Some Perspective on the "Rising" Interest Rate Environment

The following chart shows the 10-year moving average of the 10-year treasury yield.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHidp9L8U7DrbferBXTiRfaMNJOoFLESBnEzJImr3H6xPMZMPp6OxSwXvk6C9VbUWi6348bgpKgjQ0zHJbMcAXNJ6pHZOzwAPRqKE5Dkwo36p6A6LoypkZ2lFJJQt3OGlNzjmi8ldpW8/s1600/The+Rising+Interest+Rate+Environment.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHidp9L8U7DrbferBXTiRfaMNJOoFLESBnEzJImr3H6xPMZMPp6OxSwXvk6C9VbUWi6348bgpKgjQ0zHJbMcAXNJ6pHZOzwAPRqKE5Dkwo36p6A6LoypkZ2lFJJQt3OGlNzjmi8ldpW8/s320/The+Rising+Interest+Rate+Environment.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />Rising interest rates? In my opinion, the bond market is simply trying to climb back to the long-term declining trend.<br /><br />Long time readers know that I post a lot of exponential trend failures on this blog. You might therefore wonder why I trust this one not to fail. The simple answer is that I don't. It's more of a question of which direction it would fail.<br /><br />I am definitely in the minority. As seen in the chart, we're currently well below trend. I do not believe this economy is strong enough to support a sustained climb back up.<br /><br />This chart predicts that the 10-year moving average of the 10-year treasury yield will be 3.0% in August of 2018. That's roughly 5 years away. I shall take the under.<br /><br />It's just an opinion of course.<br /><br /><i style="color: #666666;">Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes.</i> - Voltaire<br /><br />My opinion isn't going to do much in the grand scheme of things. If I am wrong, no big deal. I'm in the minority here. Who cares what I think? It is the opinion of the masses, those in ivory towers, and those in power that would concern Voltaire most more than likely.<br /><br /><b>September 3, 2013</b><br /><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-ways-to-prepare-for-higher-interest-rates-2013-09-03">5 ways to prepare for higher interest rates</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>If you don’t like the idea of buying individual bonds but don’t want to get burned by raising rates, short-term bond funds are an alternative.</i></div><br />Yes, short-term bond funds! It's worked out great so far. Just get in there and patiently wait for the end of <a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=mnB">ZIRP</a>. It is <a href="http://muddywatermacro.wustl.edu/zero-bound-problem">bound</a> to happen any day now!<br /><br /><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pm?s=SHY">Yahoo: SHY Performance</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>3-Year Total Return (Mkt): 0.56%</i></div><br />This is not investment advice.<br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?id=WGS10YR">St. Louis Fed: 10-Year Treasury Yield</a>

Some Perspective on the "Rising" Interest Rate Environment

The following chart shows the 10-year moving average of the 10-year treasury yield. Click to enlarge. Rising interest rates? In my opinion, ...

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Kashi Hummus Crisps Review!

<div style="text-align: center;"><i><img alt="" src="https://img.bzzagent.com/image/hummusCrisps.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=6030726957&Campaign=3710375657&Uid=1264101&token=35cffaad5fe760ab399988bee78e7e49" /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I was so psyched to get this campaign on bzzagent to test out Kashi's hummus crisps!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I absolutely love hummus whether it's paired with veggies, on a sandwich or crackers it just brings out the flavor and can really spice up your food.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>These crisps are great because their savory seasonings and seven whole grains make snacking guilt free and also the hummus is baked right into the chip!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>How awesome is that!?</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYa48XnN1j8/UjNvIHUK-cI/AAAAAAAAJsQ/qAuOuzP5oW0/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VYa48XnN1j8/UjNvIHUK-cI/AAAAAAAAJsQ/qAuOuzP5oW0/s320/13+-+1" width="320" /></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I received the sea salt and olive oil flavor and it was simply delicious!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Right amount of spices and the olive oil taste wasn't overpowering.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>You can even dip them into a small bowl of your favorite hummus as well!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Kashi Hummus Crisps Review!

I was so psyched to get this campaign on bzzagent to test out Kashi's hummus crisps! I absolutely love hummus whether it's paired wi...

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A How To Manual For Popular Weight Loss Website Functionality

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Aaron Slot</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>You have to be able to teach yourself the ways of running a diet tips and weight loss information website through research. This will be a good investment of your time if you stay dedicated to building and maintaining your site. This informative article will help you through the process of learning and building up a successful site.<br /> <br /> Even voting contest can be launched. In that contest, winners can be selected by voting session. For example, if it is a fitness diet tips and weight loss information website, you can ask your visitors to submit a fitness tip and the winner gets the prize through voting system. It will encourage more visitors to participate and visit your website.<br /> <br /> If you are running an online shopping site, create a 'Add to cart' shopping system which accept coupons too. You can market or offer these coupon codes through networking sites or online ads. This will prompt visitors to come to your site and reap the benefits of these coupons.<br /> <br /> If your web host gives excuses for down times, then don't accept it. There are plenty other options from which you can choose from for serving your pages. Take your business to some other place, if your host has developed a pattern of crashing for even short periods of time.<br /> <br /> Another popular type of contest are review contests. These contests will help you increase your search rankings. For this contest people need to write about the contest to get an entry. Links that you get will give you traffic from Google juice and new visitors. It is important that you have a good prize to motivate people to write about your contest remember this before you begin.<br /> <br /> A webpage that takes a lot of time loses the window of opportunity to grab a user's attention. Many people tend to look elsewhere if the webpage takes longer than five to ten seconds to load. To minimize the loading time, reduce the graphics and compress images as much as possible so that you can keep the users on your diet tips and weight loss information website.<br /> <br /> It is not easy running a diet tips and weight loss information website. It takes a lot of hard work and energy to keep one up and running. At first, you will not get a heavy flow of traffic to your site, but don't get discouraged. The more you keep up with your website and keep writing new content, traffic will begin to grow.<br /> <br /> Bold layouts and designs, such as oversized footers, a bold typeface or incorporating graphics can be beneficial for some diet tips and weight loss information websites. These elements will help your website stand out and will grab the viewers attention. However, it is important to ensure that the site remains readable and easy to navigate if you incorporate these bold elements.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>Simply go to any widely used search engine and type in <a href='http://www.bestfatreduceblog.com'>phen375</a> if you need help with coming up with more helpful ideas about <a href='http://www.bestfatreduceblog.com/knowing-the-advantages-of-supplement-from-phen375-reviews'>fat burner</a>.</div><br /> </div><br />

