News for today's 2018: August 2012

THE U.S. TURNS ITS BACK ON EUROPE,

5:28 PM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNRFyWFoaFZIxfjn4CRcO7p1GknaUatK-h_7wjQyjfRJukNLo1M187xgZIaLZWzVF2-jzkn377fHrCDXVxwU9TKHEOJQCSxyalOL8FTbvr6EL5a515fLI9G_huhLYLicXiCA3QlNzFHYK/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNRFyWFoaFZIxfjn4CRcO7p1GknaUatK-h_7wjQyjfRJukNLo1M187xgZIaLZWzVF2-jzkn377fHrCDXVxwU9TKHEOJQCSxyalOL8FTbvr6EL5a515fLI9G_huhLYLicXiCA3QlNzFHYK/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ALLOWING RUSSIA AND CHINA TO APPROACH</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">EUROPE is at a pivotal point. Or, rather, it is at a point where its structural transformation can no longer be ignored. <br /><br />Events in EUROPE have finally led us to the dénouement of the 20th Century. It may presage a new EUROPE tied more firmly into the EURASIAN heartland than old EUROPE. It is the end — ’though not without economic, social, and political pain — of the 20th Century form of ATLANTICISM. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">US EASTWARD FOCUSES</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgOf0YpF9dCfaS2viW9IqedF2S6hIyGQvRPLmLB6L8Gl4YqnUtRz_TxYneYFUIRN2I07H6rZVI-mjWSkqWhGAjr6nx5Rv3M0l_4a-tN0HKyZCIGPNJ0gP5ISb4GHhsnLQAL6pdQrwRe5Z/s1600/250px-United_States_Pacific_Command.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgOf0YpF9dCfaS2viW9IqedF2S6hIyGQvRPLmLB6L8Gl4YqnUtRz_TxYneYFUIRN2I07H6rZVI-mjWSkqWhGAjr6nx5Rv3M0l_4a-tN0HKyZCIGPNJ0gP5ISb4GHhsnLQAL6pdQrwRe5Z/s320/250px-United_States_Pacific_Command.png" width="316" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Similarly, the UNITED STATES and much of the WEST is at a pivotal point, except that — by almost all public reaction — this reality can be, and is being, ignored. Within the morphing of the US, as it sidesteps the question of its own strategic pivot (and the signs of its own strategic mortality), Washington has — like EUROPE — walked away from the 20th Century form of ATLANTICISM, in favour of a PACIFIC orientation (but a PACIFIC orientation which continues to remain ignorant of the reality that it is the INDIAN OCEAN which is the dynamic). <br /><br />The Presidential elections in FRANCE on May 6, 2012, and Parliamentary elections in GREECE on the same day — each overturning the status quo — brought some aspects of the EUROPEAN “crisis” back into international debate. <br /><br /><b style="color: red;">THERE IS AS YET NO REVOLUTION IN EUROPE, OR THE US</b><span style="color: red;">, </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">or elsewhere in the greater WEST, which will see massive transformation from one day to the next. The process of change is more gradual; more evolutionary than revolutionary. It is nonetheless profound. The election of a doctrinaire socialist, <b>François Holland</b>, to the French Presidency will not appear at first to yield dramatic change. Neither did the election of a doctrinaire socialist to the US Presidency when <b>Barack Obama</b> took office. And <b>Holland </b>knows that, however much he wishes to appease his electorate by offering to extend the benefits of government employment, he has little room for manoeuvre within the GERMAN-dominated EUROZONE. If anything, the removal of <b>Nicolas Sarkozy</b> as FRENCH President places GERMANY even more at the centre, and in control, of EUROPEAN continental power. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">EUROPE HAS BECOME GERMANY</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMehtcO38IejYZVI9_y7SvobgvQ4CgtG975rrZvwNqFws1itNayzF8Yd4-i54VrVWmXpGZvN-arUaEtfM2iFYsTr23Mc44eXDpL3NXDMXjI7ZCGhLMR0tz8SU8RBQNh2iDKBsZUEWHOM_c/s1600/German2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMehtcO38IejYZVI9_y7SvobgvQ4CgtG975rrZvwNqFws1itNayzF8Yd4-i54VrVWmXpGZvN-arUaEtfM2iFYsTr23Mc44eXDpL3NXDMXjI7ZCGhLMR0tz8SU8RBQNh2iDKBsZUEWHOM_c/s320/German2.gif" width="310" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Arguably, now, more than ever, the EUROPEAN UNION is GERMANY. And GERMANY, which wishes this outcome above all else because it sees it as an alternative to a fratricidal, war-torn EUROPE, then has to accept that a high level of structural inefficiencies in most EUROZONE member states degrades the average economic performance of the whole. <b>Even so, it gives GERMANY, essentially, a massive market and manpower base. </b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzT7QvBR0vDSIK2UEe1qEVY1f4bBUqPk_UVqtrD7eaUercDTYiE9SEC6VUx_S7ztjdTg5B8DsEOYV0CTFEhYUTu-a6IfrXhEHbsNR7d3lzOt2z6eGkrsX9_CRE8UqzWkUKbd-BRcUzwEUT/s1600/word_document_73539372_canonical_25af175517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzT7QvBR0vDSIK2UEe1qEVY1f4bBUqPk_UVqtrD7eaUercDTYiE9SEC6VUx_S7ztjdTg5B8DsEOYV0CTFEhYUTu-a6IfrXhEHbsNR7d3lzOt2z6eGkrsX9_CRE8UqzWkUKbd-BRcUzwEUT/s1600/word_document_73539372_canonical_25af175517.