Learning to Stand after the Fallout

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWnb79Dq56mCXRKcSaprnNHV74U57nWEPLzLF76BWCHLlj7uQE8HeP8lacbCETTVpEenkbN4qko0CTAs9YL58etyx4FgerdnkQF-cXDgWGBZhdizp243YsUEghErE_WiGEVSsaqeyyW0q/s960/Photo%252520Jan%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A21%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1357787200774.96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWnb79Dq56mCXRKcSaprnNHV74U57nWEPLzLF76BWCHLlj7uQE8HeP8lacbCETTVpEenkbN4qko0CTAs9YL58etyx4FgerdnkQF-cXDgWGBZhdizp243YsUEghErE_WiGEVSsaqeyyW0q/s500/Photo%252520Jan%2525208%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525206%25253A21%252520PM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <p>I'm sitting in the stands after just dropping my friend <a href="http://www.angelamaiers.com" target="_self" title="">Angela Maiers</a> off at the airport in Albany. I have to admit, I've been a bit reticent to share lately. Some things aren't worth sharing -- or maybe shouldn't be shared, as an especially harsh critic emailed me back about a month a go -- who is really interested anyway. Just be an information source, Vicki, not a person.</p> <p>There are times, I must admit, that I'm not standing - I'm crawling. Trying to just keep moving forward any way I can. Between the three kids and the 100 kids at school and the 125 computers and 3 servers, websites, blog, collaborators, and all the maelstrom of just living life - when I begin to doubt not only my mission but that I have a mission at all.</p> <p>In my 20's I was quite self confident. I was an optimist. I was ambitious. I was a go-getter - ready to get things done - I did things - things weren't done to me. I I I I ... oh my goodness, it makes me nauseous to think of how things were. When I had a close person to me become down, or, as it happens, depressed - not only did I not understand, I made it worse - heaping guilt upon them for having a hard time, or feeling down. It might have been brought on by a failed business or a death, but to me, back then, before I KNEW and LIVED, I was so sure that although you can't help what happens in life, you can <strong><em>CONTROL</em></strong> how you think about it. You can <strong><em>CONTROL</em></strong> your feelings.</p> <p>Spoken like a neophyte at the game of living life. Control how you feel? Really? You can CONTROL that? You can MAKE yourself an optimist? Really?</p> <p>Those of you who watch me online could hastily dismiss all of this and say </p> <p>"Ah, she's suffering from burnout- she finally did it - she just did too much."</p> <p>But it isn't burnout. It has really been fallout. </p> <h3>Fallout is not the same as burnout</h3> <p>Life decays. People get older, including you and me. People die, things change, the natural radioactive decay of life hits you. Sometimes you open a horrible, "rich" deposit of radioactive material - dare I use the word rich, and your life has just been turned into a complete unrecognizable thing that you just didn't plan. Babies are born. Babies graduate. Babies aren't babies any more. Babies have babies and sadly, babies die. Schools open, schools close. Upsize, downsize, right size, incise. You get seized by change of all sizes.</p> <p>The radioactive decay of life can hit you, and you can be bouncing along happily one moment and the next in a fetal, fallout induced ball just trying to live from moment to moment.</p> <p>You can't talk yourself out of it, into it, over it or around it. </p> <p>And right now in education there is a ton of fallout.</p> <p>Education, and rightly so, is on the hotseat as we realize that in our attempt to create "to do" lists that we've forgotten our "to be" list, as my friend Angela Maiers so aptly said during the last two days of professional development she's done at my school. </p> <p>Maybe I've been afraid to admit the struggles of life that I've been having. I mean, no one really cares about me, as the emailer told me just a month a go. A somewhat unkind lady, on her path to correct me and tell me she was ashamed of me, just had to "put me in my place."</p> <p>And, as I talked to Angela today, she said, "why do we women do this to each other?" There are a few prima donna perfectionists whose job it is to straighten out the world and make them fly right. Well, I'm here to tell you - if you're a prima donna perfectionist -- someone who is radioactive by nature - man or woman - sending your negative decay into the world - GET LOST. I'm done with you. You are radioactive, negative and there is enough natural decay in life itself to be around you or listen to you. </p> <p>Life is tough. Teaching is tough. Being a mom is completely heartwrenching and exhausting. It is natural and there and nothing any of us can do about it.</p> <p>But I've been straightened out in these last two days with Angela. Yes, we talked about technology. Yes, we talked about 21st century skills and more, but more than that we talked about our to be list. Our to be list as a school and our to be list as professionals. </p> <p>It starts with who you and I want to be. We must reframe our thinking by surrounding ourselves with mentors and inspiring people. <strong>We must replenish our hearts before we can think about putting something new in our minds</strong>. And we MUST -- I repeat MUST realize and understand that other educators, people, parents, and students are experiencing the stress of life too.</p> <h2>Walk Slowly Through the crowd</h2> <p>My pastor, <a href="http://www.michaelcatt.com" target="_self" title="">Michael Catt</a>, says, "Walk slowly through the crowd, because everyone has a hurt."</p> <p>Everyone has a hurt. Everyone. You, me, everyone. And when it is too much, we experience fallout, not burnout. It takes time to heal and move forward. </p> <p>There are times such fallout doesn't really make us wonder if we have a purpose but if we have anything at all. If it matters at all.</p> <p>But there is the opposite of fallout. And although, you and I can't influence millions - or maybe we can, but most of us won't, we can, however, come in contact with many people who we influence. We can have the natural radioactive decay of life, or we can be the inverse - replenishers - sending tiny micro-particles of encouragement, a good deed, a kindness. A simple #youmatter into the world to help another person know that they are important. </p> <p>You never know who needs that micro-encouragement - that little deed that you think is so little but may save the life of another.</p> <p>I no longer tell people to "get over it" or "just control your thinking." That is hogwash, or perhaps more accurately, radioactive misthink.</p> <p>Instead, I want to be the person radiating the hope and encouragement this world needs. I can do this because I know the ultimate Encourager who replinishes me when I completely fall out from the fallout of the radioactivity of life.