead.[12] A year before his death in March 2014, he had traveled to mainland Egypt in order to supervise cells.[13] Another key ABM leader was Shady el-Mane'i. Born to a Sinai father and a Palestinian mother, he had been detained for a year and a half in 2005 for suspicion of involvement in al-Tawhid wa al-Jihad.[14] ABM's unique strength was its coalition of operatives sympathetic to al-Qa`ida, jihadis with local grievances, and radical Gazan elements still focused to a significant degree on Israel.
From Sinai to the Valley
ABM's true rise to prominence came after the 2013 military coup, when it commenced a vengeful jihad against the state. jihadis had never been enthusiastic about the Muslim Brotherhood and what they saw as the apostasy of democracy, but the Islamists' stint in power had provided them with a golden opportunity to rebuild their networks.[15] Now, with the Brotherhood hunted down and its supporters massacred in Rabaa, ABM declared the Egyptian army and police apostates that must be killed. To date, various armed groups have killed about 700 members of the security forces across Egypt, with at least 60 percent of those fatalities in North Sinai alone.[16] This is a level of carnage greater than their jihadi predecessors previously inflicted in nearly two decades of insurgency.
The perception that ABM only turned its attention to the Egyptian mainland following the Brotherhood's fall from power is, however, baseless. In April 2005, three small attacks took place in Cairo, which were probably spontaneous with terrorists choosing to attack instead of being caught, but the Sinai link was never properly investigated. Two similar incidents took place in February 2009.
ABM's involvement in the mainland can be traced back to 2011 when a series of prison breaks and pardons issued by the then ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces let loose dozens of jihadis.[17]
One of them was Mohamed Ali Afifi, who hailed from the mainland, and was the emir of ABM's mainland cells. Like many of this new generation of Egyptian jihadis his first call to jihad was to fight in Iraq. Starting in 2004, after failing to reach Iraq, the then 24-year-old resided in Yemen for three years before Yemeni intelligence deported him. When he returned to Egypt, authorities detained him on suspicion of links to al-Qa`ida. In jail, he made more jihadi connections and after his release in April 2011, immediately resumed militant actitivies. He connected with old prison mates Mohamed Bakry Haroun and Mohamed el-Said Mansour who shared his interest in again travelling to wage jihad overseas.[18] [19]
When that plan didn't work out the trio looked inward and made contact with ABM leader Ferrij. This illustrated that even if ABM had no interest in the Nile Valley initially, the valley was certainly interested in them, giving ABM an attractive opportunity to make use of eager young jihadis and expand their base.[20]
According to State Security Prosecution investigations,[21] based on the suspects' testimony,[22] Afifi and the valley trio agreed to found an arm of ABM in the Nile Valley by creating a number of compartmentalized cells supervised by Afifi. The network's goal would be to relieve pressure on the Sinai jihadis by attacking security forces when needed and most importantly to logistically support ABM's operations by providing safe houses as well as financing.[23]
Afifi and his crew worked quickly. A number of cells were initially formed across mainland governorates, including: Dakhalia (2011), Kafr al-Sheikh (2012), Sharkiya (2012), Sixth of October (2012), Giza (2013), Fayyoum (2013), Qena (2013), and Mattariyah district of Cairo (2013).[24] Financing such an expansion was not easy. At one point, a supporter in Saudi Arabia wired money totaling roughly $220,000 as start-up cash.[25] jihadis also carried out multiple armed robberies of government buildings where cash was stored, hijacked money delivery trucks, and stole Christians' cars to use in attacks.[26] They used a farm in Sharkiya governorate to store weapons, build car bombs, and hide out from authorities. New recruits travelled to Sinai to receive weapons and explosives training, while a few others briefly joined the Syrian jihad before returning with urban combat skills and experience that bolstered the capabilities of ABM in the Nile Valley.[27]
This clandestine network seems to have not been born out of pre-planned expansion, but rather a combination of fate and the smart exploitation of the Nile Valley for its pool of recruits and financing potential. It remains unclear to what extent these new cells were coordinating with other al-Qai`da-linked operations that were also taking advantage of Egypt's lax security at the time. Mohamed al-Zawahiri, brother of al-Qa`ida's current head, had allegedly sent dozens of men to Syria in early 2013 to prepare for a potential military coup.[28] Eventually, some of these al-Qai'da linked elements ended up coordinating with the more established ABM. For instance, an al-Qa`ida-linked operative, Mohamed Fathy Abdel Aziz, who was in contact with the Mohamed Jamal Network[29] as well as al-Zawahiri's burgeoning operation, owned the Sharkiya farm ABM's valley operatives used to use to stage their early mainland attacks and he received money to buy weapons and supplies.[30]
Prior to the military coup, ABM Nile Valley operatives patiently gathered intelligence that proved crucial for the post-coup attacks that catapulted them to prominence as national-level actors. This task was facilitated by the recruitment of at least two radicalized police officers. One of them-police lieutenant Mohamed Eweis-provided information making possible the assassination of senior state security officer Mahmoud Mabrouk near his Cairo home in November 2013.[31] Similarly the perfectly executed bombings of the Mansura and Cairo security directorates-in which all checkpoints were evaded-were made possible through information provided by police colonel Sameh el-Azizi.[32] This level of penetration extended to even active duty members of the armed forces: a signals unit conscript in the Air Defense branch tipped off ABM of impending strikes during the military's Sinai operations in 2012,[33] and a radicalized Navy officer was allegedly involved in the hijacking by unknown assailants of a guided missile vessel off the coast of Damietta in November 2014.[34]
But for ABM to truly operate at the national level it needed to collaborate with other rising groups in the mainland to expand its geographic reach.[35] The earliest example of such collaboration was between ABM and al-Furqan Brigades, a jihadi group which had begun organizing and built up cells in the Suez Canal area, Cairo, and Sinai.[36] Al-Furqan's first major attack targeted a cargo vessel in the Suez Canal in September 2013. The group had also previously engaged in a number of drive-by shootings and in early October 2013 fired an RPG at a satellite dish in Cairo. They were soon in contact with ABM. In exchange for fealty and a place on ABM's Shura Council, ABM asked al-Furqan to provide men and equipment to help carry out one of ABM's first major attacks outside North Sinai: the October 19, 2013 bombing of a military intelligence building in Ismailia.[37]
Another major mainland attack that projected ABM's national-level reach was the attempted assassination of former Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim in September 2013. This attack was the brainchild of ex-special forces officer turned jihadi "freelancer" Hisham Ashmawy who worked with a crew of other former officers: Walid Badr (the suicide bomber), Youssef Suleiman, and Emaddin Ahmed.[38] Like the al-Furqan operation, ABM in Sinai took credit for an operation largely devised and executed by existing Nile Valley operatives. Yet again, what appeared to be the Sinai group expanding further west into the valley was in fact the result of mergers and cooperation with jihadis on the mainland.
For ABM's Sinai leadership, the Nile Valley experiment proved to be worth the investment. The groundwork forming clandestine cells in 2011 allowed the Sinai group to emerge as a national-level actor and project power. The group's statements following the Rabaa dispersal began to speak to the challenges, realities, and dynamics that were affecting the majority of the Islamist population outside Sinai. The group appeared to be transcending its localism and poised to monopolize the Egyptian jihadi scene.
The Limitations of Transnationalism
ABM's ability to project force in the mainland likely played a hand in attracting the attention of the Islamic State, ushering in the next chapter in the group's transformation.[39] But its move toward the Islamic State orbit, and its eventual pledge of allegiance in November 2014, may prove to be a poisoned chalice. Because the group has always had to rely on Nile Valley groups to project force outside Sinai and because those groups remain largely pro-al-Qa`ida, the Islamic State pledge has complicated its ability to monopolize the Egyptian jihad. Instead of marking ABM's evolution into a transnational jihadi group, its pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State has created the specter of competition with al-Qa`ida and alienated a significant number of jihadis on the Egyptian mainland. The pledge sent shockwaves through the fragile coalition of jihadis with which ABM had cooperated with to carry out national-level attacks and led to criticism from other jihadi groups. For instance, a statement by a group calling itself al-Ribat emphasized that not all jihadis in Sinai had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and therefore there was no legitimate "province."[40]
