Action Girlz Racing is a racing video game produced by Data Design Interactive. It was released in 2005 in Europe for Windows and PlayStation 2. A version for the PlayStation Portable was also announced for that same year, but was cancelled. In 2007 the game was ported to the Wii.The Wii version belatedly received a score of 0.8/10 on IGN in 2009, a full year after the game's release. Reviewer Lucas M. Thomas stated "Grab your lipstick, start your engine and get ready for, quite possibly, the worst Wii game of 2008".
What's your user review score for Action Girlz Racing?
Please login to add your score for Action Girlz Racing Graphics played on the pc.
Please login to add your score for Action Girlz Racing Lifespan played on the pc.
Please login to add your score for Action Girlz Racing Value played on the pc.
Action Girlz Racing has been added to Game-Debate but does not currently have the Action Girlz Racing system requirements.


text:
Stories at Drexel CCI
Invest in the Future & Make a Gift
Open Drexel search
Search Drexel
STEM Designated Degree Programs
Information Science Department
Graduate/Professional Development
Open Houses and Information Sessions
Co-op Programs
Student and Professional Organizations
Dean's Executive Advisory Council
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council
Submit a Website Edit
Submit News to CCI
iSchools Caucus
CCI Community Resources
Technical.ly Philly Highlights Drexel CCI's Diversity in Tech Initiative
Drexel University's College of Computing & Informatics (CCI) was highlighted in a recent article from Technical.ly Philly about how Philadelphia area universities are diversifying the STEM field.
Drexel CCI Dean & Isaac L. Auerbach Professor Yi Deng, PhD told Technical.ly Philly that the College's Black and Latinx population accounts for 11 to 12 percent of undergraduate enrollment. Those numbers are congruent with peer universities, however, there is still work to be done as the College is in the early stages of a five-year racial equity overhaul.
For the last five years, CCI has increased the number of women enrolled in and placed into tech careers from the College. This effort was helped by initiatives such as implementing new recruiting practices, improving the College's messaging, training faculty and professional staff, engaging local high school students and working closely with industry partners. In addition, the College has added nearly 100 scholarships for women students each year since the Diversity in Tech Initiative began in 2017.
The recent establishment of the CCI's inaugural Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council – comprised of faculty, students, and professional staff and led by Assistant Dean, Operations & Faculty Affairs and CCI's Diversity Officer, Marie Fazio – has also helped to uphold a more welcoming, supportive, respectful and inclusive environment.
According to Deng, the College's enrollment of undergraduate women students increased from 10.5 percent to 14 percent over the last five years; the goal is to continue growing to 20 percent or higher.
"We're not done yet. There's still a long way to go," Deng said. "But we made a notable improvement."
Read more on Technical.ly Philly's website.
Explore Our Diversity in Tech Initiative
Have a question? We're eager to talk with you.
Stay informed on the latest updates from Drexel College of Computing & Informatics.
Explore Corporate & Community Partnership Opportunities

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How about some chronology and context Obama?
In the 24/7 rolling and roiling fog of news and information these days it's very easy to lose track of the facts. The US would have continued to hit the snooze button through WW2 had it not been for one rather significant event, conveniently overlooked by Obama.
The president is in Japan for the G7 Summit in Ise-Shima, following a visit to Vietnam.
Editor's Note: Death first fell from the sky on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Barack Obama makes it sound like "death fell from the sky" for no reason… or perhaps he's trying to imply (once again) that it's just big, bad America's fault. Message to Obama: We are NOT the bad guys!


Today is 「ひな祭り」 (Hina-matsuri ("Princess (Doll) Festival")) in Japan.
It's sometimes still called "Girls' Day" because families with daughters set-up special elaborate doll displays of Japanese royalty and eat a special sushi dinner.
The city of Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture is known for their huge Hina-matsuri display.
This year's display could be seen there until today (2014 March 3rd).
Even if you can make it to that area to see their big doll display, Katsuura is still a very beautiful place to visit.
Yesterday was the Japanese holiday 「ひな祭」 (Doll Festival).
Click here to see my FAQ about it.
People with daughters decorate their homes with an elaborate princess doll display.
We have 「ひな人形」 (princess dolls), but we haven't set them up since my kids were young.
It's also common for families with daughters to eat sushi for dinner on this day. We had an excellent sushi dinner yesterday.
Also, Tuesday was the 65th anniversary of the famous World War Two battle on 「硫黄島」 (Iwo-to (aka: "Iwo-Jima")) between the U.S. Marines and the Japanese Army.
The photograph of the U.S. Marines raising the American flag on the island is very famous.
In honor of this anniversary, there was a ceremony held on this island to remember those who died in that very bloody battle.
Both U.S. Marines and Japanese soldiers attended this ceremony. The actual remaining survivors of the "Battle Of Iwo-Jima" are too old to make the journey, so younger Marines and soldiers attended in their place.
Ceremony in honor of the 65th anniversary of the "Battle Of Iwo-Jima"
By the way, the name of the island is correctly called "Iwo-To"…"Iwo-Jima" is another possible pronunciation of the characters 「硫黄島」 that spell the island's name and during the war, it seems, the U.S. military mistakenly began calling the island "Iwo-Jima" and that remained in use after World War Two. But it was recently officially changed back to the original name of "Iwo-To".


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Q: Plot chart using dataframe columns I have a data frame that has persons affected by two different issues for each year from 1999 to 2005 as in bellow image.
dataframe
Can I create a bar chart that shows a comparison of person affected by cancer, Heart disease for each year?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Pass selector into javascript function i have a js function that insert some code into exsiting html.
HTML

js code
var myfun = function (data) {
    if (data.form_is_valid) {
        $("#filtered1").html(data.html);
        toggleLight();
    }

I need further abstract it to take another paramter so that i can insert data.html into any selector. So "#filtered1" will become a parameter pass into this function.
For example (Not sure if it works)
var myfun = function (data, sel) {
    if (data.form_is_valid) {
        $(sel).html(data.html);
        toggleLight();
    }

Ideally i'd like to do following:
myfun(data,".container .bucket")

or
myfun(data,"#filteredplaces")

A: const myFunction = (data, selector) => {
    if (data.isFormValid) {
        $(selector).html(data.html);
        // toggleLight();
    }
};
myFunction({ isFormValid: true, html: '
Hello
'}, '.class1,.class2')

This seems to work as you intended. I just tested with the last line, and it does what you need.
Perhaps, you missed that you need a comma in between the classes when you are targeting multiple


Riverloft Capital Management is a Miami-based hedge fund led by Marc Lehmann, a graduate of the Wharton School, who started working at the fund in 2011. Lehman has an extensive background, having worked for about eight years at Barry Rosenstein's JANA Partners. According to its most recent 13F filing for the second quarter of 2015, Riverloft has an equity portfolio, which contains 52 positions worth $371.12 million. Around 70% of the fund's equity portfolio is represented by Financial stocks, but the investor also has some exposure to energy companies, such as Sunedison Inc (NYSE:SUNE), Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc (NYSE:ANW) and SunCoke Energy Inc (NYSE:SXC). In the following paragraphs we are going to take a closer look at Riverloft's top energy picks.
We pay attention to hedge funds' moves because our research has shown that hedge funds are extremely talented at picking stocks on the long side of their portfolios. It is true that hedge fund investors have been underperforming the market in recent years. However, this was mainly because hedge funds' short stock picks lost a ton of money during the bull market that started in March 2009. Hedge fund investors also paid an arm and a leg for the services that they received. We have been tracking the performance of hedge funds' 15 most popular stock picks in real time since the end of August 2012. These stocks have returned 123.1% since then and outperformed the S&P 500 Index by around 66.5 percentage points (see more details here). That's why we believe it is important to pay attention to hedge fund sentiment; we also don't like paying huge fees.
Riverloft cut its stake in Sunedison Inc (NYSE:SUNE), by 26% on the quarter to 300,000 shares, valued at $8.97 million. Sunedison Inc (NYSE:SUNE) is an expert developer of photovoltaic energy solutions, an owner and operator of clean power generation assets, as well as a manufacturer of silicon wafers. The stock gained 53% during the first six months of 2015, but following the most recent financial results, which were published in the mid-July the stock is in the free fall and slumped to $15.41 from a peak of $31.66. The company's financial results for the second quarter were mixed and included a net loss of $0.89 per share, which missed the estimates by $0.38. The revenue of $455 million, managed to beat the expectations by $61.29 million. Among other prominent funds that we follow, Boykin Curry's Eagle Asset Management owns some 1.04 million shares of Sunedison Inc (NYSE:SUNE) valued at $31.16 million as of June 30.


How are Vizit CALs managed?
Vizit CALs are sold on a per user basis, but managed as concurrent users to ensure customers do not encounter unnecessary license issues. When a user opens Vizit for the first time, a signed license is recorded with information about the user accessing the tool as well as the time the access occurred. Every time the user performs an operation, the time stamp is updated. Vizit also makes periodic calls back to the server to ensure that an open window will maintain the license in order to prevent loss of data. Once Vizit is exited, the seat remains occupied for up to 35 minutes.


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Assieme alla band ha venduto oltre 135 milioni di copie tra singoli e album, ed ha vinto tre Grammy Award, un MTV Video Music Awards, un MTV Europe Music Awards, otto Billboard Music Awards e tre American Music Awards.

Biografia e carriera musicale

Mickey Madden, nato ad Austin, in Texas, cominciò a suonare quando frequentava la scuola media presso la Brentwood School, situata a Los Angeles: suonava all'interno di diversi garage con gli amici Jesse Carmichael ed Adam Levine. Assieme ai due amici e il batterista Ryan Dusick fonda il gruppo Kara's Flowers, con i quali intraprende un progetto discografico pubblicando l'album The Fourth World nel 1997.