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhat exaggerated US views on Germany "dominance" in Europe </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><b></b>So now, whatever <b>Holland</b> might do to cause FRANCE to retreat somewhat from EUROZONE diktat, EUROPE has become GERMANY. How long it remains thus is still open to question. <br /><br />This structural shift, with CONTINENTAL EUROPE turning EASTWARD and the US turning Westward (with both actually gazing across the world to EAST ASIA), has some interesting ramifications for the continued viability of 20th Century alliances and even terms such as “WESTERNISM” and “EASTERN- ISM”. North Atlantic states, such as the UNITED KINGDOM and, to a degree, CANADA, and some of those EUROPEAN littoral states clinging to “WESTERNISM”, will need to look to their futures and decide how to ensure them. The UK, already facing a breakdown in internal sovereignty or cohesion as a unitary state, will have to consider whether it wishes to once again become a major state in its own right (and therefore resist the fissiparous tendencies of the Celts), or whether it will be content to be essentially a city-state built around the markets of London. [<b>The Scottish local council elections, giving great impetus to the secessionist Scottish National Party, on May 3, 2012, were a significant indicator of the UK’s coming difficulties.</b>] </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">US HAS WALKED AWAY FROM WESTERN EUROPE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /><br />What is clear is that the present Government of the US has walked away from WESTERN EUROPE, and the GERMAN-led EUROZONE now turns its attentions toward its major trading partners across the continent: the RUSSIAN FEDERATION, with its control of oil and gas; and the PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (PRC), with its markets. <b>Clearly, if history is any guide, RUSSIA and the PRC will ultimately come to compete with GERMANY’S manufacturing. Eventually, restiveness within EUROPE — by such as the GREEKS, ITALIANS, and other “MEDITERRANEE” — may stir rebellion against Berlin. But for the time being GERMAN-led EUROPE is looking EAST, and RUSSIA and the PRC are happy to oblige. <br /></b><br /><b style="color: red;">WASHINGTON, MEANWHILE, PLAYS WITH NEW CLOTHES FOR WHAT IT STILL SUPPOSES TO BE ITS QUIESCENT PET, TURKEY</b><span style="color: red;">, </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-gK4mnsM6CAGM_zwSe0eA_seh8Tt1GN2NLymgKkRJQ9m0da3U6JkkFel0blRzZQDNpONzqwqDG-oqSIeOLZVl227D_TCdtYNBNxXwFEZhGOl-PtuLS-y0toFwk-fvv6DaV_lk9_H7YdO/s1600/OB-RL765_Obama__G_20120120122842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-gK4mnsM6CAGM_zwSe0eA_seh8Tt1GN2NLymgKkRJQ9m0da3U6JkkFel0blRzZQDNpONzqwqDG-oqSIeOLZVl227D_TCdtYNBNxXwFEZhGOl-PtuLS-y0toFwk-fvv6DaV_lk9_H7YdO/s400/OB-RL765_Obama__G_20120120122842.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">failing to recognize that TURKEY is neither stable nor obedient to the US. Nor will it, or can it, give Washington what it desires in the MIDDLE EAST or the <b>Muslim</b>world. When the Balfour Declaration was announced in 1919, one European Jew was heard to remark to another: “<b>If Britain wanted to give us a land it did not own, why didn’t it give us SWITZERLAND</b>?” Similarly, Ankara cannot give Washington — even if it wished — something it doesn’t own: the ARAB WORLD, the MAGHREB, or CENTRAL ASIA. So Washington toys with Ankara, and fawns to the radical <b>Islamist Muslim Brothers</b> (the Ikhwan), deceiving itself into believing itself still to be a player, if it ever was, in “<b>the Great Game</b>”. <br /><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">GERMANY AND RUSSIA HAD THE BENEFIT OF “RISING FROM THE ASHES”</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br />In all of this, RUSSIA, once again with Vladimir Putin in the Presidency as of May 6, 2012, has some advantages. RUSSIA was able to begin building a new state when the USSR collapsed to rubble in 1990. It could reinvent itself, and is now pushing to reinvigorate its manufacturing sector, so that it is not merely a font of oil and gas for WESTERN EUROPE. GERMANY’S success post-World War II was also that it could rise from the ashes, unencumbered by the bureaucratic sclerosis of the past. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Why should AUSTRALIA, once a great manufacturing nation, not resume such a direction, instead of descending to become a Third World source of raw materials for the PRC? Because, as with much of EUROPE and the US, AUSTRALIA lacked the <b>great blessing of a traumatic collapse, </b>and government spending, rather than the stimulation of private investment, remains the focus. (Just as it is the case currently in ARGENTINA)<br /><br />But the frustrations of societies mount in EUROPE and the US, over bureaucracies which rule undemocratically, and which extort “electorates” to pay for governmental gluttony. In ITALY, indeed, they wonder why the world has ignored the coup which replaced their elected government, and which threatens to drive away all investment and prosperity.<br /><br />This is a new world.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">By. Gregory R. Copley</span></span></span></div>