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Wilayat Sinai is arguably in a weaker position in the Nile Valley now than it was a year ago. Multiple arrests and shootouts by authorities since late 2013 had degraded the Nile Valley network even before ABM formally pledged to the Islamic State. The jihadis were now operating on the security services' home turf. Although jihadis operating in major population centers presented some challenges to the security services, the likelihood of intercepting cells became higher. After ABM's rebranding and the blows delivered by security forces it appears that only one cell in northern Cairo remained active and loyal to Wilayat Sinai. The "Abu Obaida al-Masry Martyr Company," allegedly named after the man responsible for executing the January 2014 Cairo directorate bombing, killed three soldiers and one officer in drive-by shootings north of Cairo in November 2014. The attack aimed to show Wilayat Sinai's relevance by "participating" in the Muslim Youth Intifada called for by radical revolutionary Salafis-but perhaps also to show that it still had a presence in the valley following the Islamic State bay`a.[41] It is possible the north Cairo cell had a hand in the major Cairo bombings in August and may now be directly working with the Islamic State rather than with Wilayat Sinai.
Wilayat Sinai's apparent beheading in August 2015 of a Croatian worker abducted outside Cairo should be understood in a similar vein, and should not in and of itself be seen as evidence of a Wilayat Sinai operational presence in the greater Cairo area. The kidnapping itself was not carried out by the group. The worker was allegedly abducted by a criminal gang who demanded a ransom and then handed him over to Wilayat Sinai.[42] Regardless of the specific circumstances of how he ended up in the jihadis' hands, the operation is at best an indication of a sleeper cell.
As well as the cell operating in northern Cairo, Wilayat Sinai also likely has a residual presence somewhere in the north of the eastern desert mountain range near Ain el-Sokhna where a shootout with security took place in September 2014.[43] In July 2015 Wilayat Sinai attempted to blow up an army installation on a nearby road to take "revenge," for fallen comrades but the details of the attack remain unclear.[44]
For the Sinai group the most damaging fallout from linking up with the Islamic State was undoubtedly the loss of ex-special forces officer, Hisham Ashmawy, whose allegiance to al-Qa`ida and leadership of a new group called al-Mourabitoun was confirmed in a July 2015 audio recording.[45] Ashmawy had previously been a key operative for ABM.[46]
Egyptian authorities allege that Ashmawy's new al-Qai`da-linked group may have been behind some of the major attacks left unclaimed by Wilayat Sinai this past year, like the attempted suicide bombing at Karnak Temple in Luxor in June.[47] Ashmawy may have started feeling estranged by ABM's increasing affinity toward the Islamic State as early as the summer of 2014, the same time he appears to have been responsible for the July 2014 Farafra checkpoint attack in the western desert that killed at least 21 soldiers and in which he may have been injured.[48]
State Security alleges Ashmawy has since based himself in eastern Libya, perhaps to receive treatment and regroup.[49] It further alleges that from this new base he has intensified contact with al-Qa`ida operatives in North Africa.[50] Egypt's adjoining western desert remains an entry point for both al-Qa`ida- and Islamic State-linked operatives as both groups have a strong presence in Libya. In August 2015 the Egyptian military said it destroyed four trucks and captured five allegedly used by jihadis south of the western oasis of Siwa near Libya.[51]
By May 2015, dissent caused by the pledge to al-Baghdadi had taken its toll as Wilayat Sinai finally addressed the fallout publicly by appealing to "Brothers in [mainland] Egypt of the al-Qa`ida creed."[52] The statement had a starkly different tone from the usual vitriol between the Islamic State and al-Qa`ida It was instead an emotional appeal to let bygones be bygones and for the pro-al-Qa`ida jihadis in Egypt to reconsider their position. Wilayat Sinai, hoping to rebuild its presence in the valley, clearly had no interest in starting a conflict with al-Qa`ida.
Instead of emerging as the uncontested jihadi leader in Egypt, Wilayat Sinai's bay`a distanced it from the very same mainland jihadis that had been essential to its expansion into the Nile Valley.
The fallout from the pledge has additionally meant that operatives in mainland Egypt supportive of Abu Bakr al-Baghadi have less of a reason to be loyal to Wilayat Sinai, reasoning that they may as well work directly with the core leadership of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. This seems to have been the case for the pro-Islamic State elements in greater Cairo responsible for the attacks on the Italian consulate and a state security building in the summer.
In many parts of the world, the Islamic State appears to be winning out against al-Qa`ida, but that is not true in the Nile Valley, where the evolution of ABM into the Islamic State's Wilayat Sinai led to defections to pro-al-Qa`ida groups. What will become of a potential rivalry between the two competing global jihadi rivals in the Egyptian heartland remains to be seen, but much will depend on the strength of indigenous pro-Islamic State groups operating in the Nile Valley who appear to be positioning themselves to eventually create a mainland Egypt province of the Islamic State.
Although the Wilayat Sinai may be getting stronger in its own locale it is not certain it can truly become a national-level actor. In its attempts to link up with transnational jihadism in the form of the Islamic State, Wilayat Sinai has only solidified its identity as a hyper-local North Sinai group in al-Baghdadi's enterprise. This is a far more limiting identity than that of the previous "Supporters of Jerusalem," which had captured the imaginations of many young Islamists who, despite being fixated on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, still see Israel as a legitimate target. It is no coincidence that Ashmawy's July 2015 call to jihad against Sisi ended with images of Jerusalem with a nasheed in the background crying "Jerusalem is calling," and the video answering it "we are coming O' Jerusalem."[53]
No jihad can be won in Egypt without winning the Nile Valley. Like Gama'a Islamiya before it, which struggled and build support outside the sugar cane fields and mountains of Egypt's south, Wilayat Sinai is confronting the same tensions as it navigates the competing pressures of being a local, national, and transnational group. It is also worth recalling that when Egyptian Islamic Jihad forsook its local base and merged with al-Qa`ida, it could not sustain its base of popular support-a fate that may await the Wilayat Sinai.
The Egyptian jihadi landscape is continuously evolving with most groups and individuals largely disinterested in transnationalism and instead focused on the very local issues of retribution against the military regime. Yet, the ever entrepreneurial al-Qa`ida and the "core" leadership of the Islamic State are unlikely to overlook Egypt-the fountainhead of Islamism and the most populous Arab country-when it holds so much promise in advancing both groups' global projects.
Mokhtar Awad is a Research Associate with the National Security and International Policy team at the Center for American Progress. You can follow him at @Mokhtar_Awad
Samuel Tadros is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom. You can follow them at @Samueltadros
[1] The so-called Wilayat Sinai has proven itself to be the sole and uncontested jihadi actor in North Sinai. The group has steadily evolved in both its capacity and focus since 2011-from blowing up gas pipelines leading to Israel to large-scale assaults aimed at degrading the Egyptian Army's grip over the Peninsula. About 40 percent of all security force deaths in North Sinai since the Muslim Brotherhood's ouster from power in July 2013 occurred after Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis's pledge of allegiance to Islamic State in November 2014. Since then, the group has carried out increasingly lethal attacks with the latest assault on Sheikh Zuwaid being the most daring with its apparent attempt to hold sections of the city. More sophisticated weapons like Russian Kornet antitank missiles are also increasingly in use since the pledge with one likely used in hitting a naval vessel off the coast of Rafah. There remains no reliable numbers on the size of the group but its large-scale attacks suggest at least 500 fighters. See Omar Ashour, "Wilayat Sinai: the military rise and the political implications," Al Jazeera Center for Studies, July 29, 2015; Yasmin Faruki, Jenna Gowell, and Laura Hoffman, "ISIS's Wilayat Sinai launches major offensive in Sheikh Zuwaid," Institute for the Study of War, July 2, 2015; Bill Roggio, "Islamic State strikes Egyptian naval vessel off Sinai coast," Long War Journal, July 16, 2015.
[2] Caleb Weiss, "Islamic State detonates car bomb outside Italian consulate in Cairo," Long War Journal, July 12, 2015.
[3] "Egyptian security building in Cairo rocked by bomb blast," BBC, August 20, 2015.
[4] Lutfi Salman, "Da'esh members announce the approaching of the formation of wilayet el Sa'eed," El Watan, April 29, 2015.
[5] For more on ABM's oath of allegiance to the Islamic State see Nelly Lahoud, "The Province of Sinai: Why Bother with Palestine If You Can Be Part of the 'Islamic State'?" CTC Sentinel 8:3 (March 2015).
[6] Riad Hassan Mehrem, "Khaled Mosa'id: the founder of the first jihadi organization in Sinai," Al Hewar Al Motamaden, August, 27, 2013; Saber Mashhour, "Ahmed Salam the commander of the Ismailia cell: Salem El Shanoub gave a fatwa on the apostasy of Arab rulers," Al Masry Al Youm, April 4, 2006; Abdel Moneim Moneeb, "Islamist Movements in Egypt Map," The Arab Network for Human Rights Information, April 21, 2009.
[7] "Death of Nasr El Malahy: mastermind and the main accused in the Dahab bombings," Al Masry Al Youm, May 10, 2005.
[8] Ali Abdel Aal, "The Soldiers of Ansar Allah: The Road to the Islamic Emirate," Arab Times Blog; For more see: Samar Batrawi, "Islamic State Affiliates Press Hamas," CTC Sentinel 8:8 (August, 2015).
[9] Ahmed El Shorbagy, "The Revisions of Jihadi Groups and the Future of Initiative", Jihadis in Egypt: Revisions – 30 June – Syria. (UAE: Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre, 2014); Nageh Ibrahim, "Al Qaeda: The Branches and the Doctrinal and Strategic Flaw," Jihadis in Egypt: Revisions – 30 June – Syria. (UAE: Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre, 2014); Maher Farghaly, "Jihadi Organizations: A New Map and Multiple Faces of Violence," Jihadis in Egypt: Revisions – 30 June – Syria. (UAE: Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre, 2014).