Il gruppo ottenne scarso successo, tanto che Madden si iscrisse assieme a Dusick presso il college dell'Università della California a Los Angeles. Nel 2000 il produttore Ben Berkman decise di stipulare un contratto alla band sotto la casa discografica Octone Records, dando una nuova formazione al gruppo, introducendo la chitarrista James Valentine, e rinominandoli Maroon 5.
Nel giugno 2002 pubblicando l'album Songs About Jane, promosso dai singoli She Will Be Loved, Sunday Morning e This Love, quest'ultimo riconosciuto con il Grammy Award alla miglior interpretazione vocale di gruppo. La band vince inoltre il Grammy Award al miglior artista esordiente. La band ottiene ampio successo internazionale, con oltre 10 milioni di copie vendute, e numerosi riconoscimenti, tra cui un MTV Video Music Awards, un MTV Europe Music Awards, due Billboard Music Awards e il World Music Award come migliori artisti esordienti.

Nel 2007 viene rilasciato il singolo Makes Me Wonder che anticipa l'album It Won't Be Soon Before Long, primo della band ad esordire alla prima posizione della classifica di vendite statunitense e britannica. Il singolo fa ottenere al gruppo il terzo Grammy come miglior interpretazione vocale di gruppo. Nel settembre 2010 esce il terzo album, Hands All Over, anticipato dal singolo Misery. Dall'album viene estratto il singolo Moves like Jagger, con Christina Aguilera, che esordisce alla prima posizione dalla Billboard Hot 100, con oltre 14 milioni di copie vendute in tutto il mondo.

Il quarto album, Overexposed, viene pubblicato nel 2012, sostenuto dai singoli Payphone, One More Night e  Daylight, ottenendo ampio successo commerciale, con oltre 20 milioni di singoli venduti complessivamente nel corso dell'anno. Nel corso del 2014 vengono pubblicati i singoli Animals e Maps, che precedono l'uscita del quinto album in studio V, secondo progetto ad esordire alla prima posizione della Billboard 200. Nel 2015 viene pubblicato il terzo estratto Sugar, che ottiene ampio successo con oltre 8 milioni di copie vendute globalmente.

Nel 2017 viene pubblicato il sesto album, Red Pill Blues, anticipato dalle collaborazioni What Lovers Do con SZA e Girls like You con Cardi B. A seguito della morte dal manager Jordan Feldstein, nel 2019 viene pubblicato il singolo Memories, ultimo brano a cui prende parte Madden, che abbandona il gruppo a seguito dell'arresto per violenze domestiche avvenuto nel giugno 2020.

Vita personale
È stato un convinto vegano per diversi anni, e sostiene Farm Sanctuary, un'organizzazione che si occupa di questioni riguardanti la protezione degli animali.

Problemi giudiziari
Nel 2015 Madden viene arrestato con l'accusa possesso e spaccio di droga, dopo aver fornito cocaina a James Gubelmann, l'ex fidanzato di Ivanka Trump, fuori da un bar a Manhattan. Madden ha accettato un giorno di servizio comunitario in un patteggiamento.

A fine giugno 2020, Madden viene arrestato per violenze domestiche. Nei giorni successivi, il musicista dichiara a People di aver deciso di lasciare il gruppo.

Stile ed influenze musicali

Tra gli artisti che hanno influenzato maggiormente Madden, è possibile annoverare Pearl Jam e Nirvana.

Discografia

Come membro dei  Kara's Flowers

 The Fourth World

Come membro dei Maroon 5

 Songs About Jane
 It Won't Be Soon Before Long
 Hands All Over
 Overexposed
 V
 Red Pill Blues

Note

Voci correlate
 Maroon 5

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Membri dei Maroon 5

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management You must be assuming you are a genuine brilliant with quantities of worthy knowledge stored in your brain. You are not the only one; almost each people assumes the very same regarding him/herself.
Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management Exactly how handling a home is not a DIY thing?
You think you are wise enough to view a couple of YouTube video clips and also after assimilating information from the mighty Google, you are all set to educate on your own some excellent things. All the crafts out there are not just DIY points.
Taking care of a building is among those things which you could attempt to do by yourself, ultimately you will not be able to do it alone. Every craft requires unique competence and ability to run it effectively. And that's when you require an expert property supervisor.
To cruise through the treatments of rental home monitoring, you need an ideal property administration professional as your captain of the ship. When we looked the web, out of several readily available residential or commercial property management software program, we came across buildium property management tool/software.
Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management That is a home manager actually?
To assist you choose a suitable as well as experienced property supervisor, below we bring you an introduction. Before you dig right into this a lot more, do you know who is a residential or commercial property supervisor actually?
Really, in straightforward words, a building manager is someone that plays the duty of a middleman in between the renters and the property owners. For making certain the owners possessions' security, a residential property manager is responsible.
If you are amongst those owners that have no experience as well as idea and also you don't intend to devote your hrs of the day to residential property administration, a trustworthy residential property manager will certainly make your life simple.
Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management Let's begin – A review of why you need a building supervisor?
According to buildium property management concepts, below we are going to share with you some million buck ideas and also points you have to take into consideration. This summary will supply you with an insight right into why you need to seek the aid of a good building supervisor besides home management software application.
Given that you could always terminate up an online search to obtain an idea regarding exactly how much the various other property owners are charging for a home just like yours.
Your building supervisor will certainly take this problem out of your mind, by thoroughly analyzing the market scenario for establishing the best cost.
This method, you will have the ability to strike an equilibrium in between your raising month-to-month earnings as well as preserving low rents.
You will always get good occupants if you are seeking services of a professional residential or commercial property manager. You don't need to worry any longer concerning the analysis of debt records, legal matters, running security checks, verification of employment as well as reference monitoring. Your dependable as well as the expert residential or commercial property supervisor will do these all jobs for you.
Most of the moments, accumulating the rental payments from occupants on time is a rather overwhelming task itself. During initial 2 3 months, they will favorably transfer the cash right into your accounts straight and prompt. Yet quickly, fact accidents in as well as you get embeded a circumstance where your renters refuse to pay the cash.
To prevent this nightmare, buildium property management experts and we suggest you hire an expert residential or commercial property supervisor They know their job as well as they know about the clever means to handle occupants and accumulating cash from them prompt.
Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management Do you require correct marketing of your house?
You need to know when as well as just how to smartly advertise your house. With your active routines, you won't be able to do that. Only an expert residential or commercial property supervisor will assist you in the correct advertising of your home. They understand the methods for doing time promotion of your home or business so to conserve you from lasting vacancies.
Trying to find a method to optimize your profits? Employ a residential or commercial property supervisor.
Yes, most importantly the benefits, a dependable and also skilled residential or commercial property supervisor will become your right-hand man for optimizing your profits. You simply have to pay a fixed amount of portion to your manager for his unbelievable solutions, each month. This is much reduced as compared with exactly what you will need to pay in case you are working with a group of specialists to enhance things for you.
Typically, you need to pay simply 6% to 10% of your earnings to your home or business manager. This aids you to keep a lion's share of earnings in your own pocket. Right a clever method?
Being a property manager without the help of a building supervisor is not at all easy. If there occurs any kind of trouble at your rental residential or commercial property, the occupants won't be polite enough to consider the time.
If you have a property manager on your side, it's no a lot more your migraine to sacrifice your wonderful rest for these wake-up telephone calls. Your residential or commercial property manager will handle these late-night emergencies. They know the best ways to take care of the problems prompt and also accordingly.
We suggest you have a specialist property supervisor as well as make your life easy. Let the residential property manager do all just what they are specialist of doing.
Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management You should be thinking you are a genuine genius with volumes of worthwhile understanding saved in your mind. You are not alone; virtually every one of us thinks the exact same about him/herself.
Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management Just how handling a building is not a DIY point?
You assume you are wise enough to watch a few YouTube videos and also after assimilating info from the mighty Google, you are all set to instruct yourself some excellent things. Wait! Because everybody could refrain from doing every little thing and also anything. So, all the crafts out there are not just DIY points.
Taking care of a property is just one of those things which you could try to do by yourself, eventually you will not be able to do it alone. Every craft needs special competence and skill to run it efficiently. Which's when you require an expert property supervisor.
To cruise with the procedures of rental home monitoring, you require a perfect building monitoring professional as your captain of the ship. Thanks to the innovation, today we have reliable property monitoring software to earn that task further simple for us. When we looked the web, from several readily available residential property management software application, we encountered buildium property management tool/software. Yes, here you could locate packages of authentic info, solutions, as well as professional residential property supervisors.
Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management Who is a residential property supervisor actually?
To aid you select a suitable and also professional property manager, below we bring you an intro. Prior to you explore this more, do you understand who is a building manager in fact?
Really, in simple words, a home manager is a person who plays the function of an intermediary in between the occupants and also the building proprietors. For making sure the owners properties' security, a home supervisor is accountable.
If you are among those proprietors that have no experience as well as suggestion and also you don't wish to commit your hours of the day to residential property administration, a trustworthy residential property supervisor will certainly make your life easy.
Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management Allow's begin – An introduction of why you require a building manager?
Inning accordance with buildium property management suggestions, listed below we are going to show to you some million dollar pointers and factors you have to think about. This review will certainly offer you with an insight right into why you need to look for the aid of an excellent home supervisor besides residential or commercial property management software program.
Since you could always discharge up an online search to obtain a hint about what does it cost? the other residential or commercial property proprietors are billing for a home just like your own.
This will certainly give you an approximation of setting a rental rate for your residential property.
Your residential property manager will take this trouble out of your mind, by thoroughly assessing the market circumstance for establishing the ideal price.
This means, you will have the ability to strike an equilibrium in between your raising month-to-month income and maintaining reduced leas.
You will certainly always obtain good renters if you are seeking services of a professional building manager. You do not have to worry anymore concerning the assessment of credit scores records, lawful matters, running protection checks, confirmation of employment and also referral checking. Your reliable and the professional building supervisor will certainly do these all jobs for you.
Many of the times, collecting the rental payments from tenants on time is a rather difficult task itself. Throughout preliminary 2 3 months, they will courteously deposit the cash right into your accounts directly as well as prompt. Soon, reality accidents in and also you obtain stuck in a situation where your occupants reject to pay the cash.
To prevent this problem, buildium property management specialists as well as we suggest you employ a specialist property supervisor They recognize their work and they learn about the smart means to take care of occupants as well as collecting loan from them timely.
Buildium How To Write A Check To Owner From Management Do you need appropriate marketing of your home?
Just a professional residential property supervisor will certainly aid you in the correct advertising of your building. They understand the methods for doing time promotion of your building so to save you from lasting vacancies.
Looking for a means to optimize your earnings? Work with a residential or commercial property manager.
Yes, best of all the benefits, a dependable and also expert residential property supervisor will become your right-hand man for maximizing your revenues. You just have to pay a fixed quantity of percent to your supervisor for his extraordinary solutions, every month. This is much reduced as contrasted to what you will certainly have to pay in instance you are working with a group of professionals to streamline points for you.
Usually, you need to pay simply 6% to 10% of your revenues to your residential property supervisor. This helps you to keep a lion's share of revenues in your personal pocket. Right a smart approach?
Being a proprietor without the aid of a building manager is not simple. If there happens any issue at your rental building, the lessees won't be polite enough to think about the time. They will certainly call you right now regardless of if you are delighting in an excellent night rest at 3 am. And also it's obviously your job to obtain their problem dealt with.
But if you have a residential property manager in your corner, it's no a lot more your frustration to sacrifice your pleasant sleep for these wake-up phone calls. Your house supervisor will certainly deal with these late-night emergency situations. They know how you can deal with the problems timely as well as as necessary.
We suggest you have a professional home supervisor and make your life simple. Allow the residential or commercial property supervisor do all just what they are specialist of doing.


