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Weighing the Field
Filed under: Politics — admin @ 9:51 pm
Dennis Kucinich is a lightweight—at most, maybe not even a featherweight. This does not necessarily reflect his worth as a human being. The best fighter of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson started out as a lightweight and arguably the second best fighter of all time, Benny Leonard, was undefeated as a lightweight before moving up in weight class after a seven year lay off.
But Dennis ain't them. After watching Kucinich in the Howard University Democratic debate last month, my teenage son and I both concurred that if Kucinich would take some steroids, hit the weights and build himself up to at least a welterweight, he might have a chance.
"You'd fear Kucinich then,"my son said. "He'd be a beast."
This is not superfluous. Fear is a tool Kucinich would need to run the Huey Long type, dignity of the common man campaign he clearly envisions. Rather than talking, absurdly, about "texting Peace," Kucinich would need to talk about empowering unions and rebuilding a mixed economy that doesn't only work for big corporations. He would need to make himself a lightening rod for attacks from the corporate and right wing media, to become a credible attack dog for the working class and draw the class lines in America so indelibly that the rich and the powerful would hate him, and yes, fear him. For the present, the rich and powerful don't fear Dennis so much as sneer at him.
Ironically the one female candidate and current front runner in the Democratic field, Hillary Clinton, does not have this problem. We fear Hillary.
The great fight trainer, Angelo Dundee, famously said that "anyone over two hundred pounds can hurt you, even a dame," but of course it's not Hillary's size that scares us, though that eight hundred pound gorilla on her back does have to be reckoned with. What scares us about Hillary is that cold blooded look in her eye. As the Scottish singer/songwriter Angus McKie once bitterly said of his girlfriend, "butter wouldn't melt on her lips."
Programmatically speaking, it also must be said that it seems a little late in the ontological game for Hillary's mix of liberal bromides sprinkled over a main course of elite flavored Rubinomics.
It's a good sound bite when Hillary describes new climate change technologies that not only address climate change, but also create new jobs as "a potential win-win for America." But with Hillary, there's always the uncomfortable feeling that her policy proposals are all good sound bites and not much else. We'll never hear Hillary say, for example, that fighting climate change—and impending ecological disaster—will require major sacrifice from all of us, not to mention a radical shake-up of corporate America.
For Hillary, sacrifice and social transformation are definitely off the table.
What we will get from her is more of the reasonable, Republican lite, neo-liberal formula her husband lucked onto in the 1990's.
For Hillary, Bill's always going to be a burden. However Hillary's biggest problem is that even if she were right on the issues—and she's not—she's also not electable. People might fear and even admire Hillary, but fairly or unfairly, they don't like her. And given a choice, they're not going to vote for her.
That leaves the rest of the field.
Forget Dodd, a reliable liberal, but "a suit." He comes across as generic. Biden can be ludicrous while at the same time taking himself too seriously, a fatal combination. Gravel has style—my son especially likes those khaki pants he wore to the Howard debate—but he's a big old wild swinger, like George Foreman in his last comeback. His stance on the war is winning, he needs to work on his universal sales tax proposal so he doesn't sound like an idiot.
Bill Richardson is all right but there is the sense that he's got a little bit of Mitt in him. That is: Richardson might say anything, and in fairness, that's also as opposed to Mitt Romney, who will absolutely say anything that any audience wants to hear. Like some Mormon Zelig, Mitt's got a mania. The scary part is I think the Republicans are going to nominate him. As for Richardson, he's got the resume and—at Howard at least—a helluva tan. Like everyone else, I figure him for the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee. Whether Richardson wants the job or not, it's the best deal he's going to get right now.
That leaves Obama, Edwards¬¬—and the other eight hundred pound gorilla in the room, Al Gore. I don't think Al is going to run unless it looks like Hillary's going to sweep the field in the early primaries. Nonetheless, we can be sure he's paying close attention.
Obama's got a problem. He could use the old Barry Goldwater line "in your heart, you know he's right," because that's what he seems to be counting on. Obama can't, or won't, tell us what he really thinks about anything, perhaps because if it turns out that he's actually a dangerous Alinskyite black radical—and frankly what could be better—he's going to have a hard time winning the nomination. But if, on the other hand, Obama is as ideologically bland as he pretends to be, that's even worse.
Obama keeps talking about "getting beyond partisanship," this despite the fact that for the past twenty five years the Republic has been hijacked by a permanent floating right wing coup. If after the past six and half years of creeping fascism, Democrats are not yet willing to fight back, the question is, will they ever? But we can see already with Obama: there will be no big, dangerous ideas, no fiery rhetoric, nothing straight from the heart, we're just going to have to trust we know what's there. It's business as usual except for the nice wrinkle that Barack is not only black, but "so fresh and so clean."
It all might work for Obama if he was a Republican, but for a Democrat, it's a flawed campaign premise. Enigmatic gets old after the first year and a half or so if you're supposed to be an agent of change.
That leaves Edwards. As opposed to the happy (class) warrior of the last election, John Edwards this time has recast himself as the voice of the voiceless. Poverty, rather than class, is his issue now in an apparent bid for the political authenticity that comes from speaking as an advocate for an unpopular cause.
Personally, I think Edwards is trying too hard. Edwards' universal health care proposal and his stand on the War were decent first steps. Now he has to go beyond that to challenge some of the corporate redlines that define the boundaries of safe discourse in American political campaigns. One two-part idea he might try would be, first, for the Federal Government to assume the health care and legacy retirement costs of US auto workers. This would help the Big 3 auto companies get back on their feet and stabilize job loss in the upper Mid West. In other words, your basic corporate bailout.
However at the same time the government could also underwrite the creation of a new Public Automobile company based in the Detroit—utilizing closed and abandoned GM and Ford plants—and dedicated to building stripped down, low cost, hybrid vehicles at eight to ten thousand dollars a pop. Sort of like a green version of the original Model-T. Thus while the government was bailing out Detroit, it would also be competing with it—not to mention kicking the collective crap out of Honda and Toyota.
Taken together these two proposals would not only address the collapse of manufacturing in the country, but also climate change and the taboo against public ownership of industry. It would also point the way for Detroit to once again achieve profitability.
The problem with Edwards's anti-poverty campaign is that it stinks of liberal altruism, which—thankfully—is not coming back into fashion any time soon. When Robert Kennedy made his famous trips to Appalachia and Mississippi forty years ago, Kennedy's profile in the culture was so much higher than Edwards it gave RFK's pilgrimage a kind of spiritual patina. Exposing poverty wasn't about politics for Robert Kennedy, it was about healing the soul of America, and we as Americans felt that.
For John Edwards' part, he should let Class and the class self-interest of working and poor people be his guide. It'll work a lot better than his conscience.
The best thing about John Edwards is that one senses he really wants to be a transformational candidate. The worst thing is that being a lawyer and a politician, Edwards is not going to go out on a limb and actually say how he would transform America unless he absolutely has to. If Edwards wants to be President, starting say, by Labor Day, he absolutely has to.
Anyway that's the view of the Democratic field from here. No sure things, and really, only two serious contenders to take on Hillary. Edwards is in decent shape, but is still a little light in the butt. He needs to put on about ten pounds of muscle to be a real heavyweight. Al Gore needs to take a good look at himself, without his shirt on, in the mirror.
One Way Out—a case for nation building in the Middle East
In the run-up to Gulf War II there was a lot of talk about nation building, especially among the neo-liberal punditry. While the Official Neo-Conservative Party Line called for an invasion of Iraq to "drain the swamp in which terror breeds," neo-liberals proposed a seemingly more selfless approach.
The likes of Tom Friedman, George Packer, Paul Berman, Kenneth Pollack and even mad Christopher Hitchens maintained that to win the War against Terror, the US needed to live up to its own democratic ideals. An American invasion of Iraq that toppled the regime of the tyrant Saddam, they said, would send a message of liberty ringing throughout the Middle East, while simultaneously cutting the anti western ideological ground out from under the Jihadists. Though neo-conservatives also came to adopt this position—indeed as Paul Wolfowitz made clear at the time—any rationale was as good as any other when it came to invading Iraq—there was a sort of earnestness about the neo-liberals as opposed to the mephisto tinged, machiavellianism of the neo-cons.
What the constant neo-liberal references to "nation building in Iraq" always seemed to miss though, was that Iraq already was a nation. It stood to reason that to build a new nation in Iraq, you were going to have to destroy the old one first. As any fool could have told you at the time—and we tried—this was an extraordinarily bad idea.
In point of fact, there is only one country in the entire Middle East—outside the special case of Kurdistan—that was and remains a suitable case for nation building. That country is Palestine.
The case for nation building in Palestine is pretty cut and dried.
One, the Palestinians do not currently have a state of their own. Two, the Palestinians, in the West Bank at least, live in a geographically confined, more or less contiguous territory, which is currently under occupation. Three, for most Arabs—Sunni and Shia, the Palestinian cause has been emblematic of the Arab Cause as a whole through the post WWII era. Indeed the Palestinian cause has become the Islamic cause celebre in non-Arab countries from Iran to Pakistan to Indonesia.
It stands to reason that if one were trying to repair relations with the Arab and Islamic world, not to mention the former colonial world as a whole, a good place to start would be the creation of an independent Palestine.
There's one thing standing in the way of the creation of a Palestinian State and that's Israel. This is where the good offices of the US—or what's left of them—come into play. For the past thirty-five years, it has been Israeli perception at least, that the US alone has had Israel's back in a world arrayed against her. For this reason the US, and the US alone, is specially situated to assure the Israelis that their interests are also served, and will be protected, by this new US initiative.
However, beyond altruism, there is an even better, though related, reason that the US should go back into the nation building business in the Middle East.
When the Iraq Study Group of James Baker and Lee Hamilton attempted to imply there was a linkage between Palestine and Iraq, they were shouted down by the panicked neo-cons, but the time has to face the geo-political facts.
The best way for the US to get of Iraq is through the creation of a Palestinian State.
To achieve these dual ends, diplomacy, by all means, will be required. A peace conference for Iraq and the Middle East would be a good first step, with most of the countries of the region in attendance, as well as representatives of the various Iraqi communities and political/ethnic groupings. At this conference the US could submit the following proposal.
The US military will withdraw from central and southern Iraq, while twenty five thousand US troops are sent north to Kurdistan as both protection for the Kurds and to serve as an emergency strike force should the rest of Iraq devolve into complete anarchy. Eighty thousand American troops would then come back home. The remaining fifty thousand American troops—augmented by another twenty thousand soldiers representing allied forces—perhaps English, French, Turkish—or even Algerian, contingents, would be redeployed to the formerly occupied territories on the West Bank of the Jordan, and the newly declared State of Palestine.
One can envision a veritable Euphrates of positive outcomes flowing from this process. The Palestinians finally get a state of their own—along with an interim contingent of foreign forces that can effectively referee between Hamas and the PLO. Israel gets it's ostensible dream scenario, a friendly foreign force embedded in the West Bank—and ultimately Gaza, that can both help stabilize Palestine and shield Israel from terrorist attacks.
The US meanwhile gets to disengage from Iraq, and perhaps even more promisingly, would then be in position to ask that both the Sunni and Shia Arabs of Iraq forbear from Civil War in their new role as Arab guarantors of the new nation of Palestine.
Of course some would claim this a best case scenario and they'd probably be right. There may be some difficulties, to put it diplomatically, in getting the various parties to agree to such a scheme, even if the proposals advanced here are objectively in their own best interests. It is therefore useful to take an empirical look at some of the many possible problems along the road from Baghdad to Jerusalem with an eye toward solving them.
The first problem could be getting the Israelis to withdraw and disengage from the West Bank, along with the concomitant question, what will be the borders of the new Palestinian State?
The proposed borders of a divided Israel/Palestine have generally been agreed upon for some time, though there have been crucial differences on the specifics. Suffice it to say that the Israelis will have to withdraw their military from the West Bank and take as many settlers with them as they can induce to leave. As for the probable seventy five to a hundred thousand mostly Religious settlers who will not be induced to leave for any amount of money, they can become citizens of a Palestinian State just as the million Palestinians in Israel proper are citizens of Israel. Meanwhile, the Israelis and the Palestinians—in consultation with the US, key Arab and Allied powers, all sitting together at the bargaining table—will have to work out the status of Jerusalem and other outstanding issues.
Israeli politics, of course, are not particularly rational and compounding the problem is the role that American neo-cons, notably Doug Feith, Frank Gaffney, Richard Perle and the ubiquitous Mr Wolfowitz have played in aiding the rejectionist camp in the Likud and the Israeli Right generally. Partly as a result of the American encouragement, the number of settlers in the territories has more than doubled in the years since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. There are now four hundred and fifty thousand settlers in what they call "Judea and Samaria" and it is going to be difficult to entirely dislodge them for a number of reasons.
When the first Israeli settlements began appearing in the early and mid seventies, some were called "defensive" and others, "religious." At the time there were about three million people in Israel proper, including Arabs. In the thirty odd years since the establishment of the first settlements, the population of Israel has grown to about six million people including the settlers. Aside from the political problems entailed in the resettlement of so many settlers in Israel proper, they may also present a demographic problem as well.
However to accept a permanent Israeli settler presence in the West Bank, is to indulge the same kind of circular logic that continues to fuel the US occupation in Iraq. It is the sort of logic that suggests Israel can't pull out of the West Bank, because of the danger of Palestinian terror and also because the network of settler towns, roads and services in the territories has grown so extensive that the Israelis would be loathe to abandon it. It is the kind of logic that conveniently ignores the constant encouragement of the American neo-cons, in concert with their allies in AIPAC, that has politically insulated the Israeli colonization movement from outside criticism and sanction.