THE U.S. TURNS ITS BACK ON EUROPE,

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Library Assistant - Booth & Dimock Memorial Library

12:56 PM Anonymous 0

Library Assistant - Booth & Dimock Memorial Library

Library Assistant - Booth & Dimock Memorial Library in Coventry has an immediate opening for an energetic, creative Library Assistant to work part-time (20 hours per week) in Teen Services. Primary responsibilities will include conducting and plann…

Cowboy Spaghetti & Weekend Plans

12:23 PM Tukiyooo 0

On the dinner menu this week was, quite frankly, a ton of pasta.  It started off with Cowboy Spaghetti, followed by penne with homemade meatballs, and we rounded it all out last night with Joel's favorite, <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/204702745533861060/" target="_blank">Million Dollar Spaghetti</a>.  <br /><br />But please allow me to share this recipe for the Cowboy Spaghetti.  I borrowed this meal from the <a href="http://www.marlenekoch.com/books/eat-what-you-love/" target="_blank">Eat What You Love</a> cookbook.  This was different from traditional spaghetti in that it combined 3 different meats (beef, turkey and bacon) and was topped off with cheddar cheese, instead of the traditional grated Parmesan.  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctzzzglrVr3L_BpnAGVQDABQHvINAoMH8kWL7JSlofL9RhYeMtmj_xYwNH4Y7qHATaf4GGREd-_qVhVTc0E7jSeh8g3Fg7BvL-zUBdGKvdnlQx4UjicyLpeD6rwrNJA6ZHXZzKx5tud8/s1600/eatwhatyoulove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctzzzglrVr3L_BpnAGVQDABQHvINAoMH8kWL7JSlofL9RhYeMtmj_xYwNH4Y7qHATaf4GGREd-_qVhVTc0E7jSeh8g3Fg7BvL-zUBdGKvdnlQx4UjicyLpeD6rwrNJA6ZHXZzKx5tud8/s320/eatwhatyoulove.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><br />I had never heard of this version of pasta prior to making it but after soliciting feedback on Facebook, <a href="http://www.nothankstocake.com/" target="_blank">Kelly</a> confirmed that she had!  As it turns out, a quick Google search proved that other versions exist out there too, including a <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/cowboy-spaghetti-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">5 star version</a> by Rachael Ray (her version has 298 reviews!).  If you click over, you'll see that the ingredients in her recipe are practically the same as this one I'm about to share!<br /><br /><br /><b>Cowboy Spaghetti</b> - <i>4 PointsPlus (for the sauce only)</i><br /><br /><i>Ingredients:</i><br /><ul><li>3 slices center-cut bacon, chopped</li><li>1 medium onion, chopped</li><li>1 medium green bell pepper, chopped</li><li>3-4 garlic cloves, minced</li><li>2 tsp dried oregano</li><li>1/2 lbs lean ground beef</li><li>1/2 pound lean ground turkey</li><li>1/8 tsp black pepper</li><li>1 tsp hot sauce (like Tabasco)</li><li>2 tsp Worcestershire sauce</li><li>1 (14 oz) can fire-roasted chopped tomatoes</li><li>1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce</li><li>3/4 cup (3 oz) reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese</li></ul><i>Directions:</i><br /><ol><li>Start by cooking your<a href="http://pasta-products-ronzonismarttaste.newworldpasta.com/Thin-Spaghetti-ZX0071300050016ZX2" target="_blank"> pasta of choice</a> according to the package directions while preparing the sauce.  Set aside when done.</li><li>Add the bacon to a large saute pan over medium-high heat and cook 5-6 minutes, or until slightly crispy.  Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and oregano and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until veggies are slightly softened.  Add the ground beef and turkey.  Break apart the meat as it cooks for 5-7 minutes, or until browned.</li><li> Add the black pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire, chopped tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Stir and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.</li><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IpnQbauO30pLN0esxFauEzwXKxiUs4nWjR9lmFp-UEe7Dee7mOS2l_jXo-95xDNmF_WTTeDUL3hIz1YMQS_2Ms_Bjvy9VqgpJIajQcbxrFpGvB_nBV-B2tZ7q1ogXJf0pBwSlMpwGc0/s1600/Camping+&+VA+Beach+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IpnQbauO30pLN0esxFauEzwXKxiUs4nWjR9lmFp-UEe7Dee7mOS2l_jXo-95xDNmF_WTTeDUL3hIz1YMQS_2Ms_Bjvy9VqgpJIajQcbxrFpGvB_nBV-B2tZ7q1ogXJf0pBwSlMpwGc0/s400/Camping+&+VA+Beach+014.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><br /><li>Serve the hot pasta topped with 1/2 cup of the cowboy sauce and shredded cheese.</li></ol><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTPYcyZeocKNRj4PK8fzvAHzEHeT_-MJYVyvR-E-opgS71vCa0QkjYIRDc4ah9HKMn8M-IvVKdv8EOpaeRfWs4Jiadhy4rR9V4SLieiEgaC37ejGtw45B4PQ0xAdgdHPOsoPNtWG4nUU/s1600/cowboy+spaghetti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTPYcyZeocKNRj4PK8fzvAHzEHeT_-MJYVyvR-E-opgS71vCa0QkjYIRDc4ah9HKMn8M-IvVKdv8EOpaeRfWs4Jiadhy4rR9V4SLieiEgaC37ejGtw45B4PQ0xAdgdHPOsoPNtWG4nUU/s320/cowboy+spaghetti.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="color: #674ea7; text-align: center;">*************************</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This weekend I'll be hitting the books and studying all there is to know about human anatomy and physiology.  In case you're new around here, I'm working on a second degree - I want to become a nurse!  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbRvLh0hN9ZEIKONGNi02E79fIc7QIBMuLnDaxixAKuJQ2W2KhhK7Mzi6abTJ7b6XuFoCuQSVx1xBXmAfuWbrDxDwiuepkVVajdnbRpSRIDrqrOapBQ3LAK0bKpCOUGOEiOjU5VMZ0E8/s1600/textbooks+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbRvLh0hN9ZEIKONGNi02E79fIc7QIBMuLnDaxixAKuJQ2W2KhhK7Mzi6abTJ7b6XuFoCuQSVx1xBXmAfuWbrDxDwiuepkVVajdnbRpSRIDrqrOapBQ3LAK0bKpCOUGOEiOjU5VMZ0E8/s400/textbooks+001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That's right - 4 textbooks for one measly class!  Other than studying, I may have a little shopping trip break to TJ Maxx and/or Lane Bryant.  Apparently LB is having major sales this weekend. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm setting myself up for a fantastic, on plan weekend.  I've already completed 1 of my workouts for the week and I'm feeling very focused and motivated.  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's to maintaining a positive, on plan and productive weekend! </div>