</p> <p>Here are some tips that are helping me stand after the fallout that I'm recommending may help you.</p> <h4>1. Maintain and improve physical health</h4> <p>Here's what I'm doing for starters: </p> <p> </p> <p>- 8 hours of sleep a night</p> <p>- pushups and situps every morning -doesn't matter how many as long as they are both more than yesterday</p> <p>- 2 glasses of water in the morning before I do anything or eat anything else</p> <h4>2. Carefully scrutinize the particularly radioactive situations and people in your life and working to shield yourself wherever possible</h4> <p>- If it is a situation - can I change it, can I propose solutions?</p> <p>- If it is a person - can I avoid them or remove them from my life?</p> <h4>3. Pick the 5 "mentors" or heroes of your life and study how to emulate those people</h4> <p>Angela Maiers has her "dream team" of 5 great people on her bulletin board who make up her people she wants to emulate. She said in our training this week that the people you want to emulate and fill your mind with have the most influence on who you become. I'm working on my dream team right now but have decided to fill my reading list with some biographies. While I haven't picked my entire dream team except one, there are some candidates (you can see the current list in the picture.)</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-6zZKNkTXSUq0zDvWY5OOx9QDbkTVQX3p7h0RYqtY9DuGgCCJ71Uht-AEFPTDg7jruM-ErgRXC8b2-nQ1eMCCEe7IPnnkWryHO2L60s6JW8nwkN29QWa8Av_ol4jpSi6WqkQ4Az8PQWg/s960/Photo%252520Jan%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A32%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="375" id="blogsy-1357787200762.3157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-6zZKNkTXSUq0zDvWY5OOx9QDbkTVQX3p7h0RYqtY9DuGgCCJ71Uht-AEFPTDg7jruM-ErgRXC8b2-nQ1eMCCEe7IPnnkWryHO2L60s6JW8nwkN29QWa8Av_ol4jpSi6WqkQ4Az8PQWg/s500/Photo%252520Jan%2525209%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A32%252520PM.jpg" width="500"></a></div> <p> I'm reading some of the writings now of Mother Theresa - truly a great humanitarian and Christian who inspired everyone she met - she's blowing me away. </p> <h4> 4. Start your "to be" list before you get the "to do" list too far along</h4> <h4>5. Come up with a system to keep a master list of current projects.</h4> <p>I'm keeping my master list of projects in Evernote, primarily using '<a href="http://www.thesecretweapon.org/" target="_self" title="">the secret weapon</a>' series of posts to guide me with the system. This is important because, often fallout happens because you've got too many things going. The natural stress of any one of them emits radioactive stress in your life but with so many, it can become too much very quickly. I keep one evernote note for each major task with a good name and use the numbering system in the secret weapon. So, daily I review everything tagged ".Active Project" and "1-Now" and weekly I review everything for planning purposes. At the top of each note I have typed Next action: so I know what is next.</p> <h4> 6. Encourage others</h4> <p>I'm putting myself back out there in the hopes that encouraging you and being transparent about my recent bout with fallout will help some of you experiencing the same thing. If you want to help yourself, take steps to help and encourage others.</p> <p>Show others that they matter. Say thank you. Encourage others and be the kind of person you want others to be to you. Today as I worked the youth room during church, I started off by having a pity party - two ladies came in and were talking to each other. They introduced themselves and I said Hi back but they looked awkwardly at me and then started talking to each other. All I could think of was how I was the newcomer and felt so alone and awkward and they were leaving me out. It was horrible. </p> <p>But then, I just waited a bit and started talking to different people - after a bit, I finally ascertained that one of them was new and the other was pretty new - they felt awkward too. If I had a pity party and kept my mouth shut and pouted about how they should treat me instead of putting myself out there to reach out to them, I would have been a fool. We were all in the same boat and I ended up having great conversations with each of them before the night was over as I learned about their stories. Be the encouragement you want to receive in the world.</p> <p>Walk slowly through the crowd, everyone has a hurt.</p> <h2>Final words.</h2> <p>Tonight at church supper I had a conversation with a completely frustrated teacher. She's being evaluated under the new Georgia teacher evaluation system and today was the day for her students to take their reading "test." Well, last time they had her students write, and then take another test, so, she assumed they would do something similar.</p> <p>This time, they took the Accelerated Reader "STAR" test and were expected to gain 20% in their reading percentile between fall and now but the test was a different test (not apples to apples.) Her kids had a gain but not enough - she felt deceived and measured unfairly - she says the tests are never the same and can't be compared and she doesn't know how to prepare the kids. She feels let down by a system that is supposed to fairly hold accountable and was crushed. She is living in a radioactive situation.</p> <p>Many of you are too.</p> <p>I just want to tell you all that I understand. I care. I'm there and have been there. Maybe if we get through this together, we can all improve this profession we so love and keep our lives intact. I'm not telling you to control your feelings or get over it. I am telling you to keep going and to calm down and step back and first, start taking care of yourself physically and then put the other pieces in place to help negate the barrage of unhealthy microsituations you're finding yourself in and to shield yourself from what you can.</p> <p>This isn't burnout many of us are feeling, it is fallout - let's see it for what it is so we can shed the guilt and stop trying to solve this problem in a way that isn't appropriate. In burnout, you stop doing things. In fallout, you start shielding yourself and start choosing your situations and and people. </p> <p>Hey you. Yes, you, the person still reading this post. </p> <p>YOU MATTER. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. YOU WILL MAKE IT. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time. It will happen. Give yourself time and make good decisions. </p> <p>You can do it and so can I. Thanks, my dear friend Angela, for being my friend and picking me up when I just didn't even think I could crawl -- now, I think I'm going to stand and tell and help others that they can too.</p> <p>Remember your noble calling, teacher. </p> <p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><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="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

