Frank Ocean Wants Chris Brown Charged for Alleged Brawl

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;">by Rebecca Macatee From: </span><a href="http://www.eonline.com/">http://www.eonline.com</a><br /><img alt="Frank Ocean, Chris Brown" src="http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013027/reg_1024.ocean.brown.cm.12713_copy.jpg" /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.383333206176758px;">Micheal Kovac, FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images</span><br /><br /><div class="entry_container clear" style="background-color: white; clear: both; float: left; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: -1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="entry_content clear" style="clear: both; line-height: 1.7em; margin: 0px; min-height: 250px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;"><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 0px;">Could<a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/chris_brown" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important;"><strong> Chris Brown</strong></a> find himself in front of a judge…again?</div><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 0px;"><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/frank_ocean" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important;"><strong>Frank Ocean</strong></a> reportedly wants the troubled R&B star charged for his alleged involvement in their <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/382345/chris-brown-and-frank-ocean-get-into-alleged-brawl-at-los-angeles-studio" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">purported brawl</a> on Sunday. Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore told <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/29/entertainment-us-chrisbrown-idUSBRE90R0LJ20130129" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Reuters</a> that Ocean "is desirous of prosecution in this incident."</div><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 0px;">Ocean, 25, <a href="https://twitter.com/frank_ocean/status/295782033865711616" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">tweeted</a> Sunday that he "got jumped by Chris and a couple guys," <a href="https://twitter.com/frank_ocean/status/295782316385660928" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">adding</a>, "cut my finger now I can't play w two hands at the grammys." (E! News confirmed that Brown, 23, is being investigated for allegedly assaulting someone on Sunday. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department did not, however, disclose the victim's identity.)</div><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 0px;"><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/382345/chris-brown-and-frank-ocean-get-into-alleged-brawl-at-los-angeles-studio" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank"><strong>Find out more about Chris and Frank's alleged scuffle</strong></a></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><div class="expandable-blog-video-players" id="expandable-blog-video-player-3" style="float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="video-engine-players newsExpandableBlog clear" data-player-id="EXPANDABLE_INBLOG" data-player-type="newsExpandableBlog" id="video-engine-player-0" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="video-thumbnails-groups" id="video-thumbnails-group-0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="video-thumbnail-roots" id="video-thumbnail-root-201382" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; float: left; font-weight: bold; height: 110px; margin: 12px 25px 13px 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 196px;"><span class="evp-thumbnails" id="evp-thumbnail-201382" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><img alt="Video Thumbnail: Jamie-Lynn Sigler Gets Engaged" border="0" class="images" height="110" id="image-201382" src="http://thumbnails.eonline.com/p/newsnow_20130129_c_201382_196x110_2330291013.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; float: left; margin-left: 0px !important;" title="Video Thumbnail: Jamie-Lynn Sigler Gets Engaged" width="196" /></span><span class="titles" id="title-201382" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://images.eonline.com/static/photogallery/images/thumb_overlay.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; bottom: 0px; color: white; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; height: 16px; left: 0px; line-height: 13pt; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 86px; width: 187px;">Jamie-Lynn Sigler Gets Engaged</span></div><div class="video-thumbnail-roots" id="video-thumbnail-root-201431" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; float: left; font-weight: bold; height: 110px; margin: 12px 25px 13px 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 196px;"><span class="evp-thumbnails" id="evp-thumbnail-201431" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><img alt="Video Thumbnail: Chelsea Lately: Bieber's Assault Weapon" border="0" class="images" height="110" id="image-201431" src="http://thumbnails.eonline.com/p/handler_20130128_highlight_a_201431_thumb_196x110_2330217829.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; float: left; margin-left: 0px !important;" title="Video Thumbnail: Chelsea Lately: Bieber's Assault Weapon" width="196" /></span><span class="titles" id="title-201431" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://images.eonline.com/static/photogallery/images/thumb_overlay.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; bottom: 0px; color: white; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; height: 16px; left: 0px; line-height: 13pt; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 86px; width: 187px;">Chelsea Lately: Bieber’s Assault Weapon</span></div><div class="video-thumbnail-roots" id="video-thumbnail-root-201380" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; float: left; font-weight: bold; height: 110px; margin: 12px 25px 13px 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 196px;"><span class="evp-thumbnails" id="evp-thumbnail-201380" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><img alt="Video Thumbnail: Brooke Hogan Defends Dad's Pic" border="0" class="images" height="110" id="image-201380" src="http://thumbnails.eonline.com/p/newsnow_20130129_a_201380_196x110_2330213855.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; float: left; margin-left: 0px !important;" title="Video Thumbnail: Brooke Hogan Defends Dad's Pic" width="196" /></span><span class="titles" id="title-201380" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://images.eonline.com/static/photogallery/images/thumb_overlay.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: repeat repeat; bottom: 0px; color: white; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; height: 16px; left: 0px; line-height: 13pt; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 86px; width: 187px;">Brooke Hogan Defends Dad’s Pic</span></div></div></div></div><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 0px;">But a source tells E! News that Brown wasn't <em>looking</em> for trouble in the L.A. studio, saying, "It's easy to just assume Chris started this, but it's absolutely not the case."</div><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 0px;">The "Nobody's Business" singer is currently serving five years' probation for assaulting <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/rihanna" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important;"><strong>Rihanna</strong></a> in 2009. If charges are filed in the case of Sunday's purported scuffle, he risks having his probation revoked.</div><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 0px;">Representatives for Brown and Ocean have yet to comment.</div><div style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.4em; max-width: 600px; padding: 0.5em 0px;"><a href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/3082/chris-brown-timeline-of-a-meltdown" style="color: #336699; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank"><strong>Remember when Chris Brown had his meltdown?</strong></a></div><ul class="blog_gallery clear" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; clear: both; list-style: none; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; width: 590px;"><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_3082" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/3082/chris-brown-timeline-of-a-meltdown/116748" style="color: #336699; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Chris Brown, Robin Roberts, GMA" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100/55-0-370-315/eol_images/Entire_Site/2011222/425.cb.gma.3.lc.032211.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Chris Brown, Robin Roberts, GMA" width="100" /></a></li><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_3082" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/3082/chris-brown-timeline-of-a-meltdown/116754" style="color: #336699; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Chris Brown" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100/0-0-293-293/eol_images/Entire_Site/2011222/293.cb.gma.4.lc.032211.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Chris Brown" width="100" /></a></li><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_3082" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/3082/chris-brown-timeline-of-a-meltdown/116874" style="color: #336699; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Chris Brown, GMA Shattered Window" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100/0-0-300-300/eol_images/Entire_Site/2011222/300.gma.brk.lc.032211.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Chris Brown, GMA Shattered Window" width="100" /></a></li><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_3082" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/3082/chris-brown-timeline-of-a-meltdown/116747" style="color: #336699; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Chris Brown, Twitter" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100/55-0-370-315/eol_images/Entire_Site/2011222/425.cb.t.lc.032211.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Chris Brown, Twitter" width="100" /></a></li><li style="float: left; height: 102px; list-style: none inside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 110px;"><a data-omniture="news_detail:gallery_id_3082" href="http://www.eonline.com/photos/3082/chris-brown-timeline-of-a-meltdown/116871" style="color: #336699; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none !important;" target=""><img alt="Chris Brown" border="0" height="100" src="http://www.eonline.com/resize/100/100/0-0-293-293/eol_images/Entire_Site/2011222/293.brown.walking.lc.032211.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); display: inline; height: 100px; width: 100px;" title="Chris Brown" width="100" /></a></li></ul><div style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div></div></div><div class="entry_footer clear" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: right;"></div></div>

Chris Brown Frank Ocean Frank Ocean Wants Chris Brown Charged for Alleged Brawl

by Rebecca Macatee From:  http://www.eonline.com Micheal Kovac, FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images Could  Chris Brown  find himself in front...