A How To Manual For Popular Weight Loss Website Functionality

By Aaron Slot You have to be able to teach yourself the ways of running a diet tips and weight loss information website through research...

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RUSSIAN FORCES TAKE SYRIAN CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS UNDER CONTROL

<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"></h3><div class="post-header"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQVW_pzdNjI-Jnz5dbNQBBWNtkh0ZCrt4eWcLbmSVKq6DPBfiXIpSXNKdPNn3NHgS2_Gp6PM5tmtoSj0N2Ud8waD2mz4aPpcCGnTfUEHQV5lMopZmOgUVj7454MjvpQbm6vztZzgZAj-n/s1600/072312_sr_henry_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQVW_pzdNjI-Jnz5dbNQBBWNtkh0ZCrt4eWcLbmSVKq6DPBfiXIpSXNKdPNn3NHgS2_Gp6PM5tmtoSj0N2Ud8waD2mz4aPpcCGnTfUEHQV5lMopZmOgUVj7454MjvpQbm6vztZzgZAj-n/s400/072312_sr_henry_640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ALREADY IN DECEMBER 2012  </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIA ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SYRIA’S BIO - CHEMICAL WEAPONS HAD BEEN SECURED </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Source:   </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/russian-forces-take-syrian-chemical.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/russian-forces-take-syrian-chemical.html </a></span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Also in December 2012,  RUSSIA apparently went even further stating that:</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIAN FORCES TAKE SYRIAN CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS UNDER THEIR  CONTROL </span></b></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Source: </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><!--[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/> 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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></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 (<b>Dec 2012</b>) </i></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";"><i> </i> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“At the moment, [SYRIA’S] chemical weapons are under control,” said senior ISRAELI defense official Amos Gilad, echoing the statement by RUSSIAN Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that “the SYRIAN<b> </b>government has “consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations amid a rebel onslaught and they are under control for the time being.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu then said enigmatically: “We are facing a near possibility of far-reaching changes in the SYRIAN regime with ramifications for the sensitive weaponry [chemical, biological] present there.”</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Like Lavrov’s comments, neither ISRAELI statement accounted for the sudden reversal of events in the last 48 hours in the turbulent history of its northern neighbor. As recently as Friday, Bashar Assad’s Scuds and warplanes were battling the rebels to keep his big chemical and biological warfare arsenals at the Al Safira complex near Aleppo out of the hands of al Qaeda adherents who were moving in fast on this target.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TWENTY FOUR HOURS LATER, THE RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ASSERTED THE WEAPONS WERE SECURE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">.</span></span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile’s military sources disclose that the battle of al Safira was abruptly interrupted by a foreign military force which stepped in and stopped the fighting in order to commandeer the chemical and biological stocks.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile identified this force as a <a href="http://www.debka.com/article/22627">RUSSIAN special unit.</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9ywDpkEfnrNOEsmmrVp4ilyNQ_XcPdPE2LYdgF0bpXu4aigVQk7bOQmNlz0VChEPwIgROsh7IpcxzyhWh68BOZz8-bb2bGIXC-bxbUn5-DB5X2vo30s-rAGo4mly6ABfShu_3M4jgtn5/s1600/Fabricating-WMD-%25E2%2580%259CEvidence%25E2%2580%259D-Israeli-Covert-Operation-inside-Syria-to-%25E2%2580%259CTrack-Chemical-Arsenal%25E2%2580%259D.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9ywDpkEfnrNOEsmmrVp4ilyNQ_XcPdPE2LYdgF0bpXu4aigVQk7bOQmNlz0VChEPwIgROsh7IpcxzyhWh68BOZz8-bb2bGIXC-bxbUn5-DB5X2vo30s-rAGo4mly6ABfShu_3M4jgtn5/s320/Fabricating-WMD-%25E2%2580%259CEvidence%25E2%2580%259D-Israeli-Covert-Operation-inside-Syria-to-%25E2%2580%259CTrack-Chemical-Arsenal%25E2%2580%259D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The entire episode is covered in a heavy blanket of secrecy, imposed from Moscow, Washington, Jerusalem and Damascus. <b>They are using the public preoccupation with the holiday period in the West to keep it dark. </b>However, from the scraps of evidence available, it is transpires that the foreign special unit reaching al Safira gave both sides, the SYRIAN army and the rebels, an ultimatum to hold their fire until the arsenals were removed, or else this special unit would mete out crushing punishment.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">DID THE RUSSIANS CARRIED OUT THEIR OPERATION FOR THE CAPTURE OF ASSAD'S WMD ALONE, OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE US AND ISRAEL</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Since then, the SYRIAN army and rebels do not appear to have resumed fighting and it is not clear which side remains in control of the al Safira military complex.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">One of the many enigmas surrounding this episode is whether the RUSSIANS carried out their operation for the capture of Assad's WMD alone, or in conjunction with the US and ISRAEL. And whether this cooperation extended up to and including implementation, or was confined to the intelligence and preparatory stages.<br />Amos Gilad’s comment points to a measure of international cooperation. <br />Furthermore, it is not clear whether the SYRIAN ruler gave permission for the removal of his unconventional weapons out of the reach of the rebels. Neither is their destination known.  And most of all, what makes RUSSIAN and ISRAELI officials so sure that they are in safe hands?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In his statement Saturday, Lavrov divulged that it had been “consolidated in one or two places” and that “RUSSIAN military advisers... kept close watch over [SYRIA’S] chemical arsenal.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CIVIL WAR BETWEEN ASSAD AND OPPOSITION FORCES FIGHTING TO TOPPLE HIM HAD BECOME DEADLOCKED</span></b></span></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The ISRAELI defense official was in rare tune with Moscow on the fate of the SYRIAN ruler. He asserted that the civil war between Assad and opposition forces fighting to topple him had become deadlocked, but that the SYRIAN leader showed no signs of heeding international calls to step down.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"Suppose he (Assad) does leave, there could be chaos ... in the MIDDLE EAST you never know who will come instead. We need to stay level-headed; the entire world is dealing with this (another reference to multinational action in SYRIA). At the moment, chemical weapons are under control, despite the fact that President Bashar al-Assad has lost control of parts of the country," Gilad said.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Background Information</span></u></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">: </span> </span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/syria-cause-and-effect.