[10] Salah El Din Hassan. "The Brotherhood and Jihadis between Divergence and Convergence," Jihadis in Egypt: Revisions – 30 June– Syria. Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre, 2014; Hany El Sherief, "A Salafi Jihadi leader: The movement in Sinai is blessed and reasonable," El Balad, May 27, 2013; "Salafiyya Jihadiyya Sheikh Ahmad Ashous delivers Friday sermon in Sheikh Zuwaid," Sinai News Blog, December 26, 2012.
[11] Ahmed El Shorbagy, "The Revisions of Jihadi Groups and the Future of Initiative."
[12] Hesham Srouj, "Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis Leader Died in Bombing," Al-Mayqia, 15 March 2014; Maha Salem, "Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis Commander Proposed the Bombing of Gas Pipelines," Al Ahram, 15 March 2014.
[13] Obituary published by ABM, March 14, 2014.
[14] "Shady Al Mane'i," Al Jazeera.net/encyclopedia
[15] The reign of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) was also critical since directly following the revolution there was a security vacuum and SCAF pardoned many former jihadis along with other political detainees while some escaped from jail. However, during the rule of the Brotherhood restrictions on travel to Syria were eased and supporters of Salafi jihadism had greater freedoms to move and speak freely.
[16] Mokhtar Awad Database on Attacks; "Tenth Annual Report 2013/2014," National Council for Human Rights, July 31, 2015. P. 23.
[17] Hossam Bahgat, "Who let the jihadis out?" Mada Masr, February 16, 2014.
[18] Afifi was arrested in November 2013. He along with Haroun were executed in May 2015. Mansour died during an operation.
[19] Information for this and subsequent details about ABM's operations in the Nile Valley are based on part of the original investigation by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, of which the authors have obtained an original copy, specifically the testimony of Afifi. Information also relied on summaries published in al-Yawm al-Sabi' on February 20, 2015 El Shorouk on May 12, 2014, and Al Bawabah News on February 14, 2015 for summaries and highlights from the estimated 20,000 case files not released to the public. Confessions obtained by Egyptian authorities are in general unreliable. Confessions detailed in these special investigations were checked against news reports when possible and using the authors' own judgement. Information cited from these sources will be referenced as "State Security Prosecution investigations" in subsequent citations.
[20] State Security Prosecution investigations.
[22] Afifi and Haroun were executed in May 2015 along with other ABM mainland cell operatives.
[28] In 2013 and 2014, investigations alleged that various jihadi groups were operating on the orders of al-Qa`ida and namely al-Zawahiri, accusations which the latter denied. Many older jihadis formerly charged in the "Returnees from Albania case," in the early 2000s have been subsequently either detained or accused of taking part of these alleged networks. Most of these operations seem to have been focused on using Egypt as a base of operations against Western targets and helping facilitate the travel of recruits to receive training overseas for potential use in the mainland. See Ahmad al-Sharkawy, "El Shorouq reveals the secrets of El Zawahiri's secret group to assassinate police and army men," El Shorouq, May 19, 2014; "Secrets of Zawahiri's group the returnees from Syria plan jihadi operations in Egypt," El Shorouq, May 20, 2014; "Confessions of Al Qaeda's member in State Prosecution reveals the group's cells in Egypt," El Shorouq, August 18, 2014.
[29] For more information on the network see: Thomas Joscelyn, "More al Qaeda links to Cairo terror cell reportedly found," Long War Journal, November 9, 2012; Tomas Joscelyn, "Egyptian interior minister: Al Qaeda cell plotted suicide attack against Western embassy," Long War Journal, May 11, 2013.
[30] Nazeema El Barhawy, "Security forces continue to be on alert in Adliya, Belbis after finding weapons cache owned by jihadi," El Watan, October 30, 2013; Mahmoud Nasser, "Evidence in Al-Zawahiri cell case," al-Yawm al-Sabi', April 8, 2014.
[31] Ahmed al-Sharkawy and Ahmad Gamal, "Mohamed Ewiss, from the president of the judge's club traffic division to accused of killing his colleague Mohamed Mabrouk," El Shorouq, February 21, 2015.
[32] Ahmed Al Sharkawy and Ahmad Gamal, "We publish the investigations into the biggest radicalization case since Sadat's assassination 'Ansar Bayt Al Maqdis,'" El Shorouq, February 20, 2015; Ahmad Al Sharkawy, "Investigations: Bayt al Maqdis officer gave information on checkpoints," El Shorouq, July 22, 2014.
[33] Ahmad Yehiya, "Confessions of terrorist Ibrahim Abdel Halim," Al Bawabah News, May 12, 2014.
[34] "Al-Modon reveals secrets of Damietta operation: How did ISIS infiltrate the Egyptian Navy?" Al Modon, November 14, 2014. and Hamdy Gomaa, "Interrogation with crew of ship near Damietta attack," Al Masry Al Youm, November 15, 2014.
[35] ABM had earlier absorbed many Sinai jihadis as the government crackdown intensified. Some Sinai groups were operating almost exclusively in name and not much beyond an idea and a few statements (Salafiyya Jihadiyya), while others like Majlis Shura al-Mujahidin remained primarily focused on Israel, see: Mohamed Ismail, "Mapping third generation violent groups in Egypt," Al-Siyyasa al-Dawliya 198:1, October 2014.
[36] Al Furqan's exact origins remain unknown but according to investigations a group of Salafis-including disgruntled supporters of disqualified Salafi presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail-began to organize in 2012. Realizing much earlier than their Islamist brethren that Sharia was unlikely to be established, some members allegedly travelled to Gaza to receive training. They later formed cells in Al-Arish, Ismailia, and Cairo. Details of the State Security Prosecution Investigations were published in El Shorouq on May 15, 2014 and February 21, 2015.
[37] Ibid. Also see: David Barnett, "Ansar Jerusalem claims responsibility for car bombing in Ismailia," Long War Journal, October 21, 2013.
[38] Mahmoud Nasr, "Three discharged officers behind terrorist attacks in Sinai," Al-Yawm Al-Sabi, February 6, 2015.
[39] For more on ABM's pledge of allegiance to the group and factors behind it see: Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, "ISIL's International Expansion: What does Ansar Bayt al Maqdis Oath of Allegiance Mean?" War on the Rocks, February 25, 2015; Daveed Gartensein-Ross, "Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis's Oath of Allegiance to the Islamic State," Wikistrat, February 2015.
[40] "Al-Bayal al-Awl li-Katibat al-Ribat al-Jihadiyya bi-ard Sinaa' al-Mubaraka," Shabakat al-Jihad, December 2014. Although it is not clear if al-Ribat is linked with al-Mourabitoun, the group itself has not publicly declared any operations inside Sinai. An al-Qa`ida aligned group named Jund al-Islam posted two videos online in the summer of 2015 after nearly two years of inactivity. The group carried out a double suicide bombing in Rafah, North Sinai targeting a military intelligence building in September 2013. One of the recently released videos included for the first time footage of the preparation for this attack. The other video showed Jund al-Islam operatives staging a rocket attack against Israel, but the video did not show the launch nor was one reported at the time, indicating either failure to launch or that the rocket did not reach its target. The online activity is likely designed for the propaganda value of indicating that Wilayat Sinai is not the only jihadi actor in the Sinai despite Jund al-Islam barely existing as a force on the ground as of now.
[41] Rachel Levy and Gilad Shiloach, "ISIS Claims Responsibility for Terror Attacks in Cairo," Vocativ, November 30, 2014.
[42] Aida Cerkez, "Croatia says 2 groups were involved in Egypt abduction," Associated Press, August 13, 2015.
[43] Ahmad Shalaby and Amal Abbas, "Secrets of the Ain El Sokhna battle," Al Masry Al Youm, September 13, 2014.
[44] "Egypt's Islamic State affiliate claims responsibility for attack on Suez road checkpoint," Aswat Masriya, July 15, 2015.
[45] Al-Mourabitoun, "Statement by Mujhaid Brother Abu Umar al-Muhajir Emir of Jamaat Al Murabitun: On That Day Believers Rejoice," The Internet Archive, July 22, 2015.
[46] Not only did he have special knowledge of military installations in both the eastern and western deserts but he had also helped train the group's operatives. Hisham Ashmay, "The Defected Officer that upset the balance of extremist groups in the Sinai," Sassa Post, July 26, 2015.
[47] Maher Farghaly, "Al Murabitun behind Karnak attack," Al Bawabah News, June 18, 2015.
[48] "Hisham Ashmay, the defected officer that upset the balance of extremist groups in the Sinai," Sassa Post, July 26, 2015.
[49] On August 18, the Islamic State appears to have released over social media a "wanted dead" poster for Ashmawy due to his allegiance to al-Qa`ida and fighting the Islamic State. It stated that Ashmawy arrived in Derna, Libya in 2014.
[50] Abdel Rahman Youssef, "Ashmawy's recording…," Al Modon, July 24, 2015.
[51] In their pursuit, the military said a technical error caused a helicopter to crash killing four officers. Statement posted on official Facebook page of Egyptian Army's Spokesperson, August 13, 2015.
[52] "Condolences and Messages," by Abu Usama al-Masri, transcript through Al-Bitar Media Institute, May 2015.
Holding Women Accountable: Prosecuting Female Returnees in Germany
Sofia Koller, Alexander Schiele
The Iron March Forum and the Evolution of the "Skull Mask" Neo-Fascist Network
H.E. Upchurch
A View from the CT Foxhole: Brigadier Rob Stephenson, Deputy Commander, NATO Special Operations Headquarters
Seth Loertscher, Connor Ingleson, James Garrison
The Oath Keepers and Their Role in the January 6 Insurrection
Matthew Kriner, Jon Lewis
"Without Us, There Would Be No Islamic State:" The Role of Civilian Employees in the Caliphate
Matthew Bamber
A View from the CT Foxhole: General Richard D. Clarke, Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command
Sean Morrow, Nicholas Tallant
An Assessment of Taliban Rule at Three Months
Andrew H. Watkins
Lessons from the Collapse of Afghanistan's Security Forces
Jonathan Schroden