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On the Value of Old Publications

The Architectural League's recent digital presentation of <a href="http://archleague.org/2013/01/vacant-lots-2/">Vacant Lots</a>—their 1987 design study and exhibition—prompted me to flip through my copy of the book that presents some essays and designs for ten vacant lots in New York City. The League's study on affordable housing for infill lots sits on my shelf next to a contemporaneous book on affordable housing, which sets next to a book on architecture projects funded by NYSCA grants.<br /><br />So the next thing I know, instead of reading <i>Vacant Lots</i> again, I ended up digging out a bunch of books that are similar to it, not in subject but in something else—these books are two-to-four decades old yet purchased much later. Most are well beyond their intended shelf life (these are not the books that have stood the test of time—the Gideon's or the Banham's—and maintained their popularity to this day), but all of them are appealing to me for some reason. Below is a presentation of these books that I grabbed off my shelf and some quick thoughts on why they might be important; all fit neatly into some categories that reflect some personal interests.<br /><br />Mainly, I think these books capture a not-too-distant past, either in terms of architecture or the writing and presentation used to document it. Also, there is something worthwhile in picking up books a couple decades after they've been published (I'm not recommending to wait that long to get a book, but rather to not pass up a book because it hasn't been published in the last year or two)—there is a certain cultural amnesia these days, and looking at old books reminds us that supposedly new ideas have probably been tried already in one form or another, and that even new things will look old someday.<br /><br /><b>Guides:</b><br /><img alt="looking-back1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/looking-back1.jpg" title="Book Covers" /><br /><br />Even before I started work on my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393733262?ie=UTF8&tag=aweeklydoseof-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=211189&creativeASIN=0393733262&link_code=as3&creative=373489"><i>Guide to Contemporary New York City Architecture</i></a>, I already owned a number of guidebooks to architecture in the city, most of which were fairly recent. But as I researched, wrote and assembled the photos and maps for the book, I looked to older books that I found in used bookstores and even thrift stores. This looking back wasn't about figuring out what buildings to include or, to a lesser degree, learning historical aspects of the city; it was about the format, tone, and usability of a guide. A few books I obtained include Paul Goldberger's excellent <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039450450X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=039450450X&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>The City Observed: New York: A Guide to the Architecture of Manhattan</i></a> (Vintage Books, 1979), which takes a critical look at old and new buildings in Manhattan (and which unfortunately did not extend to the other boroughs as planned); <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0965929914/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0965929914&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>A Look at Architecture: Columbus, Indiana</i></a> (Visitors Center, Columbus, Indiana, 1984), more a promotional document or souvenir but still a valuable guide on the famous Midwestern town that the Cummins Engine Company built; and Sally B. Woodbridge's and Roger Montgomery's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VT4JI0/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004VT4JI0&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>A Guide to Architecture in Washington State</i></a> (University of Washington Press, 1980), a guide short on descriptions that makes up for it with an excellent "environmental perspective" (Woodbridge's well-done 1992 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H2M9B4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000H2M9B4&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>San Francisco Architecture</i></a> guide was also helpful for its easy-to-use layout and simple, yet effective b/w maps).<br /><br /><b>Housing:</b><br /><img alt="looking-back2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/looking-back2.jpg" title="Book Covers" /><br /><br />Another subject that I've amassed a few old books on is multi-family housing. I've never been one to voraciously pour over the seemingly infinite stream of books on single-family houses, and perhaps that stems from more historical and theoretical interest being focused on housing rather than houses, which tend to be the purview of glossy collections. Most recently I picked up Martin Pawley's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0275493202/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0275493202&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>Architecture versus Housing</i></a> (Praeger Publishers, 1971), which traces the history of "publicly financed building projects," particularly in England. Normally this particular history would not interest me too much, but Pawley was such a sharp writer that I considered it a valuable title to have. A couple of the titles I referred to at the beginning are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0962176591/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0962176591&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>Reweaving the Urban Fabric: Approaches to Infill Housing</i></a> (NYSCA/Princeton Architectural Press, 1988), a small snapshot of international housing designs in the late 1980s accompanied by well-researched essays by Marta Gutman and Richard Plunz, who wrote the invaluable <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0231062974/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0231062974&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>A History of Housing in New York City</i></a>; and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0910413614/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0910413614&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>Vacant Lots</i></a> (Princeton Architectural Press, 1989), which gives a glimpse at attempts to fill holes in the city's urban fabric by architects like Tod Williams Billie Tsien, Weiss/Manfredi, and others before they were famous.<br /><br /><b>Buildings:</b><br /><img alt="looking-back3.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/looking-back3.jpg" title="Book Covers" /><br /><br />Not surprisingly, given my predilection for book-length case studies, I have a hard time resisting books on buildings that I like. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1885254458?ie=UTF8&tag=aweeklydoseof-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=211189&creativeASIN=1885254458&link_code=as3&creative=373489"><i>Eleven Authors in Search of a Building</i></a> (The Monacelli Press, 199<i>6</i>) is about Peter Eisenman's design for the Aronoff Center for Design and Art at the University of Cincinnati; not surprisingly, the plethora of drawings and photos are accompanied by some dense academic prose by the usual suspects (Sanford Kwinte, Jeffrey Kipnis, Cynthia Davidson, +8). <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013I1MTG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0013I1MTG&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>The Construction of the New Headquarters for the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation</i></a> (Ian Lambot, 1985) is published by photographer Lambot, who documented the Kowloon Walled City in the amazing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1873200137/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1873200137&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20">City of Darkness</a>; this book on Norman Foster's addition to Hong Kong's skyline is extremely thorough in its documentation of the building's realization (plumbing, water chillers, structural steel, bamboo scaffolding, prefab modules, etc.) but beautiful throughout as he captures the building's evolving form and spaces that are now hidden. <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2005/08/08/highrise-homes/"><i>Highrise of Homes</i></a> (Rizzoli, 1982) is more a polemic than a serious proposal to be built; James Wines attempts what many people see as a gulf that can never be bridged—merging the city and suburbs, housing and houses, the modern and the traditional.<br /><br /><b>Periodicals:</b><br /><img alt="looking-back4.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/looking-back4.jpg" title="Book Covers" /><br /><br />Old magazines are pretty hard to resist because they are often priced at one or two dollars at used bookstores. Usually all it takes is one project I like in its pages and I snag it. But there is the occasional magazine that tackles a broader theme worth examining. While I've never been a fan of postmodern architecture, I couldn't resist buying <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JD26KK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000JD26KK&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>American Architecture: After Modernism</i></a> (A+U, 1981), a special issue of Japan's A+U guest edited by Robert A.M. Stern. As postmodernism is being reappraised in books and exhibitions, I'm finding this issue more and more valuable—it has a ton of projects, many now forgotten, and articles by Michael Sorkin and Suzanne Stephens that are, respectively, (cautiously) critical and helpful in providing a larger context. When in Venice last August I happened to find a copy of <i>Domus Dossier 5: Exhibiting</i> (April 1997) at a used bookstore near my hotel. It was a suitable way of gaining a larger understanding of exhibitions and their designs—from Carlos Scarpa to Coop Himmelb(l)au—as I was <a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/page_item/biennale-architettura-2012">writing about my first Biennale</a>.<br /><br /><b>Independent Study:</b><br /><img alt="looking-back5.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/looking-back5.jpg" title="Book Covers" /><br /><br />Somewhat by surprise I realized there are a couple books in my library on independent study, one on students and one on professionals. I was not one of the chosen few at my school to enter the SOM Traveling Fellowship, but a number of fellow alumni from Kansas State University have won the award, so I couldn't pass up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PGDGOQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000PGDGOQ&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>Traveling Fellows: Fifteen Years of Student Awards</i></a> (SOM Foundation, 1997). Like <i>Vacant Lots</i>, this booklet with CD-ROM gives a glimpse at some now common names in their formative years, as they describe how the travel affected them; comments from the SOM jurors are also enlightening. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0930829182/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0930829182&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>Independent Projects: Experimental Architecture, Design + Research in New York</i></a> (SITES Books, 1993) collects architecture, planning, and design projects funded by the New York State Council for the Arts from 1988 to 1992. Many of the projects are known because of later publications or projects that came out of the grants, such as Kaplan and Krueger (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003156DTS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003156DTS&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>PA14: Mosquitoes</i></a>), Smith-Miller + Hawkinson's <a href="http://smharch.com/project.php?id=47">North Carolina Museum of Art</a>, and Camilo Jose Vergara's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QYFECU/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004QYFECU&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>New American Ghetto</i></a>. <br /><br /><b>Urban Design:</b><br /><img alt="looking-back6.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/looking-back6.jpg" title="Book Covers" /><br /><br />Going to school for urban design five years ago (has it been that long?) did a couple things for my library: it expanded my interest in urban design literature of bygone eras (which isn't very long, considering urban design as an articulated profession or approach dates back to the mid-1950s), and it gave me easy access to discard books at the CCNY library. One book I picked up post-graduation, and which sparked me to write about <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2012/03/planning-for-pedestrians.html">an unrealized scheme in its pages</a>, is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394713052?ie=UTF8&tag=aweeklydoseof-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=211189&creativeASIN=0394713052&link_code=as3&creative=373489"><i>The Pedestrian Revolution: Streets without Cars</i></a> (Vintage Books, 1974). The book offers practical solutions that are rooted in its time (a chapter on "other mini-vehicles" is charming), so it has not stood the test of time of something like Bernard Rudofsky's historical look at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0442278403/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0442278403&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>Streets for People</i></a>. The Regional Plan Association's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670742023/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0670742023&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>Urban Design Manhattan</i></a> (The Viking Press, 1969) is full of overreaching visions for Midtown Manhattan; for example "mechanical aids to pedestrian movement, such as moving belts or quick-access shuttle vehicles." Yet is also has some beautiful diagrams that make the (top-down) information easy to understand. Both of these books are helpful in reminding urban designers that even as their goals are admirable, looking to trends and technology is not always the best route.