Inspiration Teaching Learning to Stand after the Fallout

I'm sitting in the stands after just dropping my friend Angela Maiers off at the airport in Albany. I have to admit, I've been a b...

Read more »

Today's archidose #643

Here are some photos of the Kursaal Auditorium in San Sebastián, Spain, by Rafael Moneo (1999). Photographs are by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/">Pawel Paniczko</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/8076737035/" title="Kursaal by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Kursaal" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8185/8076737035_d35d25f134_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/8079489650/" title="Kursaal by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Kursaal" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8475/8079489650_94dbea90ca_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/8076728036/" title="Kursaal by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Kursaal" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8076728036_189773c821_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/8076747883/" title="Kursaal by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Kursaal" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8052/8076747883_b6aa19466d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/8076694614/" title="Kursaal by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Kursaal" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8187/8076694614_867c44d092_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwape/8076762173/" title="Kursaal by Pawel Paniczko, on Flickr"><img alt="Kursaal" height="800" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/8076762173_694f7be38c_c.jpg" width="534" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #643

Here are some photos of the Kursaal Auditorium in San Sebastián, Spain, by Rafael Moneo (1999). Photographs are by Pawel Paniczko . To contr...

Read more »

SYRIA: ASSAD FIRM IN THE SADDLE

<!--[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> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--> <br /><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";">DEBKAfile reiterates what GEOPOLITICAL ANALY<span style="font-size: large;">SIS<span style="font-size: large;"> AND MONITORING</span></span> has claimed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict…….</span></b></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzUIML-aEdhioDNYvkFSntHIdEiH5_8YYK0lylzkgz6zj1ALIW7qhgZ9D7LuRktNc2UUisohX7fhbo-QbhZZ2xDcAf88K9HgojL15goz8UJxHOekKchfOpGsEVMf3CVCXNEsrXFW_Gwd6/s1600/syria.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzUIML-aEdhioDNYvkFSntHIdEiH5_8YYK0lylzkgz6zj1ALIW7qhgZ9D7LuRktNc2UUisohX7fhbo-QbhZZ2xDcAf88K9HgojL15goz8UJxHOekKchfOpGsEVMf3CVCXNEsrXFW_Gwd6/s400/syria.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">………….ASSAD FIRM IN THE SADDLE, PERMITS SYRIAN, TURKISH IRANIAN POWS SWAPS </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Via DEBKA<i>file</i> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CHANCES OF SURVIVAL HAVE IMPROVED</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The three-way prisoner exchange of thousands of SYRIAN, TURKISH and IRANIAN prisoners in Damascus and four other SYRIAN cities marked a turning-point in the 22-month old SYRIAN conflict which has cost upward of 60,000 lives. This was the first deal the Assad regime and the rebels have agreed and carried through since March 2011. It was made possible by Bashar Assad’s confidence, in the face of Western predictions of his imminent downfall, that his chances of survival had improved against the forces determined to oust him, while SYRIAN rebel leaders grasped they had better deal with the hated SYRIAN ruler for any hope of preserving any of their war gains.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmZO36HzDh0zQGurJd3inUP39SC8vDyOISRKzTfW1v2TCm455UoH894J69m98_-EwQSI84yOjWko2PFZIkNehkoc71jV0uEkcx9f9JycYaNcGfgIw3_cZQ4lvSOVBItipvNATyofodd7D/s1600/130106_syria_assad_660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmZO36HzDh0zQGurJd3inUP39SC8vDyOISRKzTfW1v2TCm455UoH894J69m98_-EwQSI84yOjWko2PFZIkNehkoc71jV0uEkcx9f9JycYaNcGfgIw3_cZQ4lvSOVBItipvNATyofodd7D/s320/130106_syria_assad_660.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Latest <span style="color: blue;">public <span style="color: blue;">speech</span> by Assad</span></b></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Altogether, the Assad regime released SYRIAN 2,130 civilians, including 73 women and a number of foreigners, some of them TURKS, and obtained the release of 48 IRANIANS held for six months by the rebel Free SYRIAN Army. The FSA claimed they were Revolutionary Guards officers and men, while Tehran insisted they were pilgrims visiting holy sites in SYRIA.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The prisoner exchange was organized by teams of the TURKISH Muslim extremist IHH- humanitarian relief foundation.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><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";">IC (INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY)TACTICAL RETRIEVE - IN ORDER TO AVOID ANOTHER LIBYAN STYLE FIASCO? </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile's military and intelligence sources report, that the prisoner swap marked a moment in the ongoing  transition of the SYRIAN crisis from an international issue with a say for the UNITED STATES, EUROPE and some PERSIAN GULF EMIRATES, into a domestic contest, in which regional mediators - in this case QATAR and TURKEY - had a role to play. For now, the Obama administration and NATO appear to have moved back from the military arena and left a clear field to the management of Moscow, Tehran and Ankara.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Four steps marked this transition from the third week of December 2012:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1. On December 22, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the SYRIAN government had “consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations amid a rebel onslaught and they are under control for the time being.” Lavrov did not say who was in control of the weapons and why he thought they were out of danger of falling into rebel hands.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2.  The day before this announcement, US naval and air forces, piling up in waters opposite SYRIA from the third week of November, were abruptly ordered to pull back, a sign that the Obama administration had washed its hands of any military intervention in SYRIA without publicly stating this.