News for today's 2018

EGYPT'S SPHINX CASTS EYES ON SYRIA

9:50 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2p3whR4SivvuTTMk862pszu7OFvMrZ9Vo5gRzZQ9Zv2M28sh5sxN9mpVmgDA3jqRt5J9wVzj6RBcY1RC_Av8G3hMnNe0Zqf53WLXK2wGZbpfwmLRwZbIhRLIWZTAn1GR8H9Xr4ei0kr6O/s1600/Pyramid-and-the-Sphinx1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2p3whR4SivvuTTMk862pszu7OFvMrZ9Vo5gRzZQ9Zv2M28sh5sxN9mpVmgDA3jqRt5J9wVzj6RBcY1RC_Av8G3hMnNe0Zqf53WLXK2wGZbpfwmLRwZbIhRLIWZTAn1GR8H9Xr4ei0kr6O/s400/Pyramid-and-the-Sphinx1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-right: 30.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div><br />   <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-right: 30pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">IS EGYPT'S ARMY COUP RESETTING GEOPOLITICS OF THE MIDDLE EAST?</span></b></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Executive Summary:</span></span></b></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Significance      of leadership changes in IRAN, SYRIA, QATAR and last but not least EGYPT</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Slow-motion      coup in EGYPT was well under way by end of June</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SAUDI      ARABIA and the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES us$8 billion aid package for EGYPT      after coup!</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SYRIAN timeline for leadership      replacement in the entire Ba'ath party coincides with changes in EGYPT and      QATAR</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Change of leadership also in      the opposition SYRIAN national coalition</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ascendancy SAUDI influence over      eclipse of the QATARI TURKISH axis</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Demise of Islamism</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">RUSSIA      far from displeased with the turn of events in EGYPT</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">RUSSIA and ISRAEL</span></b></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Events      in EGYPT are increasingly finding the US, SAUDI ARABIA, ISRAEL and RUSSIA      on the “same page”.</span></b></span></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By MK Bhadrakumar Via </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Tlaxcala</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-right: 30pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It looks increasingly that solving the EGYPTIAN puzzle is going to take us all to SYRIA. How far the army's coup in EGYPT resets the geopolitics of the MIDDLE EAST, or, conversely, whether the coup itself forms the commencement of a region-wide tectonic shift that is going to play out over time - this is the big question.</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-right: 30.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The cascading events in recent past indicate that the latter could well be the case. To be sure, even by the standards of the MIDDLE EAST, the past weeks have been extraordinary. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There has been a strong expression of support from the UNITED STATES and its PERSIAN GULF allies to the EGYPTIAN military, which in turn is providing the political underpinning for a brutal crackdown by the junta on the <b>Muslim Brotherhood,</b> which has implications for the “<b>Arab Spring</b>” as a whole. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><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";">RUSSIA'S overture to the junta at such a point may come as quite a surprise but it is integral to the RUSSIAN strategy in SYRIA and the RUSSIAN skepticism of the "<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arab Spring</b>".</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The isolation of QATAR, TURKEY and IRAN on the regional chessboard has accentuated through the past weeks, with the junta in Cairo ticking off these countries for their pretensions of being arbiters or opinion-makers in EGYPT'S internal affairs. It so happens that these three countries have been deeply involved in the SYRIAN situation as well. </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;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #cc0000;">THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LEADERSHIP CHANGES IN IRAN, SYRIA, QATAR AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST EGYPT </span><br /><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Meanwhile, ISRAEL'S openness to accept RUSSIAN peacekeepers on the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Golan Heights</b> could not have surged to the surface without US acquiescence - or even approval - and the timing of the leadership changes both in SYRIA'S ruling Ba'ath Party and the SYRIAN National Coalition could be more than a coincidence. <br /><br />There is a background to all this, lest it be forgotten amidst the cacophony of the coup in EGYPT - Hassan Rouhani's thumping victory in the IRANIAN presidential election and the promise of an impending thaw in the SAUDI-IRANIAN relationship.</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;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SLOW-MOTION COUP IN EGYPT WAS WELL UNDER WAY BY END OF JUNE</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;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If a seminal event is to be identified in this torrential flow of events in regional politics, it must be the visit by the US Secretary of State John Kerry to SAUDI ARABIA on June 25, which was embedded within a regional tour of the MIDDLE EAST and was a diplomatic initiative on SYRIA. In hindsight it becomes apparent now that the slow-motion coup in EGYPT was well under way by that time in end-June and the US was already in deep consultation with the military leadership in Cairo regarding a political transition in EGYPT. Without doubt, Kerry's talks with the SAUDI leaders couldn't have ignored the gathering storms in EGYPT. <br />In the event, of course, SAUDI ARABIA'S King Abdullah became the first world leader to felicitate the overthrow of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Muslim Brotherhood</b> government on July 2 - within hours of the coup unfolding - as if Riyadh had it all worked out in anticipation. </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;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES US$8 BILLION AID PACKAGE FOR EGYPT AFTER COUP!</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;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Again, the alacrity with which SAUDI ARABIA and the UNITED ARAB EMIRATES simultaneously announced a US$8 billion aid package for EGYPT suggests that a blueprint was already prepared in consultation with the US. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Washington leaked to the press immediately thereafter that it too was going ahead with a planned supply of F-16 fighter aircraft to the EGYPTIAN military</b>, which means that despite the Obama administrations posturing of prevarication, suspending military aid to EGYPT is the last thing on its mind. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SYRIAN TIMELINE FOR LEADERSHIP REPLACEMENT IN THE ENTIRE BA'ATH PARTY COINCIDES WITH CHANGES IN EGYPT AND QATAR</b></span></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: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b> </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: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Curiously, another regional leader who promptly welcomed - alongside King Abdullah - the ouster of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Brotherhood</b> from power in EGYPT has been SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqDaIOo2YCEKZjOL3-abNRL_N4HtS7c69FEdXcdmrj8ylA5qDcbS9_SXDk55OdhbGgIGRWH05WuisxzLDD7JIJQt1f3Y4CQ_xuUW61E-RKxF9NpWbQl0RMIoEud5Dzw6bG5sa4Ao6dkoB/s1600/Baath-party-headquarters--007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqDaIOo2YCEKZjOL3-abNRL_N4HtS7c69FEdXcdmrj8ylA5qDcbS9_SXDk55OdhbGgIGRWH05WuisxzLDD7JIJQt1f3Y4CQ_xuUW61E-RKxF9NpWbQl0RMIoEud5Dzw6bG5sa4Ao6dkoB/s320/Baath-party-headquarters--007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ba'ath Party HQ Damascus </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><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";"><br />This wasn't an isolated act, either. Assad announced the replacement of the entire Ba'ath leadership, with all 16 members who have been in the high command since 2005, making way for new blood. A younger generation of leaders, including former diplomats, has been brought in as replacements. Parliament speaker Jihad al-Laham and Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi are among them. <br />In an interview with the Ba'ath party's mouthpiece, Assad sought to explain that the leaders were removed from the high command because they made mistakes while in office. "When a leader does not solve a series of errors, this leader must be held accountable," he said without elaborating. Of course, Assad continues as the party's secretary-general, being the only top leader who didn't make any mistakes. <br /><br />In the same interview with the Ba'ath party's organ, Assad also renewed his criticism of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Muslim Brotherhood,</b>saying it "takes advantage of religion and uses it as a mask ... and it thinks that if you don't agree with it politically, that means you don't stand by God." <br /><br />Assad strives to convey the message to the people that he is responsive to their grievances over social