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/syria-cause-and-effect.html</a></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><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></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">RUSSIAN FORCES TAKE SYRIAN CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS UNDER CONTROL</span></span></h3><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><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/AVvXsEiSPmdZKgab7bbDr1Srvdyt7vdSZHHH-_sm7dJ-SX76DImLs5tGHHSMYyfvGwHO_iyUMKjkO9LTebeg4OU0siIKTBkSNUrGkFXUmczjwhDzjHauUQoESqWX28sPjaL3puN6iLkc6fTINz1m/s1600/2092728766.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPmdZKgab7bbDr1Srvdyt7vdSZHHH-_sm7dJ-SX76DImLs5tGHHSMYyfvGwHO_iyUMKjkO9LTebeg4OU0siIKTBkSNUrGkFXUmczjwhDzjHauUQoESqWX28sPjaL3puN6iLkc6fTINz1m/s400/2092728766.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b>Alleged Syrian WMD storage site</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; 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;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIAN FORCES DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN REMOVING THE WMD OUT OF THE REACH OF JABHAT AL-NUSRA TERRORISTS.</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"></span></span></b></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;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i> </i> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The chemical warfare threat looming over SYRIA’S civil war and its neighbors has taken an epic turn with the announcement by RUSSIAN Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Saturday, Dec. 22, that “the SYRIAN government has “consolidated its chemical weapons in one or two locations amid a rebel onslaught and they are under control for the time being.”<br />He added that RUSSIA, “which has military advisers training SYRIA’S military, has kept close watch over its chemical arsenal.”<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile’s military and intelligence sources report: The RUSSIAN foreign minister’s statement was a message to Washington that the transfer of SYRIA’S weapons of mass destruction to one or two protected sites was under RUSSIAN control. This had removed the danger of them falling into the hands of the al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra ,which had come ominously close Friday, Dec. 21, when the Islamists spearheaded a SYRIAN rebel assault for the capture of the al-Safira military complex and Bashar Assad’s chemical and biological stores.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Lavrov did not go into detail about how this arsenal was removed and to which locations. But his reference to “RUSSIAN military advisers training SYRIA’S military” clearly indicated that RUSSIAN forces were directly involved in removing the WMD out of the reach of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists. His assertion, that they were “under control” indicated that RUSSIA was also involved in safeguarding them.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Reason for RUSSIA’S military intervention</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE PREVENTION OF WESTERN MILITARY INTERVENTION IN THE CIVIL WAR BEHIND THE FORCES DEDICATED TO THE REMOVAL OF BASHAR ASSAD</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile’s Moscow sources add: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">RUSSIA’S military intervention in the SYRIAN civil war achieved four objectives:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">1.  The prevention of Western or ISRAEL military action for seizing control of SYRIA’S chemical and biological weapons arsenals;</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2.   The prevention of Western military intervention in the civil war behind the forces dedicated to the removal of Bashar Assad. The RUSSIAN military is now engaged in the dual mission of guarding his WMD arsenal and his regime;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> 3.  The RUSSIAN military presence in SYRIA delivers a heavy swipe to the rebels;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> 4.   RUSSIA’S intervention and military presence have laid the groundwork for Moscow and Washington to work out an accord that will bring SYRIA’S civil war to an end.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">debkafile SITREP Friday, Dec. 21:</span></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The SYRIAN Air Force is again firing Scud missiles, this time to stem the general offensive SYRIAN opposition forces, including jihadis, launched Friday, Dec. 21, to capture the SYRIAN army’s military-industrial complex at al Safira and the big chemical and biological weapons store adjoining the facility. It is there, that Scud D missiles stand ready for launching, loaded with chemical weapons.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLAxPZlJNjtH2q_yYoGgdx3RzfYaKavuPapJY9znAtVu6uYpP4vEn98Nt-FHqtgpi8kgFuoFtoAFdM7nCBgZHgxV0SEZoQxoSEvL21wdQ9BC-wPCPh6yZBA3w5_Xf6Z6q2cApzJ584lTD/s1600/Syria-chemical-400x256.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLAxPZlJNjtH2q_yYoGgdx3RzfYaKavuPapJY9znAtVu6uYpP4vEn98Nt-FHqtgpi8kgFuoFtoAFdM7nCBgZHgxV0SEZoQxoSEvL21wdQ9BC-wPCPh6yZBA3w5_Xf6Z6q2cApzJ584lTD/s320/Syria-chemical-400x256.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Rebel forces are converging on Al Safira from the east, the west and the south. Among them are brigades of the Jabhat al-Nusra which the US has designated part of al Qaeda in IRAQ.<br />debkafile military sources report extremely heavy fighting. The rebels have reached points 1-2 kilometers from the perimeter walls of the Al Safira chemical weapons stores and are being pounded by SYRIAN warplanes and assault helicopters as well as Scuds, in a desperate effort to halt their advance.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Success in seizing control of those stores would re-tilt the balance of the war in their favor and bring President Bashar Assad face to face with a decision on whether to broach the perilous dimension of chemical warfare on the rebels or even against NATO or US targets outside SYRIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />A prime factor in his decision would be the information received in Moscow and Tehran – and almost certainly passed on to the SYRIAN ruler – that taking part in the offensive are rebels who underwent training in recent weeks in northern JORDAN by US, CZECH and POLISH officers in tactics for seizing chemical or biological caches and dismantling them.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;">RUSSIAN and IRANIAN intelligence watchers suspect that elements from all three armies as well as JORDAN are present in the rebel assault force, in order to be on the spot when the weapons of mass destruction are captured and appropriate them to forces under NATO command.  They must beat Jabhat al-Nusra’s fighting brigades to this target, although at this moment, the jihadis are ahead of the race.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The battle for al Safira has brought US and NATO into direct intervention in SYRIAN hostilities. Western intelligence services estimate that even if Assad removed some of the banned weapons from this complex, large quantities remain and must be prevented from reaching the wrong hand</span>s.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>