Homeowners thinking about renovating their properties in the new year may want to consider investing in a conservatory from Stockport company Malbern Windows. Did you know that conservatories are one of the best ways to add value to your home quickly and easily, offering great return on investment for homeowners? Thus, such an extension would be a good choice for anyone planning on doing home renovations moving forward.
If you want to extend your home, there really is no better way to do so than with a conservatory. They can really help to flood your house with light and make a brilliant family room where you and your loved ones can spend some serious quality time together.
They come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, so whether you want a big space added onto the kitchen or are simply looking for something like a small summer house, conservatories are an excellent choice. It's important that you think about what you intend to use your new space for as this will help you work out what kind of style you want. Will you use it all year round, for example, or is it just save it for the summer?
Of course, there are several considerations you need to bear in mind before you opt for a new conservatory. For example, you will need to look into planning permission and building regulations to make sure that you can have this kind of extension added to your house.
Other points to bear in mind include the sort of flooring you'd like to have. There are many options, from laminate and cork to natural stone, limestone, granite, slate or even ceramic floor tiles. And then there's the conservatory glass. If you want your glazing to be energy efficient in order to keep your bills down to a minimum, look out for windows with the best glass u-values available. You would typically be better off opting for glass over polycarbonate alternatives, as these show their age a lot quicker as well.
You could even consider going for heat reflective glass (also known as low-e glass) that comes with a metallic coating that means energy from the sun can pass through from outside, helping to reduce heat loss.


text:
You are here: Home > About
About Paragon Home Resources
Paragon Home Resources is a wholly owned subsidiary of Paragon Global Resources, Inc., an industry leader in relocation, real estate and mortgage services. After more than 25 years in business, Paragon has the experience to make your life easier. Over the years, Paragon has led its customers through every move scenario you can imagine and has mastered managing the process. In addition, because it is so important to manage the timing of different events, Paragon offers a single point of coordination to guide you. Our personal Home Resource Coordinator will keep you up-to-date on what has happened and what is about to happen.
At Paragon, we value our service providers and their contribution to our efforts. We expect quality services at competitive fees. We treat our service providers with respect and work hard to build mutual, long-term relationships. Paragon only selects service provider partners that meet stringent performance criteria. All service providers are regularly benchmarked within their niche to ensure that our clients are provided with the most effective and efficient service delivery at the lowest cost. Service provider data and capabilities are also regularly reviewed to ensure Paragon has exactly what its customers need.
Paragon Home Resources' leadership team includes the following:
Joseph A Morabito, CEO
Joseph Morabito is chief executive officer of Paragon Global Resources, Inc., the holding company for Paragon Home Resources. Mr. Morabito has more than 35 years of real estate and relocation industry experience. As a pioneer and innovator in the field, Mr. Morabito has worked with clients throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, touching virtually every industry with delivery of management consulting and relocation services.
Prior to founding Paragon over 25 years ago, Mr. Morabito held positions in senior management at Premier Relocation Services (a Weyerhaeuser company) and Merrill Lynch Relocation Management. Mr. Morabito has been published in HR industry publications including Human Resource Executive and Mobility. He has been featured as a speaker at a variety of conferences and was written about in The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Morabito was named 2012 International Relocation Personality of the Year by Re:locate magazine. Most recently, he was named a 2015 and 2016 HR Superstar in the Relocation Providers category by HRO Today, a leading HR publication.
Mr. Morabito earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in both history and political science with a minor in foreign languages; a Master of Arts degree in education, with emphasis in personnel administration; and teaching and education administration credentials, all from California State University. In addition, Mr. Morabito completed all coursework for the real estate brokers exam in California. He holds the Worldwide ERC® Senior Certified Relocation Professional (SCRP) designation and is a Worldwide ERC® Distinguished Service award winner. He has served on Worldwide ERC®'s Public Policy Committee, which assesses and deals with business risk and opportunities arising from legislative, regulatory and judicial actions that impact relocation. E-mail Mr. Morabito
Scott McCain, President
Scott McCain is president of Paragon Home Resources (PHR) and Paragon Real Estate Resources, and executive vice president of Paragon Global Resources, Inc. Regarding PHR, Mr. McCain is in charge of creating, communicating, and implementing the organization's vision, mission and overall direction and evaluating the success of the organization.
Prior to joining Paragon, Mr. McCain worked for Bank of America as vice president, regional sales manager. He has also held positions at Cendant Mobility (now Cartus) and GMAC Global Relocation Services (now Brookfield).
Mr. McCain holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Vermont along with a certificate in finance from Fairfield University. He has served as president of the New England Relocation Association and was a past steering committee member for the NYC Organization of Relocation Professionals, New Jersey Relocation Council, and the Metro Northeast Relocation Summit. McCain has also served as a board member and officer of the Rotary Club of Fairfield, Connecticut. E-mail Mr. McCain
Jim Davis, Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Jim Davis is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Paragon Global Resources. His responsibilities include overseeing the financial and administrative support for Paragon and its subsidiaries.
Mr. Davis worked for Paragon previously from 1998-2003 in Finance and Accounting, and has extensive experience in Finance through his previous position as Vice President Finance/Controller for Title365 Company. Mr. Davis has also worked in Finance for The First American Corporation, Fidelity National Information Solutions, and Coldwell Banker Relocation. Mr. Davis also has held positions in Sales and Consulting for Graebel Van Lines and Allied Van Lines, giving him more than 31 years of experience in industries related to all Paragon lines of business. Mr. Davis graduated from Syracuse University with a BS in Finance and holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix. E-mail Mr. Davis
Mary Legate, Senior Vice President
Mary Legate is senior vice president of Paragon Global Resources and president of Paragon Relocation Resources. With more than 35 years of relocation industry experience, Ms. Legate is responsible for the firm's Relocation Operations, Human Resources and Learning Resources groups.
During her many years of service, Ms. Legate has managed all aspects of client relations and operations, starting as a consultant and working through everything from on-site relocation centers to group moves to managing branch operations. Ms. Legate graduated with a BBA from Stephen F. Austin University in Texas. E-mail Ms. Legate


Image produced by Hal Pierce and caption by Steve Lang and Holli Riebeek.
The contrast of current rainfall with average rainfall in this anomaly image reveals just how intense flood-inducing rains were in northern Brazil in April and May 2009.
Clandenning, A. (2009, May 13). Brazil floods ease, but 267K still homeless. Associated Press. Accessed May 15, 2009.


The Wenatchee Valley College district is the size of Massachusetts and Rhode Island combined, covering more than 10,000 square miles of Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties. The Wenatchee campus is located near the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, midway between Seattle and Spokane. The WVC at Omak campus is located near the Canadian border in Omak, about 100 miles north of Wenatchee.
Wenatchee Valley College is a sound investment for students, taxpayers and society as a whole. View the WVC Economic Impact Study.
Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds.


April 10, 2019 is Imo's for Kids Day! It's easy to support Variety Kids on this day, when a portion of proceeds from all area Imo's Pizza locations will benefit Variety.
All you have to do is purchase a meal (or two!) from your local Imo's to give back and help local kids and teens with special needs. All menu items are included, so you can order your favorite pizza, pasta, appetizer, sandwich and more!
Imo's for Kids Day is part of the Imo's Care Beyond Compare program and has raised more than $2.1 million for Variety Kids thus far. Imo's has supported Variety for almost 20 years, including through their recent "Value Box" campaigns, held in 2017 and 2018, during which $1 from each sale of a Value Box benefited Variety Kids.
So show how your care is beyond compare by ordering out, dining in or ordering delivery from Imo's Pizza on April 10.
Imo's for Kids Day is part of Variety Week 2019, which goes from April 6 – 13. Variety Week is Variety St. Louis' pillar fundraising campaign, during which we celebrate the Variety Kids we serve through multiple events. Learn more about this year's Variety Week events here.