problems such as inflation and worsening public security. But the fact remains that he is strengthening his control of the ruling party at a time when the SYRIAN situation is evolving in political terms, given the military stalemate, and all protagonists - SYRIAN as well as outside powers - anticipate the inevitability of a political dialogue in the next several months. <br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP ALSO IN THE OPPOSITION, THE SYRIAN NATIONAL COALITION</b></span></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: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></span> </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: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Equally, what needs to be noted is that the Ba'ath Party purge coincides with a change of leadership of the opposition SYRIAN National Coalition (SNC). New SNC president Ahmad Jarba is a SAUDI-US nominee and has the reputation of being a "secular-minded" tribal leader. <br /><br />Following Jarba's election, Ghassan Hitto, the prime minister and a businessman from AMERICA, who had enjoyed the backing of QATAR, TURKEY and the US when he was appointed in last March, submitted his resignation. </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;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ASCENDANCY SAUDI INFLUENCE OVER ECLIPSE OF THE QATARI TURKISH AXIS</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br /><br />In essence, the changes in the SNC signify - like in EGYPT - an ascendancy of SAUDI influence and the eclipse of the QATARI-TURKISH axis. The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Brotherhood's</b> clout within the SNC has also suffered a setback. Evidently, the US is backing the ascendancy of SAUDI influence within the SNC - as is happening in EGYPT.</span></div><h3><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt;">Background Information: </span></h3><h3><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt;">QATAR’S TRANSITION </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ACTS AS PIVOT FOR “CHANGE OF DIRECTION” FOR MIDDLE EAST</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></h3><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://geopoliticsrst.blogspot.co.at/2013/07/crisis-qatars-transition.html">http://geopoliticsrst.blogspot.co.at/2013/07/crisis-qatars-transition.html</a></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;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">DEMISE OF ISLAMISM</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;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What is the SAUDI-US game plan? Going by the Ramadan message by the SAUDI King and the Crown Prince, SAUDI ARABIA "will not allow religion to be exploited by extremists who only work for their personal interests, and who harm the reputation of Islam." The message said SAUDI ARABIA will "with God's help, remain the defenders of Islam ... and continue on our centrist, moderate approach." <br /><br />Evidently, these are barbs aimed at the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Muslim Brotherhood</b> in the prevailing context of both EGYPT and SYRIA, and the movement's principal backers in the region; namely, QATAR and TURKEY. <br /><br />On the other hand, Assad would find the SAUDI King's Ramadan message quite agreeable. He cannot but share the SAUDI perspective (which the US and RUSSIA also share) that the specter of radical Islamists haunting his country's destiny is the core issue today. </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;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-iqbJtpTRk5wEK4jL1OrYRQIk_uihZB6AZKkgoxGBxMIO5p8vg6qTTxaDybmwCTjbpR3EbTsBwIzlEk3UKsLhfh-ahX7PCDKVuqXUezX5TJQCapWXJnRqs40gNPenMPGjgrXDUShbhva/s1600/gal_7093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-iqbJtpTRk5wEK4jL1OrYRQIk_uihZB6AZKkgoxGBxMIO5p8vg6qTTxaDybmwCTjbpR3EbTsBwIzlEk3UKsLhfh-ahX7PCDKVuqXUezX5TJQCapWXJnRqs40gNPenMPGjgrXDUShbhva/s320/gal_7093.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />Without doubt, these cross currents in regional politics have not gone unnoticed in Moscow, and they have prompted the Kremlin to lose no more time in making an overture to the EGYPTIAN junta. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said,</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: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We hope that all initiatives [by the junta], which are designed to launch the national dialogue, to stabilize the situation and hold free elections, will be successful. Lavrov simply ignored that he was speaking while a violent crackdown on the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Brotherhood</b> by the EGYPTIAN military was underway. </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: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He went on to propose that it could be business as usual between RUSSIA and EGYPT and, furthermore, that RUSSIA'S priority lies in the impact of the developments in EGYPT on regional stability and the politics of the Islamic world. Lavrov said, as for cooperation projects [with EGYPT], these projects are aimed at developing cooperation between the countries and peoples. Their implementation will benefit both the countries and the peoples. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">RUSSIA FAR FROM DISPLEASED WITH THE TURN OF EVENTS IN EGYPT</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;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We [RUSSIA] want stability to be ensured in EGYPT and in the entire region, which creates serious risks for international relations. EGYPT is the region's key country. The development of events in the region and in the Islamic world will depend on the situation in EGYPT.</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: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is realpolitik at its best. Simply put, without drawing allegations of interfering in EGYPT'S internal affairs, Lavrov has let it be known to the new leadership in Cairo, and an array of regional states - SAUDI ARABIA, IRAN, QATAR, TURKEY and ISRAEL, in particular - and the "international community" as a whole that RUSSIA is far from displeased with the turn of events in Egypt and its likely repercussions for regional security and stability. <br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RUSSIA AND ISRAEL</b></span></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;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Conceivably, Moscow, which never gave up its deep-rooted suspicions of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Muslim Brotherhood</b>, may be feeling the winds of change to be quite conducive to the pursuit of its own interests and in harmony with its own assessments of the "<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arab Spring</b>". <br /><br />Meanwhile, the SAUDI establishment daily Asarq Al-Awsat reported that there has been a meeting between Lavrov and ISRAEL'S Justice Minister Tzipi Livni during which the latter indicated that ISRAEL may allow RUSSIAN peacekeeping soldiers under the UNITED NATIONS flag on the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Golan Heights</b> provided Moscow halted the transfer of advanced S-300 antiaircraft missiles to SYRIA. <br /><br />President Vladimir Putin had proposed last month that RUSSIA is ready to replace the 380-strong AUSTRIAN contingent in the 1,100-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force on the Golan Heights. <br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">EVENTS IN EGYPT ARE INCREASINGLY FINDING THE US, SAUDI ARABIA, ISRAEL AND RUSSIA ON THE “SAME PAGE”.</b></span></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;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Neither Moscow nor Tel Aviv has contradicted the SAUDI daily's report. If it is true, as seems likely, it not only is in sync with the broad sweep of the above-mentioned developments but it unveils a tantalizingly new pattern of regional alignments involving ISRAEL and SYRIA, with the US and RUSSIA as the stakeholders - something unthinkable until now. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></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: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Clearly, the events in EGYPT are increasingly finding the US, SAUDI ARABIA, ISRAEL and RUSSIA on the same page. All these four major protagonists are willing to wager that the controversial coup in EGYPT might eventually stabilize the situation in that country and even strengthen democratic rule. <br /><br />All these protagonists would agree that political Islam turned out to be the unwelcome beneficiary of the "<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arab Spring.</b>" Indeed, by the analogy of EGYPT, as hinted in the SAUDI King's Ramadan message, big trouble seems to lie ahead for the Islamist movements in the region as whole, including the SYRIAN rebel groups. <br /><br />As a former ISRAELI ambassador to the US, Zalman Shoval summed up in an article titled "New Dawn on the Nile" in Jerusalem Post: All things considered, the possible demise of Islamism as the major political force in at least parts of the ARAB world could eventually lead to a more secular, down-to-earth and less dogmatic and intolerant attitude on the part of our [ISRAEL'S] neighbors.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All in all, the struggle that lies ahead in EGYPT and the turns that the SYRIAN situation is poised to take in the coming months have not only some striking parallels, but could be inter-related.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