The protection of the neo-cons has also empowered voices on the extreme, irredentist Israeli Right, who call for the outright expulsion of the Arabs from all of Palestine, since in their words, the Jews only have one little state in the Middle East while the Arabs have many. Meanwhile the three million Palestinians in the West Bank live in a tightening noose of—terror breeding— poverty and desperation, while the situation in Gaza is, if anything, worse.
Taken together the politics of Palestine and the Israeli territories might seem to present an insolvable, Gordian knot of problem, but the "One way out" proposal offers a unique diplomatic tool: the sword of direct American intervention to cut right through it. As opposed to the unasked for American intervention in Iraq, American and friendly foreign intervention to create a Palestinian state is the best deal these people are ever going to get.
Beyond this, if the Palestinians are still resistant to having a state carved out for them, there's nothing much anyone can do. However, if the Israelis are still recalcitrant, a US State Department, newly purged of discredited neo-con influence, may finally be in position to use a carrot and stick approach with Israel—especially if Israeli neo-con soul brother #1, Binyamin Netanyahu, is elected Prime Minister in the next elections.
There are many other potential difficulties for a Palestinian nation building strategy, but finally, the most conspicuous problem the "One Way Out (of Iraq)" program faces is domestic. That is, despite the obvious elegance and symmetry of the strategy, one cannot imagine the Bush Administration buying into it.
This is a big problem, but as always in politics, it's also an opportunity. The time for a Bush administration led foreign policy is coming to an end and will expire long before Bush's term of office is over. In the time we are now entering– all things, even impeachment, could suddenly become possible. And as Republican congressmen and senators jump overboard, swimming as fast as they can away from the unstable wreck of the Bush ship of state, they, along with their sometimes equally feckless Democratic colleagues, will need help and direction. It behooves us all to give it to them—with a carrot, or a stick.
Dear John: a message for Edwards
Filed under: Politics,Uncategorized — admin @ 6:51 pm
I've been waiting over the past months for your campaign to take off and I can't help noticing it's not.
This is upsetting to those of us who fear a Clinton vs. Obama race for the Democratic nomination. Personally I don't think this country can take another day of a Clinton presidency, let alone four more years. I've held my nose and voted for every Democratic Presidential candidate since I was 18 and a Democratic Ward committeeman in my hometown of Philadelphia, but I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, even in a general election. I know the stakes are high in this election but Hillary's candidacy just smells too damn bad.
Meanwhile Obama reminds one of Bill Clinton, with his claims of being beyond partisanship and his winks and nods to the base of the party, implying that once in office he'll do the right thing. Bill Clinton also campaigned on every side of every issue but got elected anyway because he was obviously the smartest and most capable guy in the field.
In my view at least, Clinton was also a terrible President, picking all the wrong battles, and losing the ones he picked; a man with a big stomach for politics but no heart for the good fight. Clinton talked like a populist but chose not to address the rise of greed as the engine of American prosperity; rather he subtly encouraged it.
Obama handlers are right to cast him as the charismatic conciliator because frankly, that's the only way a black man's going to get elected President this side of the Jordan. But in the miraculous event that Obama actually got elected, the malefactors of great wealth and their smooth operators would do such a number on him, Obama would end up making Bill Clinton look like Eugene Debs by comparison.
We live in a time of incipient financial collapse, class stratification unseen since before the rise of the modern labor movement and impending ecological catastrophe. We need change, and a candidate of change. By all rights, you should be that candidate.
Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with your message. I think that many Democrats, especially those that vote in primaries, like your message. There is the sense though of a certain dissonance between the message and the messenger, plus the feeling that you're just trying too hard to connect.
I don't think you're going to be able to ignore this disconnect and still win in Iowa, but like Bob Marley once sang, "when one door is closed, another is open."
In one of the Democratic debates, a questioner asked if you believed in a personal God that intervenes in human affairs, or something to that effect. You answered that no, with all that's happened to you and your loved ones in this life, you just couldn't believe in that.
I think the nature of your belief is the key for you in this campaign. If one doesn't believe in a personal God who intervenes in human affairs, what does a person have to believe in? The answer quite simply, is hope itself. Hope is the face of God in this world.
You know this of course. You campaigned on it in 2004. In fact let me quote from the end of your Vice Presidential acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention of that year.
You said, "Like all of us, I have learned a lot of lessons in my life. Two of the most important are that first, there will always be heartache and struggle–you can't make it go away. But the other lesson is that people of good and strong will can make a difference . . .
. . . We choose hope over despair, possibilities over problems, optimism over cynicism. We choose to do what's right even when those around us say "You can't do that." We choose to be inspired because we know that we can do better–because this is America where everything is still possible."
Every great populist campaign has had as its' underpinning the implicit religious belief that in serving justice and the cause of the common people, we are doing the work of God in this world.
If I were you, I would take those two paragraphs from late in your 2004 nomination speech and make both a thirty second spot and a sixty second spot out of them. The thirty-second spot would essentially just record that moment in time.
The Sixty-second spot would begin with you on the podium at the convention in front of the cheering delegates. In a voice over, behind the visuals, we would hear a short–compatible– snippet of your current message, that "our society is being undermined by the growing gulf between the elites and the rest of us. Goldman-Sachs and the permanent government have Henry Paulsons and Robert Rubins to fight for them but who will fight for "everyday people" against a corrupt system rigged on behalf of the rich and the powerful?
Then we would see and hear that same excerpt from the speech in 2004. (Forgive me if I got a little specific here, but I've been making documentaries for the past twenty or so years and got carried away)
Beyond the two spots, I would–if I were you– sit down and write another stump speech. It would encompass the transcendental themes of the 2004 excerpt, the more pointed themes of today and make the connection between the two.
The speech would say something like, that when confronted with the almost impossible odds against social justice and social equity, hope is God's way of getting us up each day to fight for a world worth living in. This fight is not just for the sake of the poor and the oppressed, but for the sake of humanity itself.
The stakes have never been higher. More than ever, here on spaceship earth, we're all in this together. . . Something like that.
It is a bit late in the primary day, Senator Edwards, but like some prophet or other must have said once, where there's life, there's hope.
I would seriously consider using that before David Axelrod steals it for Obama.
As they say down in New Orleans, bon chance, bon courage. Hope is on the way.
One Way Out Revisited
Filed under: Politics,Uncategorized — admin @ 11:50 pm
At this writing the Mainstream Media, with some exceptions, seem to have accepted the dubious proposition that "the surge" is working and that the Democrats should stop talking about Iraq for the duration, however long that might be.
This of course is an absurd idea on the face of it, no doubt floated by many of the same people who argued for invading Iraq in the first place.
The War in Iraq is unwinnable as most Americans understand by now, because we're the reason for the War. If we leave Iraq, the Iraqi resistance to American intervention will end. If we stay the resistance is almost guaranteed to grow. The only question is, when we leave, will the forces we've let out of the bottle in Iraq continue to spin out of control?
None of us know the answer to that.
However once one accepts that the War was not only mindboggling stupid to start with, but is by definition, unwinnable, it becomes easier to discuss ways to ameliorate the situation in Iraq, post an American withdrawal.
Since 9/11, Arab Nationalism and Islamic Fundamentalism have been conflated by the Bushites in a transparent attempt to make the Arabs and the Muslim World in general, into the other, a demon beyond our understanding(see Islamo-fascism"). In the run up to the 2004 American Presidential elections, Iraq and Saddam Hussein were cynically identified with Al Qaeda and Osama ben Laden to such an extent that most Americans didn't know the difference between the two.
This confusion may well have served the axis of evil within ruling Republican Party circles but it screwed Iraq royally. By consciously favoring the Shi'ites and declaring the Ba'athists–the admittedly corrupt party of secular Arab nationalism–the enemy in Iraq, American policy effectively made Iraqi Nationality itself the enemy in Iraq. Now, having broken the Iraqi Nationalism that long transcended the sectarian divide there, we have a Civil War on our hands.
To right this wrong, the first thing we as a nation should do is publicly admit we screwed Iraq and apologize to the Iraqi people. The second thing we should do is become an ally of secular Arab nationalism, Arab self-determination, and yes, democracy in the Middle East.
In the course of this reversal of policy we should proceed on several fronts. The first would be to demonstrate that the US has no designs on Arab oil or natural resources. This would entail the US, in concert with the other G-8 nations, making a declaration of a date certain, say 2038, for the total elimination of oil as an energy resource in the G-8 countries.
This declaration would place the US on the side of the masses in the Arab world as opposed to the oil oligarchs. Further it would put the latter on notice, that if they want to do right by the Arab nation while they still have the means, the clock is now clicking.
Parenthetically the declaration might also help save the world by jump starting–in a big way–the search for alternative fuels and energy sources.
The second and perhaps most important step the US can take to show it is now on the side of secular Arab nationalism is to use its good offices to effect a Peace settlement between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Supposedly that's what we've just done in Annapolis.
Though the Bushites are still in denial over the incredible foreign policy disaster that they initiated and presided over in Iraq, even a pack of morons and jackals can't help noticing that in the wake of Iraq, the American interest and the Arab interest in containing Iran have miraculously coincided.
The Bush Administration has finally come to intuit what it's own Iraq Study Group tried to tell them last year; that the road to Baghdad runs through Jerusalem and not the other way around. However the Administration still has not come to grips with what implementing a policy around this truism would entail. Unfortunately, with some few exceptions, neither have the Democrats.
Simply put, Mahmoud Abbas is unable to make peace in the name of the Palestinians because he is too weak. Ehud Olmert is unwilling to make the territorial sacrifices necessary to make Peace in name of the Israelis, because like most right wing Israeli politicians (even if they now call themselves moderates) he doesn't have to. Olmert knows the bottom line, that he really doesn't have to give up the settlements or the West Bank because the US and American Jewry implicitly stand behind him.
Because of this fundamental impasse, it is only the active agency of the United States in partnership with the Arab countries of the region–including Iraq–and also Europe, that can make and keep the peace in Israel/Palestine.
In an article earlier this year(archives, Huff Post 6/11) I argued that, after making the Iraqis–Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurds–a partner to the Middle East talks, and in fact a guarantor of the new Palestinian State, the US should withdraw from Iraq.
The US would then move some thirty to fifty thousand troops, augmented by some smaller contingents of allied forces–English, French, Turkish–or even Algerian contingents to the West Bank, where they would take up a role as peacekeeping force for the new independent nation of Palestine.
These peacekeepers would not only serve as referee between Fatah and Hamas, but also as an effective guarantor of security for Israel. Money to create the infrastructure of the new Palestinian State–and pay for the Peacekeeping force–would be provided by the Saudis and the Gulf States. The monies would be funnelled not to the Palestinian Authority but to a new independent Palestinian Civil Authority, which would be jointly created by independent Palestinian civic organizations, the frontline Arab States and the US. The timeline for keeping the International security force in the West Bank, and eventually Gaza, would be five years.
The advantages of such an arrangement are obvious, to me at least, but unfortunately appear to be so far outside mainstream discourse, that it seems almost spurious to discuss at this point.
What should be on the table though, are incremental steps that can be taken to move Mid East peace closer. One step that maybe even Condi Rice could wrap her mind around, is pushing the Israelis to release Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah militant and a founder of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, currently serving a life sentence for the killing of Israeli settlers on the West Bank.
Barghouti is also of the few men allied to Fatah who still has enough credibility to stand up to Hamas. Barghouti recognizes the legitimacy of Israel and the necessity of a two state solution, though he refuses to recognize the legitimacy of Israeli settlement activity on the West Bank. As such he has the potential at least, to be a "Palestinian Mandela."
The problem with the Palestinian Authority since it was created has been cronyism and corruption. Hamas is not just an anti-Israel Islamic militant group(though it is that too) but a homegrown Palestinian response to corruption. The intelligent thing for American and International diplomacy to do with Hamas is bring them into the discussion, even while balancing their power on the ground. However we have not brought Hamas into the discussion. Further, instead strengthening Mahmoud Abbas's hand against Hamas on the ground, we have, no doubt at Israel's instigation, actually pushed Abbas to crack down–indeed to fire on–his own militants in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, leaving him more isolated than ever.
If the Administration still hasn't faced up to what's going to be necessary to make Peace in Iraq, and Israel/Palestine, it should at least refrain from trying to make things worse.
Beyond that the Democrats have to step up. The complete failure of the Democrats in Congress to make a dent in US foreign Policy since their mid term election win in 2006 is instructive. Instead of confronting the Constitutional illegitimacy of Bush's Crime reign, the Democratic leadership attempted to pick their fights where they thought they could gain a political advantage. Now all they've succeeded in doing is dragging themselves down to Bush's level.
If a Democrat wants to gets elected President in 2008, one requirement will be a policy that eschews politics and actually attempts solutions to the twin crises in Iraq and Israel/Palestine. This means a concise strategy for withdrawal from Iraq, and a bold strategy for the creation of a Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza.
It's easy to be a Republican, if you don't mind being in league with the minions of Satan. The Republicans are, and probably will always be, the party of the status quo. However if the Democrats fail to present a fundamental strategy for change, both foreign and domestic, there will no reason for people to vote them in next November.