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />3. In the first week of January, 2013, the SYRIAN army finally repulsed a major SYRIAN rebel assault on Assad’s largest chemical weapons depot at the Al Safira military complex near Aleppo.<br />In this engagement, too, the insurgents demonstrated they were capable only of limited, local gains, but not up to capturing major targets such as major cities and military sites. They were therefore not equal to vanquishing the army still loyal to Bashar Assad.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />4.  The place of the departed US fleet in the eastern Mediterranean was gradually filled by a large influx of RUSSIAN naval and marine forces<a href="http://www.debka.com/article/22663">.</a> And so, when the SYRIAN ruler rose to deliver a speech at the Damascus opera house, he knew he could afford to flout the calls for him to step down and declare he no longer takes dictation from the West. He knew that moored off the SYRIAN coast were up to 20 RUSSIAN warships carrying more than 2,000 RUSSIAN marines - on top of unwavering IRANIAN support for his regime.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The prisoner swap may usher in a lull in the fighting, some of debkafile's military and intelligence sources believe – especially in consideration of the exceptionally harsh winter conditions besetting the region. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">During that time, the two warring sides may try and feel their way toward more local or limited understandings as well as replenishing their military and diplomatic resources – either for a final winning throw or to improve their bargaining positions in future negotiations which were kicked off by the prisoner swap.<br />For now, Assad is evidently here to stay. To remove him, the rebels will have to reach him with an assassin’s bullet.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Background Information <span style="font-size: large;">by</span></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">GEOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS AND MONITORING</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">  </span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SYRIAN REGIME LIKELY TO SURVIVE UPRAISE (2011)</span></i></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/06/syrian-regime-likely-to-survive-upraise.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/06/syrian-regime-likely-to-survive-upraise.html</a></span></i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ASSAD FIRMLY IN CHARGE IN SYRIA (March 2012)</span></i></b></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></i></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/syria.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/03/syria.html</a></span></i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SYRIA SWITCHING PERCEPTION - INTERNAL POWER STRUGGLE</span></i></b></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/syria-switching-perception.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/syria-switching-perception.html</a></span></i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ISRAEL’S INTERESTS (June 2012)</span></i></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">……..This is almost certainly because the ISRAELI Prime Minister would, on balance, prefer the Assad regime to continue; it is a known quantity and any new regime could severely destabilize the effective balance-of-power between two uneasy neighbors’………… </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">(Read the entire article at:</span></i><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/syria-feasts-and-rites-of-confusion.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/syria-feasts-and-rites-of-confusion.html</a>and</span></i></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/syria-israel-iran-and-usa.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/syria-israel-iran-and-usa.html</a></span></i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">  </span></i></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">On 3^rdDecember 2011 GEOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS AND MONITORING wrote: </span></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">SYRIA….WHY?</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">The ongoing conflict in SYRIA has become a complex situation in which no one can verify what actually is occurring in the country and what intentions are behind the uproar. If adhering to main stream media information the Free SYRIAN Army and the SYRIAN opposition council in the UK are waging a war for freedom and democracy.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">If one looks at the situation from an alternative angle the situation is more complex and one could come to the conclusion that indeed foreign entities are waging a PSY OPS war which is supported by foreign entities in which TURKEY was chosen to play the proxy for the USA in order to topple the SYRIAN Regime. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">THE ALTERNATIVE TO LIBYAN STYLE INTERVENTION SYRIA – PSY OPS AND INFILTRATION THROUGH PROXY’S</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">The big question is the why? In recent past it was assumed that though ASSAD is a brutal dictator, it was the better evil then to have an unstable fundamentalist Islamic Regime governing Syria which in most likelihood would end in civil war, something ISRAEL and the USA would dearly try to avoid. Now it seems that this theory is one of the past. There are entities that sincerely wish to tumble the ASSAD regime, no matter the cost. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">A LIBYAN style NATO intervention in SYRIA had been ruled out from the beginning since RUSSIAS and CHINAS have vetoed such move right from the start. Furthermore it is and was difficult to sell such expensive intervention to potential voters among western “coalition countries” in times of a major financial crisis where the same governments demand from citizens as well as industries to curb in spending, thus it would have been hard to sell such expensive military style intervention to the public.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">This still leaves us with the question why suddenly so much emphasize is put on the tumbling of the ASSAD regime. Regardless of the outcome of the SYRIAN sage, life for the common people will not turn for the better and democracy will continue to be just a dream in the region.</span></span></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 Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]-->