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On March 19, Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, spoke with America's Work Force about the future of the General Motors Lordstown plant.
Cropper talked about what General Motors could have done differently in order to keep the plant active and make sure the workers were able to keep their jobs. Had they invested more of their money into retrofitting the plant into being able to produce more lines of vehicles or a different line other than the Cruz, then the plant would still be in operation. Cropper mentioned that GM was still making money on the Chevy Cruz from their plant, they just wanted more money, and that was one of the factors that led to the shutdown. She then went on to talk about Governor DeWine's proposed budget plan and how she appreciates that he put money into a budget for wraparound services for students. Lastly, Cropper discussed the Summit Academy and how they received money to fix staffing needs and to resume normal business operations.
Dr. Michael Hutchinson, associate clinical professor at Mt. Sinai joined AWF on March 19 to speak about healing America's healthcare system. He talked about what it means to have an "all care" system compared to a medicare for all system and how they are similar. Lastly, he talked about how an all care system is "free enterprise" compared to healthcare for all being a form of socialism.
AWF host Ed "Flash" Ferenc spoke about the new NAFTA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, and how there is still room for improvement for workers in it.
On Feb. 19, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Melissa Cropper, discussed the increased in teachers going on strike across the United States on America's Work Force.
Teachers throughout the U.S are standing up for themselves and their students and going on strike. This is the second teacher strike in a year in West Virginia for smaller class sizes, higher wages, more school counselors, and more quality resources for students. Cropper was joined by Christine Kindel, a teacher at Summit Academy in Ohio, currently on strike to fight for better resources for their students. Kindel said that the issues that resorted to their strike are resulting in a decline in janitorial services, teachers are leaving, which creates bigger classes, lack of special education resources, and other health and safety concerns at her school. She feels that it is unfair for the students and hopes to reach an agreement soon because this is ultimately hurting the students.
Keary McCarthy of the Ohio Mayor's Alliance discussed fixing Ohio's roads during his Feb. 19 appearance on AWF. McCarthy is part of a coalition called Fix Our Roads Ohio, which stresses the needs of Ohio's transportation infrastructure and a long term funding solution to fix and improve it for years to come.
AWF host Ed "Flash" Ferenc spoke about Ohio Republican lawmakers pushing to make Ohio's prevailing wage an option rather than mandatory. He also talked about a non-partisan coalition coming together to review and assess immigration and border security needs.
The value of higher education was a main topic of discussion during the Jan. 15 edition of America's Work Force.
Holden Thorp and Buck Goldstein, co-authors of Our Higher Calling: Rebuilding the Partnership Between America and Its Colleges and Universities, talked about putting a value on the education received from a college or university. They said that students go to college because they think that it is the only path to a good paying job directly out of school. Rather, most students end up leaving their university with crippling debt and no guaranteed job to help pay off their debts. They said that with the tuition of a university is rapidly increasing and students are forced to weigh their options and decide if higher education is truly worth it for them. With the great opportunities that apprenticeships in the trades offer, such as free education, guaranteed job placement, and an earn-while-you-learn model, some young adults are better off going into the trades rather than a university and setting themselves behind with debt and no job.
Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, discussed the Los Angeles teacher strike during her Jan. 15 appearance on AWF. Cropper said that the lack of funding was a major reason for the teachers to initiate their strike in Los Angeles. The teachers want higher wages, smaller class sizes and better funding to help the students receive the attention and better quality education that they deserve. Cropper also talked about the expansion of charter schools in Ohio.
AWF host Ed "Flash" Ferenc discussed the L.A. teachers strike in the second largest school district in the United States. He also talks about the ongoing government shutdown.
Chuck Collins, author of Born on Third Base and Is Inequality in America Irreversible, talked wealth inequality on America's Work Force Radio.
Collins, Director of Program on Inequality and the Common Good, appeared on the Dec. 18 episode and discussed the growing concentration of wealth and the advantages of being in the top 1 percent. Well-known as the Oscar Meyer heir who gave away his trust fund, Collins detailed a few advantages of being in the 1 percent. He explained how the richest Americans can hire professionals to lobby for changes in tax codes that will benefit them by reducing their tax obligations and shift the tax burden onto others. Collins laid out a plan to reverse wealth inequality, which includes the need for millennials to become more politically active and fight for progressive ideas, free college education, Medicare for all, the investment in infrastructure and increase taxes to high-income earners.
President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers Melissa Cropper joined America's Work Force Radio and spoke about the latest union victory in the education field, as the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees won their battle for underpaid and overworked teacher assistants and research assistants, who will now receive better pay and benefits. She talked about the push her union is making in organizing within Cleveland-area charter schools. Besides talking about organized labor, Cropper also discussed how many Ohio schools have or are working to raise money for the Make-A-Wish program, which grants wishes to children diagnosed with a critical illness.
AWF host Ed "Flash" Ferenc talked about the Michigan legislature, which continues to take an anti-worker stance by prohibiting union members to negotiate during working hours.
America's Work Force Radio took an indepth look at the country's student debt crisis.
Danny Iny, author of Leveraged Learning and founder of the online company Mirasee, spoke about the alarming statistics showing that student debt is on the rise nationally. Iny said the cost of attending a college or university is going up, while the value of college is going down. While student are graduating from a college or university, they are not equipped with the skills for jobs in their field of choice, leaving them with no income to pay off their student debt loan. Iny said the problem with higher education is colleges and universities are not providing students the skills needed to succeed in the real world.
President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers Melissa Cropper appeared on AWF on Nov. 20 and discussed the results of the 2018 midterm elections. She said gerrymandering is a problem in Ohio. Cropper discussed the effort by former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take school funding out of the union's constitution.
America's Work Force Radio host Ed "Flash" Ferenc also discussed the California wildfires.
Melissa Cropper and Steve Rosenfeld made guest appearances on America's Work Force Radio.
On Oct. 16, Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers and Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers, discussed student debt. She also spoke about a class action lawsuit against Navient, who made numerous misrepresentations to steer borrowers away from public service loan forgiveness programs and into student loan repayment programs, which do not offer forgiveness after making a certain amount of payments.
Rosenfeld, author of Democracy Betrayed, has written a number of articles about the 2016 election. He talked about misinformation and false news about candidates on social media. He discussed how and why certain campaigns are being advertised to you on social media and spoke about his 2018 voter's guide, which is meant to help connect voters to accurate, unbiased information so they can make educated votes in the upcoming General Election.
Show host Ed "Flash" Ferenc also discussed two other topics, the Women Build Nations Conference, a building trades conference promoting women in the construction workforce, and food stamp usage in Ohio.