EGYPT'S SPHINX CASTS EYES ON SYRIA

IS EGYPT'S ARMY COUP RESETTING GEOPOLITICS OF THE MIDDLE EAST? Executive Summary: Significance of leadership changes in IRAN, S...

Did I mention, Belviq ROCKS!!!

9:35 AM Tukiyooo 0

Happy Saturday Peeps!!!<br /><br />I would love for a lazy day, but I just have way too much to do.  My dad will include menu planning for the week, grocery shopping, cooking a few meals, and CLEANING my dirty apartment.  I've ignored it all week.  I also will get in some pool time first and maybe some treadmill time.  BORING!!<br /><br />So, last night my friend Ashley invited me to an impromptu dinner.  We met at a Mexican restaurant - I know, not the best choice right?  Well, I think it worked out very well for me.  They had a grilled fajita chicken salad.  I was thinking it was a taco salad with a shell and all.  I was really surprised that it did not come with a shell.  It had kind of on the side the cheese, sour cream and guacamole.  I am not a fan of guacamole, so I gave it to Ash.  I mixed the chicken up with the salad mixings and added a pinch of cheese and not even a half of spoon of sour cream.  I honestly didn't even think about it, but I just did it in the health way.   Of course I didn't eat all of it - about half maybe.  It was so good.   (Now, I did have chips and salsa - salsa is something I actually crave - I crave tomatoes ha).  <br /><br />Belviq Rocks!  That's it in a Taco Shell!!!<br /><br />Remember to like my facebook page:  <br /><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BelviqDailyPersonal">https://www.facebook.com/BelviqDailyPersonal</a><br /><br />And follow me on twitter: @ewenker<br /><br />Also - go listen to the (2 hour) radio interview that's on the top right of the page.  If you want, you can down load it to listen to it in pieces, etc.  <br /><br />Thanks everyone for ALL OF the kind Support!!!  You all are amazing - really really AMAZING!<br /><br />xoxo-Ellie<br /><br />PS - Sunday is my day off from blogging!!!!

Did I mention, Belviq ROCKS!!!

Happy Saturday Peeps!!! I would love for a lazy day, but I just have way too much to do. My dad will include menu planning for the week, gr...

Recipe for a wonderful weekend

8:37 AM Tukiyooo 0

Recipe for a wonderful weekend

Slowly stir up a generous amount of pinching, pulling, poking, pushing and the purple thing. Beat well. Or as well as Mr. StillOverwhelmedBy...

Richmond Times-Dispatch pays respects to regular LTE writer

6:34 AM Tukiyooo 0

It's not often newspapers recognize and pay respects to a member of the community who was a regular letter writer when that correspondent passes away. Today, the <a href="http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion/our-opinion/today-s-top-opinion-wrap-up/article_34a800f6-c8dd-504c-8155-02cbf91cd8fe.html"><i>Richmond Times-Dispatch</i></a> does just that, an honor to the writer and his family.<br /><br />Saturday's editorial page included the following tribute to James Coutlakis:<br /><blockquote>When letters by James Coutlakis arrived at The Times-Dispatch, editors welcomed them. They knew Coutlakis would make strong points in vivid prose. His letters required little editing. Today’s Letters section re-publishes a letter that earned Coutlakis recognition as a Correspondent of the Day. Coutlakis died July 6 after being hit by a train. The website gofundme.com/3icvcc is accepting donations to a fund that will help pay for the education of his sons. We will miss him.</blockquote>Read <a href="http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion/your-opinion/letters-to-the-editor/correspondent-of-the-day-june/article_106ae84a-7683-5e62-b0bf-2cf0d08d08d1.html">Mr. Coutlakis' letter here</a>.

Richmond Times-Dispatch pays respects to regular LTE writer

It's not often newspapers recognize and pay respects to a member of the community who was a regular letter writer when that corresponden...