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As Omicron Variant Is Confirmed In 4 US States, Illinois Reports More Than 11K New COVID Cases – NBC Chicago
As the omicron COVID variant continues to pop-up across the country with 5 states confirming identified cases, Illinois nearly set a record Thursday — reporting more than 11,000 new confirmed and probable COVID cases.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health's COVID data tracker, the state reported 11,524 new, confirmed and probable cases of COVID Thursday.
A graph from the IDPH shows daily COVID-19 positive cases from Nov. 7 2021, to Dec. 1, 2021.
That's an increase from just over 6,000 cases reported the day prior — and the most the state had seen in a single day since Dec. 1, 2020, when 12,542 new cases of the virus were reported.
An IDPH spokesperson says that the new case numbers could potentially be linked to holiday gatherings and travel.
"Thanksgiving was one week ago, and we are starting to see cases associated with family gatherings and travel."
In the last 24 hours, the state also reported a staggering 231,876 new tests results from laboratories, the most ever entered into the data portal in a single day.
The more than 231,000 new test results smashed the single-day record, which had been set on Sept. 30 when 180,411 results were returned from state laboratories.
Where in the U.S. has the omicron variant been detected?
As of Dec. 3, the omicron variant, first discovered in South Africa, has been confirmed in 5 US states.
In the US, the first confirmed case was reported Wednesday Dec. 1, in a vaccinated traveler who returned to California after a trip to South Africa.
"We knew it was just a matter of time before the first case of omicron would be detected in the United States," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States' top infectious-disease expert, made the announcement at the White House.
The infected person was identified as a traveler who had returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, developed mild symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19 Monday. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco obtained a sample from the patient Tuesday evening and worked feverishly overnight to assemble the genetic sequence.
Thursday, Dec. 2, the first Midwest case of the omicron COVID variant was been confirmed in Minnesota, the state's health department said Thursday, via a specimen from a resident "with recent travel history to New York City."
According to health officials, the person developed mild symptoms on Nov. 22 and was tested for COVID on Nov. 24. He reported traveling to New York City and attended the Anime NYC 2021 convention from Nov. 19-21 at the Javits Center.
The health department said Minnesota epidemiologists will continue to investigate alongside New York City and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thursday, Dec. 2, Colorado confirmed its first case.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the woman recently traveled to Africa has mild symptoms and has been isolated at home. She was fully vaccinated but had yet to receive the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Thursday, Dec. 2, tests showed the omicron variant had infected at least five people in the New York City metropolitan area.
Thursday, Dec. 2, the state of Hawaii confirmed that it detected the omicron variant in a COVID-19 positive case.
The individual is an O'ahu resident with moderate symptoms who had previously been infected with COVID-19, but was never vaccinated.
Where do hospitalizations in Illinois stand?
Hospitalizations and ICU usage among COVID patients also remain high in Illinois, with IDPH saying that 505 COVID patients are currently in intensive care unit beds.
That is the highest number the state has seen since the height of the delta variant-driven surge in cases in mid-September.
On Tuesday, the last date for which there is data, there were 2,458 COVID patients hospitalized across the state, the highest number reported since late January.
Illinois is still under an indoor mask mandate
The latest Illinois COVID-19 guidance requires that all residents where a face covering while inside public places, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker Thursday said he doesn't see that changing given the most recent metrics.
"We have an indoor mask requirement in the state of Illinois and so we're not lifting that, especially now," Pritzker said. "When I want to lift [the mandate] is when we start seeing hospitalizations plunge, considering that's a particular problem."
Yes, Illinois Still Has an Indoor Mask Mandate. Here's Where You Need To Wear One
Illinois reinstated its mask mandate in late August, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the time saying the state was "running out of time as our hospitals run out of beds."
ritzker said the masking decision is being evaluated "really every day" by himself and doctors at the Illinois Department of Public Health.
"We look at the numbers, I talk to the doctors at IDPH, especially [IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike], and what we're trying to evaluate is: are the hospitalization numbers, for example, increasing, decreasing, staying the same?" Pritzker said. "We want them to decrease. They're not currently, just to be clear."
Man Shoots At Young Daughter, Mother During Custody Exchange – KMID – Local 2 News
by: Erica Miller Posted: Apr 14, 2022 / 06:11 PM CDT Updated: Apr 14, 2022 / 06:12 PM CDT by: Erica Miller Posted: Apr 14, 2022 / 06:11 PM CDT Updated: Apr 14, 2022 / 06:12 PM CDT ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- An Odessa man is behind bars after police say...
Musk Says U.S. SEC 'bastards' Forced Settlement Over Tesla Tweets – Reuters
Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves Manhattan federal court after a hearing on his fraud settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in New York City, U.S. April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comApril 14 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk on Thursday...
Basin Wildfires: Local Crews Stay Busy With 2 More Fires – KMID – Local 2 News
by: Rob Tooke Posted: Apr 13, 2022 / 10:49 PM CDT Updated: Apr 13, 2022 / 10:56 PM CDT ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Basin is windy and extremely dry. Grass fires are sparking under these conditions, which characterize dangerous fire weather. In Ector County, local fire crews worked...
Perspective | Here's How The U.S. Should Respond To Any Russian Cyberattacks – The Washington Post
Placeholder while article actions loadRussian cyberattacks may be coming. Last month, the White House issued its starkest warning yet that "evolving" intelligence indicates Moscow is planning major cyber operations against the United States in retaliation for the economic penalties that the country has imposed on Russia for its invasion of...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This is our collection of FAQs and Guides, written by members of the Second Chance PC staff.
These articles have been written over time in response to common questions from our users and are mainly aimed at beginner to intermediate computer users.
If you think we should have a FAQ or Guide which is not listed here please email [email protected] and let us know.