RUSSIAN FORCES TAKE SYRIAN CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS UNDER CONTROL

ALREADY IN DECEMBER 2012  RUSSIA ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SYRIA’S BIO - CHEMICAL WEAPONS HAD BEEN SECURED  Source:    http://news-these-days.blogsp...

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What is a credible webpage? Let Easybib help you decide!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3G8xrySFQo5LSJ-D07Aq8ouLlmVB21XQXAgG3c_IVWzb2l4A9NG2TDjZUyydI4cZGg9e6PmG_kTjcss0sC2n3RD7K_wv3fLHC5sZ3W_OiTL4virET_AbzNUFCM5yjWe7cO3ZEl3SkvDk/s1600/Easybib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3G8xrySFQo5LSJ-D07Aq8ouLlmVB21XQXAgG3c_IVWzb2l4A9NG2TDjZUyydI4cZGg9e6PmG_kTjcss0sC2n3RD7K_wv3fLHC5sZ3W_OiTL4virET_AbzNUFCM5yjWe7cO3ZEl3SkvDk/s1600/Easybib.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easybib is a free Chrome extension that has two useful functions:</span><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first is to tell you whether a website is credible or not. If the source has not yet been evaluated Easybib will let you know.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its second function is to enable to to provide a quick citation of your sources in a bibliography. The bookmarklet will create a properly formulated citation for you.</span></li></ul><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really like the <a href="http://content.easybib.com/students/research-guide/website-credibility-evaluation/">Easybib website</a> that gives a clear description of how to evaluate a website. It has been embedded belo</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">w. The website gives a lot more useful information for students and teachers. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Visit the Easybib website</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span>Click on the bottom right hand corner of this image to be taken to the original enlarged PowerPoint web app for easier viewing</span><br /><br /><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="560px" src="https://skydrive.live.com/embed?cid=105696C4BC0FB6D1&resid=105696C4BC0FB6D1%21191&authkey=ANv5jvFTIyM7LFw&em=2&wdAr=0.75&Embed=1" width="406px">This is an embedded <a target='_blank' href='http://office.com'>Microsoft Office</a> presentation, powered by <a target='_blank' href='http://office.com/webapps'>Office Web Apps</a>.</iframe><br /><a href="http://content.easybib.com/students/research-guide/website-credibility-evaluation/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://content.easybib.com/students/research-guide/website-credibility-evaluation/</a><br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Find out more about Easybib in this YouTube tutorial</span></b><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pOL43ggmivs" width="420"></iframe></div>

Chrome extensions Easybib Web tools What is a credible webpage? Let Easybib help you decide!

Easybib is a free Chrome extension that has two useful functions: The first is to tell you whether a website is credible or not. If the sour...

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Tru Whip Review

<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uGwGPzNB_pk/UjNjRbJAC0I/AAAAAAAAJr4/SekKJPmy-78/s1600/13+-+2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uGwGPzNB_pk/UjNjRbJAC0I/AAAAAAAAJr4/SekKJPmy-78/s320/13+-+2" width="320" /></i></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Ever think something is missing when you have some ice cream or smoothie, especially to add a little more sweetness to it!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>What's better on top of ice cream than a dollop of  <a href="http://truwhip.com/">Tru Whip</a> !?</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>What is it!?</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>An all natural whipped topping for:</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Smoothies</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Fruits</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Cakes</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Pies</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I was sent some coupons for review and couldn't wait to try it!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Banana cheesecake smoothie:</i></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L0sauP4V_m4/UjodpuaqqAI/AAAAAAAAJvI/oVUTAGVdzho/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L0sauP4V_m4/UjodpuaqqAI/AAAAAAAAJvI/oVUTAGVdzho/s320/13+-+1" width="320" /></i></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Wow I made a new recipe I came across on Pinterest and it tasted just like cheesecake!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Any who I topped it off with a dollop of tru whip and a graham cracker! </i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>It was heaven !</i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Peanut butter banana Smoothie:</i></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VDj1C7yYyHU/UjNjRfsNVMI/AAAAAAAAJrw/ihPN9HsWBDE/s1600/13+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VDj1C7yYyHU/UjNjRfsNVMI/AAAAAAAAJrw/ihPN9HsWBDE/s320/13+-+1" width="320" /></i></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I put some on top of a smoothie and wow was it delicious!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>It was sweet and it didn't taste oily like other whipped toppings do which is great!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Links:</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://truwhip.com/"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>http://truwhip.com/</i></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Twitter:</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><a href="https://twitter.com/truwhip"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>https://twitter.com/truwhip</i></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Facebook:</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/truwhip?ref=ts&fref=ts"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>https://www.facebook.com/truwhip?ref=ts&fref=ts</i></span></a><br /><br /></div>

Tru Whip Review

Ever think something is missing when you have some ice cream or smoothie, especially to add a little more sweetness to it! What's better...