Today's Teamster News 07.13.13

5:55 AM Tukiyooo 0

<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/07/12/2292691/iowa-court-firing-attractive/">Iowa Supreme Court: It’s OK To Fire A Woman For Being Too Attractive</a>  ThinkProgress   ...Standing by a December decision, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that a male dentist who fired a female assistant because she was too attractive and threatened his marriage did not commit sex discrimination...<br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23278321">Brazil protests: Tens of thousands in union-led strikes</a>  BBC News   ...Ports and motorways were blocked, banks and schools stayed closed, and crowds marched through Rio de Janeiro, where riot police deployed tear gas. The unions want improved working conditions and better public services...<br /><a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/us-treasury-delays-offshore-tax-dodging-law-by-six-months/articleshow/21046951.cms">US Treasury delays offshore tax-dodging law by six months</a>  Economic Times   ...The US Treasury Department said on Friday it will postpone enforcement of a new law that cracks down on offshore tax avoidance by Americans by six months to give foreign banks more time to figure out how to comply...<br /><a href="http://bankcreditnews.com/news/sen-brown-urges-obama-administration-to-press-china-on-trade-currency-issues/11458/">Sen. Brown urges Obama administration to press China on trade, currency issues</a>  BankCreditNews   ...Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) urged the Obama administration on Monday to press China on a number of issues that affect American jobs and businesses, including currency manipulation, illegal trade practices, cyber-attacks, human rights abuses and intellectual property theft...<br /><a href="http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/84488/Changing_WalMart_Respect_our_rights_workers_say">Changing Wal-Mart? Respect our rights, workers say</a>  Sacramento Press   ...As of July 8, nine Wal-Mart  workers in California have been fired for standing up and speaking out publicly to improve labor conditions at the large retailer. The company is saying the employees were let go due to violating attendance policy or for other reasons, and not because of any “specific protest.”...<br /><a href="http://hamptonroads.com/2013/07/workers-smithfield-foods-feel-mixed-about-proposed-chinese-buyout">Smithfield workers conflicted over Chinese buyout</a>  Virginian-Pilot   ...What’ll happen to workers at Smithfield Foods Inc. if the pork company is taken over by Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd.? The workers feel mixed about the buyout...<br /><a href="http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/union-head-threatens-bloodiest-bart-strike-ever-if/nYndN/">Union head threatens 'bloodiest' BART strike in years</a>  KTVU News   ...Rhetoric remained fiery as BART negotiators and union heads returned to the bargaining table Thursday, with one union head threatening the "bloodiest, longest strike" in decades if a permanent deal isn't reached in less than a month...<br /><a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/07/silicon-valleys-anti-unionism-and-class-warfare.html?mid=google">Silicon Valley’s Anti-Unionism, Now With a Side of Class Warfare</a>  Daily Intelligencer   ...Since BART workers went on strike last week, shutting down the Bay Area's primary mass transit system and interrupting millions of commutes, the relationship between the Silicon Valley tech community and labor unions has come under the microscope...<br /><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/new-hampshire/2013/07/11/hassan-signs-jobless-benefits-bill/ErAOms7quOTm6oJ57Vwx7J/story.html">NH's Hassan signs jobless benefits bill</a>  Associated Press   ...Gov. Maggie Hassan signed a bill Thursday creating a new program that will allow a small percentage of jobless workers to continue to get unemployment benefits while they start their own businesses. Under the new law, which took effect immediately, only 2.5 percent of unemployed workers can participate in the program at any given time...<br /><a href="http://teaneck.patch.com/groups/new-jersey-news/p/christie-vetoes-bill-that-would-check-his-power-to-privatize">Christie Vetoes Bill That Would Check His Power to Privatize</a>  Teaneck Patch   ...The Christie administration made privatizing dozens of state programs and services a priority shortly after taking office, announcing it was a way to save millions of dollars during economically tough times. But recently, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill whose purpose was to ensure that government privatization actually saved money...<br /><a href="http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2013/07/new_jersey_approves_incentives.html">New Jersey approves incentives for firm that oversaw 1,100 New Jersey layoffs</a>  Star-Ledger   ...The state Economic Development Authority yesterday approved nearly $530,000 in two incentive packages to a New Hampshire-based distributor for supermarket chains whose New Jersey subsidiary laid off its entire work force and shuttered all six New Jersey locations in 2011...<br /><a href="http://www.michiganradio.org/post/challenge-union-contract-goes-around-right-work-dismissed">Challenge to union contract that goes around 'right-to-work' dismissed</a>  Michigan Radio   ...A judge in Wayne County has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a school union contract designed to skirt the Michigan’s new right-to-work law...<br /><a href="http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/jul/11/calif-gov-eliminates-enterprise-tax-zones/">California Governor Eliminates Enterprise Tax Zones</a>  KPBS Radio News   ...A swipe of the governor's pen wiped away California's enterprise tax zones and created a new job strategy focused on sales tax exemptions for companies that buy manufacturing as well as research and development equipment...<br /><a href="http://www.twincities.com/crime/ci_23641509/minnesota-sues-online-lender-alleging-illegally-high-payback">Minnesota sues online lender, alleging illegally high payback rates</a>  Pioneer Press   ...Minnesota is suing Internet lender CashCall Inc., which offers personal loans with annual interest rates as high as 342 percent. The lender claims the loans are OK because the company is governed by tribal law, not state law...<br /><a href="http://www.teamster.org/audio/download/91335/071213AngelaAnelloonTheBillPressShow.mp3">Chicago Funeral Director Speaks Out Against SCI</a>  The Bill Press Show   ...Funeral director and Teamsters Local 727 member Angela Anello joined Bill Press yesterday to discuss the ongoing strike against Service Corporation International (SCI). Fifty-nine funeral directors have been on strike since July 2 to fight for a fair contract. Visit <a href="http://www.integrityinillinois.com/">www.integrityinillinois.com</a> for more information...<br /><a href="http://ricksmithshow.com/july-8%2C-2013-show">Midwest Teamsters Detail Good Works of Union</a>  Rick Smith Show   ...Rick and the gang spoke with several Teamsters during stops in St. Louis and Detroit about how the union is working to help workers and the local community.  <a href="https://teamster.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://ricksmithshow.com/july-8%252C-2013-show" target="_blank">Listen here</a>. Visit the <a href="http://www.teamster.org/ricksmithtour">People's Tour of America</a> section to get the highlights....

Today's Teamster News 07.13.13

Iowa Supreme Court: It’s OK To Fire A Woman For Being Too Attractive ThinkProgress ...Standing by a December decision, the Iowa Supreme ...