3 Ways to Give Yourself a Lift

4:06 AM Tukiyooo 0

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTxDDBuuzStSRBR1YA-4x4s2ICUEaP9S8Xyql11VYnhlTsKsh6KGL_989dMpur0w08yOfkb8z_BJeiDOv5Di6x49Mur-kpWabMPHCcapoPYH77Q4mgT-tW6DROdjYh9H4L6iTHDtV2p_Y/s1600/bigstock-Teacher-And-Students-In-Art-Cl-3917340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTxDDBuuzStSRBR1YA-4x4s2ICUEaP9S8Xyql11VYnhlTsKsh6KGL_989dMpur0w08yOfkb8z_BJeiDOv5Di6x49Mur-kpWabMPHCcapoPYH77Q4mgT-tW6DROdjYh9H4L6iTHDtV2p_Y/s320/bigstock-Teacher-And-Students-In-Art-Cl-3917340.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband says teachers are paratroopers, we're sent<br />in and are surrounded. It is so true. Photo credit: <a href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-3917340/stock-photo-teacher-and-students-in-art-class" target="_blank">BigStock</a></td></tr></tbody></table>At 6pm I was completely and utterly oblivious to the world. Asleep. I woke up this morning at 4:30 am still tired. Yesterday I was trying to explain the difference between the business world and teaching to a friend and the best way I can explain it is this.<br /><br />Teaching is like living at a conference. You're on the trade show talking to people every day for at least 5 hours - as well as teaching classes about how to do things.<br /><br />But imagine this, during your lunch, the conventioneers often liked to hit, tease, and poke each other, so you have to eat quickly in a place where you can see them. Then, when you do get time to yourself, it is in an office where people come in and out borrowing tape, scissors, and asking questions. Finally, when the convention is over, two or three hours later, you will be alone only to have a random person come in and want to talk for an hour about whatever because they are tired.<br /><br />I often miss the times at Cellular One when I could close my door and get something done.<br /><br /><h2>Time Poor, Legacy Rich</h2>Time poverty is a fact of life in teaching. It is what we live every day and it often takes its toll.<br /><br />Teacher, I want you to hear me (and I"m also speaking to myself):<br /><br /><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>You can't pour water out of an empty pitcher.</b></span><br /><br />I've been trying to get my feet under me since school started and am not quite there yet. Personally, I try to be careful when I blog and am over tired because it will often come out a tad on the negative side. I love teaching and love my students OR I WOULDN'T DO IT. Having quotas and managing a staff was much easier, as hard as that was. But I get the chance to make a difference in the lives of my precious students. I get to cry with parents and celebrate with kids who've done something cool. They come in my room dressed as squires and monks to show off their attire before heading into AP lit to present for Canterbury tales. I get to laugh (a lot) but also help them stay on track for where they need to go in their lives.<br /><br />These children will scatter through the world like dandelion seeds in just a few years, but I will have been one of the few people who got to see them work together.<br /><br />Teaching is a joy. I just want to tell those of you EXHAUSTED from the beginning of school that things will settle down. The drama will subside. The exhaustion will lessen. Take some time to rest over the long weekend (if you're in the US) and know that you can and will make it.<br /><br />I'm doing a few things to help my mood and energy level that may help you:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJulzHwJ0G1h5Cj7e2EVs_1-pV6mhSYVIKONeq0Gmb-DLUDfrnr56sD7S_ETQ8xMpTEfDmBJ0Xh8OnNFJ9xiEXOj5bLodS8EpyDGAHU4tmumySsLdas1JL9TfFK7hjx5tLAxq1HIKQoBhi/s1600/guide2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJulzHwJ0G1h5Cj7e2EVs_1-pV6mhSYVIKONeq0Gmb-DLUDfrnr56sD7S_ETQ8xMpTEfDmBJ0Xh8OnNFJ9xiEXOj5bLodS8EpyDGAHU4tmumySsLdas1JL9TfFK7hjx5tLAxq1HIKQoBhi/s1600/guide2.png" /></a></div><h2>1. Get a lift - <a href="http://lift.do/">http://lift.do/</a></h2>There's a new LIFT app that focuses on habits. I've taken my most important habits and put them in there. You can find friends and give them props when they do certain things. This is a great way to encourage each other.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5DkqMzWDxT01WXTaF7-R7NBIXok5NocbgCYoHpdnQO36W3knVSID0SUTOa67Ij9W-EzQLDTGBIVXCHP9kPDzCeB8z4zj8_5mHGjeyD5rILyfahcsTlI9VBrjyxfS4l-Ai7LwKjUybmDI/s1600/bigstock-Journal-10920269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5DkqMzWDxT01WXTaF7-R7NBIXok5NocbgCYoHpdnQO36W3knVSID0SUTOa67Ij9W-EzQLDTGBIVXCHP9kPDzCeB8z4zj8_5mHGjeyD5rILyfahcsTlI9VBrjyxfS4l-Ai7LwKjUybmDI/s320/bigstock-Journal-10920269.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Write down 5 things you are thankful for once a week to experience<br />major improvements in  your life. The attitude of gratitude works.