On the Value of Old Publications

The Architectural League's recent digital presentation of Vacant Lots —their 1987 design study and exhibition—prompted me to flip throug...

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Health : NPR

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health/">http://www.npr.org/sections/health/</a><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/">http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/</a><br><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></div>

Health : NPR

http://www.npr.org/sections/health/ http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/

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Jared Diamond’s Guide to Reducing Life’s Risks - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:">The other morning, I escaped unscathed from a dangerous situation. No, an armed robber didn't break into my house, nor did I find myself face to face with a mountain lion during my bird walk. What I survived was my daily shower.<br><br>You see, falls are a common cause of death in older people like me. (I'm 75.) Among my wife's and my circle of close friends over the age of 70, one became crippled for life, one broke a shoulder and one broke a leg in falls on the sidewalk. One fell down the stairs, and another may not survive a recent fall.<br><br>"Really!" you may object. "What's my risk of falling in the shower? One in a thousand?" My answer: Perhaps, but that's not nearly good enough.<br><br>Life expectancy for a healthy American man of my age is about 90. (That's not to be confused with American male life expectancy at birth, only about 78.) If I'm to achieve my statistical quota of 15 more years of life, that means about 15 times 365, or 5,475, more showers. But if I were so careless that my risk of slipping in the shower each time were as high as 1 in 1,000, I'd die or become crippled about five times before reaching my life expectancy. I have to reduce my risk of shower accidents to much, much less than 1 in 5,475.<br><br>This calculation illustrates the biggest single lesson that I've learned from 50 years of field work on the island of New Guinea: the importance of being attentive to hazards that carry a low risk each time but are encountered frequently.<br><br>I first became aware of the New Guineans' attitude toward risk on a trip into a forest when I proposed pitching our tents under a tall and beautiful tree. To my surprise, my New Guinea friends absolutely refused. They explained that the tree was dead and might fall on us.<br><br>Yes, I had to agree, it was indeed dead. But I objected that it was so solid that it would be standing for many years. The New Guineans were unswayed, opting instead to sleep in the open without a tent.<br><br>I thought that their fears were greatly exaggerated, verging on paranoia. In the following years, though, I came to realize that every night that I camped in a New Guinea forest, I heard a tree falling. And when I did a frequency/risk calculation, I understood their point of view.<br><br>Consider: If you're a New Guinean living in the forest, and if you adopt the bad habit of sleeping under dead trees whose odds of falling on you that particular night are only 1 in 1,000, you'll be dead within a few years. In fact, my wife was nearly killed by a falling tree last year, and I've survived numerous nearly fatal situations in New Guinea.<br><br>I now think of New Guineans' hypervigilant attitude toward repeated low risks as "constructive paranoia": a seeming paranoia that actually makes good sense. Now that I've adopted that attitude, it exasperates many of my American and European friends. But three of them who practice constructive paranoia themselves — a pilot of small planes, a river-raft guide and a London bobby who patrols the streets unarmed — learned the attitude, as I did, by witnessing the deaths of careless people.<br><br>Traditional New Guineans have to think clearly about dangers because they have no doctors, police officers or 911 dispatchers to bail them out. In contrast, Americans' thinking about dangers is confused. We obsess about the wrong things, and we fail to watch for real dangers.<br><br>Studies have compared Americans' perceived ranking of dangers with the rankings of real dangers, measured either by actual accident figures or by estimated numbers of averted accidents. It turns out that we exaggerate the risks of events that are beyond our control, that cause many deaths at once or that kill in spectacular ways — crazy gunmen, terrorists, plane crashes, nuclear radiation, genetically modified crops. At the same time, we underestimate the risks of events that we can control ("That would never happen to me — I'm careful") and of events that kill just one person in a mundane way.<br><br>Having learned both from those studies and from my New Guinea friends, I've become as constructively paranoid about showers, stepladders, staircases and wet or uneven sidewalks as my New Guinea friends are about dead trees. As I drive, I remain alert to my own possible mistakes (especially at night), and to what incautious other drivers might do.<br><br>My hypervigilance doesn't paralyze me or limit my life: I don't skip my daily shower, I keep driving, and I keep going back to New Guinea. I enjoy all those dangerous things. But I try to think constantly like a New Guinean, and to keep the risks of accidents far below 1 in 1,000 each time.<br><br><i>Jared Diamond, a professor of geography at the University of California, Los Angeles, is the author of the new book "The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn From Traditional Societies?"</i><div><br><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/science/jared-diamonds-guide-to-reducing-lifes-risks.html?">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/science/jared-diamonds-guide-to-reducing-lifes-risks.html?</a><br><br></div>