Today: Susan Allen book signing at Chestefield Barnes & Noble

5:42 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpogyKY3173EzBDQkBuBdh3erkwdFF_DAQvNFzCeMiO8osMBsqknti8a34ZdcybJcY3JMM3N7kgOH0ZRDMTLbdlpLLLCH6-xdfBC3gWx6hx1QUi5uYHg2jLF2I4hmumPaoOKoE5nmqrUN9/s1600/Susan+Allen+Reagan+book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpogyKY3173EzBDQkBuBdh3erkwdFF_DAQvNFzCeMiO8osMBsqknti8a34ZdcybJcY3JMM3N7kgOH0ZRDMTLbdlpLLLCH6-xdfBC3gWx6hx1QUi5uYHg2jLF2I4hmumPaoOKoE5nmqrUN9/s400/Susan+Allen+Reagan+book+cover.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br />Ronald Reagan was a remarkable man, and one person who would know that is Virginia's former First Lady Susan Allen whose husband George began his political career leading the Young Republicans for Reagan in 1976. Now Mrs. Allen has lovingly written about this man admired by many.<br /><br /><a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/05/susan-allen-author-of-the-remarkable-ronald-reagan-on-tour-june-2013/"><i>The Remarkable Ronald Reagan: Cowboy and Commander-in-Chief</i></a> is a children's book but I am eager to read it for two reasons: 1) it's about Ronald Reagan; 2) its author is Susan Allen. They are both people I greatly admire.<br /><br />Mrs. Allen and her book will be at the <a href="http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/80338">Chesterfield Town Center's Barnes & Noble</a> bookstore this Saturday, July 13, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. For those in the Richmond area, it's a wonderful opportunity to visit with Susan for story time and to have her sign your copy of the book.<br /><br />The Barnes & Noble website offered an overview of the book:<br /><blockquote>Ronald Reagan was a natural leader, well-remembered not just for his political leadership, but also for his warmth, kindness, dignity, and optimism. There’s a lot kids can learn from Reagan, about our country and about being good leaders and good people. <br /><br /><i>The Remarkable Ronald Reagan: Cowboy and Commander in Chief</i> is a fun, colorful look at his life, from his humble beginnings as the son of a shoe salesman, to his years as a Hollywood actor, his service in WWII, his life as a rancher, and finally the culmination of his political career in the Oval Office. Ronald Reagan is an ideal role model, not only as a leader and former president, but also as a shining example of self-sacrifice and determination. <i>The Remarkable Ronald Reagan</i> is a treat for the entire family. </blockquote><a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2013/05/susan-allen-author-of-the-remarkable-ronald-reagan-on-tour-june-2013/">TLC Book Tours</a> offered more in its assessment of the book:<br /><blockquote><i>The Remarkable Ronald Reagan</i> is a wonderful new children's book about our great president and his big dreams in life and his great accomplishments as our Nation's leader....Written for elementary students, adults will also enjoy the walk down memory lane with Reagan -- and everyone will learn something new about this remarkable man!  Look forward to seeing you there! </blockquote>If you miss the Chesterfield stop on Mrs. Allen's book tour, she will be at the <a href="http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/80706">Charlottesville Barracks Road Shopping Center Barnes & Noble</a> on Saturday, July 20, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. <br /><br />Mrs. Allen <a href="http://www.myfoxdc.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9045784#.UdG9ejfrB1I.facebook">talked with the folks at the DC Fox News affiliate</a> in an interview about her book. Also, be sure to check out her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SusanAllenVA?fref=ts">Facebook page</a> for photos of various locations along the tour and updates about upcoming dates.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuLyp74IiFA07amxT7ePHbYQCAoAAqA3lCE5kSSYuetVCIDHhjABDU71OZdh1HyEKDMlcd8NFUxt6msptuseV6-6hPsygOB4LlXMwBcoOZfvVzllWP-ZIkWkOxAuIAdKQ_hCpK-PdwRZU/s1600/Susan+Allen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuLyp74IiFA07amxT7ePHbYQCAoAAqA3lCE5kSSYuetVCIDHhjABDU71OZdh1HyEKDMlcd8NFUxt6msptuseV6-6hPsygOB4LlXMwBcoOZfvVzllWP-ZIkWkOxAuIAdKQ_hCpK-PdwRZU/s1600/Susan+Allen.jpg" /></a></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>About Susan Allen</b></span><br />Susan Allen served as First Lady of Virginia when her husband, George Allen, was elected as the Commonwealth’s 67thGovernor. In that role, she worked on many initiatives including tourism, breast cancer awareness, and children’s issues.<br /><br />Accompanying her father-in-law, famed NFL head coach and Chairman of The President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Susan met Ronald Reagan in 1987 in the Oval Office. Reagan was an Allen family friend and the one who inspired her husband to run for office. George led Young Virginians for Reagan in 1976 and currently serves on the Board for Governors for the Reagan Ranch.<br /><br />Susan Allen resides in Mt. Vernon, VA, with her husband and is an avid fan of reading, history, and the outdoors. The Allens have two daughters, Tyler and Brooke, and one son, Forrest.

Ronald Reagan was a remarkable man, and one person who would know that is Virginia's former First Lady Susan Allen whose husband George ...

Matt Said, Jay Said...The Heat is On!!

10:06 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Matt has a seizure…Jayman is paralyzed…You are stricken dumbfounded by their hotness and humidity.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrN6aPnsWv7ZW54_TVjG9jJuFsHE01NzlOGtPmM1mqGxmBzywuqyn-uOnb5v2Dxxz5bvdtlDRzTeuQ_PxSb-7uztmw4Dk63HL70F3Zm1K1WLBkxRaO9aIMdc7qqB8RZpIDH2mWBGfGPo/s1600/elisabeth-hasselbeck+Fox+and+Friends.jpg" 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/AVvXsEjkrN6aPnsWv7ZW54_TVjG9jJuFsHE01NzlOGtPmM1mqGxmBzywuqyn-uOnb5v2Dxxz5bvdtlDRzTeuQ_PxSb-7uztmw4Dk63HL70F3Zm1K1WLBkxRaO9aIMdc7qqB8RZpIDH2mWBGfGPo/s320/elisabeth-hasselbeck+Fox+and+Friends.jpg" width="320" /></a>Matt:  What the hell?  How the hell did you get this number?<br />Jay:  You gave it to me like three years ago.<br />Matt:  Oh…Jayman?<br />Jay:  Yes?<br />Matt:  Oh wow.  I thought you were a bill collector.<br />Jay:  I am in a way…I want a return on my suffering with you.<br />Matt:  Ha.. That’s funny…Anyhoo…What should we do this week?<br />Jay:  No, seriously…I figure that you owe me, Six Thousand, Nine-Hun--<br />Matt:  Ha. Funny Man…<br /><br />Jay:  Okay let’s talk about the show and I’ll talk reparations later.<br />Matt:  Sweeeeeeet!!<br /><br />Jay:  I hear Luis took his Citizenship test today.<br />Matt:  Yep.  And he passed!!<br />Jay:  Ole!!<br />Matt:  He may have to work on Sunday, but his wife can talk to us.<br />Jay:  That would be awesome!!<br />Matt:  IKR?  We could ask her about how now that Luis is an American, he cares about nothing.<br />Jay:  I know that I don’t.<br />Matt:  Me neither.<br /><br />Jay:  I was thinking that perhaps we could just wing it again this week.<br />Matt:  Last week’s winging it show wasn’t too hateful!!<br />Jay:  IKR?<br />Matt:  We can talk about the George Zimmerman trial.<br />Jay:  We can and will, and dig this…<br />Matt:  Oh Dear God, what?<br /><br />Jay:  They are going to be filming a movie here in Redneckville and Bobby Kraft is going to be in it.<br />Matt:  Really!!?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHlOqvPKDPd4HDff3Kww_w13lk0c4tGpLoDPcgYn7sD4cecUVm1KW1PGOWOR1BlYdCY6aRERR7tIvEd4Tb6hIZaxioNifRPHvwXzuqZCFiJncAcOb_zOMncTOMZMHfOkvkTFYNt6FrKs/s1600/Lindsay+Lohan+Sexy+on+Oprah.jpg" 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/AVvXsEgsHlOqvPKDPd4HDff3Kww_w13lk0c4tGpLoDPcgYn7sD4cecUVm1KW1PGOWOR1BlYdCY6aRERR7tIvEd4Tb6hIZaxioNifRPHvwXzuqZCFiJncAcOb_zOMncTOMZMHfOkvkTFYNt6FrKs/s320/Lindsay+Lohan+Sexy+on+Oprah.jpg" width="320" /></a>Jay:  Yes!!  I mean, probably…and Dixie Ozark is going to interview Bobby about it.<br />Matt:  That’s HOT!!<br />Jay:  IKR?<br /><br />Matt:  Well let me tell ya…Drive-By Mikey is leaving for a week, and I’ll be in charge of the Beer Mine!!<br />Jay:  Are you gonna make some wacky changes?<br />Matt:  He won’t recognize the place nor his customers when he gets back.<br />Jay:  Good to see that you are building the business and we should talk about that.<br />Matt:  I am a team player, and we will.<br /><br />Jay: So…we hit the week’s news HAM and then be our charming selves?<br />Matt:  Is there a better plan?<br />Jay:  No fucking way!!<br /><br />Matt:  So there you go…People should join us <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/07/14/heat-wave-of-hilarity" target="_blank">tomorrow, Sunday July 14th LIVE from Noon-2 PM ET</a> </span>on Blog Talk Radio as IWS Radio once again hits the mark and supplies the funny.<br /><br />If you’d like to listen LIVE this Sunday at Noon ET click <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/07/14/heat-wave-of-hilarity" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></div>