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Idol Albums Sales Hold Steady, Less Than A Month Until the Next Winner Release!

<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/AVvXsEjW76NgzmtDjSvrUlEeR0hWx01xVBrky06WWFn-8x_wTo8bO_El3tKki3FVfq1vjpGgI6kIEXiLYm-dj382C4zAIBBRwGnZwwbp9jVci6JuNoPZCgZmPUoe1qdXzTxR25-hp0jejShrkZhu/s1600/bb200-20130913.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW76NgzmtDjSvrUlEeR0hWx01xVBrky06WWFn-8x_wTo8bO_El3tKki3FVfq1vjpGgI6kIEXiLYm-dj382C4zAIBBRwGnZwwbp9jVci6JuNoPZCgZmPUoe1qdXzTxR25-hp0jejShrkZhu/s400/bb200-20130913.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">green = Mandisa, maroon = Phillip, dk green = Kelly, lt blue = Carrie, <br />orange = Fantasia, lt green = Jessica, med blue = Colton</td></tr></tbody></table>This week there are again five American Idol albums in the <a href="http://www.mjsbigblog.com/billboard-chart-date-092113.htm">BillBoard 200 chart</a>, with Mandisa again leading the way, this time at #45 from #29 last week. Albums on the Christian charts tend to last a pretty long time, with Colton Dixon's "A Messenger" still among the Top 40 Christian albums on that chart (increasing to number #33 from #39 last week.) If you notice his darker blue line in the chart, his album first came out about 30 months ago and is still selling fine in the Christian market, with his single "Never Gone" sitting at #1 on the Christian Hot AC chart.<br /><br />The other Idols on the chart all saw only slight movements on the chart. Phillip Phillip's "The World From the Side of the Moon" has been very steady for the past six weeks, just shifting around in the 50's (#57 this week after #55 last week.) Kelly Clarkson's "Greatest Hits: Chapter One" drops only a little from #75 to #84 this week, and Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" finally drops out of the Top 100, landing at #101 after 71 weeks (that is a long time!). Fantasia's "Side Effects of You" actually improved for a second week in a row to #115, so her sales are holding pretty well too.<br /><br />Now that it is September 13, that means that Candice Glover's "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Music-Speaks-Candice-Glover/dp/B00CTX6EUG">Music Speaks</a>" will be released in just three weeks from next Tuesday on October 8. Unfortunately there appears to be nothing going on to promote the album yet, which is scary indeed. Scotty McCreery's "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/See-You-Tonight-Scotty-Mccreery/dp/B00EV1AT96">See You Tonight</a>" album is officially on sale a week later, and he just released a new <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFlv4O7VE-A">music video</a> for the lead title single (which has been solidly stuck at around #40 on the country singles chart seemingly forever.) Scotty's fans might complain about having his single stuck at #40 for so long (thank the messed up state of country radio these days), but, frankly, that would be quite a nice "problem" for Candice to have, if she actually had a single playing on the radio at all! Candice does not even seem to have her own official website. Is her album going to be released on October 8th or not? Scotty's fans were able to figure out from the order numbers for his <a href="http://www.scottymccreerystore.com/index.php">pre-sales</a>, that he already should have <a href="http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=705521&st=580">sold around 10,000 just in first 48 hour pre-sale orders</a> pretty easily. What fraction of that will Candice sell on her release? Somebody help her out please!!<br /><br />Since Candice does not have a website or single or anything else to help promote her album, I may as well link to Scotty's new music video. At least there will be one recent Idol winner who will sell a lot of albums this fall!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dFlv4O7VE-A" width="420"></iframe>

Idol Albums Sales Hold Steady, Less Than A Month Until the Next Winner Release!

green = Mandisa, maroon = Phillip, dk green = Kelly, lt blue = Carrie, orange = Fantasia, lt green = Jessica, med blue = Colton This week th...

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Restaurant Sales vs. Wages

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1BYG3wHb-aEp9EJ7jXRlKB5geh9k-xgnnv1xyq3HiEb4xcJvE6ThLDifM_1kkf7LTigu1zttLFjOQ847K9hi8P-WqHAtc_T-bdbmpChTsgaTPgZ3aZBLe7nT0_HBcjkxZvXoU_LUJL8/s1600/Restaurant+Sales+vs.+Wages.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1BYG3wHb-aEp9EJ7jXRlKB5geh9k-xgnnv1xyq3HiEb4xcJvE6ThLDifM_1kkf7LTigu1zttLFjOQ847K9hi8P-WqHAtc_T-bdbmpChTsgaTPgZ3aZBLe7nT0_HBcjkxZvXoU_LUJL8/s320/Restaurant+Sales+vs.+Wages.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nZZ504TGDpE" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=mnh">St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart</a>

Restaurant Sales vs. Wages

Click to enlarge. Source Data: St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

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Something’s fishy with the TPP