Broker/Owner Robyn Erlenbush along with associates Ray Atteberry, Lacy Browne and Mikaela Durham attended the 2018 National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Annual Convention in Boston, November 2-5.
Erlenbush attended as a committee member for NAR Risk Management. Atteberry represented the Gallatin Association of REALTORS® (GAR) as President of the Big Sky Country MLS. Browne met on the national Young Professionals Network (YPN) advisory board as Chair of the Montana Association of REALTORS® (MAR YPN) and is a committee member for NAR Membership Policy and Board Jurisdiction. Durham attended on behalf of GAR YPN. Attendees participated in educational sessions and the general session featuring 2018 NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall and keynote speaker Mark Wahlberg.


Northern Ballet is a unique city centre venue that not only offers world-class dance facilities for its two resident companies, Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre, but also provides an exceptional location for entertaining, for business and for events.
Our award-winning eco-friendly building can comfortably host events of all kinds for up to 230 people from intimate meetings and private dinners to conferences and performances.
Located in Leeds City Centre, Northern Ballet is just two hours from London by train and easilt accessed from the M1 and M62. The city of Leeds itself also offers a huge choice of top quality hotels, nightlife and culture.


Equinix Düsseldorf is located in the area Düsseldorf, Germany (Deutschland), and the colocation data center is carrier neutral. The data center was last updated on 06-10-2007.
Therefore the address above is not the exact location, but it is within the city of Düsseldorf.


text:
Q: MSpec: Getting my first spec to pass Just getting started with MSpec and I can't seem to quite get my first spec to pass. Whilst checking the source code is ideal, I don't really want to spend ages doing that right now.
The problem is that Because causes a null reference exception - the repository is null.
A breakpoint on Establish gets hit (but not when I put it in the base class) but I guess the code inside is not being run causing my error.
Any help would be great - explanations and links also appreciated very much.
[Subject("Sandwich Repository CRUD")]
public class sandwich_repository_can_save_sandwiches : SandwichRepositoryContext
{
    Establish context = () =>
    {
        sandwich = new Sandwich(ValidSandwichName);
        repository = new SandwichRepository();
    };

    Because of = () => { repository.Save(sandwich); };

    It should_contain_the_created_sandwich = repository.GetSandwichByName(ValidSandwichName).ShouldNotBeNull;
}

public abstract class SandwichRepositoryContext
{
    protected static Sandwich sandwich;
    protected const string ValidSandwichName = "Olive Le Fabulos";
    protected static SandwichRepository repository;
}

A: Your code looks good, although the It seems to miss the lambda operator and parenthesis on ShouldNotBeNull. Does this work for you?
[Subject("Sandwich Repository CRUD")]
public class when_a_sandwich_is_created : SandwichRepositoryContext
{
    Establish context = () =>
    {
        sandwich = new Sandwich(ValidSandwichName);
        repository = new SandwichRepository();
    };

    Because of = () => { repository.Save(sandwich); };

    It should_find_the_created_sandwich =
        () => repository.GetSandwichByName(ValidSandwichName).ShouldNotBeNull();
}

public abstract class SandwichRepositoryContext
{
    protected static Sandwich sandwich;
    protected const string ValidSandwichName = "Olive Le Fabulos";
    protected static SandwichRepository repository;
}

Here's the infrastructure code I used to verify that the context above passes:
public class SandwichRepository
{
    Sandwich _saved;

    public void Save(Sandwich sandwich)
    {
        _saved = sandwich;
    }

    public Sandwich GetSandwichByName(string validSandwichName)
    {
        if (_saved.ValidSandwichName == validSandwichName)
            return _saved;

        return null;
    }
}

public class Sandwich
{
    public string ValidSandwichName
    {
        get;
        set;
    }

    public Sandwich(string validSandwichName)
    {
        ValidSandwichName = validSandwichName;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Report: Gender Non-conformity and School Safety: Documenting the problem and steps schools can take.
Report » Gender Non-conformity and School Safety: Documenting the problem and steps schools can take.
Russell, S.T., McGuire, J.K., Toomey, R., & Anderson, C.R.
Students in California report significant harassment at school because they do not conform to gender expectations and stereotypes. Such harassment is reported by many students, and is more often reported by students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). Gender non-conformity harassment is more common in unsafe school climates – that is, in schools that lack: Clear, inclusive anti-harassment policies, regular teacher intervention when harassment occurs, curriculum attention devoted to sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.


Combined with the fact that MIC shares can be held in registered plan accounts (RSP, RESP, TFSA, RRIF), MIC shares are an appealing investment.
But what is a MIC? How does it work? How does a MIC compare to other types of alternative or real estate investments?
A mortgage investment corporation, or MIC, is a corporation formed under the rules set out in the Income Tax Act, Section 130.1.
Simply put, a MIC is a company that pools shareholder capital, lends that capital out as mortgages, earns income via interest and fees, and pays 100% of its net income (after management fees) back to the shareholders.
Dividends paid by the MIC are taxed as interest. Many MIC investors prefer to hold their shares in a registered account like an RSP, RESP, RRIF or TFSA.
Every MIC has to meet certain tests to maintain its status as a flow-through investment as stipulated by Section 130.1.
The company must be a Canadian corporation as defined under the Tax Act.
Its only undertaking must have been the investing of its funds and not management or development of any real property.
real property situated outside of Canada, or any leasehold interests in such property.
The company must have had at least 20 shareholders, and no one shareholder together with a person "related" to the shareholder within the meaning of the Tax Act (a "Related Person") owned, directly or indirectly, at any time, more than 25% of any class or series of the issued shares of the company.
Any holders of preferred shares had the right after payment to them of their dividends, and payment of dividends in a like amount per share to the holders of common shares of the Corporation (the "Common Shares"), to participate pari passu with holders of the Common Shares in any further payment of dividends.
plus the amount of any cash on hand must at all times be at least 50% of the cost amount to it of all of its property.
The cost amount of all real property, including any leasehold interests in such property, will at no time exceed 25% of the cost amount of all of its property (excluding any real property acquired after default made on a mortgage, hypothec or agreement of sale of real property whether it be by way of foreclosure or otherwise).
Liabilities at any time in the year must not exceed three times the amount by which the cost amount to it of all of its property exceeds its liabilities, if at any time in the year the cost amount of the properties referred to above under item 6 (50% asset test) is less than two thirds of the cost amount of all of its property. However, where at any time in the year the cost amount of the properties referred to above under item 6 (50% asset test) is equal to two thirds or more of the cost amount of all of its property, the liabilities must not exceed five times the excess of the cost amount of all of its property over such liabilities.