39. @BryantGarvin#SMX #24B How You Measure Bruh?
These presentations are classified and categorized, so you will always find everything clearly laid out and in context. You are watching How Purple Used Video Advertising To Go From Zero to Public in Two Years By Bryant Garvin presentation right now. We are staying up to date!


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Home Life & Social
CSU Stanislaus Science Building Reopens After Two-Year Renovation
in Life & Social
Newly Remodeled CSU Stanislaus Science 1 Building|
California State University, Stanislaus reopened its Science 1 Building last week, on the first day of Spring semester, following two years of renovation work.
One of the oldest structures on campus, the Science 1 Building was due for seismic retrofitting and renovation. The interior of the building has now been completely remodeled with eight new classrooms and an open computer lab. The building now hosts the mathematics, philosophy, and modern languages departments, as well as the School of Nursing. A new lab for the School of Nursing will provide hands-on training to the region's next generation of nurses.
Melody Maffei, Associate Vice President for Capital Planning and Facilities Management, said the two-year-long, $18 million reconstruction project was completed on time and within budget.
"All of the team members worked closely with the university to create a state-of-the-art teaching and learning environment that adheres to CSU Stanislaus's commitment to sustainability while complying with all current building codes," said Maffei.
The sale of lease-revenue bonds, a source separate and distinct from the general state appropriations that fund regular university operations, funded the reconstruction. Acme Construction of Modesto, Suarez-Kuehne Architecture of San Francisco, and Van Pelt Construction Management of Fairfield all aided in the project.
"In science, we are always looking forward," said Reza Kamali, Dean of the College of Science. "Students want to see advancement, and this building represents that. The nursing simulation lab, in particular, will offer our students an experiential learning environment that mirrors real-life, clinical training to help them transition into professional practice."
During the renovation and seismic retrofitting, a number of energy-efficiency upgrades were made including the installation of photovoltaic solar panels and skylights.
The university expects the photovoltaic solar panels installed on the roof will provide enough energy to meet all of Science 1's needs besides heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The skylights and new windows will provide more natural light, also reducing energy costs.
The Science 1 Building is located near the Nora and Hashem Naraghi Hall of Science and the university bookstore. In 2007 Naraghi Hall underwent less structural changes to its exterior, including new paint on the building's trim, as well as new ramps and handrails.
The new layout in Science 1 provides larger, open spaces similar to those in Naraghi Hall. The seating areas throughout the building provide connections to power outlets for students, faculty, and staff.
The Department of Mathematics has gone to extra lengths to create an inviting atmosphere for students, offering six bookcases full of texts, journals and other resources for students, and glass cases to showcase student and faculty research. There will be enough tables and chairs to provide a quiet group-study area for up to 16 students.
"Math students who form study groups tend to perform better in classes than those who study on their own," department Chair Tom Abram said. "Science 1 now provides opportunities for our students to form several different study groups within close proximity of the math department faculty."
Tags: CSUCSU StanislausCSUSRenovationReopensScience Building
Turlock Car Thieves Nabbed
Cyclist Hit, Killed in Turlock


District councillors and the local metro mayor have hailed the continuation of a rural bus service after they provided £10,000 in emergency funding.
South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor James Palmer stepped in with a grant last month when it was announced that the X3 service from Papworth to Cambridge would cease to operate.
The subsidy will keep the service going until proposed changes to bus services, due to be implemented from April, can be finalised and announced, following a review by Mr Palmer.
Whippet Coaches' managing director, Charlie Hamilton, took to the wheel to drive the 7.01am X3 bus from Papworth on Monday (12 November) to celebrate.
Mr Palmer said: 'The continuation of this service I know will come as a welcome relief for the many people who relied upon it, particularly those living in Papworth Everard.
Separately, the Commons Transport Committee has announced plans to visit Bristol as part of its inquiry into the health of the bus market. The city has bucked the trend of declining bus usage in English metropolitan areas with a 40% rise in passenger journeys since 2009/10.
Chair Lilian Greenwood and committee members Grahame Morris and Daniel Zeichner planned to meet the city council and operator First Group, followed by the city's mayor, Marvin Rees.
On Monday afternoon, in the first public evidence session the committee has held outside Westminster, it will take evidence from West of England mayor Tim Bowles and representatives from Plymouth City Council and Devon County Council.
Writing in the Bristol Post, Ms Greenwood said: 'While the session in Bristol will focus on the role and performance of local authorities, the most important player in the bus market is the passenger and hearing their experiences is key to our inquiry.


Clyst St Lawrence is a town in Devon, England. It is situated near to Broad Clyst, Cullompton, Aylesbeare, Kentisbeare, Woodbury, and Ottery St Mary and is one of 330 towns or villages in Devon in which Go2 has cottages or holidays lets available. The nearest main cities are Exeter (population 106,772), Wells (population 10,406), and Plymouth (which has a population of 243,795 according to the 2001 Census). Follow the links to find holiday cottages and lets available in this area on Go2, or view the surrounding area on the map below.
Read more about Clyst St Lawrence at Wikipedia, or... Find holiday cottages and lets in Clyst St Lawrence with Go2.
Use the map below to view Clyst St Lawrence and its surrounding area. Controls are provided to allow for zooming in and out, scrolling around, and setting the map to satellite or terrain views.
Whether it's a self catering holiday cottage or a hotel you're after use Go2's great search and comparison facilities to find the best accommodation in Clyst St Lawrence. Just follow the links below.
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On January 26, Secretary Pompeo traveled to New York City to speak before the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Venezuela, and urged every nation to support the people of Venezuela and recognize the new democratic government led by interim President Guaido.
Following his remarks, Secretary Pompeo reiterated the need for international support for Venezuela's transition during a press availability.
On January 27, the United States accepted Interim President Guaido's designation of Carlos Alfredo Vecchio as Chargé d'Affaires of the Government of Venezuela. In a January 25 meeting at the State Department, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Kimberly Breier reaffirmed U.S. support for Interim President Guaido's leadership.
On January 28, the U.S. determined that persons operating in Venezuela's oil sector may now be subject to sanctions. State-owned companies like Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) have been used to control, manipulate, and steal from the Venezuelan people, and the United States must take necessary actions to prevent the illegitimate former Maduro regime from further plundering Venezuela's assets and natural resources.
In a statement on January 28, Deputy Spokesperson Palladino offered condolences to the families of those who passed away due to the tragic accident in Brumadinho, Brazil, and emphasized that the United States stands ready to assist the Brazilian government in any way possible.
On January 29, Deputy Spokesperson Palladino issued a statement expressing concern over the sentencing of human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang to four-and-a-half years in prison on charges of "subverting state power." The United States calls on China to release Mr. Wang immediately, and remains concerned by the deteriorating situation for the rule of law, human rights, and fundamental freedoms in China.
Secretary Pompeo will host the 79-member Coalition for a day of meetings on February 6 for in-depth discussions on the impending territorial defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, which is the result of four years of Coalition and our partners' efforts, and a significant milestone towards delivering ISIS an enduring defeat. The Global Coalition regularly meets to coordinate and enhance combined efforts to counter ISIS.
On January 29, the United States and Algeria convened the fourth session of the U.S.-Algeria Strategic Dialogue. Secretary Pompeo and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdelkader Messahel agreed to sustain cooperation in defeating terrorist groups including AQIM and ISIS, emphasized support for a closer economic partnership, and reviewed cultural and educational programs between the United States and Algeria.
On January 30, Secretary Pompeo met with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. The Secretary also spoke with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. The Secretary and Foreign Minister Freeland discussed Venezuela, China, and the upcoming Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East. On January 31, Secretary Pompeo spoke with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Martin Griffiths.
Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun delivered remarks on DPRK at Stanford University. Special Representative Biegun said, "President Trump and Chairman Kim have decided to pursue a top-down approach with a breadth of actions that – if successful – will fundamentally transform relations between our two countries."


From the perspective of IT, organizational silos seem to be the root of all problems. Every line of business, every department, every functional area has its own requirements, its own technology preferences, and its own way of doing things. They have historically invested in specialized components for narrow purposes, which IT must then conventionally integrate via application middleware --- increasing the cost, complexity, and brittleness of the overall architecture.
Now those same stakeholders want to move to the Cloud. Save money with SaaS apps! Reduce data center costs with IaaS! Build a single Private Cloud we can all share! But breaking down the technical silos is easier said than done. There are endless problems: Static interfaces. Legacy technology. Inconsistent policies, rules, and processes. Crusty old middleware that predates the Cloud. And everybody still has their own data model and their own version of the truth.
The Cloud alone can't solve these complex challenges. In fact, the challenge is not entirely within the realm of IT. Organizational change is also necessary – and of course, such change is the most difficult to achieve, especially when the underlying force driving the transformation is technological. Enterprise architecture is part of the solution, of course, but when the business stakeholders resist necessary change, no level of exhortation from the architecture team will make much difference.
How, then, do we find our way out of this impasse? In particular, how can the IT organization drive the organizational change necessary to break down the silos necessary to achieve strategic value with the Cloud? The answer, of course, is money. Whenever IT (or any other part of the business, for that matter) wants to effect change in their organization, they must translate their message into the financial benefits their organization can achieve by making the change.
Siloed technology, fundamentally, is inefficient. It's expensive to purchase, to maintain, and in particular, to integrate. We need a better approach to implementing technology that brings silos together, while allowing the personalization and customization that meets stakeholder needs. It's time to rethink how we handle both data and code to align with the storage and processing model of the Cloud: distributed, horizontally scalable, and event-driven. We need an intelligent, active approach to building and running applications that is both dynamic and inherently Cloud-friendly.
Such an approach will take some time, as most IT departments must rebuild long-lost credibility with business stakeholders. But by achieving greater levels of efficiency and cost savings while driving toward the strategic goals of the enterprise, the IT organization can be a positive force for business transformation in their organizations. But first, they must get the technology right.