SYRIA: ASSAD FIRM IN THE SADDLE

DEBKAfile reiterates what GEOPOLITICAL ANALY SIS AND MONITORING has claimed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict……. ………….ASSAD FIRM...

Read more »

First Infusions

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6W-zmmBQGLJNBIn0-qlgddVvf__fojWm_yFL4yW8FnGlgLHINPboMPOk5XGEQlzkGMv1cc5BVUPJq0ZedNA_60FvYE8YuF61lVdOBn-s7kOqHuitXhHhyjxf6Fj2JyLVuCghUAHe_sQ/s1600/Palmolive+Infusions+Influenster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6W-zmmBQGLJNBIn0-qlgddVvf__fojWm_yFL4yW8FnGlgLHINPboMPOk5XGEQlzkGMv1cc5BVUPJq0ZedNA_60FvYE8YuF61lVdOBn-s7kOqHuitXhHhyjxf6Fj2JyLVuCghUAHe_sQ/s320/Palmolive+Infusions+Influenster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was selected for the dish soap vox box courtesy of <a href="http://www.influenster.com/">Influenster</a> for testing purposes only. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Word on the web was that we were getting the Palmolive Infusions.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have never tried them before but have sniffed them in the stores and they smelled amazingly delicious!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So when the box finally came this afternoon I was psyched!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So I opened the box very carefully not to damage the bottles and</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> was astonished to find not one but three bottles of Palmolive Fresh Infusions in the box!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then I noticed a bunch of coupons!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They sure do smell amazing and I can't wait to use them!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you so much Influenster!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Want to become an Influenster member so you to can unlock badges for products to test? </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sign up today!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>

First Infusions

I was selected for the dish soap vox box courtesy of Influenster  for testing purposes only.  Word on the web was that we were getting the P...

Read more »