Matt Said, Jay Said...The Heat is On!!

Matt has a seizure…Jayman is paralyzed…You are stricken dumbfounded by their hotness and humidity. Matt: What the hell? How the hell did y...

Cutting 'N' Pasting at MoMA

6:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

On Wednesday the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) celebrated the opening of two exhibitions, both curated by <a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/pages/insight/curating-pedro-gadanho">Pedro Gadanho</a>: <a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1369"><i>Cut 'n' Paste: From Architectural Assemblage to Collage City</i></a> on the third floor and <a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1389"><i>Young Architects Program (YAP) 2013</i></a> in the lobby. Below are some photos and impressions on the former.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/9264839470/" title="Cut 'N' Paste by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Cut 'N' Paste" height="480" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3712/9264839470_8d3a313453_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The first line of the exhibition's text asserts: "The ethos of collage shapes every aspect of contemporary culture, from  the glut of signs and images to the many layers of digital information  to the art of sampling." So it's fitting that the visitor is first confronted with projected images of digital renderings before going back in time to the early 20th century and artists, like Kurt Schwitters, who cut and pasted various media.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/9264839146/" title="Cut 'N' Paste by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Cut 'N' Paste" height="480" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3716/9264839146_6066393762_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The layout of the exhibition recalls Gadanho's <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2012/09/91-ways-of-being-political.html"><i>9+1 Ways of Being Political</i></a>, with its diagonal walls, reddish-orange color scheme, and clear directionality through the spaces. Here there are basically two rooms with five areas: the digital renderings already mentioned, Mies van der Rohe, 1960's architecture (Archigram, Haus-Rucker-Co, etc.), art (the orange wall, above and the next two photos), and architects in the 1990s and 2000s.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/9264839012/" title="Cut 'N' Paste by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Cut 'N' Paste" height="480" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5326/9264839012_c465883545_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Even though the exhibition is about how architects were influenced (and could still be influenced in other ways) by collage artists, there is a clear separation in the galleries between art and architecture; the former is mounted on the orange wall, and the latter is everywhere else. It seems that letting the various pieces intermingle in an informal manner would linked the presentation to the idea of collage, but the juxtapositions of one piece against another might have led to overt conclusions. As is, the visitor is free to determine on their own how, and if, certain pieces of art influenced architects elsewhere in the exhibition.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/9264837362/" title="Cut 'N' Paste by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Cut 'N' Paste" height="480" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3822/9264837362_8e74dfcc1e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The second room (below) is devoted to work by architects around the 1990s (a couple are highlighted at bottom), as well as the inverse of the digital surface first encountered. The wall is actually porous, made up of vertical strips that allow museum-goers to exit "through the screen."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/9262062403/" title="Cut 'N' Paste by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Cut 'N' Paste" height="480" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3788/9262062403_ff8b1e6d23_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The last section certainly brought back some memories of the work that influenced me in undergraduate architecture school over 15 years ago. It was particularly great to see the below drawing of Diller + Scofidio's unbuilt Slow House. Even though the relationship of the piece to collage seems tenuous at first (only two parts of it are cut-n-pasted; the rear view mirror and image of the Long Island Sound), the way the architects generated the curving design from these two elements lends more weight to its inclusion in the exhibition. After all the design is all about the approach through the car windshield and the mediated view of the water juxtaposed next to the actual view.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/9264838578/" title="Cut 'N' Paste by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Cut 'N' Paste" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/9264838578_f371a9bf69_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Still, I've always been drawn to how perfectly the Slow House drawing is represented and generated through the compass armature—how the series of sections is cut through the plan from the center point and how they congeal into a shape just like a mirrored and inverted plan. It's a technique no longer required in the age of computers, but at the time it was an approach so strongly linked to the design that it couldn't be replicated, no matter how much architects and students wanted to.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/9264837746/" title="Cut 'N' Paste by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Cut 'N' Paste" height="480" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3724/9264837746_de08772973_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />A rear view mirror makes another appearance in OMA's submission for the MoMA expansion competition. Here collage is much more obvious, considering that most of the drawing is pieced from other sources—the people, the facade of MoMA's Goodwin Building, the car, and the rear view mirror. The latter is actually reflective, something I couldn't help document.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/9264838856/" title="Cut 'N' Paste by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="Cut 'N' Paste" height="800" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5344/9264838856_6978d792af_c.jpg" width="616" /></a>

Cutting 'N' Pasting at MoMA

On Wednesday the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) celebrated the opening of two exhibitions, both curated by Pedro Gadanho : Cut 'n' Past...