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text:
John Alexander Lambie (18 December 1868 – 25 December 1923) was a Scottish footballer who played as a forward in the 1880s and 1890s. He still holds the records as the youngest Scotland player and captain of all time.

Career
Lambie was a regular in the Queens Park first team by the age of 16, and quickly won the Scottish Cup in 1886. He had been due to make his international debut for Scotland in a game against Ireland on 20 March 1886 aged 17 but had to withdraw at short notice, and due to his replacement James Kelly scoring (on his own debut) this has been recorded erroneously as among the youngest feats of international goalscoring. However, Lambie was still barely 18 when he did play against the same opposition on 19 February 1887 in a 4–1 win for Scotland and was appointed captain for the occasion, setting national records which both still stand (the youngest goalscorer Willie Groves set the mark a year later). In an era when international fixtures were far less common than modern times and with differing selection conventions, Lambie's second and final cap was against England on 17 March 1888; Scotland lost 5–0.

His international career was effectively ended when he moved to London for business reasons in May 1888, where he appeared for London Caledonians, the Corinthians, Swifts and the city's representative side. He made a guest appearance for Queen's Park under a pseudonym in the 1892 Scottish Cup Final, then featured more regularly for the Spiders in the 1893–94 season before returning to England.

Personal life
His younger brother William was also a noted footballer with Queen's Park and Scotland (he too won the Scottish Cup and made his international debut while a teenager); A third brother, Robert, also featured for Queen's Park; the three siblings' careers barely overlapped in terms of playing together.

See also
List of Scotland national football team captains
List of Scottish football families

References

External links

1868 births
1923 deaths
Scottish footballers
Footballers from Glasgow
Scotland international footballers
Association football forwards
Queen's Park F.C. players
London Caledonians F.C. players
Corinthian F.C. players
Swifts F.C. players

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text:
Q: How to skip a failed STEP on a TEST with Serenity-Cucumber I use a Maven project with Java, Selenium WebDriver, JUnit, and Serenity with Screenplay.
I have a login with a pop-up that only appears sometimes, how can I add a validation STEP for the pop-up without failing the whole TEST if the pop-up doesn't appear?

A: Put in the test, in try-catch waiting for the popup. If it will appear - make needed actions, then go to next step, if don't appear - then just go to the next steps.
Here is almost same question with good answer: Executing scenario even if one of the step is failed

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text:
Parsha Thoughts
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Rabbi Daniel Fridman
TiM TORAH
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Vayigash: Thank You for That
Rabbi Jay Kelman, CPA, CA
| Vayigash
"And Joseph could not restrain himself" (45:1). After 22 years, Joseph and his brothers were to be reunited. In probably the most emotional scene of the Torah, Joseph absolutely stuns his brothers, telling them, "I am Joseph" (45:3). To say that the brothers were in speechless disbelief would be an understatement of enormous proportions. So in the next verse, Joseph once again declares, "I am Joseph your brother, it is I whom you sold to Egypt" (45:4).
The brothers remain speechless as Joseph tells them this was all part of G-d's plan and instructs them to go back home, get Jacob and return to Egypt where he will ensure they are well taken care of. Only after the Torah tells us that "he kissed all his brothers and cried on them" is it possible that "afterwards his brothers spoke to him" (v.15). The Torah does not tell us what they said to each other--that is both private and irrelevant. What is important is those "who could not speak to him in peace" (37:4) years earlier were now speaking to each other. This not-to-be-believed reunion made such an impression that the Torah then says, "The voice was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying the brothers of Joseph had come". Finally, the twelve sons of Jacob were brothers once again.
It takes a great person to forgive those who have wronged him. This is especially so when one is left for dead and one's cries for mercy are callously ignored. It would be very understandable if Joseph had wanted to exact revenge on his brothers. It is quite plausible to understand Joseph's initial treatment of his brothers as trying to do just that. If so, that makes his words to his brother even more remarkable, and is a demonstration of an even greater act of teshuva.
Not only does Joseph forgive his brothers, he gives them a tremendous thank you for doing what they did. It is only because they sold him that he is in a position to save them, and the world, so no need for any hard feelings. This approach needs some explaining.
Even if true, this should not absolve the brothers. We are commanded to do right and avoid wrong. What the results of the choices will be is ultimately in G-d's hands. It is not uncommon for something good to come out of bad, and vice versa. But G-d judges us on our actions, not on the results that only He determines.
The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzva, 241) explains that the Torah's prohibition of revenge flows naturally from our understanding of the Divine hand operating in this world. While it may be most difficult for us to fully appreciate or even accept, he explains that one must understand that if one has been wronged, that is ultimately the will of G-d. Instead of seeking revenge, we should try to learn and grow from the experience.
Yosef did exactly that, and was able not only to forgive his brothers, but to thank them. Yosef had left home as an immature 17 year old who, like many adolescents, thought the world revolved around him. Twenty-two years later, having experienced too much, he had greatly matured, and his constant reference to G-d as the One who interprets dreams (and all else) impresses even Pharaoh. And yes, it was only because of what the brothers had done that he was able to do so.
Yet such does not absolve the brothers, and such was not Yosef's intent. He was speaking from his perspective. The brothers had to--and did--do their own teshuva as demonstrated by their concern both for Binyamin and their father. And with teshuva comes reconciliation--both with our fellow man and with G-d.
Tributes are pouring in around the world mourning the death of Nelson Mandela. In many ways, if we can say so, his life paralleled that of Joseph. Rejected by the dominant society, spending many years in jail, he rose to become leader of his country. And in truly heroic fashion, he eschewed violence, preaching reconciliation over revenge.
As is much of Sefer Breisheet, the story of Yosef is a universal one, the message of which resonates with all peoples and at all times.
Vayigash: Seeing the Good
Vayigash: Looking Ahead
Vayigash: Reconciliation?
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Vayigash: Painful Reunion
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February 2015 in Is It Winnable?
You can relax now Mike. The beast has been slain. It took a long time.
Not entirely sure if the attachment has been successful. Will try an download it myself and see what happens.
You click on the logo above and another window will open with the following on it. (See attachment).
Ignore the content I've crossed out. Copy and paste the part I've ticked.
Abort that. Attachment refuses to upload. I got the same messages yesterday when I tried to upload a profile picture.
Will email you the attachments and further instructions.
Trying again. Previous attempt was with a .png image. New one is a jpeg. Hoping that works.
Got both types to upload now. Takes a bit of getting used to.
Copy the bit above that I've ticked and paste it into where I've ticked in the attachment here. It appears to be doing nothing but will work after 30+ seconds.
Thanks Richard. I still had problems downloading the solution. Finally got it to work. I never would have thought about several of the moves you made. After a while I just get to confused. And cannot come up with new moves.
It confused the hell out of me for a very long time too Mike. I got a big buzz out of winning it.
No nap. Tonight we went to the Opera. In Los Angeles 30+ miles there and 30+ home. After arriving at the Music Center. I discovered I had no wallet. Assumed I had left it at home. Drove home. No wallet. There was a message on the phone. My wallet had been found and turned in. So back I drove and picked it up. It 2am. I will be up for a while yet. But the Opera was very good.
Was is stolen by the Pirates of Penzance?
The solution to the problem of losing things could be opera glasses.
And. Oddly enough. It was renting a pair of opera glasses. That I discovered my wallet was missing.
The Barber Of Seville. Everyone was terrific. After working on 50+ operas over the years. I finally got to watch one.
Not the Fat Tum of the Opera?
Perhaps that's the way you say Phantom in Scottish. Or is that Pict?
Pict this. #507. Good luck!
#569. Hope you can find a way.
I got it. So I guess it wasn't so tough.
Definitely not an easy one Mike. Getting it right took a bit of working out. Thanks for posting it. It was a pleasant change from playing Forwards & Backwards. I've tasked myself with playing 1000 of those per day. Still on schedule on day 11. Mind-numbingly boring but at least I can "play" it using peripheral vision whilst watching TV. You know when the cards have stopped moving onto the foundations.
#592. I thought for sure I was going to have to call for assistance. But I got it.
Another brilliant Blue Jacket Mike Thanks for posting it. I think BJ is the best game we've been offered in a long time. I hope other players are giving it a try. The difficult ones you are posting are particularly worth playing.
I'm exhausted just reading the rules!
In a nutshell, these are the rules Ken.
Top row....... Two to start every pile. followed by 5, 8 and then Jack.
Bottom row..... Fours then 7, 10 and the king.
Aces can be discarded into the waste pile but it is good tactics to keep them in the tableau until you can replace them with a two, three or four depending on which row the aces are in. Any aces that are in the Reserve row are put into the waste immediately.
If you have a Two in the second row and a Three in the top row you can click either of them and they'll change places. You can do likewise with any duos that are in the wrong row. 2&3, 2&4, and 3&4.
I do enjoy this game. I think because it moves quickly. At least until you hot a tough one. And it seems to take just enough thought per move to keep me trying. And I think Richard's solve on #440 was really great.
If you need another hint just let me know.
Finally! Got it! Thanks Richard. It had me stumped.
#689. I got it. But give it a try.
Another difficult one Mike. Thanks for posting it.