Gaps Seen in Therapy for Suicidal Teenagers - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><nyt_text style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div id="articleBody"><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Most adolescents who plan or attempt suicide have already received at least some <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/mentalhealthanddisorders/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about mental health and disorders." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">mental health</a> treatment, raising questions about the effectiveness of current approaches to helping troubled youths, according to the largest in-depth analysis to date of suicidal behaviors in American teenagers.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The study, in the journal <a href="http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/journal.aspx" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">JAMA Psychiatry</a>, found that 55 percent of suicidal teenagers had received some therapy before they thought about suicide, planned it or tried to kill themselves, contradicting the widely held belief that suicide is due in part to a lack of access to treatment.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The findings, based on interviews with a nationwide sample of more than 6,000 teenagers and at least one parent of each, linked <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/suicide-and-suicidal-behavior/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Suicide and suicidal behavior." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">suicidal behavior</a> to complex combinations of mood disorders like<a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/depression/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Depression (Mental)." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">depression</a> and behavior problems like attention-deficit and <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/eatingdisorders/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about eating disorders." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">eating disorders</a>, as well as alcohol and <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/specialtopic/drug-abuse/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Drug abuse." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">drug abuse</a>.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The study found that about one in eight teenagers had persistent suicidal thoughts at some point, and that about a third of those who had suicidal thoughts had made an attempt, usually within a year of having the idea.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Previous studies have had similar findings, based on smaller, regional samples. But the new study is the first to suggest, in a large nationwide sample, that access to treatment does not make a big difference.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The study suggests that effective treatment for severely suicidal teenagers must address not just mood disorders, but also behavior problems that can lead to impulsive acts, experts said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,386 people between the ages of 13 and 18 committed suicide in 2010, the latest year for which numbers are available.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"I think one of the take-aways here is that treatment for depression may be necessary but not sufficient to prevent kids from attempting suicide," said Dr. David Brent, a professor of <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/psychiatry_and_psychiatrists/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about psychiatry." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">psychiatry</a> at the University of Pittsburgh, who was not involved in the study. "We simply do not have empirically validated treatments for recurrent suicidal behavior."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">The report said nothing about whether the therapies given were state of the art or carefully done, said Matt Nock, a professor of <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/psychology_and_psychologists/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about psychology." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">psychology</a> at Harvard and the lead author, and it is possible that some of the treatments prevented suicide attempts. "But it's telling us we've got a long way to go to do this right," Dr. Nock said. His co-authors included Ronald C. Kessler of Harvard and researchers from Boston University and Children's Hospital Boston.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Margaret McConnell, a consultant in Alexandria, Va., said her daughter Alice, who killed herself in 2006 at the age of 17, was getting treatment at the time. "I think there might have been some carelessness in the way the treatment was done," Ms. McConnell said, "and I was trusting a 17-year-old to manage her own medication. We found out after we lost her that she wasn't taking it regularly."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">In the study, researchers surveyed 6,483 adolescents from the ages of 13 to 18 and found that 9 percent of male teenagers and 15 percent of female teenagers experienced some stretch of having persistent suicidal thoughts. Among girls, 5 percent made suicide plans and 6 percent made at least one attempt (some were unplanned).</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Among boys, 3 percent made plans and 2 percent carried out attempts, which tended to be more lethal than girls' attempts.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">(Suicidal thinking or behavior was virtually unheard-of before age 10.)</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Over all, about one-third of teenagers with persistent suicidal thoughts went on to make an attempt to take their own lives.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Almost all of the suicidal adolescents in the study qualified for some psychiatric diagnosis, whether depression, <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/phobia-simplespecific/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Phobia - simple/specific." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">phobias</a> or <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/generalized-anxiety-disorder/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Anxiety." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">generalized anxiety disorder</a>. Those with an added behavior problem — attention-deficit disorder, substance abuse, explosive anger — were more likely to act on thoughts of self-harm, the study found.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Doctors have tested a range of therapies to prevent or reduce recurrent suicidal behaviors, with mixed success. Medications can ease depression, but in some cases they can increase suicidal thinking. Talk therapy can contain some behavior problems, but not all.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">One approach, called dialectical behavior therapy, has proved effective in reducing hospitalizations and suicide attempts in, among others, people with <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/borderline-personality-disorder/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Borderline personality disorder." class="meta-classifier" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; ">borderline personality disorder</a>, who are highly prone to self-harm.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">But suicidal teenagers who have a mixture of mood and behavior issues are difficult to reach. In one 2011 study, researchers at George Mason University reduced suicide attempts, hospitalizations, drinking and drug use among suicidal adolescent substance abusers. The study found that a combination of intensive treatments — talk therapy for mood problems, family-based therapy for behavior issues and patient-led reduction in drug use — was more effective than regular therapies.</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">"But that's just one study, and it's small," said Dr. Brent of the University of Pittsburgh. "We can treat components of the overall problem, but that's about all."</p><p itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 24px; ">Ms. McConnell said that her daughter's depression had seemed mild and that there was no warning that she would take her life. "I think therapy does help a lot of people, if it's handled right," she said.</p><div><br></div><nyt_correction_bottom><div class="articleCorrection" style="margin-bottom: 2.8em; "></div></nyt_correction_bottom><nyt_update_bottom></nyt_update_bottom></div></nyt_text><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important; float: none; "></span></div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/health/gaps-seen-in-therapy-for-suicidal-teenagers.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130109&_r=0&pagewanted=print">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/health/gaps-seen-in-therapy-for-suicidal-teenagers.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130109&_r=0&pagewanted=print</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Gaps Seen in Therapy for Suicidal Teenagers - NYTimes.com

Most adolescents who plan or attempt suicide have already received at least some  mental health  treatment, raising questions about the effe...

Read more »

GREATER ALBANIA: A UNITED STATES PROJECT AGAINST THE ORTHODOX WORLD?