text:
Devanshu Narang's
Dev-Vani : TRUTH-Bold, Raw, Uncut or its perception from the eyes of a seeker
NYFA
Rendezvous CFFC
Pranshuman Narang
Operational Focus
Niagara InnkeepersAssociation
Dev-vani-'Y-tube'
Na(u)rang
November 25, 2015 February 25, 2016 Devanshu Narang
Aamir- Live and Let Live India!
Aamir Khan is no stranger to the controversy. For the ordinary earthlings not familiar with the czar of Bollywood, he is an iconic actor and a film maker who derives reverence from all and sundry, not just in the reel life but also in real life. His projects portray a deep sense of social responsibility and commitment to the idea of India and he is a true role model for millions and millions of South Asians, worldwide. Alas, just to add in the context of today' heated times, Aamir is also a Muslim and married to a Hindu lady. Married? Yes, you read it right. Married.
So one fine day, Aamir saw his dear wife browsing news papers, surfing the channels and feeling worked up about what was going on in India. Like most of us, even she got sick of reading and hearing about various acts of violence, of hatred and religious extremism being directed towards each other in a country like India which has always taken pride in being a symbol of acceptance and love, of being a land of 'Kama' and its 'Sutra'.
Guess what, this happens to all of us and we share our concerns with each other and on social media. Only Aamir being a celebrity, his each and every word is dissected and is turned into headlines by media which continuously feeds on sensationalism and hype.
While expressing his despondency and depression at the direction our society was taking, at why the situation was becoming worse as justice seemed to be eluding and the leadership seemed to be in a state of inaction, Aamir mentioned what his wife had told him and how she was worried about her child and even pondered about moving out of India!
All hell broke loose! It did not matter that his entire interview is a true state of reflection on what is happening in India and portrays his immense love for India. What mattered was the selective editing carried out by media and these words became latest media sensation.
Currently Aamir bashing is the new in-thing in India.
"He is tarnishing the image of India today." As if the image improves when a man is killed in the name of protecting a cow by some fanatic Hindus or when a Fatwa is issued against a popular singer just because he participated in an unacceptable project to some fanatic Muslims!
" He should watch his words and know what he speaks as he is a celebrity." While the politicians, the religious leaders and the hate mongers who actually spew venom in the society at all times and do this with a specific purpose of ruling over the cattle class can continue with their acts unhindered since they have the political or the social right to destroy societies.
" If he lived in Pakistan he could have been hanged for being so intolerant towards intolerance." As if we actually feel disappointed in being an Indian and wish to make a failed state as Pakistan our role model than looking up to nations where people are allowed to express their differences and yet would not hope to get their face painted black or beaten blue, sometimes to death.
There is no doubt in my mind that Indians are tolerant by nature. But these are times when tolerance is being made out to be a slur in India. India seems to shift its loyalties from Gandhi to Godse, from Akbar to Owaisi, from Thackersey to Thackeray.
Tolerance is about allowing people to speak out their concerns even if they are in difference to ours. Simple. Nothing more, nothing less. In simple terms it is about accepting that there exists two sides to a coin and that not everything needs to be converted into "'us" and "them".
The most beautiful example to showcase an act of intolerance and its after effects comes from Bhagwad Gita itself and you do not need to read the whole Gita to understand its message, as just the first "Shloka" would suffice-
"Dharmakshetre kurukshetre samveta yuyutsavah,
Mamakah pandavascaiva kimakurvata sanjaya."
"On the holy (Dharma) plains, the field of righteousness, the field of the Kurus, gathered together, eager for battle, what did they do, Oh Sanjay, my people and the sons of Pandu?"
Look at the irony, a blind King, who has no sense of justice or righteousness, talks about "His" ancestral fields being the symbol of Dharma, asks Sanjay, the narrator who brings him news from the battle field about what, eager for battle, "His" people and "They" did?
And who are these "They"? His own real brother's children, his own loving family!
The true cause of Mahabharata, the war that destroyed India's heritage was this- the perceptions of "US" and "THEM" and the blind eye that justice turned towards setting the house in order or to stop the raging battle inside!
Alas "history repeats itself twice, once as a tragedy and second as a farce." In India's case, it is far too many. Let us, please stop creating battle fields over everything and give reason a chance.
It's time we allow Aamir or any other fellow Indian to express his grievance and listen to it than react and take it as aimed against our false sense of national or religious pride. It's time we see through the games of media and politicians and bring an end to sensationalism and divisions.
As for Aamir, I would quote from what you said when you claimed Saint hood while commenting on your fellow actors who took part in an interesting roast event- " I completely believe in freedom of speech, no issues. But we have to understand that we all have a certain responsibility." Guess what, it applies to you too! It's time you leave your "concerns at home", at home, when you come out to express yourself as "The" Aamir Khan. India is still tolerant and perhaps that is why it is hurting people more. And you know that too as you can see how many voices speak on your behalf even today!
As for wives and their fears, I also get depressed and despondent when my wife shouts at me or tells me do certain things. But I bow my head, hear her silently, freely use my both ears while taking it in from one side and throwing it out of another and then merrily, drown her sorrows over the next glass of my favorite poison while continuing to think and act for myself!
India is changing and if you have the power to influence, please continue to be the leading catalyst for change that you are! That is the least you could do, if not for us than for a nation that has given you so much back or for your child, whom, in the memory of one of your ancestor, a great man and a true patriot, Maulana Abul Kalam, you proudly named Azad!
Cheers man! And enjoy Aamir and please let him enjoy India! As for people like me, bring on something better media, but please make it humorous this time!
Posted in Times of India- November 25th 2015. Link below-
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/dev-vani/aamir-khan-live-and-let-live-india/
India- A Bipolar world
aamir
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text:
Justia Dockets & Filings Ninth Circuit California Northern District Henderson v. Hernandez et al Filing 6 Attachment 1
Henderson v. Hernandez et al
ORDER OF DISMISSAL. Signed by Judge Jon S. Tigar on June 12, 2014. (Attachments: # 1 Certificate/Proof of Service)(wsn, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 6/12/2014)
1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 7 JOHNDELL HENDERSON, Case No. 14-cv-01857-JST Plaintiff, 8 v. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 9 10 A. HEDGPETH, et al., Defendants. United States District Court Northern District of California 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am an employee in the Office of the Clerk, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California. That on 6/12/2014, I SERVED a true and correct copy(ies) of the attached, by placing said copy(ies) in a postage paid envelope addressed to the person(s) hereinafter listed, by depositing said envelope in the U.S. Mail, or by placing said copy(ies) into an inter-office delivery receptacle located in the Clerk's office. Johndell Henderson #:D78769 Salinas Valley State Prison P.O. Box 1050, B3-150 Soledad, CA 93960 20 21 Dated: 6/12/2014 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Richard W. Wieking Clerk, United States District Court By:________________________ William Noble, Deputy Clerk to the Honorable Jon S. Tigar


text:
Q: Realm, Pass realm data to another activity through intent Is it possible to pass a realm data from one activity to another through intent?
KC

A: Currently no. RealmObjects are not currently Parcelable. You can follow the feature request here: https://github.com/realm/realm-java/issues/878
Until then you have the following work-arounds:
1) Use the Parceler library: https://realm.io/docs/java/latest/#parceler
2) Send a primary key value instead and refetch the object.

A: Pass primary key via intent instead of object and fetch the data in next activity mapping that primary key.


Removing Win32.Parite.2 Trojan manually is very difficult any risky. Any mistake during deleting registry entries or corrupted files may results into complete system crash situation. Some files associated with this Trojan may be in hidden state that may exploit later. If you are general system user then use any professional tool to remove Win32.Parite.2 infection automatically. Anti-spyware software is advance tool that offers virus removal effectively from compromised system. If you are experiencing degraded system performance then use registry cleaner software. This software can enhance system performance and repair registry errors. It is wisely to upgrade your system with anti-spyware software and registry cleaner program to prevent virus attack in future.
Win32.Parite.2 should never be kept in the computer because it could bring lots of potential safety hazards to destroy the whole system gradually. Even receiving annoying pop-ups and links in the computer or the browser seems not so serious for users, however, what they could not see is that deceptive pop-up ads could cause them enormous losses. As the regular adware has been disguised so well that the antivirus or antispyware would not detect it timely, missing the best time to stop malware's evil purposes. Most of the users could not tell whether the free applications adding in the computer were beneficial for the system, so they chose to keep them all the system without knowing most of them were actually malware.
Protecting the computer from being infected with unwanted virus and malware, users should stop download and install unfamiliar freeware in the computer. Because most of the malware could be bundled with other software, waiting for users to download them together and install in the computer without being detected. Moreover, users should be vigilante when getting unknown pop-ups and links, especially for those pop-up ads concerning ridiculous offers, which must be related to deceptive cyber traps, users should never get hooked or click on them. And once encounter nonstop pop-ups on the computer, the right thing to do is to run the antivirus immediately to scan the whole system, in order to detect any suspicious program and remove Win32.Parite.2 before it is too late.
This dangerous Virus is just like an "enemy" for your system as it can corrupts the system badly and disallows you to perform any tasks on it. Your system as well as the saved data will be secure only when you immediately remove Win32.Parite.2 from the PC.


text:
Camille Little, née le  à Winston-Salem (Caroline du Nord) est une joueuse américaine de basket-ball.

Biographie

Elle se fait remarquer au  et participe  WBCA High School All-America Game de 2003 où elle inscrit 10 points.

Reconnue pour ses aptitudes défensives comme offensives, Little et Ivory Latta ont conduit les Tar Heels de la Caroline du Nord à deux finales à quatre NCAA en quatre saisons. Meilleure débutante de la saison 2004 de l'ACC, elle est élue dans le meilleur cinq défensif de l'ACC en 2007. En quatre saisons à UNC, elle inscrit  pour des moyennes de  et , dont  et  lors de son année senior où elle atteint le Final four.

L'entraîneur et manager général des Silver Stars Dan Hughes la choisit en  en disant surpris qu'elle soit disponible, ses prévisions la plaçant au premier tour.

Pourtant, dès le , elle, Chioma Nnamaka et un premier tour de la draft WNBA 2009 sont envoyés au Dream d'Atlanta en échange d'Ann Wauters, Morenike Atunrase et un second tour de la draft WNBA 2009. Elle n'y joue que quelques semaines (12 rencontres à  de moyenne) car elle envoyée dès le  au Storm de Seattle contre un second tour de la draft 2009. L'entraîneur du Seattle Brian Agler déclare alors : . Elle contribue activement au deuxième titre NBA du Storm en 2010 avec , ,  décisives en  en play-offs.