Pacific Rim: Monster Mash

6:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>Pacific Rim</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/pacificrim/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>3.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, for intense sci-fi violence and brief profanity</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 7.12.13</b></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>            <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guillermo del Toro must have loved Godzilla movies as a kid.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His newest action fantasy, <i>Pacific Rim</i>, is a valentine to the dozen or so romp ’em, stomp ’em features that starred “the big G” during del Toro’s formative years. (Quite a few more have been made since then.) This tip of the hat clearly is deliberate, since the director and fellow scripter Travis Beacham refer to their ginormous critters as <i>kaiju</i>, the Japanese term — literally “strange beast,” but more commonly “giant monster” — coined, back in the day, to describe Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and their ilk.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjylp-R5OFQNaWthRY5u15kaJLngJC5zBAuP08AWfvu-r-n0EEa7QGUujrChBF5I1exGSWz9C-GPAjpyuGsqWaIJN4b2yBabY9veq87FYwymIoVyMcyL60hgrq4pcGG_VBkkHgEVyzLSFk/s1600/Pacific+Rim+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjylp-R5OFQNaWthRY5u15kaJLngJC5zBAuP08AWfvu-r-n0EEa7QGUujrChBF5I1exGSWz9C-GPAjpyuGsqWaIJN4b2yBabY9veq87FYwymIoVyMcyL60hgrq4pcGG_VBkkHgEVyzLSFk/s400/Pacific+Rim+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Strapped into the high-tech body suits that make them "one" with the giant robot<br />warriors into which they've been placed, Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako (Rinko<br />Kikuchi) prepare for a battle they already know is unwinnable, against a monstrous<br />beast with adaptive "enhancements" that have made it far stronger than their<br />mechanical avatar.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throw in plenty of 21st century whiz-bang special effects, and the result is a high-tech thrill ride that blends <i>big</i> monsters, equally massive robot-like avatars, and the stubborn pluck of a puny human race unwilling to go quietly into that good night.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During a summer laden with end-of-the-world scenarios — zombie apocalypse and Kryptonian apocalypse, not to mention the biblical Book of Revelations — this one takes the prize for cheeky absurdity. At the same time, del Toro and Beacham pay careful attention to the human element, giving us would-be saviors who are inspiring for their fortitude, and endearing for their flaws.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not to mention, it’s always nice when a screenplay takes the optimistic view, and shows world powers uniting in an effort to save the planet. Such all-for-one selflessness goes all the way back to H.G. Wells’ <i>War of the Worlds</i>, and the reminder is refreshing in this divisively cynical age.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Audacious fantasy has been del Toro’s stock-in-trade ever since 1997’s under-appreciated and genuinely creepy <i>Mimic</i>. He also was the perfect choice to adapt graphic novelist Mike Mignola’s lunatic <i>Hellboy</i> series, and — as an executive producer — del Toro has chaperoned riveting projects such as 2007’s wonderfully atmospheric <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2008/01/orphanage-creepy-childs-play.html">The Orphanage</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And let us not forget his masterpiece: 2006’s <i>Pan’s Labyrinth</i>, the Oscar-winning horror film that brought adult sensibilities to a genre too frequently willing to settle for much less, and which demonstrated that human monsters can be much, much worse than anything cooked up by our vivid imaginations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Pacific Rim</i> doesn’t wade through such high-falutin' waters, though; this is simply del Toro’s first stab at a crowd-pleasing, mega-budget summer blockbuster, and he has done a commendable job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film, set in the not-too-distant future, opens with an extended flashback: An unseen narrator recalls the unexpected arrival of the first <i>kaiju</i>, an enormous — and quite savage — amphibious creature bent on death and destruction. It rises from the ocean depths and wreaks considerable havoc before being brought down by conventional military hardware.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apparently passing this off as an isolated incident — perhaps a lone, Bradbury-esque behemoth, driven by curiosity to the surface world — mankind is similarly unprepared months later, when the next one arrives. And then another. And another, at noticeably shorter intervals. Scientists realize that they’re coming from some sort of dimensional portal deep in the Pacific Ocean.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br />  <div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Faced with the obvious need to Do Something, the world’s nations pool their resources and develop the largest, most versatile and aggressively lethal weapon ever devised. This is the Jaeger Program, which constructs 25-story-tall mechanical “robots” that are operated by two pilots whose minds are linked both to each other, and to the machine’s limbs and assault gadgets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think Wii technology, taken to the obvious extreme.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a time, the ploy is successful; thanks also to a computer-sensor “early warning system” that registers portal activity, the <i>kaiju</i> become an irritating but dispatchable menace. Jaeger pilots, like Apollo astronauts, turn into the world’s new heroes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years pass ... and, then, the unthinkable. The <i>kaiju</i> adapt; a Jaeger robot falls. The pendulum shifts, and Earth’s first line of defense loses its edge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Yes, this is all back-story!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story proper opens as the Jaeger Program is scrapped, much to the dismay of its guiding light, Pan Pacific Defense Corp Commander Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba). World leaders shift their strategy to the construction of tall, thick sea walls apparently intended to prevent the <i>kaiju</i> from making landfall. (This seems an idiotic notion on all sorts of levels, not the least of which is the havoc increased numbers of the monsters would wreak on ocean life.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Predictably, this new defense proves less than successful. Worse yet, scientists have determined that the <i>kaiju</i> are popping up at exponential rates, leading to the ghastly realization that, soon, two of them will appear at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All hope now rests with the remnants of Pentecost’s Jaeger program, and its four surviving robots: Gypsy Danger, from the USA; China’s Crimson Typhoon; Russia’s Cherno Alpha; and Australia’s Striker Eureka. Although everybody already knows that Jaeger tech has proven unsuccessful, mankind isn’t about to go down without a fight. (Damn straight!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Del Toro never works with big-name stars, preferring the greater verisimilitude of fresh faces blended with seasoned character actors. Our all-American good guy, Raleigh Becket, is played by Charlie Hunnam, best known these days for his ongoing role on TV’s <i>Sons of Anarchy</i>. Hunnam is properly clean-cut, and Becket is a flawed tragic hero: an emotionally crippled, one-time Jaeger pilot who never recovered from the years-ago battle that marked the beginning of the end.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still, as Pentecost insists — in the grand tradition of such underdog sagas — “You’re the best we’ve got.” Elba probably is one of very few actors who could make that hoary line sound credible; his Pentecost is the epitome of crisply starched, unswerving loyalty to tactical precision. We’ve not seen a military commander rendered so persuasively since George C. Scott’s George S. Patton.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Australian Jaeger is manned by the father-and-son team of Herc and Chuck Hansen (Max Martini and Robert Kazinsky). Martini, a longtime acting veteran, exudes the sort of hail-fellow-well-met Aussie charm that we’ve come to expect; Herc also grants Becket the respect he deserves. That isn’t the case with Chuck, played by Kazinsky — a relative newcomer — as an arrogant snot whose only saving grace is ownership of an adorably sloppy bulldog.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pentecost has a ward, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), the now-grown survivor of a horrific <i>kaiju</i> attack that terrified her as a child. Although she has trained just as hard as anybody else, and wants desperately to co-pilot a Jaeger, Pentecost holds her back; acknowledging her Japanese devotion to honor and respect, she complies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Becket won’t have it. Recognizing that he and Mako share the all-essential mind-meld compatibility necessary for superior Jaeger control, he naturally rebels. (Cue the inter-personal tension.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On top of which, Mako is seriously cute.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kikuchi brings unexpected emotional gravity to these proceedings; as also is the case with Hunnam’s Becket, we learn much about her personal tragedy. Mostly, though, Kikuchi makes Mako <i>interesting</i>, and she effortlessly wins our hearts and minds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A shout-out also goes to Mana Ashida, who plays Mako’s younger self. This little girl brings frightening intensity to a flashback sequence that explains her thirst for revenge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We never get to know the Russian or Chinese pilots, which is a shame. For openers, they <i>look</i> intriguing ... and, more to the point, del Toro muffs this opportunity to make his film as inclusively international as the storyline.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comic relief is supplied by Charlie Day and Burn Gorman, as Geiszler and Gottlieb, a pair of whack-job scientists with <i>way</i>-outside-the-box views on how best to tackle the <i>kaiju</i>“problem.” They’re the original odd couple: Day’s Geiszler is sloppy and dangerously impulsive, while Gorman’s Gottlieb is fussy, prissy and just as misguidedly wary. They’re obviously conceived, by del Toro and Beacham, as an entertaining alternative to the boring, white-garbed scientist-types who customarily offer dull-as-dishwater “explanations” in such films.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we know right away that salvation must lie with these nutball researchers, despite their tendency to try Pentecost’s patience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, Ron Perlman — a familiar face in del Toro’s films — pops up as Hannibal Chau, a Hong Kong-based black marketeer who has made a fortune selling <i>kaiju</i> parts on the black market. Perlman chews up the scenery in style; he’s the only actor, thus far, able to give the late James Coburn’s devious ear-to-ear grin a run for its money.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Production designers Andrew Neskoromny and Carol Spier have a field day with the opulent sets, from the Loccent Command Center, home of the holographic computers that monitor the <i>kaiju</i> battles, to Chau’s opulent “<i>kaiju</i> reclamation center.” Visual effects supervisors John Knoll and James E. Price do equally well with the city-leveling battle scenes; we’ve come a long way from the days when Godzilla would stomp cardboard cities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much of the film’s persuasive, pulse-pounding power comes from cinematographer Guillermo Navarro’s ability to convey the essential sense of size and scale. Unfortunately, the 3D effects were applied after the fact; although the results are better than most cases of “fake 3D,” the finished film nonetheless suffers from the overly “dark” look that is typical of retroactive enhancement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Pacific Rim</i> won’t win any awards for originality, but that’s not an issue; del Toro and Beacham intend their film as a genre homage, much the way George Lucas riffed classic westerns in <i>Star Wars</i>, and Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich updated H.G. Wells in 1996’s <i>Independence Day</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This high-tech monster mash is ripping good fun, as is the case with <i>White House Down</i>. And there’s nothing wrong with that, when it comes to popcorn action flicks.</span></span>