<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">TPP is an abbreviation for the much-maligned Trans-Pacific Partnership. But it also works as shorthand for Terrible Policy for Pescatarians and is equally apt.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s1600/tpp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s320/tpp.jpeg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/trading-away-our-safe-seafood/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Capitol Hill panel looking at seafood and the TPP</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> raised serious concerns about what a flood of fish coming in from the 11 other nations involved in negotiations of the trade pact would mean both for consumers and industry workers. Lawmakers and experts said the livelihoods of fishermen and the health of the American public could be at stake.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mitch Jones, Food and Water Watch’s director of the common resources program who moderated the program, said as it stands the U.S. can’t keep up with imported fish:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2010 the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] had 92 full time equivalent border inspectors, which means that in that year each border inspector was responsible for inspecting 56.5 million pounds of seafood. No wonder less than 2 percent of our seafood is actually inspected before being allowed into the country and sold in our stores.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In an effort to stop the soaring importation of unsafe fish, lawmakers and experts agreed it is </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/help-derail-fast-tracking-of-TPP.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">key to stop fast track</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, which would allow a quick up-or-down vote on the TPP with little demand and no chance to amend the deal. Having Congress fully consider the agreement would not only help consumers’ health, it would protect hard-working Americans in many different industries.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reps. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.) and Walter Jones (N.C.), who hosted the briefing, were joined by Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) on a </span><a href="http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/11/members-of-congress-ask-obama-administration-to-ensure-seafood-safety-in-trade-negotiation/#.UjMrA2zD_cs" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">letter sent to the Obama administration last year asking that public health be a key focus</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of negotiators during TPP discussions. Unfortunately, due to the secretive nature of the pact’s negotiations, the public doesn’t know where things stand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As talks between trade negotiators begin to wind down, the Obama administration and Congress need to carefully weigh any deal. While Americans are for open markets, that doesn’t mean they want to trade good U.S. jobs and safe products made here for lost jobs, lower wages and foods that make their families sick. They demand fair trade.</span></div>

fair trade fast track food safety TPP Something’s fishy with the TPP

TPP is an abbreviation for the much-maligned Trans-Pacific Partnership. But it also works as shorthand for Terrible Policy for Pescatarian...

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Today's archidose #705

Here are some photos of a <a href="http://www.idisturato.com/project/komunalna-i-skolska-dvorana-krk/">Sports Hall</a> in Krk, Croatia, by <a href="http://www.idisturato.com/">Idis Turato</a>, photographed by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/m-tjon/">Maurice Tjon</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/m-tjon/9630245416/" title="Sports hall Osnovne Škole Krk [1] by m-tjon, on Flickr"><img alt="Sports hall Osnovne Škole Krk [1]" height="426" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/9630245416_f9e8f89fa4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/m-tjon/9630244856/" title="Sports hall Osnovne Škole Krk [4] by m-tjon, on Flickr"><img alt="Sports hall Osnovne Škole Krk [4]" height="800" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/9630244856_f741dd4e75_c.jpg" width="532" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/m-tjon/9627012379/" title="Sports hall Osnovne Škole Krk [5] by m-tjon, on Flickr"><img alt="Sports hall Osnovne Škole Krk [5]" height="800" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5465/9627012379_9a2a5890f6_c.jpg" width="532" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/m-tjon/9630244990/" title="Sports hall Osnovne Škole Krk [3] by m-tjon, on Flickr"><img alt="Sports hall Osnovne Škole Krk [3]" height="426" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7283/9630244990_5f859bc94f_z.jpg" width="640" /></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 #705

Here are some photos of a Sports Hall in Krk, Croatia, by Idis Turato , photographed by Maurice Tjon . To contribute your Flickr images for...

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The Family: Dysfunction reigns