Le , Little et Shekinna Stricklen sont envoyées au Sun du Connecticut en échange de Renee Montgomery ainsi que les  et  de la draft WNBA 2015.

En 2017, elle est transférée au Mercury de Phoenix avec Jillian Alleyne dans un échange entre trois équipes qui envoie Candice Dupree au Fever de l'Indiana avec le premier tour de draft 2017 du Mercury, alors que le Sun du Connecticut reçoit du Fever le  de la draft 2017 et Lynetta Kizer.

Étranger

Elle joue également à l'étranger, à Chypre en 2009-2010 pour K.V. Imperial AEL in 2009-10 avec des statistiques  et . En 2011-2012, elle est membre de l'équipe chinoise du Shanghai Octopus qui atteint les demi-finales du championnat avec des statistiques personnelles de  ( de la ligue), ,  décisives et , puis en 2013-2014 en Turquie pour Kayseri Kaski  et  en Euroligue, puis en 2015-2016 avec le club italien de Raguse pour ,  et  en 31 rencontres disputées. Début 2018, en provenance du club libanais de Homentmen Antelias, elle rejoint le club français de Montpellier mais n'y fait que quatre rencontres face à Basket Landes (20 points) en LFB, Tarbes en Coupe de France (11 points, 5 rebonds) et deux d'Euroligue contre Schio (16 points, 7 rebonds) puis Cracovie son équipe ayant dû remplacer l'Italienne Giorgia Sottana par une autre américaine, Sugar Rodgers.

Palmarès
 Championne WNBA 2010
 Coupe d'Italie 2016

Distinctions personnelles
 WNBA All-Rookie Team (2007)
 Second-team All-ACC (2007)
 Troisième cinq de l'ACC (2005, 2006)
 Meilleur cinq défensif de l'ACC (2007)
 Meilleure freshman de l'ACC (2004)

Statistiques universitaires

Source

Notes et références

Lien externe

  Profil UNC

Joueuse américaine de basket-ball
Joueuse draftée par les Stars de San Antonio
Joueuse des Stars de San Antonio
Joueuse du Storm de Seattle
Joueuse du Sun du Connecticut
Joueuse du Dream d'Atlanta
Joueuse du Mercury de Phoenix
Joueuse de la Virtus Eirene Raguse
Joueuse du Shanghai Octopus
Joueuse de basket-ball de Kayseri Kaski
Joueuse de basket-ball de Lattes Montpellier
Joueuse de basket-ball des Tar Heels de la Caroline du Nord
Naissance le 15 janvier 1985
Naissance à Winston-Salem