Welcome to the Saïd Foundation. Our vision is of a world where people from all backgrounds can realise their full potential.
We believe in the power of education to transform lives, communities and societies for the better and in the value of building bridges across cultures.
Since 1982, the Foundation has provided educational opportunities to talented young people and enhanced the capabilities of those working to relieve need and combat disadvantage in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and the UK.


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Da'Vonne Rogers from Big Brother to appear on The Bold and the Beautiful
Mon Dec 21, 2020 at 8:25pm ET
By Ryan DeVault
Da'Vonne Rogers is guest-starring on The Bold and the Beautiful. Pic credit: CBS
Da'Vonne Rogers just revealed that she is appearing on The Bold and the Beautiful next week.
The reality TV star is making the jump over to soaps, becoming the latest Big Brother houseguest to surface on the long-running show.
In the past, quite a few houseguests have left the Big Brother house and then been invited to guest star on an episode or two of the soap opera. Now, Da'Vonne is going to be on a list that includes Jessica Milagros (BB21), Tyler Crispen (BB20), and Brett Robinson (BB20).
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For fans of Da'Vonne, this could become a must-watch episode of the CBS show.
Da'Vonne shares the news with her social media fans
Da'Vonne shared some photos and also provided a caption on her Twitter account to get people excited about her upcoming appearance on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Da'Vonne Rogers a favorite to win America's Favorite Houseguest on Big Brother
She wrote, "I'm soooo excited !!! Catch me on @BandB_CBS MONDAY DECEMBER 28th !!"
I'm soooo excited !!! Catch me on @BandB_CBS MONDAY DECEMBER 28th !! pic.twitter.com/U4uRH7D7U1
Is Sally leaving The Bold and the Beautiful? Courtney Hope speaks out
— Da'Vonne Dianne Rogers ✊🏾 (@DayDaVonne_) December 21, 2020
Quite a few fans have already expressed their excitement over the news. That includes several fan pages for The Challenge.
A post shared by Challenge Overdose (@thechallengeoverdose)
In addition to her time on Big Brother, Da'Vonne has also been on The Challenge multiple times. That is a reality competition show that airs on MTV and has had a lot of former houseguests come over to compete.
On the current season of The Challenge, Fessy Shafaat, Josh Martinez, and Kaycee Clark are all competing for the huge cash prize.
In regard to Big Brother 20 winner Kaycee Clark, she was also sharing some great news on social media, as she just celebrated a big anniversary with her girlfriend.
As a reminder, make sure to tune in to The Bold and the Beautiful on the afternoon of Monday, December 28 to see Da'Vonne guest-starring.
More Big Brother news
In other news from the world of Big Brother, Michael Ellis is going to be appearing on Catfish. He was the second-place finisher on BB5 and has become very well known for wearing a cowboy hat while playing the game.
We also learned that fellow Big Brother 5 cast member Diane Henry just gave birth. She shared pictures of her new beautiful baby girl on social media. In addition to her time on BB5, Diane was also a member of the first Big Brother All-Stars season.
Big Brother is currently on hiatus. The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS.
Ryan DeVault
Ryan is a movie reviewer and entertainment enthusiast who has been writing about sports, film, television, breaking news, and celebrities for nearly 15 years. He... read more
Latest posts by Ryan DeVault (see all)
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Tags Big Brother, Da'Vonne Rogers, The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful spoilers: Quinn rubs Shauna's marriage in Brooke's...
Black Girl Magic alliance on Big Brother 22: Bayleigh Dayton and Da'Vonne...
Big Brother 18: Natalie Negrotti regrets voting for Nicole Franzel over Paul...


The candidate will be working in a Capital Market practice area. Must have 1-7 years of experience for the Capital Markets and Securities Group. Mother tongue Hebrew is required whilst English is preferred.
The candidate will assist in the practice area of Intellectual Property. Should be fluent in Hebrew and English, and be dependable, responsible and detail orientated.
The candidate should hold a Ph.D. in immunology, antibody technology, or combinatorial biology/biosynthesis of new polypeptides with an emphasis on the biological aspects of recombinant technology. Experience as a Patent Agent is a plus.
The candidate must have a good first degree in chemistry or related discipline, a Ph.D. or equivalent work experience in organic chemistry, and a minimum of 5 years experience as a Patent Agent in the field. English must be at mother tongue level.
The candidate should hold a PhD in Biology/Molecular Biology/Immunology with 5 years experience as a Patent Agent in the field. English must be at mother tongue level.


Complete the FULL APPLICATION. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Mentor applications can be submitted later in the application process.
You must complete the full application and attend Orientation to be considered.
Once you have completed the above steps, the "acceptance process" begins. The Academy will review all applications and contact each applicant on the decision. The acceptance call or denial letter will be sent no later than 30 days before the class begins.


My television viewing has dropped dramatically over the last few years. Perhaps it is the sign of the changing of the times and the changing of technologies, but my family recently dropped our cable subscription because we would not turn on the television for weeks at a time. As for me, I hardly even watch programs on the computer – opting for books instead.
However, even when I watched television, I did not bother myself with the typical programs. Indeed, I skipped straight from Scooby Doo to CNN – for a couple of years, switching back and forth between the two channels. For many years, I watched a great deal of Bloomberg, BBC, and History International, among others. It was on one of these channels that I first saw Ayaan Hirsi Ali in a debate presented by Intelligence Squared Debates about the assertion of Islam being a religion of peace. It didn't really matter whether or not I agreed with her, I just found myself so memorized by her demeanor, her confidence, and poise. I was very impressed.
This positive impression led me to pick up her memoir, Infidel, when finding a book about the country of Somalia. I eventually decided to pick two books: her book and another book dealing with Somali piracy. This was an excellent decision because my book choices not only left me with an understanding of hot topics of the region, but also a deep understanding of the Somali culture – from parent/child relationships to political strife, from the role of religion in society to men and women's relationships – from a personal account.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a very interesting woman with an unbelievable story. She was born in Somalia to a man who was an active opponent of the dictator Siad Barré (who took control of the government in a 1969 military coup, nine years after the country's independence from Britain and Italy in 1960) and his second wife. Her father thrown into prison in 1972, Ayaan Hirsi Ali grew up without the influence of her western educated father, which led to her maternal grandmother conducting the Somali tradition of female circumcision on her and her younger sister. Her father eventually escaped from prison to form the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (or the SSDF) against the socialist regime of Barré. To ensure the family's safety, they were uprooted and lived as sort of glorified refugees in Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Despite growing up in different places, the most important and the strongest aspect of Ali's life was her home life, which was strongly based in Somali tradition. In the midst of these moves, her father became estranged from her family and eventually found another wife.
Returning to Mogadishu (the capital of Somalia) in her 20s, the Muslim Brotherhood had gained a foothold in the minds of the people. While Siad Barré had been socialist, secular, and anti-clan, "the Brotherhood was above politics – and clan; it was fighting for God's justice." (page 126) In the midst of this extremism, Ali found herself confused and challenging her strongly Islamic upbringing, "But I found that everything Boqol Sawm [a Somali religious leader] had said was in [the Quran.] Women should obey their husbands. Women were worth half a man. Infidels should be killed." (page 104) Based on these doubts, and at a time when her father forced her marry a man against her will, she ran away and sought political asylum in the Netherlands.
It was in the Netherlands where Ayaan Hirsi Ali finally came to her own. Learning the Dutch language, she worked as a translator and eventually became enrolled in Leiden University – finding herself more and more impressed with Western culture: "We had always been sure that we, as Muslims and Somalis, were superior to unbelievers, and here we were, not superior. In day-to-day life, we didn't know how the cash machines worked or that you had to push a button to order the bus to stop." (page 223) She eventually gave up her faith and became an atheist activist, as well as an activist for women refugees and women in the Muslim world. Her increased prominence in society led her to become a member of the Dutch Parliament, as well as to be the recipient of a great deal of death threats. Indeed, after collaborating in a film in an attempt to expose some of the difficulties women face in Islam, the filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was murdered and a death threat on Ali's life was stabbed into his body.


The change object will watch an incoming signal and report a value of 1. when its value increases, a value of -1. when the signal decreases, or a value of 0. when there is no change.
You can set the value stored with a float.
signal Any signal to be watched for changed and unchanged values.
signal: When the current sample is greater in value than the previous sample, change~ outputs a sample of 1. When the current sample is the same as the previous sample, change~ outputs a sample of 0. When the current sample is less than the previous sample, change~ outputs a sample of -1.