<br />Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-10920269/stock-photo-journal" target="_blank">Bigstock</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2>2. Start a gratitude journal</h2><div>A study <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/science/a-serving-of-gratitude-brings-healthy-dividends.html" target="_blank">quoted in the New York Times</a> last November has studied with me. People were asked to write one sentence about five things they were grateful for once a week.  The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/science/a-serving-of-gratitude-brings-healthy-dividends.html" target="_blank">article says</a>:</div><div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"The gratitude journal was brief — just one sentence for each of the five things — and done only once a week, but after two months there were significant effects. Compared with a control group, the people keeping the gratitude journal were more optimistic and felt happier. They reported fewer physical problems and spent more time working out. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Further benefits were observed in a study of polio survivors and other people with neuromuscular problems. The ones who kept a gratitude journal reported feeling happier and more optimistic than those in a control group, and these reports were corroborated by observations from their spouses. These grateful people also fell asleep more quickly at night, slept longer and woke up feeling more refreshed."</blockquote></div><br />This is going in my "Lift" today!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBTnHTBIyCivckfNC0pGyIu-hi47TcmGNURJP4TvpX-HBcTW8wdEzW3WPG3_jpzPaoGOahRqhg3Fj7nb_cw4y2u5cQDAXSmjs9fwANxxr9odgNKBCIo63-f7I54hcJvkXqSvx2KxY-EEw/s1600/bigstock-honey-lemon-and-a-cup-of-tea--31917989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBTnHTBIyCivckfNC0pGyIu-hi47TcmGNURJP4TvpX-HBcTW8wdEzW3WPG3_jpzPaoGOahRqhg3Fj7nb_cw4y2u5cQDAXSmjs9fwANxxr9odgNKBCIo63-f7I54hcJvkXqSvx2KxY-EEw/s320/bigstock-honey-lemon-and-a-cup-of-tea--31917989.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindness makes life sweet. Bitterness repels.<br />Take time to be kind and you'll attract good things like honey.<br />PHoto credit: <a href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-10920269/stock-photo-journal" target="_blank">Big Stock</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2>3. Make kindness a habit.</h2>Try to find people who don't get told "thank you" enough and stop - look them in the eye- and give them a sincere "thank you." Give others credit. Grab a soda and put a sticky note on it while sliding it on the desk of someone who loves that particular drink.<br /><br />Our PTO has asked each teacher to fill out a list of likes and has put the binder in the office and asked parents to come look at the book and be randomly kind to teachers if they want to give encouragement. The fact the book exists at all makes me feel appreciated and loved by our PTO.<br /><br />What if you kept your own kindness binder and had kids put things they like in it? It might seem like a challenge but you could ask them to share with them the free things that you love it when a teacher does that make you feel important.<br /><br />Life is sweeter served with honey.<br /><br /><h2>In Conclusion</h2>I'm writing this to you from the struggle. I'm not rested and happy in a quiet office all day but shouldering one of the heaviest work loads I've ever had in my 11 years of teaching. I live the struggle daily. My students are worth it.<br /><br />You can get bitter or you can get better. Only two choices.<br /><br />Fill your pitcher with laughter, rest, and time outdoors. I've often found that television is not as rejuvenating as a good book, a nap, or heading out to the farm for a ride through the woods.<br /><br />You are a product of your habits. The things you do every day make you who you are today. You can start a new habit today - every habit has a day 1. Let's put habits in place unique to us as teachers to help replenish the empty pitchers and serve well. WE have a tough job, but we have a noble job.<br /><br />I just want to tell you, teachers, that I am proud to be among you. You are the greatest profession and noble men and women in a society that doesn't appreciate you enough. It is time we appreciate one another and encourage one another and it starts with me.<br /><br />If you feel you have nothing to say, it might just mean more coming from a teacher in the struggle than staying quiet because you don't feel so great. This blog post was written on one such  a day.<br /><br />Have a great day, my friends. Be noble. Get rested. And WOW those kids. You're not here just to teacher, you're here to change their lives!<br /><br /><br />Note: All photos used via <a href="http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-10920269/stock-photo-journal" target="_blank">Big Stock license</a>, you do not have permission to reuse these photos unless you secure your own license.