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text:
Port of Seattle makes move to add 4th cruise ship berth near Pioneer Square
If successful, a 4th cruise ship berth would open in Seattle's Pioneer Square near 1st and Main by 2022.
Author: Chris Daniels, KING 5
Published: 6:33 PM PDT March 12, 2019
Updated: 6:35 PM PDT March 12, 2019
The Port of Seattle is open for a sea change on Terminal 46.
On Tuesday, the Commission voted 5-0 to release a 'Request for Qualifications' for a $200 million dollar renovation of the Terminal's north side, to allow for a cruise ship berth.
The Commission, with the backing of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, is ready to convert 30 acres near First and Main to become the fourth berth in Seattle. It already allows the ships to dock at Terminal 66 near Belltown, and Terminal 91 near Interbay.
The cruise ship industry is booming in Seattle, since it was launched 20 years ago. In 2019, the Port projects 212 different visits, bringing 1.2 million people in and out of Seattle.
"I think it's huge," said Port Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck, who acknowledged that the push has stayed under the radar. But the Alliance, made up of Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma commissioners already signaled the move back in February.
Long-term plans include recent work at the Husky Terminal in Tacoma, and a major redevelopment of T-5 in West Seattle. That terminal, which has sat empty for the last few years, is projected to be a container ship hub. The Port of Seattle has viewed that as an opportunity to re imagine T-46, with a mixed use of maritime industrial and cruise business.
"We're going to be the greenest, cleanest terminal in the United States," said Steinbrueck after the vote, also acknowledging the whispers about T-46 for years. It has been targeted for a mid-high rise residential building, parks, and even the 'Emerald City Center' sports complex.
"You can do the math, (the ships) bring a considerable amount of money to the City," said Bill Weise, the General Manager of the Silver Cloud Hotel in SoDo. Economic impact numbers tend to be all over the board, but Weise said with an added cruise ship so close to the stadiums, "It'll be an improvement."
The Port expects to select a preferred partner this summer, and is targeting opening the berth by 2022. Steinbrueck estimates about 30 percent of all cruise ship traffic could dock at the new berth in the long term.
There has been some social media criticism of the Port in the wake of the news, pointing to comments about T-46's importance during the run up to the infamous SoDo Arena vote in 2016. It ultimately led to the Council rejecting a request to eliminate a one-block stretch of Occidental Avenue for the new arena, because of its proximity to T-46.
However, Steinbrueck is quick to point out that a cruise ship doesn't bring the same kind of traffic like other buildings.
"This will have the added advantages of being close to downtown businesses, restaurants, hotels where they can simply walk between the cruise terminal and those businesses downtown," he said.


text:
Martian Manhunter Special #1 (1996)
This book was produced by writer Paul Kupperberg, penciller Mike Collins, and four inkers. It also featured ten pages of pin-ups, of which only one depicts the Manhunter, and in a group shot no less! Everything about this comic, down to the vague setting, fairly screams "inventory story." Each chapter even featured a recap, as though it were intended to be serialized. The creators were regular contributors to Justice League Quarterly, so I believe this material may have just been repurposed when that series was cancelled. All in all, an inauspicious outing, though much can be read from it in hindsight.
As revealed in expository bricks surrounding the first page, J'Onn J'Onzz just up and decided to fly to the planet Naftali in search of an ancient wandering holy man named K'rkzar. He hoped the traveler had perhaps run across other surviving Martians, and just happened to arrive just as K'rkzar was planning to announce the all-encompassing religion he has formulated over centuries spent in seclusion. Holy war was brewing, drawing the attention of the Darkstar Chaser Bron to quiet things down. After J'Onzz helped Bron stop bloodshed when one religious sect attacked another, the Darkstar was authorize by his Controllers to deputize the Martian in this matter. Together, they tracked down one of K'rkzar's priests, Bruaka, the only being who knew the holy man's whereabouts. The trio was soon joined by other, humanoid deputies sent by Naftali law enforcement to protect Bruaka from armies of assassins. They included Trypper, a brunette who could open time/space warps; Shadowdance, another female who could manipulate darkness; and Ambush, a male who could decipher the workings of weapons and other machinery at a touch. The group took to outer space in their ship to search for K'rkzar, but were hounded by attacking vessels and the powerhouse called "The Prophet." MM held off that dogma-spouting superman while his fellows appeared to make their escape, until their turned kamakazi on a pursuing battleship. "You're a killer who does the bidding of beings who cloak their evil and political manipulation under a blanket of false righteousness. You would have killed the people on that ship without a second thought--so keep your hypocrisy to yourself, Prophet...And pray whatever divine being does exist chooses to show mercy for your life and deeds."
J'Onn's comrades turned up alive, having piloted the ship to its explosive end by remote control. The alien detective figured out that Bruaka had been using the group under his command to act as a decoy, drawing the enemy away from K'rkzar, who was still playing possum on Naftali. Removing the guise of a simple derelict, the holy man gave a simple speech about how everyone should feel good and love one another. Big revelation there. J'Onzz flew off without ever asking the priest about his fellow Martians, nodding about the candy-coated truth in N'aftali's "message."
As you may have noted from my synopsis, the story is a mind-numbingly dull 48-page exercise along the lines of, well, any other 48 pages ever written by Kupperberg. Collins' art is as consistent, and approximates the banality of the script, as best as possible with all the additional hands. Just in case you managed to keep your eyes open through, Lee Loughridge provides so few color variations within a muddy, limited pallet that at times its like reading a yellowed copy of a black and white comic. This "effort" should be a source of pride for no one. On the other hand, the Prophet was created as a Superman caliber potential nemesis with an interesting hook. The religious leader Paral is fairly well designed, for what amounts to a reptilian take of the Lord High Papal. This first Martian Manhunter Special featured a much reprinted cover by Howard Porter in the style he would soon employ on the Morrison "JLA" relaunch. Finally, J'Onn J'Onzz just happened to go off in search of missing Martians just before a whole mess of them turned up in the aforementioned and extremely well received Morrison/Porter "JLA." Is there a hidden connection here to that series? I'll have to reread "New World Order" to find out, though probably not, but I need some justification for having read this tripe more than once...
Labels: 1990s, Martian Manhunter
Luke said...
The Prophet's codpiece is amazing. This work sounds anything but!
Frank Lee Delano said...
It's inescapable. Why would the artist wish to draw attention to the crotch? Why not fill in the whole area with gold? It's a betrayal of the principles that led to men wearing their underwear on the outside since the dawn of the medium!
Justice League of America #248 (3/86)
Adventure Comics #451 (May-June, 1977)
House of Mystery #163 (December, 1966)
Detective Comics #229 (3/56)
Justice League Unlimited Jigsaw Puzzle (24 pc., ag...
Super Candy & Toy (1967)
2006 Gem City Con Sketch by Dan Davis
Justice League of America #0 (9/06)
DC: The New Frontier #4, Part Two (2004)
2006 "MMM... OREOS" Convention Sketch by Darwin Co...
The Idle-Head of Prescience?
Adventure Comics #450 (March-April, 1977)
The Dynastic Centerpiece of Diabolu
Grant Morrison and the Absorbascon
The Vile Menagerie: BEL JUZ
House of Mystery #162 (10/66)
Neither Here Nor There
Detective Comics #228 (February, 1956)
April '08 Martian Sightings
fotolog highlights for march/april 2007
DC: The New Frontier #4, Part One (2004)
Adventure Comics #449 (January-February, 1977)
House of Mystery #161 (9/66)
Detective Comics #227 (January, 1956)
JLA Pink Juniors T-Shirt
Super Powers/Super Friends


This September, Other Voices will return to the heart of Electric Picnic's woodland area with an eclectic line up. In keeping with the ethos of Other Voices, festival-goers can expect memorable, intimate, engaging performances from Irish and International artists. Picture a multi-dimensional musical spectrum that will fill you with delight and inspiration.
Snippets of the lineup are revealed below but Other Voices wouldn't be what it is without a couple of surprises.
Last summer Other Voices made its debut festival appearance at Electric Picnic where musical guests included Hozier, St. Vincent, Annie Mac and Little Green Cars - to name a few! Most recently Ed Sheeran and Snow Patrol surprised Other Voices' audience members at UK's Latitude Festival with a very special impromptu gig.
Other Voices is loved by music fans for its fabulous music programme and for the way it showcases well known and emerging talent. That's why Jessie Ware, Hozier, Ellie Goulding, Elbow and hundreds of other artists love it so much. From its base in Dingle, Other Voices successfully transported itself to New York City, Derry, London, Latitude and now, Ireland's premier music festival, Electric Picnic.