Jared Diamond’s Guide to Reducing Life’s Risks - NYTimes.com

The other morning, I escaped unscathed from a dangerous situation. No, an armed robber didn't break into my house, nor did I find myself...

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River of Doubt: The Only Good Educator is a Dead Educator?

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:River-doubt-team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="From left to right (seated): Father Zahm, Rond..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/River-doubt-team.jpg/300px-River-doubt-team.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">From left to right (seated): Father Zahm, Rondon, Kermit, Cherrie, Miller, four Brazilians, Roosevelt, Fiala. Photo taken in 1914. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:River-doubt-team.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm reading a completely engrossing account of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Theodore Roosevelt">Theodore Roosevelt's</a> expedition up the River of Doubt in South America (See <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767913736/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0767913736&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwwwbrighc-20" id="static_txt_preview" style="background-color: white; color: #996633; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;" target="_blank">The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey</a>), where he almost died, but made incredible strides forward for science. I've been soaking up biographies of great men and women since my friend <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.angelamaiers.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Angela Maiers">Angela Maiers</a> challenged me to find my "dream team."<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"You become most like the five people you ponder the most, who will those people be?" she said.</blockquote>When set back, Theodore Roosevelt always went into nature to meet some great challenge or danger. But not only did he go and hunt (as he did in Africa), his purpose in South America was to advance science.<br /><br />I think that there is a big lesson to take from "Teddy's" life. When beset by struggle and setbacks, set your mind on another great task and get busy. Life is short, you have things to do and wallowing in sadness is not one of us.<br /><br />If you're alive, you've experienced setbacks. If you haven't experienced a setback, I would guess you either have memory loss or you're not very old, because in my own life, even when I was a child, I had personal setbacks and hurts - not being invited to a birthday party, being made fun of, being left out. These are all things that are part of life.<br /><br /><h2>Little Trickles of Doubt.</h2><br />The last book I finished was <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Mother Teresa">Mother Teresa</a>'s "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Greater-Walker-Large-Print-Books/dp/0802727271%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dhttpwwwbrighc-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0802727271" rel="amazon" target="_blank" title="No Greater Love (Walker Large Print Books)">No Greater Love</a>" - another great book. She said something that has stuck with me,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"May I be so humble that I cannot be insulted or put on a pedestal." </blockquote>While such words may not be for many of you, they are perfectly for me. If I spend my life waiting for someone to say I'm so great -- what a sad life. Life isn't about being praised by men or women -- such praise is very temporary and quickly changes tenor when the tide goes out, leaving behind, just a river of doubt flowing from the inland of your heart.<br /><br />My biggest river of doubt I know now comes flowing out of the tv every time I look at the "news."<br /><br />Seeing the media feeding frenzy like the Pirana's in Roosevelt's River of Doubt, upon my friend Suzie Nestico, based upon the word of a unscrupulous lawyer has told me all I need to know. The media is in search of a sensational story and doesn't care about reporting the truth.<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="http://coalcrackerclassroom.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/cimg2912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://coalcrackerclassroom.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/cimg2912.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suzie Nestico and me at <a href="http://coalcrackerclassroom.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/hello-world/" target="_blank">PETE&C</a> in 2011. I am proud to<br />say I'm her friend.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Right now, my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/nesticos" target="_blank">Suzie Nestico</a>, surely must be experiencing a River of Doubt. She's a great educator and I've known her at least five years (likely longer.) I was in India with her as she stood between one of my students and an overly aggressive street vendor and turned down the order and walked on. She loves kids. My friend Suzie is now a principal... at Mt. Carmel Elementary in Pennsylvania where a child threatened another one at a bus stop it turned out to be a "<a href="http://newsitem.com/news/mention-of-bubble-gun-gets-child-5-suspended-1.1431911#.UPqfRlamDos.email" target="_blank">hello kitty bubble gun</a>" according to the news media.<br /><br />I wonder how did it get from the bus stop to the front office? I'm guessing another child had to be scared somewhere in there? Where are the parents of the other children who (obviously) complained?<br /><br /><br />I refuse to ever again let the media try educators in the court of public opinion without giving the educator the benefit of the doubt. If a story is ridiculous, it is likely a LIE and watching the video of the lawyer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ficker" target="_blank">Robin Ficker</a> (also a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vSb1o0Inag" target="_blank">famous NBA heckler</a>)  and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ficker" target="_blank">reading his bio on Wikipedia</a>, I can't tell you the revulsion I feel for the entire situation. Ficker also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Ficker" target="_blank">lost his license in Maryland</a> for a period of time for misconduct.<br /><br />I'm ashamed that the news media would take the word of such a man and the desire for a sensational story over the integrity and longstanding history of a woman like Suzie Nestico. A man who craves the media over a woman who shows up every day helping kids. I know Suzie and I know she wouldn't "grill" anything but chicken on the stove. (The lawyer said she "grilled" the child for 3 hours, a fact I find preposterous, although, I don't know the other side, which is just the point.)<br /><br /><br />The media is going to write entire articles based upon this man's version of what a<a href="http://newsitem.com/news/mention-of-bubble-gun-gets-child-5-suspended-1.1431911#.UPqfRlamDos.email" target="_blank"> five year old says happened</a>.  The <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/kindergarten-suspension-pink-bubble-gun_n_2507017.html" target="_blank">early articles</a> are clear to state that the bubble gun was not with the child. In fact, when I first told my husband about it, he couldn't even understand the words "bubble gun" and thought I said gun or bubble gum. Is a five year old going to clearly communicate? How did the other children feel about the threat?<br /><br />So, then people descend upon Suzie, sending her threatening mail and taking a picture of her and her child and <a href="http://christopherfountain.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/another-school-massacre-narrowly-thwarted/#comments" target="_blank">calling her a slut</a>? <i>(I have left the blogger in question a comment, on his "about" page which I doubt will be published. I've left comments on the hate filled idiotic people who profess to have the same faith I do, but if you take a descent into debauchery and look at the comments on any of the articles I've linked to, understand that the ugliness there doesn't represent the Christian faith I cherish.)</i> Really? What does sex have to do with this incident anyway? Do they call men a "gigolo" when they are at the center of a controversy?<br /><br />I say according to the news media, because the only time I got to talk to Suzie last weekend, she choked back sobs telling me she wasn't allowed to say her side but the inaccuracies were killing her.<br /><br /> She was also very afraid, I know fear when I hear it.<br /><h2>A river of doubt.</h2>She must be feeling it. She's given her life in love to children and she gets this? There's a verse in Proverbs that says <b>you believe one side of the story, until you hear the other</b>. Well, no one has heard the other.<br /><br />Principals, administrators, and teachers are maligned all of the time because parents and students are not bound by the confidentiality that we must cherish. Our job is to protect the privacy of the children, even to our own detriment.<br /><br />Suzie, I'm sure is having doubts, but I don't. <b>I know that there is another side to this story. </b><br /><br /><ul><li>I don't doubt my friend for a moment that she tried to protect the children under her care. </li><li>I don't doubt that she found out what happened at the bus stop because another child was scared and went home and told Mom and Dad.</li><li> I don't doubt that there is a bigger story and I KNOW that Suzie doesn't grill children and wouldn't do that for 3 hours. Now, it might have been 3 hours from dropoff to when Mom and Dad could be reached about what had happened, but I'm quite sure that the child wasn't "grilled" as Ficker alleges.</li></ul><br /><h2>A river of doubt.</h2>Educators, you are heroes. Maybe one day my friend Suzie will be able to talk about this and we'll be ashamed of ourselves. By then, the media will have moved on and not care about righting the wrong they have done. This Ficker lawyer will be on to another educator or person that will allow him to get on TV, because that seems to be what he likes the most.<br /><br />But my friend Suzie will know that I publicly told her that I know that her side is there and I won't form an opinion until both sides are known. It isn't my job to pass judgement anyway, that is the Boss' job.<br /><h2>The media thinks the only good educator is a dead educator.</h2>The educators at Sandy Hook were praised for their sacrifice. Stepping in the way of the bullet. They are heroes.<br /><br />But must we die for people to know our dedication? Must our love be written upon our dead faces and cold hands for people to know it is there? Surely not.<br /><br />If my friend Suzie hadn't investigated, and a child had brought a gun to school and shot her classmates, she would have been vilified.<br /><br />My friend Suzie did investigate, and it turns out it was a bubble gun and now she is villified.<br /><br />But if a child brought a gun to school and she jumped in front of it and took the bullet and died, she'd be a hero.<br /><br /><b>Her love is written in her silence.</b> She cherishes the confidentiality of the family who is going after her and has chosen the right course, silence. The fact that she hasn't come out to tell her side of the story, even to me, her friend. I don't know the facts, but I know Suzie and what has and is happening to her is wrong.<br /><br />I'm not going to go down this river of doubt.<br /><br />I am sure that even though the media only reports bad things that happen in education that I will not go down that river. My calling is noble and so is yours. If my passion to love kids, protect them, and do my job to the best of my ability leads to being blasted on the front page of the newspaper or on the news, then so be it. <br /><br />And to the fools who blindly believe that the media actually reports "stories" based in fact and all sides of the story - particularly when education is involved and one party is obligated to silence and confidentiality - those fools who take that story and write hate mail or make hateful phone calls to the educator involved -- you are despicable. <br /><br />As for me, I don't know the facts in the story, I do admit that. But it isn't for me to judge. It is, however, for me to speak out at a great injustice happening to educators in the media. I don't understand why the media would believe anything this particular lawyer would say anyway.<br /><br />This is now the fourth post I've written in the last two weeks, the others were far too emotional and will just languish in my blogger drafts, but one I am determined to post. I will post it today.<br /><br />As for me, I refuse to traverse the river of doubt. We are on a dangerous journey, no doubt. We are dealing with a toxic society that has confused news with reality television and a people of itching ears that can only be scratched with bad news. There are some very mean, unkind, sick people out there. I've gotten my letters too.<br /><br /><strong>But we will not doubt for one moment that our work is not important</strong>. <br /><br />Teaching is important. <br /><br />We won't wait for others to respect us - we will respect ourselves.<br />We will be unafraid to speak out that educators should get the benefit of the doubt because they aren't allowed to tell their side of the story.<br />We will call out lawyers who make a life destroying the careers and lives of others.<br /><br />One day, my friend will tell her story. But until then, I hope that you'll join me and #supportsuzie - there are two sides to every story and hers isn't being told - I have no doubt.<br /><br />When mainstream media becomes infected with the cess of society's cravings for another sensational story, the naive will be swept away with the refuse as their minds become tainted with discontent and anger, without an ability to discern truth. Ignorance isn't bliss... ignorance is the bane of civilized society. <br /><br />I hope that we will learn from this. When you hear a sensational "story" about what "that educator" has done realize that there are two sides to the story and one day "that educator" might be you. The words you say today or think today about this situation will come back to haunt or bless you when it is your turn.<br /><br />I also want to point out that getting "on the news" DOESN'T END YOUR CAREER - not always.<br /><br /><b>There are worse things than being lambasted in the news. </b>You could be a coward. You could be a bully. You could use children for your personal gain. You could forget your nobility as a teacher and get down about your chosen profession. <br /><br />Get out of that river of doubt. Remember your noble calling, teacher.<br /><br /><div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=4d0e915e-135c-4cbe-9477-dcb737d4155d" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