2013 action Burn Gorman Charlie Day Charlie Hunnam fantasy Guillermo del Toro Idris Elba Max Martini Rinko Kikuchi Robert Kazinsky Ron Perlman Sci-Fi Pacific Rim: Monster Mash

Pacific Rim (2013) • View trailer 3.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, for intense sci-fi violence and brief profanity By Derrick Bang • Origin...

Body of missing bicyclist found in Shenandoah National Park

4:51 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueyqJvZozjp7dSSLWUSTJAOB3GHAI4FFLwG7HtHm7qAEEDDtaF9NfNfqwuuDG0_r12zqK-G9oErnyxfswJ7g6f8nmj1wDNvF1u_DxXZC3XYnBOX_g2fVggtnmuTDswpWlNZwG0FOcD3Oe/s1600/National+Park+Service+emblem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueyqJvZozjp7dSSLWUSTJAOB3GHAI4FFLwG7HtHm7qAEEDDtaF9NfNfqwuuDG0_r12zqK-G9oErnyxfswJ7g6f8nmj1wDNvF1u_DxXZC3XYnBOX_g2fVggtnmuTDswpWlNZwG0FOcD3Oe/s200/National+Park+Service+emblem.jpg" width="153" /></a></div><br />The <a href="http://www.nps.gov/shen/parknews/search-concludes.htm">National Park Service has posted that the body</a> of the bicyclist missing since July 6 has been found in Shenandoah National Park:<br /><blockquote>The body of Tyler Keefer was located today in the Dickey Ridge area of  the park, marking the end of a multi-day search.  The cause of death is  under investigation.<br /><br />Keefer, 21, had been missing since Saturday, July 6. His family  reported him missing to the Front Royal Police Department and park  officials were notified Monday that his bicycle had been located near  the Dickey Ridge Trailhead.<br /><br />Shenandoah National Park employees and trained volunteers,  including dog teams, ground searchers, and support personnel were  involved in the search.  National Park Service personnel were assisted  by Front Royal Police Department, Virginia Search and Rescue Dogs  Association (VSRDA), Dogs East Search and Rescue, Blue and Gray Search  and Rescue Dogs, and canine team dispatcher, Melissa Taylor. Shenandoah  National Park wishes to thank these cooperating search teams for their  response and continued efforts.</blockquote>Prayers for the family of this young man....<br /><br />H/T to <a href="http://rockfishtoreeds.blogspot.com/">Merlot</a><br /><br /><b>UPDATE:</b> <a href="http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2013/07/missing-hikers-body-found-in-park.php">Missing hiker's body found in Park</a>

Body of missing bicyclist found in Shenandoah National Park

Blue and Gray Search and Rescue Dogs Dickey Ridge Dogs East Search and Rescue Front Royal Police Department Melissa Taylor missing person Shenandoah National Park Tyler Keefer Body of missing bicyclist found in Shenandoah National Park

The National Park Service has posted that the body of the bicyclist missing since July 6 has been found in Shenandoah National Park: The bo...