With three weeks of Nonstop snowboarding improvement coaching and guidance in Fernie, your riding ability will improve massively. Enjoy every inch of one of the best powder-heavy resorts in the world.
Fernie boasts the largest ski area and the longest vertical in the Canadian Rockies. It is well known for its light fluffy powder and consistently great conditions.
Partner that with exhillarating freeride terrain and there is no doubt that this is a dream destination for any snowboarder.
As well as an epic mountain resort, downtown Fernie is an awesome old Canadian mining town, with a relaxed and friendly vibe. There are numerous bars, shops and restaurants to keep you busy during your three week stay.
It's very hard to really improve your skills and progress when you only ride for a week at a time. You find you will spend a lot of that week getting your stamina and technique back, then by the time you begin to really improve it's time to go home again!
With the three week snowboard improvement course, the focussed coaching means you push through the boundaries that have previously stood in your way.
We are experts at pushing snowboarders to new heights, and we can't wait to show you how to enjoy your newly improved skills! Our coaches love to guide you around their favourite spots on the hill - yes they do have the world's best job! One of your lessons will even start with 'First Tracks', getting the lifts with your group before they are open to the public so you can dive into the powder before anyone else.
Confident riding on pistes but dream of powering through powder? Our coaches will refine your technique and build your confidence before taking you to more testing terrain taking your riding to new levels.
Similarly the course is designed for snowboarders with off-piste experience that want to ramp it up a notch. Renowned for challenging terrain, steep slopes and deep snow, Fernie is the perfect environment to further develop your off-piste riding.
You'll be grouped with riders who are of a similar ability and share similar goals. This creates the best coaching environment; progressing together and taking on terrain that pushes everyone.
To ensure that we can deliver multiple snowboard groups catering to different experience levels we sometimes combine riders on one, two and three week camps together. Furthermore, we will combine a 1 week camp with a 2 week camp to provide as many 3 week options as possible. This works really well to ensure there is always a great social experience as well as well-matched ability groups.
First tracks: Ride the lifts with your pro: your own private mountain before sunrise.
Avalanche course: Gain insight into safe off-piste travel, avalanche types and formation, snow stability tests, and search & rescue techniques.
Cat boarding: Like heli boarding, but great value. Snowboard un-tracked powder, with a piste basher taking you to the top. Possibly the highlight of your year.
Technical sessions: get the most out of your snowboarding with weekly sessions covering topics such as board tuning, stretching & injury prevention, the history of snowboarding, equipment advice and nutrition.
Our own hotel, the Red Tree Lodge, acts as the official hub of the course. On most course dates, we will also accommodate particpants at the nearby Best Western once the Red Tree capacity has been met.
There is the choice of shared or private rooms - regardless of whether you are travelling alone. Rooms are spacious with queen sized beds, en suite bathrooms and widescreen TVs. Breakfats will be served at your hotel & inclusive evening meals are served at the Smokehouse, on site at the Red Tree Lodge. There are plenty more bars, restaurants and shops within a short walk.
Each morning we'll take you on a short bus ride to the mountain, where your snowboard is stored overnight, ready for an epic day on the slopes!
Stay in the comfort of our very own 43 bedroom lodge, with queen sized beds and great facilities.
Stay in the Best Western; comfortable & spacious rooms and an outdoor hot tub..
Typical Day Here's what a typical day in Fernie will involve. Now... imagine three weeks of this!
Wake up to the sound of the ski patrol bombing the mountain because there's been a fresh dump of snow. Energise with breakfast.
Ride up Timber Chair, pick your favourite line and lay down some fresh turns or cordruoy arcs. Ride freely as you warm up ahead of a big day.
Meet your group and discuss the day's objectives. Your coach will find the best snow. Be prepared to learn, progress and have fun.
You'll need to stop at some point. Reflect on a great morning and the wipe outs over lunch. Maybe try some Canadian poutine.
Ride some more until your legs give up. Consolidate the skills you were working on in the morning with more mileage and drills.
Share a jug of beer in the Griz with friends. Head back to the lodge for a hot tub. There might be a tech talk on board maintenance or biomechanics.
Relax over a well earned dinner as you swap stories from the day's adventures. Lots of chatter in anticipation of the next day.
Head into downtown Fernie for a drink. Embrace Canadian life and cheer on the local ice hockey team. Or just kick back in the movie room.
You'll receive 20 hours coaching per week. Our full day coaching sessions are Mon, Tue, Thu and Fri, with Wednesdays and the weekends for free skiing, consolidating what you've learnt and other activities. The maximum group size is 7 people per pro but typically they are 6 or even smaller.
Enjoy a three course meal at the Red Tree Lodge three evenings a week. A soup and salad buffet will get you started, followed by healthy and filling main courses such as lasagne, chicken, roasts etc. before a well earned desert.
You'll be given a lift pass for the duration of your course.
Head out onto the slopes before the lifts are open to the public - your own private mountain. Could be cancelled in adverse weather. No one wants to rise early for poor conditions!
Hop into your own private snow cat in the backcountry and experience powder like never before.


If your employer subsidizes your dental plan, they control the benefits allotted to you each year. As the cost of health care rises, many companies will reduce the benefits available to you in the next enrollment period.
Our office will be happy to let you know the amount of benefits you've used with us this year. However, to get a complete picture of what benefits are left always consult with your insurance directly.
Our team is available to create a plan that helps you get the treatment you need while taking full advantage of your insurance at the same time.
Connect with us online or call our office at 312.943.6444 if we can assist you in any way.


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Spain accedes to ship recycling convention
by Mariska Buitendijk | Jun 9, 2021 | Maritime regulations, News | 0 comments
Spain is the latest country to accede to IMO's treaty for safe and environmentally-sound ship recycling – the Hong Kong Convention. It covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of ships, and preparation for ship recycling in order to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling.
Under the treaty, ships to be sent for recycling are required to carry an inventory of hazardous materials, specific to each ship. Ship recycling yards are required to provide a Ship Recycling Plan, specifying the manner in which each ship will be recycled, depending on its particulars and its inventory.
Mr. Víctor Jiménez Fernández, Counsellor for Transport, Alternate Permanent Representative of Spain to IMO, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim (3 June) to deposit the instrument of accession.
Two criteria to be met before Convention enters into force
So far, seventeen states have signed the convention. These are Belgium, Congo, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Serbia, Spain and Turkey. This means the first criterium of at least fifteen countries acceding has been met.
However, together, they represent approximately 29.77 per cent of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant shipping. For the convention to enter into force, forty per cent of the gross tonnage is needed as well as a combined annual ship recycling volume of three per cent. The latter now stands at 13,967,2602 gross tonnage or 2.44 per cent.
The Convention will enter into force 24 months after all three criteria have been met.
Picture: Taken during an IMO mission to the Bangladesh recycling project in February 2015 (by IMO).
Also read: Video: Decommissioning of MV Kaami at Kishorn Dry Dock


text:
Search Travel News Asia for: Wine
Your search for Wine found the following documents (of 52086 documents searched):
Displaying documents 1-8 of 5137, with best matches first:
1. Tiger Airways partners with Barokes Wine to offer Wine-in-a-Can
Tiger Airways partners with Barokes Wine to offer Wine-in-a-Can. Tiger Airways has partnered with Australian wine producer, Barokes Wine, to sell its patented Vinsafe product, Wine-in-a-Can. The international award winning premium quality Barokes Chardonnay Semillion White wine and Cabernet Shiraz Merlot red wines are available on-board all Tiger Airways flights..
2. Suntec Singapore to host Wine for Asia 2008 in October
Suntec Singapore to host Wine for Asia 2008 in October. Highlights of Wine for Asia 2008 show include a wine business forum where participants will engage in dialogue sessions with wine experts on the opportunities and challenges of marketing and selling wines online. Other highlights include amongst others, Wine Style Asia Award 2008, Wine Sensory Symposium & Open Tasting and an I
3. Hilton Tokyo launches Grand Wine List by Master of Wine
Hilton Tokyo launches Grand Wine List by Master of Wine. After an intensive survey of the latest fashions and trends, extensive food tasting in all restaurants of the Hilton Tokyo and a new discovery of Japanese wines, Dr. Ron Georgiou compiled his expertise and passion into one 'Grand Wine List' as well as 7 wine menus, exclusively created for each restaurant of the Hilton Tokyo.
4. Jeannie Cho Lee Appointed Professor of Practice (Wine) by PolyU
Jeannie Cho Lee, one of Asia's leading experts in wine, has been appointed by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) as Professor of Practice (Wine) at its School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM). The first Asian Master of Wine (MW), Professor Jeannie Cho Lee is also an award-winning author, wine and food writer, wine critic, judge, educator and consultant.
5. Jeannie Cho Lee Appointed as Master of Wine @ Galaxy Macau
Jeannie Cho Lee Appointed as Master of Wine @ Galaxy Macau. Jeannie Cho Lee MW, who in 2008 became the first Asian to pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine Examination, has been appointed as Master of Wine at the Galaxy Macau, a new resort scheduled to open in the vibrant SAR later this year. Ms. Lee will oversee the development of Galaxy Macau's wine list, food pairing asp
6. Enjoy a Wine Tour of South Australia
Enjoy a Wine Tour of South Australia. South Australia is famous for its vineyards which produce over 70% of all Australia's exported wine. As with any celebrated viticultural region, South Australia has become a place of pilgrimage for people who love wine. Wine connoisseurs who travel to the State will therefore not be disappointed visiting this 'wine capital of Australia', home t
7. Great Wine Capitals to Meet in Christchurch, New Zealand
Great Wine Capitals to Meet in Christchurch, New Zealand. New Zealand, the newest member of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, is to host international wine industry movers and shakers in November with representatives from the Great Wine Capitals of Bordeaux, France and Napa Valley in the USA attending the Global Network's international conference in Christchurch.
8. Silversea Selects Wine Experts for Special Cruises
Silversea Cruises is rolling out a new Wine Series collection of 11 voyages this year designed for wine enthusiasts. On each wine cruise, travelers with a passion for fine wines will be able to sample vintages and learn about the tradition and art of winemaking in special tastings and lectures conducted by wine professionals, vineyard owners, and winemakers.
Documents 1-8 of 5137 displayed.