Teaching River of Doubt: The Only Good Educator is a Dead Educator?

From left to right (seated): Father Zahm, Rondon, Kermit, Cherrie, Miller, four Brazilians, Roosevelt, Fiala. Photo taken in 1914. (Photo cr...

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THE BALKANS – ORGANIZED CRIME, RADICAL ISLAM AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION PART 5

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6Kg-XEfSKdg1P1BWSyGacaMYbR0zF46HR0iIw6ivALigqHVsACq2G936XyFWUA4yHSH81-8IVlU1PcOu6KJ_N7q0XHPS5NZ48_0CNuszRXvO1bEYT5RBtyCnOJYqE8fNTDMkIJXLINao/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6Kg-XEfSKdg1P1BWSyGacaMYbR0zF46HR0iIw6ivALigqHVsACq2G936XyFWUA4yHSH81-8IVlU1PcOu6KJ_N7q0XHPS5NZ48_0CNuszRXvO1bEYT5RBtyCnOJYqE8fNTDMkIJXLINao/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> 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Roman","serif";">  </span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">INFILTRATION INTO THE BALKAN STATES EDUCATIONS SYSTEM - THE KEY AIM OF WAHHABISM</span></b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">and </span></b></span></span><br /><h1><span style="color: #38761d;">KOSOVO: RADIKALER ISLAM ALS "TICKENDE BOMBE"</span></h1></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true" DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99" LatentStyleCount="267"> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/> <w:LsdException 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background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto auto; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b><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;"></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adapted by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring from Ioannis Michaletos<b><span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"></span></b></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; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">A new Islamist university has opened in Novi Pazar, ostensibly a normal college, but led by an Islamist mufti of little formal education. This modern institution — whose officials proclaim it a normal educational institution — reveals its character in its symbol: the Wahabbi/Salafi Dawa symbol, an open Q’uran surmounted with a rising sun. The university, in a renovated former textile factory, is a known center of radical Islamist thinking. Book fairs held there on a regular basis, distributed radical Islamist literature, specifically advocating conflict with the West.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">The Dawa sign indicates that the university is predominantly SAUDI-funded, although some Western funding is known to have been pumped into the institution, reportedly largely to undermine SERB interests in the region.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Western tolerance of Islamic radicals, however, was one of the gravest mistakes of modern times. In addition, a well organized criminal network has already been established in Sarajevo that in a large extent facilitates illegal immigration from ASIA to EUROPE. That activity is coupled with the narcotics trade that is being supplemented by the infamous “Balkan Drug route”. The route passes mostly through areas which are under the influence of Muslims. </span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE ALBANIAN FACTOR</span></b></span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">ALBANIA was under the Communist rule during the Cold War, the most isolated country in EUROPE. In 1992 ALBANIA become a member of the “Islamic Conference”, an international Islamic organization. The same year the government of Sali Berisha, the current Prime Minister, signed a military agreement with TURKEY, thus enacting a series of discussions in the neighboring states, regarding the possibility of an Islamic arch from Istanbul to Sarajevo.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">One of the main reasons the ALBANIAN officials were eager to form strong ties with the Muslim world was to attract investment from the Gulf, which would help to kick start the stagnating Albanian economy. Therefore the religious sentiment of the majority of ALBANIANS, mostly from the North, was suppressed in order to gain funding from the Islamic world. Unfortunately no serious investment initiatives were undertaken; instead Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, found another state to expand their illegal activities. Many different and respectable sources have indicated two visits by Bin Laden in Tirana, the aim of which was to create an Islamic platform for the country and the construction of terrorist networks within the territory.</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVeXJlJAF3d0_ZPBZjoz1BFqHbUCg_KUIkkZqzxyzJnYKocu8OqQ9bQvLkIvJ-NbvV3Ax92fqmJaJR9nDXvLSOSjmfM4pvcXsb_Bi3bdOoXhMF1thQwvEhswAbf-_l1UPHmxV1LqvNvsU/s1600/albkosmac.jpg" 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/AVvXsEgjVeXJlJAF3d0_ZPBZjoz1BFqHbUCg_KUIkkZqzxyzJnYKocu8OqQ9bQvLkIvJ-NbvV3Ax92fqmJaJR9nDXvLSOSjmfM4pvcXsb_Bi3bdOoXhMF1thQwvEhswAbf-_l1UPHmxV1LqvNvsU/s320/albkosmac.jpg" width="312" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">An ALBANIAN called Naseroudin Albani played an instrumental role in spreading extremist Islamic values into ALBANIAN society. He was a fugitive from ALBANIA since 1963 and resided in Amman-JORDAN. Sources from ALBANIA point out that Albani organized radical Sunni sects back in the 70’s in the MIDDLE EAST that became the nucleus of the modern day Mujahedin. Another ALBANIAN, the then head of ALBANIA’S Secret service, SHIK, called Bashkim Gazidente assisted implementing radical Islamic agendas in ALBANIAN domestic policies. During the 1997 ALBANIAN riots Gazidente fled from ALBANIA and he is said to be an instrumental part in global Fundamentalist Islamic networks. Allegedly he fled to a Middle Eastern country and later moved to Rome-ITALY. </span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE AL QAEDA FACTOR IN ALBANIA,</span></b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">was consolidated by the creation of the ARABIC-ALBANIAN bank, in which Bin Laden allegedly invested the sum of 11.4 million USD. This financial institution acted as a front cover for the transfer of capital for Islamic activities within the country. Just before Berisha’s political overturn in 1997, another Islamic institution called “El Farouk”, acted as a recruitment agency for young ALBANIANS, under the pretext of a charity. One of the most dramatic indicators of the degree of Islamic presence in ALBANIA is the militant Islamic training camp just outside Tirana. At this point it is interesting to note that it was a well known fact among the international community of the nexus between organized crime syndicates, terrorist cells and the KLA, operating under and with ALBANIAN assistance. Actually ALBANIA was mainly used as launch pad to neighboring KOSOVO. In April 1999, some 500 Arab Mujahedeen were smuggled into the capital of Tirana. Their mission was to conduct special operations against YUGOSLAV forces in KOSOVO. They entered KOSOVO from Northern ALBANIA. The whole operation was led by Bin Laden’s deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;"><br />The Nairobi and TANZANIA bombings of 1998 shocked the US administration into taking some action, for the first time, to dismantle terrorist’s networks. Soon, pressure fell on ALBANIA and in the October of the same month individuals of Middle Eastern origin were rounded up and deported. The head of SHIK, Fatos Clozi, admitted for the first time the existence of Islamic extremists in ALBANIA and promised the eradication of the terrorist nucleus.