3 Ways to Give Yourself a Lift

My husband says teachers are paratroopers, we're sentin and are surrounded. It is so true. Photo credit: BigStockAt 6pm I was completely and utterly oblivious to the world. Asleep. I woke up this morning at 4:30 am still tired. Yesterday I was trying…

Sweden, Switzerland cement Gripen pact

4:04 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWQF0hJp_WzFHK9qNLqXWIk9VUlVUbPPaqpbktGweB0fev5066tIlFguzE5ysHSN2WYRjyelIArtctQaa7eNXaQB__V3ti_aD_1aUlA-Pyw1MUvJFO7m7YKfykvY-nlpug3dAVXpPwKCx/s1600/AIR_JAS-39D_Gripen_Rotated_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWQF0hJp_WzFHK9qNLqXWIk9VUlVUbPPaqpbktGweB0fev5066tIlFguzE5ysHSN2WYRjyelIArtctQaa7eNXaQB__V3ti_aD_1aUlA-Pyw1MUvJFO7m7YKfykvY-nlpug3dAVXpPwKCx/s400/AIR_JAS-39D_Gripen_Rotated_lg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saab Gripen</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Craig Hoyle via Flight International</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Food for thought for AUSTRIA, who had been a loyal Saab customer for years and then, for political reasons, sided for the more expensive Eurofighter, despite the fact that the Austrian Army’s infrastructure was cemented around the Saab aircraft and weapon platforms. Austria had been using Saab military aircraft since the creation of the Austrian Armed Forces. ( <span style="font-size: small;">Austria does not have a Air Force per say, but rather an Army Air Cor</span>.)</span></i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background Info</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: <a href="http://forum.keypublishing.com/archive/index.php?t-2944.html">http://forum.keypublishing.com/archive/index.php?t-2944.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Swedish and Swiss governments have signed a framework agreement to cooperate on the Saab Gripen E/F, with their air forces to potentially acquire up to a combined 82 of the new-generation combat aircraft.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Signed in late August, the pact is the result of discussions conducted between the nations since Switzerland selected the Gripen E/F last November for a planned 22-aircraft deal to replace its <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Northrop%20F-5.html">Northrop F-5</a> fighters.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Reaffirming its commitment in a 28 August report, the Swiss defence ministry outlined a plan to allocate an initial Swfr300 million ($314 million) to the acquisition in 2014, as part of a fixed-price deal worth Swfr3.1 billion. Bern expects to sign a contract with Sweden late next year, or by mid-2014 should it be required to hold a public referendum over the purchase.</span></span></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 445px;"> <tbody><tr>  <td style="padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td> </tr><tr>  <td style="padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">If a deal is approved, the Swiss air force will receive its first 11 E-model fighters and F-model trainers between mid-2018 and 2019, with the remainder to follow within the next two years. Its aircraft would be capable of performing air-to-air, air-to-surface and reconnaissance tasks, the defence ministry says.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Switzerland's introduction of the aircraft could also be preceded by a proposed five-year lease deal for eight Gripen Cs and three Gripen Ds, which would be made available by Sweden for an annual cost of Swfr44 million between 2016 and 2020.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Swedish government has, meanwhile, proposed including the acquisition of between 40 and 60 new Gripens in its Budget 2013 process, which will be launched on 20 September. The move would be supported in part by a suggested overall SKr2 billion ($300 million) increase in defence spending to be implemented over the next 10 years, it says.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Saab has already submitted a tender to Stockholm for the planned E/F deal, under which deliveries would commence with a first batch of three aircraft to be handed over in the second quarter of 2018, followed by five more fighters by 2020. The Swedish parliament will later this year debate the proposal, which the government says is necessary for the nation's defence capability, "but also positive for Swedish jobs, exports and research and development".</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Flightglobal's MiliCAS database records the Swedish air force as operating a fleet of 180 JAS 39 Gripens, including almost 80 C/D-model examples. The service is expected to continue operating the type until beyond 2040.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Saab launched development activities on the then A/B-standard Gripen in 1982. Key aspects of the E/F variant include extended-range performance and supercruise capability, plus the introduction of an active electronically scanned array radar and MBDA Meteor beyond visual-range air-to-air missiles.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