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b><i>The Family</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/thefamily/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b> </b><br /><b>Three stars. Rating: R, for violence, considerable profanity and brief drug use</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow: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:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comedy is hard. Dark comedy is much harder.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15vuc5pohZizfzTLLL2z7YC4B59eKuaEzOcIKnsZe9o4eYcKhSiez4FTJ92F_rSCXkMWVwcpCdQELtXVardJdF0P5Mo-F-XSggrxYUOk3S2Ffeac_F858h2OJ-KAehwt1b5ER1EhfWU4/s1600/The+Family+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15vuc5pohZizfzTLLL2z7YC4B59eKuaEzOcIKnsZe9o4eYcKhSiez4FTJ92F_rSCXkMWVwcpCdQELtXVardJdF0P5Mo-F-XSggrxYUOk3S2Ffeac_F858h2OJ-KAehwt1b5ER1EhfWU4/s400/The+Family+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Giovanni (Robert De Niro) and Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer, back to ccamera) naturally wish<br />to know how their children fared, during their first day at a new French school. Warren<br />(John D'Leo) and Belle (Dianna Agron) downplay their activities, unwilling to admit that<br />their larcenous instincts — a family quality — will allow them to <i>own</i> the school by the<br />end of the week.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In theory, this film is the droll saga of a Mafia family trying to maintain the low profile demanded of the Witness Protection Program, while too easily sliding into former bad (i.e. violent) habits, much to the ongoing consternation of their FBI handler. That’s a premise with considerable comedic potential, particularly when the handler is played by Tommy Lee Jones at his morose, long-suffering best.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And things would have been fine, had our protagonists confined their lethal behavior to the various goombahs trying to find and whack them, and if said goombahs had limited <i>their</i> nasty tendencies toward each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But far too many innocent bystanders get killed along the way, sometimes quite unpleasantly. It’s rather hard to chuckle when another inquisitive neighbor gets shot between the eyes. That simply isn’t funny, and it, ah, kills the mood. Repeatedly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trouble is, veteran French action director Luc Besson doesn’t seem to know what kind of movie to make this time; his script — co-written with Michael Caleo, from Tonino Benacquista’s comedic novel <i>Malavita</i> — keeps sliding back and forth between the grim “straight” drama of <i>La Femme Nikita</i> or <i>The Professional</i>, and the far lighter, satiric tone of <i>The Fifth Element</i>. These styles are mutually incompatible, and the result is rather a mess.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Caleo, I note, co-wrote one episode of TV’s <i>The Sopranos</i> with that show’s creator, David Chase. That may have been the serio-comic mood Besson hoped to achieve, since Chase masterfully blended sarcastic humor with heinous violence in his groundbreaking show. And, at times, Besson and Caleo almost get there ... but then they spoil it with another dollop of brutal behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Giovanni Manzoni (Robert De Niro) and his family have spent years on the run, at various locations in the States and now France, due to the persistence of mob bosses infuriated by his having ratted them out. Giovanni’s wife, Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer), has grown accustomed to packing and unpacking; teenagers Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D’Leo) have resigned themselves to the constant uprooting faced by military kids.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, newly ensconced in a sleepy French village in the Normandy countryside, saddled with the fresh identity of “Fred Blake,” Giovanni attempts, once again, to blend. On impulse, he greets neighbors by claiming to be a writer of history; trouble is, the locals know far more about his fabricated topic — the D-Day invasion — than he does.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FBI handler Robert Stansfield (Jones) isn’t amused; that’s precisely the sort of sloppy thinking that could get “Fred” exposed as ... well, as somebody other than who he claims to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maggie attempts to maneuver through a nearby market with her limited French, earning nothing but snooty contempt from a shopkeeper who sneers at her desire for peanut butter, and then disses all “arrogant Americans” to the general agreement of a few locals. With a grim smile that Pfeiffer delivers with elegant grace, Maggie arranges for a small propane canister to come into contact with lighter fluid and a match, and casually exits the establishment before its contents erupt through the plate glass windows.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, <i>that’s</i> funny, particularly since Besson clearly plays on the long-established American belief that the French are arrogant snots. No flying limbs, just mangled groceries. We can imagine the store’s inhabitants somehow escaped with minor injury.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elsewhere, Belle and Warren warily navigate their first day at this new school with the precision of a veteran “dirty tricks” squad. Initially feigning innocence (Belle) and vulnerability (Warren) in order to suss out the various social cliques and pecking orders, within days they’re clandestinely calling the shots.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This, too, is wonderfully amusing, particularly when Belle unexpectedly goes postal on a gaggle of hormonally charged boys who imagined she would be easy pickings. Warren, as well, methodically demonstrates “fixer” skills that evoke pleasant memories of master larcenists in caper thrillers such as <i>Ocean’s Eleven</i>. D’Leo evokes the sort of clinical maturity that we’d expect from a kid forced to grow up quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, Giovanni — ah, no, <i>Fred</i> — finds his limited (<i>very</i> limited) patience tried by a local plumber who arrives late and then cheerfully tries to take advantage of the situation, assuming that <i>all</i>Americans are loaded with money and therefore ripe for the plucking.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sounds perfect, right? And it would be, except that, back in the States, a mob assassin (Jon Freda, appropriately scary as Rocco) is following leads and murdering likely families — husband, wife, teenage son and daughter — in the hope they <i>might</i> be the Manzoni clan. Identification is checked by sending severed fingers to the local Mafia don, who has lost none of his juice, despite being in a federal prison.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watching Rocco murder children — more than once — rather destroys the attempt at light-heartedness, even if the executions are fairly bloodless and (mostly) take place off-camera. It soon becomes clear that, with the possible exception of our main characters, <i>nobody</i> else is likely to survive the carnage that we can predict will consume the third act.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rest assured — this being a Luc Besson movie — a bazooka will be involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The jarring tonal shift notwithstanding, Besson and Caleo also squander some of their script’s can’t-miss plot elements. The dynamic between De Niro and Jones is rich with potential, the wheedling, easily irritated Giovanni constantly getting under Stansfield’s last nerve. But despite his co-star billing, Jones isn’t in much of this film; it looks as though he spent perhaps two days on the set, and did a few quick scenes before beetling back to some other project.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heck, the family dog gets more screen time than Jones. Great part for a canine, I might add.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Giovanni’s decision to write his memoirs — on a lovingly preserved manual typewriter — is another plot element that doesn’t really accomplish anything, except perhaps to fill time as De Niro carefully places paper in roller and attacks the keyboard with two-fingered precision. Granted, Giovanni needs <i>something</i>with which to fill his time, and the possibility of dire revelations eventually sparks a droll exchange with Stansfield ... but the whole writing thing just sorta drifts off.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few sidebar developments are handled more successfully. Maggie has developed a fondness for the two FBI “babysitters” — Caputo (Domenick Lombardozzi) and Di Cicco (Jimmy Palumbo) — who’ve apparently followed the family from one location to the next. Their delight over Maggie’s authentic Italian cooking becomes a droll running gag.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Agron, well recognized as Quinn Fabray on television’s <i>Glee</i>, is allowed the greatest character range; aside from her amusing skills as a schoolyard enforcer, Belle also succumbs to every girl’s fantasy when living in France: to fall in love. Her target: a hunky substitute math teacher. Agron navigates her character’s two extremes with panache; it’s fun to watch Belle be swoony one moment, and then, in the next, beat on a loutish boy with a tennis racket.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She also shares a touching moment with De Niro, when Giovanni laments the mess that he has made of his life, and the hardship his family has endured as a result; Belle, firmly devoted to her father, insists that he is, nonetheless, the best dad in the world. Given the circumstances, that’s a tricky sentiment to sell, but Agron nails it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pfeiffer is equally memorable, her Maggie spitting fire with every spoken word ... or, alternatively, taking solace in a doobie while wondering, with the stricken concern of an exhausted mother tiger, just what is to become of them. Unlike many of the other actors in this uneasy farce, Pfeiffer knows <i>precisely</i>how to play each scene, having navigated similar waters for director Jonathan Demme back in 1988, with <i>Married to the Mob</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">De Niro, happily, does <i>not</i> overact, as he has done too frequently in recent years. He treats this role fairly seriously, which adds comic weight to the moments when poor Giovanni loses his temper yet again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film certainly looks good; production designer Hugues Tissandier makes the most of the sleepy village setting, and the gated little chalet in which our family has been sheltered. Thierry Arbogast’s cinematography is similarly warm and inviting. Besson and editor Julien Rey orchestrate these events fairly calmly, eschewing rat-a-tat pacing in favor of longer, slower scenes that reflect the drowsy countryside setting, while also allowing the cast some richer character moments. (That said, this film feels a bit <i>too</i> slow, at 110 minutes.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evgueni and Sacha Galperine deliver a robust score that lends comic punch to the story’s lighter moments.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite its many enjoyable elements, though, <i>The Family</i> can’t shake the mean-spirited interludes that completely overwhelm it. Even the climax leaves us with a bitter taste, likely not the mood Besson intended us to have, upon departing the theater.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too bad, because this could — should — have been much better.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->