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Pamela Smart: Innocent?
Pamela Smart has been in the news again recently, and there's another documentary available by Hulu. She has countless supporters, and there are many Facebook groups calling for her release. I'm curious what all of you think. Is Pame (Pame is the name Pamela's supporters call her) a victim, or is she a master manipulator?
May 1st, 1990,
22 year old Pamela Smart had come home from work at approximately 10:30 pm to find her husband of less than one year, 24 year old Greggory Smart, deceased. He had been laying near the front door, a bullet hole just above his left ear. The home had been ransacked; investigators pondered the motive: maybe this murder had something to do with drugs, or maybe a robbery gone wrong? Gregg's truck was parked outside, his wallet was still in his pocket, and a gold wedding ring was still on his finger. It wasn't likely to be a robbery, and Gregg wasn't known as a person to mess around with drugs.
Crime scene photos including the murdered Greg Smart.
After the murder Pame acted rather strangely. She seemed to really enjoy the media attention, relished being in the spotlight. She was always dressed to the nines when she was giving an interview, and that rubbed many people wrong; was strange behavior for a supposedly grieving young widow.
The Smart townhouse; crime scene photo
Not long after the murder, police received a phone call from a woman stating that a 15 year old girl named Cecelia Pierce had information about the case; she was saying that Pamela Smart had orchestrated the murder of her husband. Cecelia was a student at Winnacunnet High, the school in which Pame worked as the director of media services. It appeared that Pame had taken Cecelia under her wing; the two were very friendly, and often hung out after school. During her initial interview with police, Cecelia denied having any info about the murder.
Cecelia
Cecelia told police that Pame had been involved in an affair with 15 year old Billy Flynn, and that the two were in love. Pame had wanted to leave her abusive, cheating husband, but it wasn't that simple; she told the teens that if there was a divorce Gregg would end up taking everything she owned including her precious dog, Halen. Also Pame had a life insurance policy on Gregg worth $140,000, and that she'd wanted her husband dead so she could collect. At first none of the teens had been very serious about killing Gregg, but Pame persisted, and eventually the group gave in.
The teens who pulled the trpgger; Pame's lover is William "Billy" Flynn
Cecelia tried to get Pame to speak candidly with her over the phone, but to no avail. So on July 12th Cecelia went to school armed with a wire, and she cornered Pame while in her office. While the older woman did not come out and admit to ordering her husband's murder, she did hint that she knew about the plans. Cecelia told Pame that the police wanted to speak with her, and she was afraid of going to jail for having knowledge of the murder before it happened. Pamela did not seem too concerned; the boys would never be convicted as there was no physical evidence against them. But even if they were, nobody was going to believe Pame had anything to do with the murder. Pame suggested that Cecelia lie about what she knew. Soon after this little meeting, Pamela was arrested.
Pamela's Mugshot
When police first arrested Billy and his friends, most claimed to not know a thing about the murder. They didn't talk until they were offered a deal: Instead of first degree premeditated murder, Billy and Pete would be permitted to plead guilty to the lesser crime of second degree murder in exchange for their testimony against Pamela. This was great, since the young men were facing life in prison. It was at this point that Billy sang like a bird.
Billy's Mugshot
Billy claimed that he'd resisted the idea of killing an abusive Gregg for quite a while, but Pame eventually wore him down. Pamela offered the boys $500 a piece for the murder, which would've been like hitting the lotto for them; these were poor kids living in poverty. If that weren't enough of an incentive, Pame had been withholding sex from Billy until the deed was done. Billy claims that Pame was the very first girl he ever even made out with, let alone went all the way; it wasn't hard for Pame, a woman in a position of power, to manipulate him.
Billy takes the stand
The date of the murder was chosen because Pame knew she would be working late, she'd have a solid alibi. On that night, Billy and Pete were already inside the home, waiting, when Gregg arrived. They'd had time to ransack the place and lock Pame's dog, Halen, in a room so he wouldn't be traumatized by the murder. When Gregg walked into his home, Pete held Greg down while Billy shot him in the head. Many believe that it was the other way around; that Billy was incapable of going through with this, and that he held Gregg down while Pete shot him. Either way, Gregg was dead.
Greg's lifeless body
After a sensational trial Pame was found guilty of accomplice to 1st degree murder, conspiracy, and witness tampering. She was sentenced to life without parole, and it's doubtful she will ever be free. Billy Flynn and Patrick Pete Randall pled guilty to 2nd degree murder; they each served 25 years and were released in 2015. Vince Lattime was sentenced to 30+ years for providing the weapon and driving the getaway car; he was released in '05. Raymond Fowler, who was waiting in the getaway car, was released in 2004.
Let's talk a moment about Pamela's supporters; there are thousands of them. I am usually able to be objective, and I like to understand all possibilities before I decide whether I believe a person to be guilty or not, so I joined a couple of Pro-Pame groups a while back. This is the deal: they believe without a doubt that Pame is a victim. They see the relationship between Billy and Pame as an "affair", it doesn't matter that Billy was only 15 while Pame was a married woman in her 20's, doesn't matter that she was in a position of a power. It's been said that Pame was used by Billy; he was a player who was much more experienced, sexually, than the older woman, and that he took advantage of her. This circle of supporters truly believes that Billy had orchestrated the murder out of either malice or jealousy, as Pame had been trying to break it off with him. It's thought that these were juvenile delinquents who already had criminal records, and they only testified against Pame so that they could escape a first degree murder charge. They feel that the way the teenage killers acted after their testimony, laughing and joking, helps prove her innocence. That said, even if she had known, her supporters are upset that those who actually pulled the trigger have been released, while Pame will not receive a second chance. Another selling point for those who defend her is that popular Nicole Kidman movie, "To Die For". This movie is very, very loosely based on the murder of Gregg Smart, but people seem to view it all as fact. Many of those who had investigated the case have gotten confused over what happened in the movie, and what happened in real life. It does seem that that truth and reality has been blurred into one.
Another point: it's believed that the trial, which was the very first live broadcasted murder trial in America, was corrupt. Even the judge got carried away in the excitement, he stated that he would like for Clint Eastwood to portray him in the movie. Then there was all of the sexy pictures drama, pictures which were said to have been taken by Pame to help her seduce Billy into committing murder. It appears that wasn't entirely true, and the photograph may have been taken long before the murder by a female friend of Pame's. Many feel that Pame was convinced in part because she was found to be unlikeable, or even simply because she's beautiful.
Maybe the trial was handled incorrectly, but did the jury get it right? You tell me.
Just last year Pamela was begging the governor to set her free. She takes very little responsibility for the murder of her young husband, other than admitting that had she not involved herself in an "affair" this likely wouldn't have happened. She is fighting for her freedom, and thousands are fighting with her. There are petitions online asking that this wrongly convinced woman be released, and these petitions have garnered thousands of signatures.
Pamela has had a rough go of it in prison; she's been a target, attacked more than once to the point of needing surgery. Pame claims that she's been victimized by not only inmates, but also by the prison guards.
There's so much more to this case than I could possibly fit in a single post. Thankfully most you are already familiar with the case. Have you researched it, looked into why people would think she's innocent? What do you think? Is she guilty? Should she be given a new trial, maybe set free, or should she rot?
A few links for you, in case you want to look into this further! This is a link to the HBO documentary about the case. "Captivated" is definitely worth the watch. There's also a 3 part docuseries by ID, it's available now on Hulu.
HBO's Captivated:
If you'd like to see one of those petitions (or even sign it, I'm not judging) click here:
https://www.change.org/p/free-wrongly-convicted-pamela-smart-freepamsmart
If you're interested in hearing the Pro-Pame group's powerpoints, here ya go:
https://www.reddit.com/r/newhampshire/comments/33z4kp/is_there_a_chance_pamela_smart_might_be_innocent/?utm_source=reddit-android
Posted in Criminal Mastermind, Down The Rabbit Hole, Killer kids, Outrageous Crimes, true crime, Women Who Kill
"Who Put Bella In The Wych Elm?"
The Doctor's Revenge


To promote a love of reading in all our students.
To create effective independent learners and researchers.
To encourage students to pose questions and find answers for themselves.
To provide a dynamic environment in which students can become both readers and researchers.
A Sixth Form gallery for private study which has subject-based resources, computers and University and College Prospectuses.
An outdoor seating area for reading when the weather permits.
Sports Readers continues on Monday to Thursday mornings before school in the Library. Sports Readers has shown consistently to significantly increase the reading, comprehension and spelling ages of pupils taking part. This is achieved with older pupils working alongside carefully identified young pupils. We organise events to support readers e.g a visit by Mr Ross Williams from West Ham United Football Club. See Sports Readers Information.
Holding regular lunchtime book discussion groups for students and staff, a debating club and a scrabble league for the students.
We hold one off events promoting books such as 'book launch' events for new books, Harry Potter Night, Cafe Starbooks and more.
Participating in the Essex Book Awards. This year we have over seventy students taking part. We invite the shortlisted authors to speak to our students and often invite other schools to join us.
Every year the school takes part in World Book Day, a day aiming to celebrate reading and encourage others to read more books, here in the library we provide a range of activities for the occasion. All years are welcome to take part in these contests or quizzes. One of the most popular competitions with the students is the 'Decorate your tutor door as a book' competition.
We organise author visits giving students the opportunity to listen and talk to successful published authors. Having question and answer sessions with the authors, and attending workshops led by them, encourages students to read more books and help them with their story writing skills. Recent authors include Marcus Alexander and Dan Smith.
We have inter-curriculum events where we bring speakers in to talk to students about topics covered in more than one subject. We will shortly be having a visit from a representative from the Chelmsford Mosque and the Reverend Dave Tomlinson to talk to students in R.E. Dave is a vicar from Saint Luke's Church, Holloway. He has also written books including; The Post-Evangelical, How to Be a Bad Christian, and Black Sheep and Prodigals. He is also a regular guest on the BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought on the Chris Evans Show. We have also had John Townsend visit, author of science books.
We lead lessons to introduce students to the library, introduce students to Eclipse. NET and also a variety of lessons to develop research and independent learning skills.
The Library are proud to offer a range of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural experiences through a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. Competitions and clubs are offered to allow students to develop and showcase their skills, knowledge and experiences through SMSC in the Library.
At our lower school and upper school book groups, students can express their opinions about books and have to listen to others. They also decide the book(s) to be read for the next meeting.
Pupil librarians help with Chatterbooks (a primary school age book discussion group) developing leadership and communication skills. They also devise, create and lead lunchtime activities once a term as promotional events for the Library.
Our pupil librarians have to deal with their peers on a daily basis to advise about correct library usage, resources and expectations.
Pupils have access to a range of daily newspapers and magazines allowing them to keep up to date with current issues and foreign affairs.
We purchase a wide variety of fiction and information books for the Library, including books with a multi-cultural and current issues focus, eg 'Hidden' by Miriam Halahmy a book dealing with asylum seekers, and 'Wonder' by RJ Ralacio, about a boy with a severe facial disfigurement starting school and how others relate to him.
Displays in the Library are used to create a positive approach towards issues, eg for anti-bullying week we had a display on developing relationships and how to deal with potential situations.
During anti-bullying week, students wrote poetry dealing with this topic.
We arrange visits for students to give talks and workshops on a wide variety of issues. We have recently had the poet Adisa visit who talks about multi-cultural Britain and Jamaica.
We also have the Holocaust Education Trust visit to give talks about the Holocaust and its effects, students have also been lucky enough to have had talks from a Holocaust survivor.
We occasionally invite local secondary schools to join us for events, e.g. Dave Cryer came to launch this year's Essex Book Awards and we had three other schools join us. This allowed our students to see other students' attitudes to reading and work collaboratively to produce drama playlets.