<!--[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> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[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 Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIkJxisgacQ3QHvMXQT_Qi4AYiZcNxboTPa03pkrXYplErbeVp2a2ryVvn0AVIYwvgzdFUj8mf0Qd0j9mr7Cg6bOyzlzelvrXdRoId78nmq8LbgoFoo-oZ5uD3BjHHi9QvStpdfSh4CG_/s1600/4Greater_Albania_Flag-23026-2-393c0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIkJxisgacQ3QHvMXQT_Qi4AYiZcNxboTPa03pkrXYplErbeVp2a2ryVvn0AVIYwvgzdFUj8mf0Qd0j9mr7Cg6bOyzlzelvrXdRoId78nmq8LbgoFoo-oZ5uD3BjHHi9QvStpdfSh4CG_/s400/4Greater_Albania_Flag-23026-2-393c0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Greater Albania" ?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.5pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.5pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR, THE MAIN ENEMY OF THE USA WILL BE THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH</span></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;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ALBANIAN Prime Minister Sali Berisha advocated granting ALBANIAN citizenship to all ALBANIANS, wherever they reside. This statement was made during a visit of the city of Vlora where the independence of the ALBANIAN state was declared, only 100 years ago. At the time ALBANIA had just liberated itself from OTTOMAN rule.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This declaration follows a separate statement, collective this time, that Sali Berisha had made with his KOSOVO counterpart Hashim Thaci, promising the union of all ALBANIANS. The place was, well chosen since the vast majority of the inhabitants of KOSOVO today are of ALBANIAN origin, which has not always been the case.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><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";">KOSOVO “ALBANITY”</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">During the Balkan War in 1913, SERBS still constitute the majority of the population. In 1941, KOSOVO is attached to the GREATER ALBANIA (already) fascist ITALIAN protectorate. After the war, Tito would prohibit ALBANIAN immigration since YUGOSLAVIA, according to him, could be strong only if SERBIA were as weak as possible. In 1974, it is he who attributes to KOSOVO autonomous province status which would be removed by Slobodan Milosevic in 1989, while the SERBS already composed no more than 15% of the population.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><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/AVvXsEi5rJJZZq9diCfDAqsvZheGAoOYUPFuInAVjdssnMCsNPDvxTsF5_vH3VKI8-w-Enb-FGWHn4OFWEILafP4m4hdZfWaPCKH9mMrua1rv14wH9UIseCyeUDFoaR3LQ6MzpsjKqe8eYeJ77Wf/s1600/photo_big_146689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rJJZZq9diCfDAqsvZheGAoOYUPFuInAVjdssnMCsNPDvxTsF5_vH3VKI8-w-Enb-FGWHn4OFWEILafP4m4hdZfWaPCKH9mMrua1rv14wH9UIseCyeUDFoaR3LQ6MzpsjKqe8eYeJ77Wf/s320/photo_big_146689.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vision of a Greater Albania</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When in 2008 KOSOVO declares independence, nearly a decade after the WESTERN military intervention, few commentators call attention to the dominant "ALBANITY" of this new small state. On the contrary, it is a time of real celebration for that supposedly oppressed people who finally gained freedom. In most WESTERN countries and the EUROPEAN UNION, the recognition is instantaneous, without any question being raised about the treatment of the SERB minority and the future that awaited it, despite the terrible precedent of 2004, when Christians were victims of pogroms, burned down churches, and the violation of their most basic human rights. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: red;"><b>See also</b></span> : <b><span style="color: blue;">KOSOVO and Radical Islam</span>  </b> <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/kosovo-and-radical-islam.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/kosovo-and-radical-islam.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It took only 4 years of KOSOVO’S independence to finally emerge publicly. Only 4 years for the ALBANIAN Prime Minister to prove the SERB nationalists right when they consistently maintained that it was not KOSOVARS (the inhabitants of the KOSOVO region being SERBS) they were facing but well and truly SHQIPTARS,</span> ( <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shqiptar">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shqiptar</a>) in a new episode of the ancient conflict in the Balkans that has pitted for nearly 6 centuries the Orthodox Slavs against the sons of the Ottoman Empire converts.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For additional background information on “Greater Albanian” read the following</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">:</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Albin Kurti</span></b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">, UCK (Kosovo Liberation Army) </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo_Liberation_Army">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo_Liberation_Army</a></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">and</span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">visions of a GREATER ALBANIA</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/kosovo-natural-resources-jackpot.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/kosovo-natural-resources-jackpot.html</a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Western support for the creation of KOSOVO and bias attitudes towards SERBIA may seem completely inexplicable. Yet from 1991 to 2008, U.S. strategists have been led by a single logic: weakening Serbia, to debilitate her as much as possible for the inevitable historical moment in the future when she would again turn to RUSSIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><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";">QUOTING THEORETICIAN ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI:  “AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR, THE MAIN ENEMY OF THE USA WILL BE THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH”</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZi-rlbnqxWQVYTeq0mGPvfN07LpdqwtIrBN1UWzZWujrxp2oLUKRLaH2raFGZWXaK5qp3JbfNgD8bDMSOXOe0eJnuT-_t-VWwNJ1kYSvk8QkeNYR3r5p7v5OnyM6NtVG_Et601WGdyY7n/s1600/rel)soc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZi-rlbnqxWQVYTeq0mGPvfN07LpdqwtIrBN1UWzZWujrxp2oLUKRLaH2raFGZWXaK5qp3JbfNgD8bDMSOXOe0eJnuT-_t-VWwNJ1kYSvk8QkeNYR3r5p7v5OnyM6NtVG_Et601WGdyY7n/s320/rel)soc.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serbian Orthodox Church crest </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Of course, it was necessary at the same time to also devitalize RUSSIA. If, from 1991 to 2000, a military and media war was waged against Milosevic’s SERBIA with the aim of annihilating it, an economic and moral war was being unleashed against Yeltsin’s RUSSIA. Some argue that the “crusade” against the communist world has turned into a crusade against the Orthodox world, and essentially against its most sovereign political nerve center: RUSSIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The theoretician of RUSSIA’S containment in EURASIA, Zbigniew Brzezinski, said himself in 2007 that "<i>After the collapse of the USSR, the main enemy of the USA will be the Russian Orthodox Church</i>." The creation of GREATER ALBANIA can probably be seen in this historical and geostrategic light. It is like tossing a new match, one that could create a spark and start a new fire in the Balkan. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbzpO2ui5bVXYgScGruscLWRqDij-a7TqgZNHRhdtMpgVew_ePxQKmORxqzPgJuJNR1vlRN3JxylHL-8f6xZ5xsPJWGhZhrlvMY37h_4dbEYVWT6g9I8IZqwsuFjn78CgVpAQjNDcy-Zc/s1600/kosovo_history92.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/AVvXsEhKbzpO2ui5bVXYgScGruscLWRqDij-a7TqgZNHRhdtMpgVew_ePxQKmORxqzPgJuJNR1vlRN3JxylHL-8f6xZ5xsPJWGhZhrlvMY37h_4dbEYVWT6g9I8IZqwsuFjn78CgVpAQjNDcy-Zc/s320/kosovo_history92.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This fire would result in the further weakening of EUROPE, but also deepen the destabilization of the Orthodox world (MACEDONIA, GREECE, MONTENEGRO, SERBIA ...) and curb its rapprochement with RUSSIA. Indirectly, it is RUSSIA’S influence in EASTERN EUROPE that would be challenged, and therefore its rapprochement with WESTERN EUROPE. In doing so, the UNITED STATES would once again achieve their primary objective: to prevent a rapprochement between continental EUROPE and the Catholic and Orthodox worlds.</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; margin-bottom: 3.75pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alexandre Latsa</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

GREATER ALBANIA: A UNITED STATES PROJECT AGAINST THE ORTHODOX WORLD?