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Re: Naturalistic Grammars
And Rosta <[log in to unmask]>
Sun, 7 Jun 2015 12:55:02 +0100
On 6 Jun 2015 11:34, "David Peterson" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I think a general problem I'm sensing is the status of conlanging—that
is, whether it's an art or not. If it is, it probably can't be quantified;
if it isn't, maybe it can. I don't think we (and by "we" I mean humanity)
know enough about language and its origins yet to make that determination.
?? Which determination? And what is "it", whose quantifiability depends on
whether conlanging is art?
> > On Jun 4, 2015, at 1:10 PM, And Rosta <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Off the top of my head, I'd suggest a test of naturalism might be the
extent to which someone who doesn't know whether it's a conlang or not will
bet that it is. A kind of conlang analogue of the Turing test.
> I don't think this is a good test, for this reason:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbNOR6cNgMg
> That is, it's REALLY easy to fake. As someone who works with conlangs
daily with whole hosts of linguistically-unsavvy folks, it's just no
contest. It's easier to create a couple sentences of gibberish that sounds
natural than it is to create a naturalistic conlang. On tests like these,
the elegant gibberish will win the prize every time.
But what this girl of proclaimed hotness shows is that phonetic naturalism
is easy to achieve. Or rather, phonetic naturalism is indeed easy to
achieve but she seems to show specifically that one can mimic a given
natlang by producing gibberish with the natlang's phonology and phonetics.
> Of course, if you did have more material, as you suggest here…
> > Say, assemble a panel of judges, and for each of a range of languages,
nat- and con-, get them to state a degree of confidence for whether it is
nat- or con-. One set of tests could be presenting the judges with raw
texts, another set could involve glossed texts, and another could involve
descriptions of the conlangs.
> …it could work—provided the judges actually knew what they were doing. In
effect, this would be tantamount to criticism (i.e. this group would be one
of the "top reviewers" in the conlang version of Rotten Tomatoes). That is,
the judgment will still be subjective. It may be better informed than other
subjective judgments, but that doesn't make it any less subjective.
I had meant not that the judges would be critics making an aesthetic
judgement but rather that they would be trying to spot the 'fakes'. That
would clearly be an objective judgement, since each lg's status as nat- or
con- is an objective fact.
Someone who knows a lot about natlang typology might be able to do an okay
job at this judging. I don't, so if I was a judge and the conlanger was
quite skilled at naturalism, I wouldn't be able to start spotting fakes
until we start comparing documentations: the more elaborate the
documentation and the description therein, the more I'd bet on natlanghood.
But I doubt I'd be able to tell a skilfully-done conlang from a skimpily
described natlang. That goes back to what I was saying in a similar
different recent thread, namely that it's easy to create a veneer of
naturalism and difficult to impossible (in 2015 at least) to create a
conlang that's naturalistic when you dig beneath the surface.
> Here's a question to those who have been following and participating in
this thread—something to think about and perhaps to answer: What is the
point of the various approaches being evinced here? It occurs to me that
different people may be aiming at different goal posts, which will
complicate the discussion. That is, which of these is the point:
> (a) To determine how natural a given naturalistic conlang is.
> (b) To determine whether one conlang is more naturalistic than another.
> (c) To define naturalism in conlanging.
> (d) To give conlangers a framework for creating naturalistic conlangs.
> (e) To help conlangers create more naturalistic-looking conlangs faster.
> (f) To determine the quality of a conlang.
> Because I'll admit, I'm mainly talking about (c), but it looks like
Jeffrey and Alex are variously talking about (d), (e), (a) or (b)—or
perhaps some other point that I'm missing.
I was taking about (a/b) (I don't see the difference between them).
Discussion of the easiest way to fabricate a naturalistic veneer would be
interesting, but a different topic.
The best recipe for achieving thoroughgoing naturalism is probably spending
years studying languages deeply.
--And.


text:
package net.ozwolf.consul.testutils;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.net.ServerSocket;

public class PortFactory {
    public static Integer getNextAvailable() {
        try {
            try (ServerSocket socket = new ServerSocket(0)) {
                return socket.getLocalPort();
            }
        } catch (IOException e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Industry Insiders: Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva, Two Of A Kind
While opening a successful nightclub in New York City is no easy task, maintaining a nightclub's status as one of the city's hottest spots for nearly five years is close to impossible. Yet that's precisely what Scott Sartiano (left) and Richie Akiva (right) have done with 1 OAK, which first cracked open its doors to a stylish sliver of Manhattan society in 2008. Its reputation has only grown since, with 1 OAK pop-ups in places like Brazil and St. Tropez making it a truly international phenomenon. But it was only this year that the duo decided to open a permanent outpost outside the Chelsea original. Enter 1 OAK Las Vegas, which began welcoming celebrities like Kanye West and Fergie in January.
What led to the new 1 OAK Las Vegas?
Richie Akiva: With 1 OAK, we are building a brand, and we've branded ourselves a lot among the jet-setting, world-traveling crowd. When we have events in Brazil, or in Europe, people come in and they're like "1 OAK is amazing." When I go to Paris or Milan, everyone asks me about 1 OAK. Wherever you are, when you say to someone, "Do you know this club, 1 OAK?" they're like, "Yes, I do." So we decided to take it to Vegas.
Scott Sartiano: 1 OAK New York has been open a long time, and I think that longevity has proved that the brand is strong and stands for something bigger than a nightclub.
Akiva: We do events in St. Tropez, Ibiza, LA, Coachella. You name it, we've done 1 OAK pop-ups everywhere.
Sartiano: Even before we did those events, our clients were from all over the world, so that helped get the name out there. But 1 OAK as a club stands for something. It stands for class, exclusivity, good energy, and a good time. It's not about some DJ that you saw on a flyer or anything like that.
Akiva: It's a lifestyle brand.
Sartiano: And I think that's given it longevity and is going to help make it different in Las Vegas.
Akiva: The name speaks for itself. It's one of a kind.
What's the secret to your success when so many other nightclubs have come and gone?
Akiva: We're always expanding, we're always staying relevant. We pay attention to what people want and what people are asking for. We don't just open a club and say, Here's the club, it is the way it is, and then forget about it. We're always changing things and we pay attention to every detail. But at the end of the day it comes down to our relationships, and our relationships are very loyal.
Sartiano: It's about consistency, but also staying current. A lot of the time you have clubs that say, This is what we're going to be, and then they stay that way. But then the times change, tastes change, people change, music changes, and they don't change. We've stayed current from being all over the place and staying on top of what's happening. We love 1 OAK, we think it's something special and important to us, and we want to make it the best nightclub in New York, if not the world. I feel like it's just getting going.
Are there any particular adjustments you've made for operating in Vegas?
Akiva: There are a lot of adjustments you have to make, it's a whole different of mindset of going out in Vegas compared to New York or anywhere else. You're there for only one reason and that's to let loose and party.
Sartiano: It's four times the size of the New York location, and there's a tremendous light show. It has all the same features of New York in design elements but it's on a bigger scale. And people in Vegas are there for a fun weekend with their friends, whereas in New York they live and work here and go out on their nights off or weekends, so it seems the crowd is going to be different.
Akiva: When you look at Vegas, you're always seeing bigger brighter better, so that's what we had to adjust to. New York is more cool and collected. With Vegas we had to adjust it to where we were going to keep the New York style of coolness, but we had to make it bigger and brighter and better and give it more pizzazz.
How has it been received so far?
Akiva: The feedback has been incredible. People are loving the space, they're saying it's one of the nicest places they've ever been to in Vegas. It's a Vegas-style club but it feels more New York than any club in Vegas because all the other clubs are really big and our club is not quite as big, so we get to keep it exclusive.
So there's a sense of intimacy to it?
Sartiano: Well, it's definitely a bigger version of 1 OAK New York, but we wanted to keep the style the same. 1 OAK is really unique in Vegas because it's warmer and cozier than the other clubs.
Akiva: But it still has a big feeling to it.
Sartiano: A lot of the other clubs copy each other. If you walked into the top clubs here, they're almost carbon copies of each other in their layout and their design. 1 OAK is unique and does things differently.
This entry was posted in Nightlife and tagged 1 Oak, 1 Oak Las Vegas, Industry Insiders, Las Vegas, New York, Nightlife, Richie Akiva, Scott Sartiano, Victor Ozols. Bookmark the permalink.
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