Sweden, Switzerland cement Gripen pact

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guest post - tiffany leigh interior design

4:00 AM Anonymous 0

<div style="text-align: center;">Hello LBD fans, I'm Tiffany and I blog over at <a href="http://tiffanyleighinteriordesign.blogspot.ca/" style="color: #8e7cc3;">Tiffany Leigh Interior Design</a> about my decor inspiration and my studies in interior design school!<br /><br />I'm thrilled that Elizabeth invited me over today while she is away on vacation (lucky lady).<br /><br /><br /><br />Fall fashion this year is calling for lots of army greens and camo wear.<br /><br />Often we see fashion creep into decor, but this one might be a bit trickier. Too much and it could start to look too masculine, or worse...themey.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUgiIymXcoFmgcAHfyHCrrWkXa8Mk6Ls8eUOQY5fhGCGEV7dcB12puEIS549JHFUiOz3TGTSncXYgRpp224-o142uK2RFxN35-Kbn4AJsGsp57nA41R3NC-wvDC_TNYWau1OYHGbbyCUv/s1600/camo+pants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUgiIymXcoFmgcAHfyHCrrWkXa8Mk6Ls8eUOQY5fhGCGEV7dcB12puEIS549JHFUiOz3TGTSncXYgRpp224-o142uK2RFxN35-Kbn4AJsGsp57nA41R3NC-wvDC_TNYWau1OYHGbbyCUv/s1600/camo+pants.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/44543483784751428/">via pinterest</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The key to getting this look right in fashion is to keep it a little edgy (notice the leather jacket), mostly neutral (the hat) and add in some feminine touches (the gold nails and black pumps!).<br /><br /><br /><br />With this in mind, I've gathered some pieces to show you how to translate this fashion trend into timeless home decor:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYN4zFlY8yN1FZ7b8nELsmGyhIOnDVoqwzUVIAGjItgdgpB2LyyWTF8aIKeCINwyse_iXjwiplQc7cBBMrXYa6aiXVC0_AP8Ftf9hnksA08qjXmEmqXvwnNa2PBCkUgih_K_CfRt2qtNfv/s1600/get+the+army+look.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYN4zFlY8yN1FZ7b8nELsmGyhIOnDVoqwzUVIAGjItgdgpB2LyyWTF8aIKeCINwyse_iXjwiplQc7cBBMrXYa6aiXVC0_AP8Ftf9hnksA08qjXmEmqXvwnNa2PBCkUgih_K_CfRt2qtNfv/s1600/get+the+army+look.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><a href="http://www.wayfair.com/Kevin-OBrien-Studio-Deer-Decorative-Pillow-in-Twilight-DEE1420-TWI-OVB1043.html"> 1 </a>/ <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/102751397/abstract-art-painting-black-white?ref=sr_gallery_30&ga_includes[0]=tags&ga_search_query=black+abstract+art&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=black+abstract+art&ga_includes[]=tags&ga_view_type=gallery#">2 </a>/ <a href="http://www.sundancecatalog.com/product/code/44321.do">3</a> / <a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/5952353/?catalogId=56&bnrid=3917995&cm_ven=AfCmtyCont&cm_cat=CmtyContOth&cm_pla=GAN&cm_ite=Std">4</a> / <a href="http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19167&catalog=filter&menuCatalog=room&menuCategory=201&menuSubcategory=198#">5</a> / <a href="http://wellappointedhouse.com/Products/157951-the-well-appointed-house-antique-gold-drum-garden-stool.aspx?clickid=0004c7e10ae936460a2a06129e0052ef">6</a> / <a href="http://www.stephenkenn.com/#">7</a> / <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy_willow">8</a> / <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/93696851/two-gold-brown-olive-green-gray-black">9</a> / <a href="https://www.tonicliving.com/productsDetails.asp?categoryid=87&productid=1062&currentpage=2&onsale=0">10</a><br /><br /><br /><br />The main army piece in this room is the chair:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OJfZf_gNVr3OkIBwvLtth1jeiiuNu3ROeJVv6wr46Z1PIPNvC71ExwSZ0KX86RIKougNryTezEg57FRNCm-BkpSFS8Kw_TGPkzwnzsLVzZDGFnLbl4-9mKgZ2Im235FLa0LOI_ygkxma/s1600/army+chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OJfZf_gNVr3OkIBwvLtth1jeiiuNu3ROeJVv6wr46Z1PIPNvC71ExwSZ0KX86RIKougNryTezEg57FRNCm-BkpSFS8Kw_TGPkzwnzsLVzZDGFnLbl4-9mKgZ2Im235FLa0LOI_ygkxma/s1600/army+chair.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stephenkenn.com/#">via Stephen Kenn</a></td></tr></tbody></table>It's actually constructed from genuine repurposed WWII military fabric. How cool is that? A conversation piece with a sense of history. It works because the khaki green colour is a classic neutral.<br /><br />The floral pillow uses the same colours as camo and the deer head pillow creates a slight hunting feel.<br /><br />The silver tray, bronze garden stool and blue sofa help to break up the army motif and add contrast.<br /><br /><br /><br />Let's see how this motif has been used by others:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYS7zsThhvaOC7MGUpFFGElnYiHZM8HOQ_5pi4r-Yk8pM0_u-M2HPKyxHOcp4fE3t75ZoSG9jA8iKHcEzfbvKVLWUOeCGGBvp8FCZhOrL8kBkyr0j0yy5MAEjv08b_apBssEyhLNbySUn/s1600/army+wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYS7zsThhvaOC7MGUpFFGElnYiHZM8HOQ_5pi4r-Yk8pM0_u-M2HPKyxHOcp4fE3t75ZoSG9jA8iKHcEzfbvKVLWUOeCGGBvp8FCZhOrL8kBkyr0j0yy5MAEjv08b_apBssEyhLNbySUn/s1600/army+wallpaper.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.housingtouri.com/modern-baby-room-plans-wide-with-new-concept/">via</a></td></tr></tbody></table>^ A subtle and abstract camouflage wallpaper used in a nursery!<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfne-Z3_mvVpFZrmiyJJbPOQI_zW3BTSxKsVafMIPmoAWI1mcq4O89obmRw-wDnGi8odbhqmLTiz0OuOKYeTdY7XKrc32erzVg6Xcl0k5jC-wCQnT9U4TbQbSncoU-DdAHMsg245aKgA-/s1600/sarahs-boys-bedroom1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfne-Z3_mvVpFZrmiyJJbPOQI_zW3BTSxKsVafMIPmoAWI1mcq4O89obmRw-wDnGi8odbhqmLTiz0OuOKYeTdY7XKrc32erzVg6Xcl0k5jC-wCQnT9U4TbQbSncoU-DdAHMsg245aKgA-/s1600/sarahs-boys-bedroom1.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hgtv.ca/sarahshouse/photo/?gid=1339183962940&pid=00UeeI73wq3WO#/13">via Sarah Richardson</a></td></tr></tbody></table>^ Sarah Richardson employs this scheme subtly with wool army blankets, olive green walls, and camo colored fern window treatments. <br /><br /><br /><br />What do you think of this fashion trend? Do you think you would be bold enough to incorporate it in the home?<br /><br />And please, come visit <a href="http://tiffanyleighinteriordesign.blogspot.ca/" style="color: #8e7cc3;">my blog</a>! I'd love to meet you :) <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh609/tiffanyleighinteriordesign/?action=view&current=Tiffany-27.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh609/tiffanyleighinteriordesign/Tiffany-27.jpg" /></a></div>