"Greater Albania" ? AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR, THE MAIN ENEMY OF THE USA WILL BE THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ALBANIAN Prime ...

Read more »

spin the color wheel

If you could paint my dining room bench any color, what would it be?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Bad6OallZWXEwkFj0Cf8EATvuEYkZaB10tcCyNLrr6-dirNxWOjseec2u3ZUeBpW8GwaQtSzFE0MrEZpe4GJ1AmfU5Rl1n8VYcMJWo8HdboOvmpBrzQL8K-EYKK-U0L0onChoqhSkZ6-/s1600/DiningRoomLBD2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Bad6OallZWXEwkFj0Cf8EATvuEYkZaB10tcCyNLrr6-dirNxWOjseec2u3ZUeBpW8GwaQtSzFE0MrEZpe4GJ1AmfU5Rl1n8VYcMJWo8HdboOvmpBrzQL8K-EYKK-U0L0onChoqhSkZ6-/s640/DiningRoomLBD2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Would you go neutral?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaMMJ_eapiev3-tMt0XJvbxzCvWLS18jRFk6G77fyjynVk5ITr7DtgPo0P0zwvlIwfMJJq1UGSsA6QC4z_2IUne6T9vR7cO7DisYux4o5q2bP5_pE0oDWNmditGwsvmeLa_VPVE3gH9HH/s1600/table-decorating-ideas-fall-thanksgiving.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaMMJ_eapiev3-tMt0XJvbxzCvWLS18jRFk6G77fyjynVk5ITr7DtgPo0P0zwvlIwfMJJq1UGSsA6QC4z_2IUne6T9vR7cO7DisYux4o5q2bP5_pE0oDWNmditGwsvmeLa_VPVE3gH9HH/s640/table-decorating-ideas-fall-thanksgiving.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bhg.com/decorating/seasonal/fall/fall-decorating-ideas/#page=9" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Green?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayGQiuqqIXWMKKqEKAXPqAU6OtH3h4F30fkoMnsZcfQtefiZJ4SeZFK4RZAupTZ7FnEDKMNbQuLAquGcD-95AEeSdKDUtBg4mGdnwYLzbCAswpGBx39RGuPBx5VMra7RQ7zSXxsXuBPeN/s1600/fabulous-room-friday-042712.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayGQiuqqIXWMKKqEKAXPqAU6OtH3h4F30fkoMnsZcfQtefiZJ4SeZFK4RZAupTZ7FnEDKMNbQuLAquGcD-95AEeSdKDUtBg4mGdnwYLzbCAswpGBx39RGuPBx5VMra7RQ7zSXxsXuBPeN/s640/fabulous-room-friday-042712.jpeg" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://christinamurphyinteriors.com/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Or maybe pink?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSleAEQxhl1qIjJTckUJQOQ8I38DVLXneAt53sl0asB-HKKCitHALYanh-g6CEKHGzm1FGP1mwmN8aq4FDskcqrxsrmkEs_H7CSB74Th0yt_Fua-OoTr2S5Iug0UMF1III_4eMCTX2YBz/s1600/palm+garden+lilly+pulitzer+dining+room.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSleAEQxhl1qIjJTckUJQOQ8I38DVLXneAt53sl0asB-HKKCitHALYanh-g6CEKHGzm1FGP1mwmN8aq4FDskcqrxsrmkEs_H7CSB74Th0yt_Fua-OoTr2S5Iug0UMF1III_4eMCTX2YBz/s640/palm+garden+lilly+pulitzer+dining+room.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lillypulitzer.com/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Orange possibly?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnft7f39-8x6gKfRVk3YVrlhpP7Z6qPe6wD68seD0E7Tppqh-nF0iJ3lPUhyB_9ldW5SZJL6FmErdOvMQTowPNfLUoogVlkv3B-xxXn6HZdvI6bh_0g0ZfvqHI0fV0AGMoxNTn3veH_gc8/s1600/sanfran-residence.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnft7f39-8x6gKfRVk3YVrlhpP7Z6qPe6wD68seD0E7Tppqh-nF0iJ3lPUhyB_9ldW5SZJL6FmErdOvMQTowPNfLUoogVlkv3B-xxXn6HZdvI6bh_0g0ZfvqHI0fV0AGMoxNTn3veH_gc8/s640/sanfran-residence.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.massuccowarnermiller.com/residential/sanfran-residence.php" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Of course, there are also a million other wonderful colors out there as well. As you all know, I'm no chicken when it comes to color. So I want to know - what would get your vote?

spin the color wheel

If you could paint my dining room bench any color, what would it be? Would you go neutral? source Green? source Or maybe pink? source Orange...

Read more »