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Application of Simple and High-order Extended Complex Autoregressive (ECAR) Model
The Application of Simple and High-order Extended Complex Autoregressive (ECAR) Model in the Low-Frequency Rainfall Forecast for the Extended Range
Yang Qiuming Jiangsu Meteorological Science Institute Research Group of Extended Range Weather Forecast
Abstract: the author has introduced the forecast methods of simple and high-order extended complex autoregressive (ECAR) model that is driven by data, and applied them into the real-time forecast of 20-30d low-frequency rainfall in the Lower Reaches of Yangtze River. The complex autoregressive model, which is based on the extended complex space of data transformation, identifies and describes the diversity of the main time-delay low-frequency correlations in mass of real and virtual data from more than one perspective. Meanwhile, the author also adopted the new real-time singular spectrum (SSA) filter wave to extract the real-time low-frequency signals in the observation data more accurately, which significantly improved the accuracy of real-time forecast of the Model. The author further forecasted the real-time extension of the 20-30d low-frequency rainfall in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River in the next 30 days, showing that the 25d forecasting skills from January to December reached 0.88. On the one hand, the significant positive phase changes of low-frequency rainfall during the continuous rainy season from late June to early July and late October 2016 were accurately forecast; on the other hand, the results provided the background information of great value for the forecast of continuous heavy rainfall in Meiyu Period and continuous rain in autumn.
Keywords: High-order Extended Complex Autoregressive (HECAR) Model; Extended Range Forecast; Heavy Rainfall in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River; Intraseasonal Oscillation (ISO)
At present, there are still more difficulties in the extended range weather forecast of 10-30d, which is mainly due to that the theoretical research is not complete. However, it has become one of the research hotspots attracting the concerns of the international community due to the urgent social needs of the 10-30d extended range forecast [1,2]. On the other hand, the global data generated from climate observations in the past 10 years has increased rapidly due to technical progress. These scientific big data with high data relevance and multiple data attributes can reflect and characterize complex natural phenomena and relations. We extracted some of atmospheric intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) change signals on the 10-90d time range closely related to extreme weather from mass of data by virtue of data decomposition, expansion and transformation techniques. A variety of innovative data products generated by new technologies are analyzed in respect of data. Next, dynamic data will drive complex low-frequency changes and system construction. As one of the effective ways to improve the forecast accuracy of the extended range forecast of low-frequency component, it is extremely important to prolong the forecast efficiency of extreme weather processes (such as continuous regional heavy rain, continuous high temperature, heavy temperature drop, etc.).
Recently, the author (2018) established a new high-order extended complex autoregressive model (HECAR) with original innovation for real-time forecast [3] based on the low-frequency component forecast model (LFCF) [2] proposed by the author (2014). This model, which is based on the low-frequency component of global circulation and rainfall, constituted an extended data matrix, and made the best of the Fourier transform to generate an extended complex sequence to form an extended complex matrix, as well as a simple high-order complex autoregressive model. In this sense, it is able to identify and describe the diversity of major time-delay low-frequency correlations and ISO-type variations in mass of real and virtual data in a multi-dimensional manner. Meanwhile, the newly developed data transformation-based sequential continuation scheme [real-time singular spectrum (SSA) filter wave method] has been employed in this data model, which can better suppress the boundary effect of sequential filter wave. In the forecast, this real-time SSA can not only obtain the ISO change signal more accurately, but also improve the stability of real-time forecast of the extended complex model and the forecast accuracy greatly and significantly.
The data-driven HECAR model [3] was applied to the real-time forecast of 20-30d low-frequency rainfall in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River from 2009 to 2014, showing that the forecast techniques can be stabilized for as many as 28 days (the fifth-order ECAR Model). It has more obvious advantages over the extended forecast model of the past 20 years at home and abroad and the latest extended forecast model in the past two years. By doing so, the real-time forecast time of heavy rain (heavy rainfall) in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River has been stably extended to 25-30 days. According to the further real-time extended forecast of the 20-30d low-frequency rainfall in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River in the next 30 days in 2016 (20-30d oscillation active year), it can be seen that the 25d forecast skills from January to December reached 0.88 (Figure 1). The significant positive phase changes of three rainy periods from May to July 2016 were accurately; among them, the positive phase changes of the continuous heavy rainfall during the Meiyu Period from late June to early July can be forecast about 25 days ahead of time. Furthermore, the positive phase corresponding to the three rainy periods in October-December can be well forecast; in particular, the forecast of the changes in the positive phase of low-frequency rainfall during the continuous rainy season in mid-to-late October is almost identical (Figure 2, and the correlation coefficient is 0.98). This shows that the continuous rainy process in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River in late October was successfully forecast about 20 days ahead of time. In consequence, HECAR can simulate the evolution of low-frequency signals of 20-30d in an accurate manner, thereby providing significant low-frequency background change information for the forecast of continuous heavy rainfall in Meiyu Period and continuous rain in autumn.
Figure 1. The 25d Forecast of the Fifth-order ECAR Model for 20-30d Low-frequency Rainfall in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River from January to December in 2016 (based on principal component of with global intensity of pressure of 850hPa of low-frequency meridional wind field), and the initial date is December 7, 2015, ... December 6, 2016. Among them, the solid (dotted) line represents the actual situation (forecast), and the column diagram represents the day-by-day rainfall change in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River in mm; r refers to the correlation coefficient between forecast and actual situation.
Figure 2: The 1-30d Forecast (dotted line) and Actual Situation (solid line) of 20-30d Low-frequency Rainfall in October 2016 in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Valley, and the initial date is September 30, 2016; the column diagram shows the day-by-day rainfall change in the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River in mm, r refers to the correlation coefficient between forecast and actual situation.
Both complexity and abundance of the natural world derive from the simplest images or elements; the harmonious beauty between simplicity and complex harmony is presented by science as a dialectics. It will not be advantageous to constructing a data model that describes low frequency variability by virtue of more complex deterministic model. In this sense, other factors such as simplicity, elegance in mathematical expressions may be more significant. Existing monitoring and forecasting thinking patterns and methods of weather and climate will be changed with the development of the age of big data. The colorful world of meteorological changes is full of numerous observational data. The focus of further research is on how to better integrate the power of data, and understand the weather and climate and forecast extreme weather and climate events in combination with the new data analysis techniques and knowledge of the Internet + era. Such technological innovations as science and technology development of data analysis and applications of new data products can be employed to extract more valuable information hidden in laws of data from observations and virtual data with a view to solving the problem of "massive data + simple logic" for complex phenomena, and reversing the simplified data model with greater predictability. Consequently, it is able to help the forecast model to fundamentally get rid of the constraints of predictability and realize the seamless forecasting of climate in short- and extending the forecast efficiency significantly.
(This article was published on CHINA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ACHIEVEMENTS ( 2019)http://www.wanfangdata.com.cn/details/detail.do?_type=perio&id=zgkjcg201921017)
[1] Hoskins B. The potential for skill across the range of the seamless weather-climate prediction problem: a stimulus for our science. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society,2013,139:573-584.
[2] Yang Qiuming. Prospects and progresses in the research of the methods for 10-30 days extended-range weather forecast. Advances in Earth Science,2015,30(9): 970-984.
[3] Yang, Qiuming. Predictability and prediction of low frequency rainfall over the lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley on the time scale of 20―30 days. J Geophys Res,2018,123:211–233, doi:10.1002/2017JD027281.
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E3 2010 Preview: These Are the Big RPGs, We Think
Michael McWhertor
Filed to: E3 2010Filed to: E3 2010
What role will role-playing games play at this year's E3 expo? A big one, whether you're a fan of the old-school turn-based brand or the massively multiplayer online way of doing things.
Whether you prefer your role-playing experience to be traditionally medieval, brilliantly futuristic, gloomy and post apocalyptic or somewhere in-between, with shooter mechanics or thoughtful strategy, online or off, there's certainly no lack of content. Our look at the Big Role-Playing Games of E3 2010 may not cover every title that will appear—there are still plenty of surprises expected—but it should give you at least a few hundred hours worth of game time.
Here's what we expect to show up at E3 2010 and, more or less, fall in the role-playing game genre.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
It appears to be as much of a shooter as it is a role-playing game—and original Deus Ex creators Warren Spector and Harvey Smith aren't involved—and the game's focus on mechanical human implants and a regenerative health system appear to be substantial departures for the series. At least it's fashionable! We're looking forward to seeing more than trailers at E3.
How Deus Ex 3's Cyber Renaissance Averted A Puffy Pants Disaster
How did the combination of Deus Ex's brand of cyberpunk, the Greek myth of Icarus and baroque…
Fallout: New Vegas (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Ready for another hundred hours spent traipsing about the post-nuclear wastelands of a future America? Obsidian Entertainment picks up development duties and takes the mutant-slaying, VATS-targeting role-playing game to Las Vegas and scorched earth locations beyond. Fallout: New Vegas will be at E3 and out sometime later this year.
Golden Sun DS (DS)
Camelot's traditional role-playing game, the third in the beloved Golden Sun series, was announced and briefly playable at last year's E3. It better be more complete at E3 2010 or heads will roll.
Golden Sun DS Coming In 2010
A bit of news out of Nintendo's E3 2009 press conference sure to make RPG fans get the warm…
Xenoblade (Wii)
Nintendo's other big role-playing game was introduced to us as Monado: Beginning of the World at E3 2009. Thankfully, that name was changed to Xenoblade, at least in Japan, referencing the developer's previous Xenosaga games.
Nintendo's Wii RPG Monado: Beginning of the World In Pictures
Monado: Beginning of the World didn't get much attention from Nintendo during its E3 2009…
Dungeon Siege III (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Chris Taylor's action RPG series gets handed off to the very busy Obsidian Entertainment and comes to consoles for the first time. Add in cooperative multiplayer and a deep role-playing experience and, baby, you got a stew goin'!
Obsidian Takes On Dungeon Siege 3
Obsidian Entertainment takes on yet another action role-playing game sequel in Dungeon Siege 3,…
Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
The next Star Wars MMO is in the capable hands of role-playing game experts BioWare. This is starting to look like the Star Wars online role-playing game that we hoped Galaxies would be.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP), Unannounced Kingdom Hearts Game (??)
The still-hot crossover of Disney characters and Square Enix favorites continues, with the PSP adventure prepped for a stateside release. The Kingdom Hearts series will keep on chugging with another unannounced game, one that may rear its head at E3 2010.
New Kingdom Hearts Game Will Be At E3
E3 may well be full of unexpected surprises, but one thing that's for sure is we'll see a …
Lord of the Rings: War in the North (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Snowblind Studios, creators of the incredibly addictive hack-and-slash RPGs Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath, turns its attention to Tolkein's work. You had us at Snowblind Studios, Warner Bros.
Middle Earth Goes Snowblind In The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North
Warner Bros. Interactive has tapped the team behind Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions …
Hunted: The Demon's Forge (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
inXile Entertainment aims to revitalize the dungeon crawl in this cooperative action game that's inspired by games like Wizardry, but looks like a Gears of War contender. The RPG-ish nature of Hunted: The Demon's Forge is debatable, given its focus on ranged and melee combat, but fans of the genre might want to see how deeply those dungeon crawl influences run.
Hunted: The Demon's Forge, A Dungeon Crawl For The Gears Age
inXile Entertainment's Brian Fargo wants to update the classic dungeon crawler, popularized by …
Deathspank (Xbox 360, PS3)
"Monkey Island meets Diablo" sounds about right. Creator Ron Gilbert and Hothead Games inject some rarely-seen humor into the action-RPG genre, but keep the deep customization and questing of more straightly played games.
Dragon Quest IX (DS)
It's a big hit in Japan, but will the latest Dragon Quest game find an audience in North America? We'll know not long after E3, because the game lands in July, smiles, slimes and all.
Final Fantasy XIV (PS3, PC)
It was a big surprise at E3 2009, in part due to the fact that Final Fantasy XIII wasn't out yet, but Square Enix's second massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Final Fantasy mythos is coming along and will likely make another appearance this year. What about that Final Fantasy Versus XIII? Will that pop up somewhere?
PS3 Exclusive Final Fantasy XIV Announced
Looks like the PlayStation 3 is getting a double dose of Final Fantasy next year, as Sony reveals a …
Fable III (Xbox 360, PC)
Another sign of the blurring lines between RPGs, shooters and action adventure games, Fable III puts the player on a path to rule Albion, doing good or doing not-so-good. The Xbox 360 version is Project Natal-infused and places a big emphasis on "touch," according to Lionhead Studios boss Peter Molyneux.
DC Universe Online (PS3, PC)
Sony Online Entertainment lets players play hero or villain in the DC universe, buddying up with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and other super friends for a chance to visit Gotham and Metropolis, then make a heroic name for yourself. It's one of a few PlayStation 3 MMOs in the works, so we hope SOE pulls it off.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Not much has been revealed about Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean action RPG, but the developers of Turok and Tron: Evolution, Propaganda Games, are on deck to bring the pirate's life to you.
Pirates Of The Caribbean Gets An "Action RPG"
Oh look. Another new product announcement just days before E3. In this instance, for a big, proper…
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (DS)
This Final Fantasy spin-off game is "a classic fantasy RPG using today's technology," according to the game's producer. Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light not only has the random encounters and turn-based gameplay you (might) love, it also has some gorgeous art direction.
The Best Video Game Costume & Character Design Of 2009
Not having played every game on every platform, I was hesitant to issue genre/platform awards for…
APB: All Points Bulletin (PC)
Role-play your way to criminal infamy or stop crime dead in its tracks with Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds' ambitious cops and robbers online game. Think of APB as the Grand Theft Auto MMO that hasn't been made yet and expect EA to ship the game not long after E3.
Valkyria Chronicles 2 (PSP)
Sega takes you to school with the sequel to the underrated PlayStation 3 military role-playing game Valkyria Chronicles. The second game in the series makes the shift to the PSP, adding new classes and skews a little younger.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC)
Get your medieval fantasy fix with CD Projekt RED's sequel, which promises to offer better quality, more maturity, the same titillating action, intense combat and an appearance at E3, thanks to publisher Atari.
There's A Secret Message In The Witcher 2 Trailer
Those sneaky developers at CD Projekt RED snuck a frame's worth of secret messages to their…
Pokemon Black/White (DS)
It's Pokemon. It's huge. And some Nintendo executive is sure to mention that the long-running monster collecting franchise is coming to the Nintendo DS.
The Last Story (Wii)
Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and his cohorts at Mistwalker will likely get a mention at this year's E3 for their fantasy role-playing game The Last Story. Given Nintendo's preference for showing off its RPGs well in advance, a look at The Last Story seems likely for E3.
What Is The Trend?
Variety. Every platform is represented, thanks to a broad range of games that run from the traditional, like Square Enix's Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and Dragon Quest IX, to the unconventional and inspired, like Deus Ex and Valkyria Chronicles 2. Defining what is and what isn't a role-playing game isn't as easy as it once was, thanks to every other genre borrowing its progression elements and character customization, and the genre responding in kind.
Recent from Michael McWhertor
Parachute Fights, Naked Henchmen and Getting 'Whored,' All in the First 17% of Saints Row: The Third
Saints Row: The Third Screen Shots
Seaward and Onward


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AppsGeyser Presents - Android App Store Comparison Chart
Online app tool provider AppsGeyser, has created an Android app store comparison chart to help support their clients' app publishing needs.
To market my app effectively and get my app seen I wanted to publish in a number of app stores. There are so many app stores I had no idea which was the best option for me until I saw this clear and easy to read comparison chart.
Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) November 19, 2012
AppsGeyser, the online provider of free app making tools understands that creating an app is only one part of the app making process. To continue to provide its clients with all the relevant tools to ensure an app is successful AppsGeyser has taken its services one step further. AppsGeyser is proud to introduce its Android app store comparison chart available for viewing on Appsgeyser Blog.
Google Play is not the only Android app store, in fact the Android app store market is extremely fragmented and knowing which app store to publish your app to can be confusing. The Android app store comparison chart highlights the pros and cons of each of the leading app stores enabling the app maker to make an informed decision as to where they will publish their app. Optimizing your app for any app store remains priority and should not be discarded because an app is being published to another app store.
"To market my app effectively and get my app seen I wanted to publish in a number of app stores" said app maker Neil Baring. "There are so many app stores I had no idea which was the best option for me until I saw this clear and easy to read comparison chart. Now I feel that I have the knowledge to make the right decision."
AppsGeyser Co-founder Vasily Salomatov, told us, "We continue to believe that providing tools to make apps is not where our service ends. We are committed to empowering our app makers with the relevant information to be able to make informed choices regarding all aspects of app making, publishing and marketing of their apps."
About AppsGeyser
AppsGeyser, launched in February 2011, is a fast growing Android app creation platform. AppsGeyser enables users to create apps for Android devices from any web content in under five minutes. AppsGeyser has seen more than 185,000 apps created on its platform. There have been more than 65 million downloads of its apps.
AppsGeyser