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Hello LBD fans, I'm Tiffany and I blog over at Tiffany Leigh Interior Design about my decor inspiration and my studies in interior design school!I'm thrilled that Elizabeth invited me over today while she is away on vacation (lucky lady).Fall fashion…

THE REMAPPING OF THE MIDDLE EAST

3:51 AM Tukiyooo 0

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">By Claudio Gallo <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Jeremy Salt is a professor of History and Politics of the Middle East at Bilkent University, Ankara. His book <i>The Unmaking of the Middle East </i>is a brilliant history of the last hundred years in the region, not affected by "orientalist" cliches. We asked Professor Salt to explain the present transformation of the Middle East, including the Kurdish knot. The Kurds in Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey now can't stop talking about the emergence of a Great Kurdistan. <br /><br /><b><i>Claudio Gallo:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> Syria's President Bashar al-Assad gave a free hand to northern Syria Kurds. May this become a real <i>casus belli</i> with Turkey? <br /><br /><b><i>Jeremy Salt:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> It may be going too far - to conclude that Assad gave a free hand to the Kurds in Syria. It is more likely that in the<br /><br />complete turmoil spreading across the country, he could not stop them from taking control of Kurdish areas close to the Turkish border. He certainly would not want to open up a front against the Kurds while trying to suppress the armed groups. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Whether this becomes a </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>casus belli</i> depends on how the Turkish government chooses to read the situation. But it is alarmed at the possibility of a Kurdish enclave being established in Northern Syria, strengthening the prospect of a "Greater Kurdistan" being created in the future. These complications should have been foreseen but apparently were not when Turkey decided to confront the Syrian government more than a year ago. <br /><br /><b><i>CG:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> Ankara is keeping a direct connection with the Iraqi Kurd administration, bypassing Baghdad. What in your opinion is the goal of Turkish diplomacy? <br /><br /><b><i>JS:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> It is very difficult to read Turkish diplomacy at the moment or to understand what the present regional policy is intended to achieve. If we look at Turkish policy until the beginning of 2012, we can see that "soft power" and "zero problems" [as pushed for by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu] had worked. Turkey had a strong working relationship with all of its eastern neighbors. As a result of the decision to work for "regime change" in Syria all this has been turned upside down. <br /><br />The US and the Gulf states may be grateful for the central role Turkey is playing in the campaign to dislodge the Syrian government but the costs for Turkey have been great. Apart from the complete rupture with Damascus, the relationship with Iran and Iraq has been undermined. Turkey has also put itself at odds with Russia. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Again, all of this should have been foreseen a year ago as the inevitable outcome of confronting the government in Damascus, which has a strong strategic relationship with Iran and which gives port facilities to the Russian fleet and has had a strong relationship with Russia/the USSR for the past half century. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Iraq has been opposed to Turkish policy in Syria from the beginning. This is partly because Iraq is still suffering the consequences of armed Western intervention in 2003 and partly because of the way Turkey has developed its relationship with the Kurdish governorate in the north at the expense of its relationship with the Iraqi capital. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Turkey has a strong trading relationship with the Iraqi north and one has to assume that its position is dictated by trade, oil and the strategic importance of the Kurdish north to the Western-Gulf state alliance confronting Syria and Iran. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />It must be remembered that more than 60% of Iraqis are Shi'ite. The sectarian element in Iraqi politics has been brought to the surface by virtually daily attacks on the Shi'ite and by the charges laid against the Sunni Muslim vice president, Tareq al-Hashimi, of organizing an anti-Shi'ite "death squad". Hashimi is now out of the country, with the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among those who have risen to his defense. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><b><i>CG:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> Is independence in the agenda of the president of the Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani? <br /><br /><b><i>JS:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> The Kurdish governorate of Iraq is already independent in all but name. It maintains a strong army - officially described as security forces - and increasingly goes its own way whatever the government in Baghdad thinks or wants. So a declaration of independence is probably only a matter of timing once it is judged that the circumstances are right. <br /><br />Barzani has never made any secret of his view that a large slab of eastern Anatolia is "Western Kurdistan". The incorporation of all this territory in a Kurdish state would be his ultimate objective. This makes Turkey's dealings with the Kurdish north at the expense of its relationship with the central government of Iraq even harder to understand. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Ultimately the Kurds will put their own interests first, a point that was underlined when Barzani recently brokered a meeting of Syrian Kurds and pushed them into reconciliation. As the Syrian Kurds include a faction close to the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] the Turkish prime minister was infuriated. Turkey is now very alarmed by the awakening of the Syrian Kurds. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><b><i>CG:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> May the possible fall of Assad's Syria be the starting point for the creation of a Kurdish state? <br /><br /><b><i>JS:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> The repercussions of the collapse of the Syrian state would be so severe that no one could now predict what might come out of the ruins. Such a collapse is not on the agenda for the moment, and it is probable that even the enemies of the Syrian government don't want it because of the uncontrollable spillover effect. <br /><br />They might want a compliant government in place but they do not want chaos that will threaten their own interests across the region. A Kurdish state-in-being was able to arise in Iraq because of the invasion and occupation of 2003. This is not likely to be repeated in Syria. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><b><i>CG:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> Is Iran playing the Kurdish card against Turkey? <br /><br /><b><i>JS:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> These states are always playing one card or another against each other. This is what is called diplomacy. Both Iran and Turkey have a Kurdish problem that governments inside and outside the region can exploit, as they have exploited it in the past. For both these countries, exploiting the Kurdish issue always carries the risk of blowback. <br /><br />I see no evidence that Iran is at present using the Kurdish card against Turkey, unless there is something I have missed. The greater danger arises from northern Iraq, where both the PKK and its Iranian Kurdish counterpart maintain bases of operations. It is from Iraq and not Iran that Kurdish militants - terrorists according to the Turkish government - have traditionally operated against Turkey. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><b><i>CG:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> It seems that we are back to the "unmaking" of the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. Do you think that the parallel is correct? <br /><br /><b><i>JS:</i></b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> What we are witnessing behind the immediate scenes of horror in Syria is the most comprehensive attempt to reshape the Middle East since World War I. The Sykes-Picot treaty of 1916 set out the geostrategic parameters of the modern Middle East but the model no longer works for the imperial/post-imperial powers and their regional allies. <br /><br />We have been through several phases but until now the nation-state has withstood the stress to which it has been subjected. These include the Suez War of 1956, the Western-backed Israeli attack on Egypt and Syria in 1967 and Israel's attempt to set up a puppet government in Lebanon. The center of attention is what used to be called the "fertile crescent", what is now Iraq and what is now Syria, Lebanon and Israel/Palestine. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />This entire region lends itself to ethno-religious breakdown if the "West" can get its foot through the door. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />The invasion of Iraq was followed by the destruction of Iraq as a unitary state. The constitution written in Washington - much as the constitutions of Iraq and Egypt in the 1920s and 1930s were written in London - turned a secular state into a state with a sectarian religious basis. It created a weak central government and fostered the growth of an increasingly powerful Kurdish governorate in the north. By submitting the future of Kirkuk to a referendum (yet to be held) it encouraged the demographic war that has been taking place as the Kurds seek to build up their numbers in and around this city. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Syria lends itself to the same process of ethno-religious separation if the country can be collapsed and there is opposition to a Western-installed government. In 1918, the imperial powers divided the Middle East in a certain way that suited their interests at the time. They are now remapping it again - and again to suit their interests. It is not coincidental that this program dovetails with Israel's own long-term strategic planning. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Russia and China are fully aware of what is going on, which is why the present situation can be seen as a 21st century extension of the "Eastern question" or of the "Great Game" between Russia and Britain. Certainly the outcome of the struggle for Syria will shape the future of the Middle East for a long time to come. However they see themselves, the local actors are pawns in this game. </span></span>

THE REMAPPING OF THE MIDDLE EAST

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THE REMAPPING OF THE MIDDLE EAST

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