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Indian Polity Quiz: Parliament & State Government | 9 June, 2021
Posted on June 9th, 2021 Last modified on June 15th, 2021 CommentsViews : 2.4k
Good Morning Friends, We are Posting Today's Prelims Marathon Quiz
Indian Polity Quiz
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Consider the following statements:
The process of summoning the Parliament has clearly mentioned in the Constitution.
According to rules of business of Parliament, India has a fixed Parliamentary calendar.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The summoning of Parliament is specified in Article 85 of the Constitution. Like many other articles, it is based on the provision of Government of India Act, 1935.
India does not have a fixed parliamentary calendar. By convention (i.e., not provided by the Constitution), Parliament meets for three sessions in a year.
The longest, Budget Session (1st session) starts towards the end of January and concludes by the end of April or first week of May.
The session has a recess so that Parliamentary Committees can discuss the budgetary proposals.
The second session is the three-week Monsoon Session, which usually begins in July and finishes in August.
Winter Session (3rd session) is held from November to December.
Source: Laxmikanth
With reference to the Parliament of India, which of the following consists of Parliament?
The Lok Sabha
The Rajya Sabha
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Under the Constitution, the Parliament of India consists of three parts viz, the President, the Council of States and the House of the People.
In 1954, the Hindi names 'Rajya Sabha' and 'Lok Sabha' were adopted by the Council of States and the House of People respectively.
The Rajya Sabha is the Upper House (Second Chamber or House of Elders) and the Lok Sabha is the Lower House (First Chamber or Popular House).
The former represents the states and union territories of the Indian Union, while the latter represents the people of India as a whole.
Consider the following statements regarding the Rajya Sabha:
The representatives of states in the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of state legislative assemblies.
All states are equally represented in Rajya Sabha.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
The seats are allotted to the states in the Rajya Sabha on the basis of population. Hence, the number of representatives varies from state to state.
For example, Uttar Pradesh has 31 members while Tripura has 1 member only.
However, in USA, all states are given equal representation in the Senate irrespective of their population.
USA has 50 states and the Senate has 100 members –2 from each state.
Which Constitutional Amendment reduced the age of voter from 21 to 18?
35th Constitutional Amendment
42nd Constitutional Amendment
61st Constitutional Amendment
The election is based on the principle of universal adult franchise.
Every Indian citizen who is above 18 years of age and who is not disqualified under the provisions of the Constitution or any law is eligible to vote at such election.
The voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 years by the 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988.
Rajya Sabha is a continuing chamber and not subject to dissolution.
Lok Sabha is not a continuing chamber and subjected to dissolution.
The Rajya Sabha (first constituted in 1952) is a continuing chamber, that is, it is a permanent body and not subject to dissolution. However, one-third of its members retire every second year.
Their seats are filled up by fresh elections and presidential nominations at the beginning of every third year. The retiring members are eligible for re-election and renomination any number of times.
Unlike the Rajya Sabha, the Lok Sabha is not a continuing chamber. Its normal term is five years from the date of its first meeting after the general elections, after which it automatically dissolves.
However, the President is authorized to dissolve the Lok Sabha at any time even before the completion of five years and this cannot be challenged in a court of law.
Article 112 of Indian Constitution deals with which of the following?
Qualifications of Members of Rajya Sabha
Ordinance passed by President
The Constitution refers to the budget as the 'annual financial statement'.
In other words, the term 'budget' has nowhere been used in the Constitution.
It is the popular name for the 'annual financial statement' that has been dealt with in Article 112 of the Constitution.
Part VI of Indian Constitution is deals with which of the following?
Scheduled Languages
Articles 168 to 212 in Part VI of the Constitution deal with the organization, composition, duration, officers, procedures, privileges, powers and so on of the state legislature. Though these are similar to that of Parliament, there are some differences as well.
Which of the following state does NOT have bicameral legislature?
There is no uniformity in the organization of state legislatures.
Most of the states have a unicameral system, while others have a bicameral system.
At present (2019), only six states have two Houses (bicameral).
These are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The maximum members of state legislature are fixed at 500 and minimum strength at 50.
The Constitution ensures that there is uniformity of representation between different constituencies in the state.
The legislative assembly consists of representatives directly elected by the people on the basis of universal adult franchise.
Its maximum strength is fixed at 500 and minimum strength at 60.
For the purpose of holding direct elections to the assembly, each state is divided into territorial constituencies.
The demarcation of these constituencies is done in such a manner that the ratio between the population of each constituency and the number of seats allotted to it is the same throughout the state.
In other words, the Constitution ensures that there is uniformity of representation between different constituencies in the state.
The Constitution lays down the qualifications for a person to be chosen a member of the state legislature.
The member of a state legislature must be not less than 35 years of age in the case of the legislative council and not less than 30 years of age in the case of the legislative assembly.
The Constitution lays down the following qualifications for a person to be chosen a member of the state legislature.
He must be a citizen of India.
He must make and subscribe to an oath or affirmation before the person authorized by the Election Commission for this purpose.
In his oath or affirmation, he swears
To bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India
To uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India
He must be not less than 30 years of age in the case of the legislative council and not less than 25 years of age in the case of the legislative assembly.
He must possess other qualifications prescribed by Parliament.
Published June 9, 2021 By ForumIAS
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NEWS UPDATE: Mayor-elect Harry Kim was elected to office in a record low Hawai'i county voter turn-out during the August 2016 primary. In a crowded field of 13 mayoral candidates, Kim won with 51% margin over his nearest rival, Wally Lau. But less than 15% of the County's registered voters placed their ballot check mark next to Kim's name. Hawai's election rules ensured his primary win was final — Kim will be Hawai'i County's next mayor.
The Candidates for Mayor, the highest governmental executive job in Hawai'i County. This year's 2016 election for Mayor promises to be a most interesting race.
Join us for Hawai'i County's first mayoral candidate forum for 2016 open to the general public. Hear from candidates about their vision and plans for the County of Hawai`i. There are significant social, economic, and environmental challenges facing the County's next chief executive. Hear from the candidates their promises, vision, and plans for the County, and you decide who will do the best job for your community and the County as a whole.
The forum is co-sponsored by Community Enterprises and the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce.
This forum took place on June 22, 2016, at 6 pm at Kealakehe High School (cafeteria), Kona.
What do you see, as candidate for Mayor, as the most important issue for Hawaii Island ?
Candidate Paul Bryant…"I have to agree with former Mayor Kim and Councilmember Hoffmann, it is poverty, and we have untold numbers of people who worry about their housing, we have more than 40% of the people on the island that use EBT (food stamps), it's unconscionable on an island that should be producing its own food.
This West Hawai'i Forum promises to be a most informative event for all of West Hawai'i. The event Moderator will cover important questions and issues facing Hawai'i county, and seek out from the candidate's their ideas on the future direction for Community government in addressing those issues. Please join us for this unique audience opportunity to gain insights on each candidates' priorities, vision, and plans for the County.
All registered candidates for the office of Mayor have been invited with individual tables provided for each candidate with the opportunity to meet the community, and provide the opportunity for those attending to directly ask candidates questions before and after the Forum's on-stage mayoral candidate panelists Q&A session.


On April 17, the wounded healer Chiron moves into Aries, marking a time for bringing wounds to the surface and opening our hearts to healing.
On April 17, Chiron moves into Aries for the first time in fifty-one years, where he will remain for a whole eight years. Representing the Wounded Healer, Chiron's shift into the first sign of the zodiac triggers a whole new phase of healing. He draws our pain to the surface so we can work with it more consciously.
Chiron is our tenderness and vulnerability—it's our deepest wounds, which become a source of empathy for others. In this upcoming transit, we are pioneering new modalities of healing, calling on the power of the Earth—of things like mushrooms, plant medicines, herbalism, and nutrition—to cure physical and mental imbalances. As we realign with nature, we're uncovering more holistic cures for mental and physical disease, along with social and environmental dilemmas.
Since Aries rules the self, our self-reliance is also increasing over the next eight years. We're relying less on saviors and gurus, and more on our own inner resources. Healing abilities are opening up in many of us. We're learning to work with energy so we can heal ourselves, then help others do the same.
Visit the Astro-Herbal Calendar for Spring 2018 here.
Chiron is a time to join body, mind, and spirit, and find more holistic ways of healing. For this, we recommend, Anahata Heart Tonic, Sister Spinster Tinctures: Ghost, Third Eye, Grounding, Lotus Wei Infinite Love Mist, and Essential Rose Sacred Presence Mist.