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ALBANIAN-ISLAMIC CONNECTION NOW FOCUSES ON KOSOVO</span></b></span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">The 9/11 attacks proved to be a fatal blow for radicals in ALBANIA due to USA forces having more or less neutralize any remaining cells operating or hiding in ALBANA. The government of ALBANIA, which is more than willing to become inducted in the Euro-Atlantic security framework, has ceased to seek Islamic assistance and the current Berisha’s administration has refaced its Islamic outlook into a modern EUROPEAN one.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Nevertheless, the ALBANIAN-Islamic connection is now concentrated in KOSOVO, the very same location NATO forces are stationed! Allegedly there are an overwhelming variety of sources and reports that indicate a well established fundamentalist presence in that area. It is a common secret in the IC (International Community) that the West kept a blind eye during the 1998-1999 Winter where hundreds of Mujahedin joined the UCK forces and helped it expand. Shaul Shay describes “The KLA (KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY) enjoyed the support of former ALBANIAN President Sali Berisha, who regarded the war in KOSOVO as a Jihad and issued a call to all Muslims to fight for the protection of their homeland.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">MONTENEGRO: BY 2050 - 50% MUSLIM</span></b></span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">At that period the means justified the end which was the disbandment of the RUSSIAN influence in the BALKANS, as the Clinton administration viewed the Milosevic one. The result was a resurge of Islamic radical networks in the region, thus eliminating the beneficial results of previous actions against it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">The newly independent MONTENEGRO nowadays faces a long term Islamic population bomb and it is certain that should current trends continue, in 2050 half of the population will be Muslim That is not of course a prelude of terrorism action per se, but the overall turbulent BALKAN history and the existence of terror networks in nearby KOSOVO do not assure a tranquil political future for the newest BALKAN state.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">FYROM is also another terrain where the delicate balance between radicalism and Muslim secularism is taking place. Back in 2001, an ALBANIAN uprising nearly resulted in the disintegration of the state although nowadays there is an uneasy stability. However any negative developments in KOSOVO will affect directly the country which is also the epicenter of the BALKANS, from a geopolitical point of view.</span></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: large;">Lastly the SANJAK area in Southern SERBIA is a territory to watch, where the Wahhabi strain of Islam has gained tremendous influence in the local Muslim population. In March 2007 a terrorist cell was disbanded by the SERBIAN authorities and a terrorist plan was dwarfed at the last minute. Again KOSOVO as the centre of radicalism in the BALKANS could play the role of the powder keg for any developments in SANJAK.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Interesting to note is that a<span style="font-size: large;">n Austrian Daily picked up on the Bal<span style="font-size: large;">kan topic in regards to radical Islam and published this artic<span style="font-size: large;">le:</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="artikelBody" id="artikelHeader"><h1><span style="color: red;">Kosovo: Radikaler Islam als "tickende Bombe"</span></h1><h6><span class="author">Arbana Xharra via Der Standard </span><span class="date"></span></h6></div><div class="artikelLeft" id="artikelLeft"><ul class="mediaList"><li id="m1_1358304930146"><img alt="Beim traditionellen Freitagsgebet kann die Hauptmoschee von Prishtina die Masse der Gläubigen nicht mehr fassen." src="http://images.derStandard.at/t/12/2013/01/28/1358349826538.jpg" style="height: 225px; width: 300px;" title="Beim traditionellen Freitagsgebet kann die Hauptmoschee von Prishtina die Masse der Gläubigen nicht mehr fassen." /><div class="credits context">foto: ap/kryeziu</div><div class="description">Beim traditionellen Freitagsgebet kann die Hauptmoschee von Prishtina die Masse der Gläubigen nicht mehr fassen.</div></li><li id="m2_1358304930716"><img alt="Osman Musliu, Imam in Drenas, wurde tätlich angegriffen." src="http://images.derStandard.at/t/12/2013/01/28/1358349841653.jpg" style="height: 200px; width: 300px;" title="Osman Musliu, Imam in Drenas, wurde tätlich angegriffen." /><div class="credits context">foto: xharra</div><div class="description">Osman Musliu, Imam in Drenas, wurde tätlich angegriffen.</div></li><li id="m3_1358304930688"><img alt="Shefqet Krasniqi, Imam in Prishtina, fordert Religionsfreiheit." src="http://images.derStandard.at/t/12/2013/01/28/1358349841252.jpg" style="height: 200px; width: 300px;" title="Shefqet Krasniqi, Imam in Prishtina, fordert Religionsfreiheit." /><div class="credits context">foto: xharra</div><div class="description">Shefqet Krasniqi, Imam in Prishtina, fordert Religionsfreiheit.</div></li><li id="m4_1358304931094"><img alt="Artikelbild" src="http://images.derStandard.at//2013/01/28/1358349860396.jpg" style="height: 337px; width: 297px;" /><div class="credits context">grafik: standard</div></li></ul></div><h2><span style="color: blue;">Der Kosovo erlebt, begünstigt durch Armut und Arbeitslosigkeit, ein Erstarken des radikalen Islam. Dessen Anhänger fordern mehr Rechte und provozieren damit Gegenreaktionen von säkularen Kosovaren</span></h2>Die Gläubigen, die nicht in die Moschee passen, sitzen vor den Eingängen auf dem Gehsteig, der mit Gebetsteppichen belegt ist. Die über Lautsprecher verstärkte Stimme des Geistlichen tönt über sie hinweg auf die Straße. Beim Freitagsgebet in Prishtina, der Hauptstadt des <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span>, kann die Hauptmoschee weder die Gläubigen noch den Schall der Predigt, die zu hören sie gekommen sind, fassen.<br /><br />"Allahs Feinde führen die muslimische Jugend in die Irre", warnt der Geistliche. Er listet Alkohol, Drogen und den verderblichen Einfluss des Internet als Teil einer konzertierten Aktion auf, "um die Schwungkraft des Islam zu stoppen". "Die Unmoral ist auf dem Vormarsch", so seine Diagnose.