1. Floor and Ceiling Runners — (Not shown) — Channel-shaped runners, 3-5/8 in. wide by 1-5/8 in. deep, fabricated from No. 20 MSG (0.0329 in., min bare metal thickness) galv steel. Attached to floor and ceiling with fasteners.
2. Studs — Channel-shaped, 3-5/8 in. wide by 1-5/8 in. deep with 9/16 in. folded back return flange legs, fabricated from min No. 20 MSG (0.0329 in., min bare metal thickness) galv steel. Studs shall be designed in accordance with the current edition of the Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural members by the American Iron and Steel Institute. All design details enhancing the structural integrity of the wall assembly, including the axial design load of the studs, shall be as specified by the steel designer and/or producer and shall meet the requirements of all applicable local code agencies. Studs spaced 24 in. O. C. and secured to floor and ceiling runners with No. 8 by 1/2 in. long Type S-12 steel screws (one screw at each end on each side). Max load on studs not to exceed 70 percent of the max allowable axial load. Studs supplied with 2-1/4 by 1-1/2 in. cutouts punched in the web, spaced 48 in. O. C. to allow passage of lateral bracing (Item 3). Max height of studs is 10 ft.
3. Lateral Bracing — Channel-shaped, 1-1/2 in. wide by 9/16 in. deep, fabricated from No. 16 MSG galv steel. Secured to each steel stud (Item 2) with three No. 8 by 1/2 in. long wafer head steel screws and one clip angle (Item 4). One screw secured to clip angle and two screws secured to steel stud.
4. Clip Angles — 2 by 2 in. steel angles, 3-1/4 in. wide, fabricated from No. 20 MSG galv steel.
5. Batts and Blankets — Mineral wool batts, 3 in. thick, supplied in 24 by 48 in. sheets, friction fitted into stud cavities between lateral bracing. Mineral wool batts to have a nom density of 6.0 lb per cu ft.
6. Gypsum Board* — Any 5/8 in. thick UL Classified Gypsum Board that is eligible for use in Design Nos. L501, G512 or U305. Nom 5/8 in. thick, 4 ft wide by 10 ft long installed vertically. Base layer secured to steel studs and floor and ceiling runners with No. 10 by 1-1/4 in. long Type S-12 steel screws spaced 12 in. O. C. Face layer secured with No. 6 by 1-7/8 in. long Type S-12 steel screws spaced 12 in. O. C. and staggered 6 in. from base layer screws. Vertical joints of face layer offset 24 in. from base layer vertical joints.
6A. Gypsum Board* — (As an alternate to Item 6 through 6A) — Nominal 5/8 in. thick, 4 ft wide panels, applied vertically and secured as described in Item 6.
6B. Wall and Partition Facings and Accessories* — (As an alternate to Items 6 through 6A) — Nominal 5/8 in. thick, 4 ft wide panels, applied vertically and secured as described in Item 6.
6C. Gypsum Board* — (As an alternate to 5/8 in. Type FSW in Item 6) - Nom. 5/16 in. thick gypsum panels applied vertically. Two layers of 5/16 in. for every single layer of 5/8 in. gypsum board described in Item 6. Horizontal joints on the same side need not be staggered. Inner layer of each double 5/16 in. layer attached with fasteners, as described in item 6, spaced 24 in. OC. Outer layer of each double 5/16 in. layer attached per Item 6.
7. Mineral and Fiber Boards* — Nom 17 mm thick, 4 ft wide by 10 ft long, secured to steel studs and floor and ceiling runners with No. 10 by 1-1/2 in. long ribbed reamer tek screws spaced 12 in. O. C. Vertical joints offset 24 in. from vertical joints of base layer gypsum wallboard.
8. Joint Tape and Compound — (Not shown) — Vinyl-based powder or premixed joint compound and 2 in. wide paper tape. Compound applied in two coats to all screw heads and vertical joints of mineral and fiber boards and gypsum wallboard. Paper tape embedded in first layer of compound over face layer gypsum wallboard.


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Secret Love Affair - Finale - Ep 16
It's been a week since this episode aired, and it's taken me this long to be able to sit down and write about it. On first viewing, as the traumatic events unfolded and piled up, the disagreement, the prosecutor, the trial, the prison, I felt pretty sick inside. But as I rewatch today, I can see that it fits and that it's a good ending.
The drama is book-ended by mahjong. The group from episode one plays together again and Dean Min says, "Oh the luck isn't with me tonight." The Chairman replies," Where is luck, you just read the opponents wrong." Which is about as good a summary of the dean as you could want. Hye-won wins the game again saying, "I'd hate to die a dog's death," meaning a meaningless death. CEO Daughter says they thought Hye-won was a dog but she's a tiger.
Hye-won waits for Seon-jae outside his apartment. When he comes he is curt and tries again to get her to give up her schemes. She says she can win and he says she can't. Seon-jae texts Tone-deaf hyung to invite him to a quintet recital. Hye-won tells him to bring his goddess, but he says he doesn't want to talk about it. She looks disturbed. He didn't invite her.
20:22 - Dvorak's Piano Quintet No 2 in A Major. The quintet play their good-bye performance. They are all quitting school, including Seon-jae. Students crowd in to listen and are backed-up out into the hall.
Even though we don't see hands on the piano, his movements and expressions fit so well and are so good. After SLA ended I watched one and about a third episodes of Beethoven Virus just because it is about music, and couldn't stand it. Of course we know most shows have bad fake musicians and the reason we are watching this one is because of the piano playing in the preview, but SLA has really spoiled us and set the bar high.
Hye-won sits mulling things over at her desk, gets up and goes out. She barely opens Mme Han's office door, slides in, runs her hand over the big desk chair, then calls Mme Han to tell her the chairwoman's chair doesn't suit her very well. She goes home and wanders around alone, seeing Seon-jae everywhere: at the door when he first came to audition, at the piano, at the dining table. She knows Seon-jae is letting go and makes a decision.
She heads for the prosecutor's office, stopping off first at Seon-jae's to explain. She asks for tea and he has a new kind someone gave him. She explains what she's up to and comments she'll remember this moment with the tea. He tells her to remember it with her body and they kiss. The next thing you see is them sleeping, wrapped together with their heads and arms sticking out over the quilt.
At the prosecutor's office she hands over the red thumb drive, explaining that it contains Mme Han's files, those for the Chairman's money-laundering company, and the record of his payoffs to SIL Lawyer. She is giving the prosecutors enough evidence to put them in jail. Mme Han turns herself in because she doesn't like to get picked up by the cops. Ha. That means she has been picked up before.
45:18 - Chopin's Nocturne No. 1 Op. 62.
Prof. Jo plays this for Seon-jae, telling him to learn it and play it in competition. There is a small competition he can practice on before he goes to the big one in Italy. It will keep him busy and he can earn prize money.
In court Hye-won testifies that she did illegal things for money and prestige, but one day someone showing devotion to her by doing such a simple thing as wiping the floor for her to sit on made her realize what she had given up to get the things she had gained. This statement is kind of a surprise, because that scene was commented on a lot at the time. He was shown from behind. Everyone noticed his butt, and thought that's what she was thinking about. So humm. It didn't come across.
47:56 - Mozart's Rondo in A Minor - Seon-jae plays for Da-mi and Jang-ho, who were at court with him.
Interior of the cell block. Five women are sleeping on the floor of a cell. Hye-won is snoring so they hold her down and cut her hair as an initiation of sorts. She is taken aback but doesn't fight it. Her hair, which was once kept so smooth and under control, is now not only down but cut ragged. She has let go of her need to control and connive and is now taking life as it comes.
Seon-jae comes to visit. He is startled by her hair, but at her calm acceptance he puts on a good face and is cheerful for her. He has passed the Busoni finals, so it's been a little time. She says she is thankful to him for helping her to change her life, but he doesn't have to wait for her; he can forget her. He replies that after all they have been through, they should at least try to be together, whether it turns out to be one year or ten. Otherwise it would be a waste. And, he adds, she is a little pretty too.
1:05:54 - Mozart's Rondo in A Minor. Seon-jae starts every day playing this, with the handkerchief Hye-won gave him sitting on the piano.
The prison yard. She is sitting in the sunshine, by the chain-link fence. So different from all the dark and the shadows and the little bits of light peeking in through the blinds.Those perforated partitions we've been peering at her through all this time were a kind of jail bars, although she didn't realize it.
Seon-jae's apartment. Carrying a big backpack and pulling a small suitcase, he puts on his shoes by the door and says, "I'm going and I'll be back." He's on his way to the competition.
Hye-won sits by the fence again, enjoying the sun, looking out on the countryside, the distant mountains, and even the weeds. We remember Seon-jae saying he was like a weed and didn't need anything fancy. In a way, seeing out into the real world, she is free already.
This was a good show. It's so layered and rich and has so much going on. It fooled us in that instead of being a slightly racy story of a love affair with a little classical piano for bait, it turned out to be a story of redemption. A sophisticated woman mired in a dark world of graft becomes aware of what she has done to herself and turns towards the ray of light that is Seon-jae and his beautiful music. It would have been nice to see their reunion, but we know it is coming.
Thank you to the hard-working subbers at Viki, the people at Koala's Playground and others who did recaps, the SLA Jukebox people on Sikseekland, and the fans at Soompi who did analysis galore that enhanced so much the enjoyment of this drama.
Labels: kdrama, Kim Hee-ae, koalasplayground, Secret Love Affair, Soompi, Viki, Yoo Ah-in
Secret Love Affair - Along the Way - Ep 15
Secret Love Affair - Along the Way - Episode 14
Secret Love Affair - Along the Way - Ep. 13


I am passionate about promoting Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and creating an inclusive workplace and workforce. I currently work for St Mungo's and have been instrumental in building their EDI offering. St Mungo's is a multiple award-winning organisation for EDI practices and have won or been highly commended for Personnel Today, BITC, CIPD, Stonewall Top 50 and others awards.