101 mph winds had Tucker in my lap a lot over the last couple of days. Rosie is on patrol for lost deer or stray cats blowing around out back.
If you want to try to have steak and chicken with this meal, you might, but I'd probably grill the steak on the stove in a grill pan if the weather wasn't conducive to lighting an outdoor grill. You also could broil it in the oven after taking the chicken sheet pan out if you have no grill pan, which is a useful investment if you don't already have one. With trees falling, roofs coming off, windows blowing out, and semis overturned the last two days of our hurricane force winds, I was looking for anything made indoors.
There could be an easier way to make fajitas, but I'm not sure how. Do remember to toss in a packet of tortillas into the oven 15 minutes into the chicken and vegetable roasting time; everything will come out together that way. Don't want tortillas tonight? Make a full-dinner salad instead (instructions below*). Need more for Super Bowl? Double the recipe and roast two sheet pans evenly spaced in the oven; it might take a bit longer to cook.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place oven rack in center of oven.
In a large, shallow glass dish (such as a Pyrex 9×13), place chicken, onions, and peppers evenly in one layer.
Pour the marinade over the chicken and vegetables, toss until well-mixed, and let sit at room temperature 15 minutes while oven preheats.
Remove sheet pan and tortillas from oven, place onions and peppers in a bowl; cover to keep warm. Place packet of tortillas in a towel-lined basket and set on table. Remove chicken to cutting board and let cool briefly. Cut chicken into strips.
Add sliced chicken to the vegetables in the bowl, toss briefly, and let guests help themselves to make fajitas with the hot tortillas or to make a salad (below*). Serve hot and pass chosen toppings at the table.
You might also serve hot cilantro brown rice and/or pinto beans.
*For a full dinner salad, spread 6-8 cups fresh spinach or other greens (and rice or beans, as desired) on a large platter, drizzle with lime juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer the chicken and vegetables on top and add your favorite toppings.
Whisk together all ingredients in small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup.
Wine: Syrah. Mexican beer or margaritas are other happy choices.


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Home Articles Afghanistan is no one's war
Afghanistan is no one's war
A summary of events leading to the invasion of Afghanistan is helpful.
Following 9/11, the Taleban government said it would extradite Osama bin Laden if the U.S. could produce evidence against him. This is the approach taken by the courts of every Western country when extradition is requested.
The U.S. either could not or would not produce any evidence, yet it insisted the Taleban was behaving in bad faith and harboring criminals.
To this day, the public has not been given one genuine piece of evidence that ties bin Laden to 9/11. I'm not saying he's innocent, only that there was no proof at the time Bush used him as an excuse to invade Afghanistan.
Bin Laden certainly did not like the United States, but was he in any way responsible for a great crime? How would his apparent happiness with events distinguish him from the group of Israeli spies in the New York area who were photographed, reported to police, and arrested (later being quietly deported) after dancing and shouting atop a truck as the World Trade Center billowed into flames? To this day, the FBI wanted-notice for bin Laden does not mention 9/11.
I am sure that with a real campaign of pressure – diplomatic, legal, and economic – America could have secured bin Laden's extradition. Bush's government didn't really try. Invasion was an attractive option for many reasons. These include satisfying the bellowing, belly-over-the-belt types that are Bush's natural constituency, doing something for Bush's missing leadership credentials, gaining new influence over a nuclear and uncooperative Pakistan, building a long-planned trans-Afghanistan pipeline, and, importantly, preparing the way for an invasion of Iraq, something discussed and advocated for years before in Bush's Neo-con crowd.
Afghanistan is an ancient, backward civilization with an average life expectancy of 45 years. Those who really know a lot about the country tended to say from the beginning that it was unrealistic for the U.S. to expect to make meaningful change there. This interpretation agrees with generally accepted principles of economic development, in particular the principle that social and political changes only come gradually with steady economic growth. One is tempted to say that the U.S. could have brought more genuine, positive change in Afghanistan and Iraq by dropping planeloads of dollar bills rather than bombs.
Although American military destruction in Afghanistan appears to have been less than in Iraq, this largely reflects the fact that there was little infrastructure in Afghanistan to start with, especially when compared with what existed in Iraq, once the Arab world's most advanced country. Still, relative terms are what count here, and destruction in Afghanistan was considerable. Now that the financial costs of the two wars and the instability and risk of the occupations have proved much greater than anticipated, Bush is not able to execute even rushed, poorly-made plans for reconstruction. This is not a formula for long-term success even if you are a Neo-con visionary.
Making change there – beyond getting rid of bin Laden and the boys and removing the Taleban government – was never the American purpose, although it features heavily in all propaganda supporting the invasion as though it were a central purpose.
Canada's Conservative government today plays a cover version of the same tired song, hyping a military mission supporting American withdrawal from its fiasco as a noble nation-building project. Canada's Prime Minister Harper -" whom Bush affectionately now calls "Steve" – tries to distort the simple freakish fact that 30 Canadians died in the World Trade Center into a grandiose argument for spending billions on a delusional War on Terror. More Canadians than that die every month in traffic accidents on roads in the United States.
The U.S.-placed government in Kabul has a sensible and reasonable man as President, however he has almost no power, nor is there the prospect of his gaining any. The U.S. would have to re-conquer the country – a huge, ugly, and perhaps impossible job against the warlords who helped them the first time – if it really wanted to change things. The warlords who made a cheap American victory possible are the very reason the President can have no real power over the country, a vicious cycle if there ever was one.
But it is a misnomer to refer to an American victory, even a cheap one. In ancient lands, things, including guerrilla wars, move at a pace not understood by those blackberrying around Washington making presentations from notebook computers. Dispersing the Taleban so that the Northern Alliance could rule for a while is hardly victory. America and its allies now are trapped in an impossible situation. Other than wishing all opposition somehow would disappear, it is not even clear now what would constitute victory.
British commanders have told Blair recently that hostile activity in the area of the country they occupy has so increased that they cannot succeed without more troops and equipment. That comes as very unwelcome news to Blair whose popularity in Britain is even lower than Bush's in America. More troops, more coffins, more money.
Jason Burke, a journalist with considerable knowledge of Afghanistan, wrote the following as part of a column in The Observer. It offers, in an off-hand, matter-of-fact way several realities of Afghanistan and the Taleban generally not appreciated in North America.
Walk out of the gates, past the bored British soldiers in their guardhouse, past the Afghan troops on the outer wall, past razor wire and take the dusty path through the ramshackle cemetery. Go past a new, whitewashed villa built for a local 'businessman' and on through the labyrinth of narrow alleys and traditional mud-walled homes and then turn left through a passage way and there you will find the scruffy bazaar of Lashkar Gah and the Taliban.
Two men, both bearded and wearing the trademark thick-coiled black turban, were sitting in the shade behind a friend's workshop. They had agreed to talk to The Observer. 'I am proud to be a Talib,' said Fazl Rahman, 40. 'Why should I deny it? Why should I be afraid?'
'The foreigners are here for their own reasons,' said his younger comrade. 'If they were here to help us, everyone would be living better. But look.' He pointed to the dirt street outside, the shacks, the sagging electricity cables, the thin trees that provide scant protection from the heat of the early afternoon sun and then waved his hand towards the camp a few hundred metres away, the longest-established British base in Helmand province. 'All foreigners are our enemy,' he says. 'You are a journalist, so we don't harm you. But if you were a soldier we would kill you. Afghanistan is the castle of Islam and the foreigners are destroying our religion.'
The Taleban, in other words, are easily found even near a British military base. They include the most ordinary-looking men. The American effort at building-up the country, if it ever was serious, is a failure.
Burke's report suggests the Taleban cause strongly appeals to feelings against foreign occupation and in defense of religion. What Americans do not understand is that the Taleban is not a fixed organization but a fluid alliance of interests. The fierce mountain men of Afghanistan move back and forth between one alliance and another, depending on changing needs and advantages. The sad state of American achievement was demonstrated by recent bragging headlines about one old, crippled warrior chief changing sides, leaving the Taleban. Afghanistan is the land of ferocious (male) libertarianism if ever there was one, something you might think Americans, with all their rhetoric about freedom to bear arms against tyranny, would understand.
How can anyone influence the new explosion of drugs from Afghanistan? The economy is a shambles, and poor farmers can only make a living with poppies. Any aggressive effort to end the crop simply creates new opposition to the existing government. Anyway, there
is no effective central government to undertake this task. Even in Kabul the government's authority remains weak. The government's allies, the warlords, profit from poppies.
The technology and know-how of guerrilla fighting steadily improves in Afghanistan. Of course, it has always been so with guerrilla operations, the IRA, for example, having increased the deadliness of its efforts dramatically over the years. Iraq's huge guerrilla movement is becoming adept at creating new devices and tactics, exporting them to Afghanistan, and an angry Iran is there to offer lots of help and encouragement. The U.S. knows this. That's why it won't stay for a great deal longer in Afghanistan. Even in Iraq, the American commander has referred already to plans for some withdrawal of troops despite being in the midst of murderous storm.
There is no reason to feel hopeful or idealistic about anyone's role in Afghanistan. Afghanistan and Iraq are neither wars in the traditional sense nor humanitarian projects. They are foreign occupations of people who do not want to occupied. The idea that you can successfully occupy a hostile land into peace remains a delusion of consultants on big expense accounts in Washington. Just ask Israel nearly four decades after the Six Day War.
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John Chuckman, a free-lance writer, is a retired chief economist for Texaco, Canada. He contributed this article to Media Monitors Network (MMN) from Portland, Maine, USA.
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