<br />Man muss nicht weit gehen, um Hinweise auf die "Unmoral" zu sehen. Unweit der Moschee sitzen junge Männer und Frauen bei Kaffee und Bier in den angesagten Bars der Innenstadt von Prishtina herum. In der Nähe stehen neue Denkmäler, die die jüngste Vergangenheit des <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span> erzählen. Eine große Bronzestatue von Bill Clinton, seine Hand im Triumph oder zum Gruß erhoben, schmückt einen Boulevard, der seinen Namen trägt. Der ehemalige US-Präsident wird hier als Held gefeiert, weil er 1999 Nato-Flugzeuge gegen serbische Truppen entsandte.<br /><h3><b>Konvertiten und Hardliner </b></h3>Eine andere, indirekte Folge des Konflikts wird heute jedoch mit Argwohn betrachtet: Eine strenge Form des Islam zieht Konvertiten im gesamten <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span> an. Der Aufstieg dieser Gruppe stellt die Traditionen und Ansprüche einer Gesellschaft infrage, die weniger durch ihren islamischen Glauben als durch ihre Zugehörigkeit zur albanischen Volksgruppe und ihren Proamerikanismus definiert war. Bis 1999 noch völlig unbekannt, sind die religiösen Konservativen und Hardliner heute eine kleine, aber zunehmend sichtbare Gruppe mit Anhängern in allen großen Städten und einigen der ärmsten Gegenden auf dem Land.<br />Sicherheitsbeamte berichten, dass diese strengeren Formen des Glaubens nach dem Krieg aufkeimten, als Folge des Zustroms von islamischen Hilfsorganisationen in den <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span> und der Schulung von lokalen Geistlichen in arabischen Ländern. Die Sicherheitsexperten sprechen von 50.000 Anhängern dieses konservativen Islam im <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span>. Das ist ein Bruchteil der gesamten muslimischen Bevölkerung, die auf rund 1,8 Millionen Menschen geschätzt wird.<br /><h3>Diskriminierung der Frommen</h3>Einige Geistliche und Konvertiten haben aber die Aufmerksamkeit inländischer Geheimdienste auf sich gezogen. Diese neue Generation religiöser Konservativer sagt, die säkulare Verfassung des <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span> diskriminiere die Frommen. Sie wollen eine Lockerung der Beschränkungen für religiöse Symbole in staatlichen Schulen, die muslimischen Frauen und Mädchen verbieten, ein Kopftuch zu tragen.<br />Die Beziehung zwischen dem Staat und den Konservativen ist von Unsicherheit und Unbehagen geprägt. Beide Seiten berufen sich auf internationale Menschenrechte. "Wenn jemand behauptet, wir haben Religionsfreiheit, ist das nicht wahr", sagt Shefqet Krasniqi, Imam der Hauptmoschee in Prishtina. "Wir fordern die gleichen Rechte, die Muslime in London oder den USA haben."<br />Innenminister Bajram Rexhepi sagt hingegen, dass in der Zwischenzeit menschenrechtliche Bedenken seine Versuche behindert hätten, Aktivitäten von mutmaßlichen islamistischen Hardlinern einzudämmen. Er berichtet, dass er während seiner Amtszeit als Ministerpräsident vor neun Jahren versucht habe, ein Gesetz gegen "radikale Sekten" anzustoßen. Doch er sei von "Internationals" davon abgebracht worden - nämlich von Beamten der UN-Mission, die von 1999 bis 2008 halfen, den <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span> zu verwalten.<br /><h3>Gefahren von UNO und EU unterschätzt</h3>Behxhet Shala, Leiter der wichtigsten Menschenrechtsorganisation im <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span>, sagt, die Gefahr des Extremismus sei von den Vereinten Nationen und der EU unterschätzt worden. "Heute sind die Internationals hier, aber sie werden wieder gehen. Und sie verlassen uns mit einer tickenden Bombe", sagt Shala. Er meint, dass die Armut im <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span> und die durchlässigen Grenzen das Land zu einem fruchtbaren Boden für Radikalismus machten.<br />Tatsächlich wurde der Zusammenbruch des sozialistischen Jugoslawien von einer religiösen Bewegung in der Region begleitet. Die katholischen und die orthodoxen Kirchen in Kroatien und Serbien sind heute stärker, als sie es vor den Kriegen der 1990er-Jahre waren. Der <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span> ist dabei keine Ausnahme. Im ganzen Land wurden neue Moscheen gebaut, oft finanziert von Spendern aus islamischen Staaten.<br /><h3>Ramiqi auf Mavi Marmara</h3>Die meisten Kosovaren sind Muslime und üben eine relativ entspannte Form des Islam aus, die von osmanischen und mystischen Sufi-Traditionen geprägt ist. Die Hardliner scheinen mehr von arabischen Interpretationen des Glaubens beeinflusst zu sein. Sie selbst beschreiben sich als Verteidiger des Glaubens, die sich dem Vordringen des "westlichen" Säkularismus in den <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span> widersetzen.<br />Fuad Ramiqi, ein Vertreter der Bashkohu-Bewegung sagt, seine Gruppierung befürworte öffentliche Proteste und gewaltfreien Widerstand. Die Gruppe beschwerte sich über das Verbot von Kopftüchern in Schulen und über die Bedeutung christlicher Denkmäler in Prishtina. "Das kann kein demokratischer Staat sein, der mir Säkularismus auferlegt", sagt er.<br />Ramiqi kämpfte in den 1990er-Jahren in Bosnien und war an Bord der Mavi Marmara, eines Schiffes mit Hilfsgütern für Palästinenser im Gazastreifen, das von israelischen Militärs im Jahr 2010 abgefangen wurde.<br /><h3><b>Angriffe auf Kritiker </b></h3>In unregelmäßigen Abständen kommt es zu Angriffen gegen Kritiker des extremistischen Islam. Musli Verbani, ein ehemaliger Imam in der Stadt Kacanik, warnte in einer Predigt im Jahr 2007 seine Gemeinde vor Extremismus. Kurz darauf wurde sein geparktes Auto in Brand gesetzt. Ein Mann aus der Gegend wurde für den Vorfall im Jänner 2011 zu drei Monaten Gefängnis verurteilt.<br />Andere Angriffe gegen Menschen, die sich gegen Extremismus ausgesprochen hatten, führten zu keinen Verhaftungen. Xhabir Hamidi, Professor für Islamische Studien an der Universität Prishtina und prominenter Kritiker der Wahhabiten, wurde im Jahr 2008 von maskierten Männern geschlagen. Er glaubt, dass er wegen seiner Ansichten angegriffen wurde. Osman Musliu, ein Imam aus der Stadt Drenas, wurde 2009 in einer Moschee geschlagen. "Ich verlor das Bewusstsein, und meine Hand wurde gebrochen", berichtet er. "Ich habe mich immer gegen die Wahhabiten in unserer Mitte ausgesprochen."<br />Ein hochrangiger Polizeibeamter, der nicht namentlich genannt werden will, sagt, dass es damals nicht genügend Beweise gegeben habe, um Anklagen wegen der Angriffe auf Hamidi und Musliu zu verfassen.<br />Musliu und Verbani sagen, dass sie von der Reaktion der Islamischen Gemeinschaft - der Dachorganisation, die die Moscheen im <span class="textHLMark">Kosovo</span> verwaltet - auf die Angriffe enttäuscht seien. Beide meinen, dass die Institution die Angriffe auf ihre Mitglieder stärker verurteilen hätte sollen. <br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><br /></div>

THE BALKANS – ORGANIZED CRIME, RADICAL ISLAM AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION PART 5

  INFILTRATION INTO THE BALKAN STATES EDUCATIONS SYSTEM - THE KEY AIM OF WAHHABISM and KOSOVO: RADIKALER ISLAM ALS "TICKENDE BOMBE"...

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Willamette Valley Granola Chips

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TRu6trcr9fmaUAeH9ATOXe1MqiyAfTmJ5Qj6NwEAqKsIb80UbBIMED3DMcVUVaOqXl1cNd1lP0jI8a5a9elz-uoMCd43fmMxI-ertZewNpHNTuZo1o-ZpfChUuCTKuXcFD4R4z6wZUU/s1600/granola+chips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TRu6trcr9fmaUAeH9ATOXe1MqiyAfTmJ5Qj6NwEAqKsIb80UbBIMED3DMcVUVaOqXl1cNd1lP0jI8a5a9elz-uoMCd43fmMxI-ertZewNpHNTuZo1o-ZpfChUuCTKuXcFD4R4z6wZUU/s200/granola+chips.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was sent these wonderful Granola chips to review, so first off I will tell you all about them!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are a crispy whole grain snack that's made up of oats, barley, amaranth and quiona.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Did I mention that they are bite sized?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The perfect snack!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can sprinkle some of them onto ice cream as a topping or on yogurt!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are new and come in only a few flavors.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hoping they make more flavors soon because they are really good!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The flavors:</span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fruity, sweet and nutty!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Butter Pecan:</span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7tYWvHUsWkNaUzGddBtQxQHu7MthOedCymow6AmFQuireo-Poa1Z5EH_5_OuFyQJHGdgp3etumXXyJlGTweagNsgnw3Cj2gQhmCP53COQPY_FiQTjWN4d-lhvQfb3gS6HYFr6FOe5pw/s1600/butter+pecan+granola+chips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7tYWvHUsWkNaUzGddBtQxQHu7MthOedCymow6AmFQuireo-Poa1Z5EH_5_OuFyQJHGdgp3etumXXyJlGTweagNsgnw3Cj2gQhmCP53COQPY_FiQTjWN4d-lhvQfb3gS6HYFr6FOe5pw/s200/butter+pecan+granola+chips.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wow what can I say?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried this flavor first when I got these.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mom and I dug right in and were blown away.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are crunchy, sweet and taste just like an unhealthy dessert but better!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love that they are bite sized and you can add them to practically anything. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Facts: Good source of fiber</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Great for snacking</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">low in fat and calories </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honey nut:</span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vanilla Bean:</span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wild berry:</span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Warning! </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are addicting!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You need to check them out, you won't be disappointed. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check them out now on these webpages!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/willamettevalleygranola">https://www.facebook.com/willamettevalleygranola</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.willamettevalleygranola.com/products/">http://www.willamettevalleygranola.com/products/</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sold in Stores:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meijer</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fairway Market</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Albertson's</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and more!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Willamette Valley Granola Chips

I was sent these wonderful Granola chips to review, so first off I will tell you all about them! They are a crispy whole grain snack that...

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