2013 crime drama Dark Comedy Dianna Agron Domenick Lombardozzi Jimmy Palumbo John D'Leo Jon Freda Luc Besson Michelle Pfeiffer Robert De Niro Tommy Lee Jones The Family: Dysfunction reigns

The Family   (2013) •  View trailer   Three stars. Rating: R, for violence, considerable profanity and brief drug use By  Derrick Bang ...

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U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander James Hoeft going ashore ... thanks for 20 years of service

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbs9palj5_Emt_xwjVvKdlwnDqYhZlrhGCPlukRdIIL4Vz38vVzGF78duuKiDKuRmIxB7rNlyolxVZNoX086JoJAWrwEdz3uyiPwWSELnDWZ7HdPxjqX593QI90Qg2RSOH4Bz5055NBs7/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbs9palj5_Emt_xwjVvKdlwnDqYhZlrhGCPlukRdIIL4Vz38vVzGF78duuKiDKuRmIxB7rNlyolxVZNoX086JoJAWrwEdz3uyiPwWSELnDWZ7HdPxjqX593QI90Qg2RSOH4Bz5055NBs7/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Watch</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Aye mates, for 20 years</div><div style="text-align: center;">This Sailor has stood the watch.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">While some of us were in our bunks at night</div><div style="text-align: center;">Seaman Hoeft stood the watch</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />While some of us were in school learning our trade</div><div style="text-align: center;">Electronics Technician Third Class Hoeft stood the watch</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In those years when the storm clouds of war were seen<br />brewing on the horizon of history,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ensign Hoeft stood the watch</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Many times he would cast an eye ashore</div><div style="text-align: center;">and see his family standing there</div><div style="text-align: center;">Needing his guidance and help</div><div style="text-align: center;">Needing that hand to hold during those hard times</div><div style="text-align: center;">But Lieutenant Junior Grade Hoeft stood the watch</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">He stood the watch for twenty years</div><div style="text-align: center;">He stood the watch so that we, our families and</div><div style="text-align: center;">Our fellow countrymen, could sleep soundly in safety,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Each and every night,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Knowing that Lieutenant Hoeft stood the watch</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Today, we are here to say</div><div style="text-align: center;">Shipmate ... the watch stands relieved</div><div style="text-align: center;">Relieved by those you have trained, guided, and led</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lieutenant Commander Hoeft, you stand relieved</div><div style="text-align: center;">We have the watch! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Boatswain, stand by to pipe the side, shipmate going ashore! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3AeDvioAfE_gL9fURGSjLNT-pHbGDtjctkBe1gVRycnHjPueeB_oSybqed-cu5KwpnNINJRyHBZOnapuGhF94xzmwx5PoTWvbtL45CEAdtiV9eTBgunOwg1dTzrLXVN6CsnrjCftB63c/s1600/_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3AeDvioAfE_gL9fURGSjLNT-pHbGDtjctkBe1gVRycnHjPueeB_oSybqed-cu5KwpnNINJRyHBZOnapuGhF94xzmwx5PoTWvbtL45CEAdtiV9eTBgunOwg1dTzrLXVN6CsnrjCftB63c/s400/_12.jpg" width="383" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jim Hoeft sits at the Governor's conference table in Richmond. </i><br /><i>Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling's <a href="http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2011/02/part-2-bloggers-at-bill-bollings.html">4th Annual Bloggers Day</a> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>February 16, 2011</i></div><br />We know him as Jim or JR who was the founder of <a href="http://www.bearingdrift.com/">Bearing Drift</a> and now has founded <a href="http://www.vapolitics.us/">Virginia Politics On Demand,</a> recruiting top-notch bloggers to help provide news and information to the Virginia blogosphere. He has covered Republican Advances, Eric Cantor's Republican Roundup, candidate events, interviewed elected officials and those running for office, and fill in for radio personalities. That is the Jim I've known since 2006.<br /><br />Jim's other career was as an officer in the U.S. Navy and, in a ceremony in Virginia Beach on Friday, September 13, 2013, he retired after 20 years of service.<br /><br />His Naval career began in 1992 at the Recruit Training Center in Orlando, Florida. From 1992-93 he was at Nuclear Power Training Command in Orland, and in 1993-94 part of Nuclear Power Training Unit in Charleston, SC. He ended up in Newport News, Va, from 1994-96 with the PCU Cheyenne (SSN 773). He spent 1996-99 at Old Dominion University NROTC, 2000 in Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport, RI, and returned to the USS Mitscher (DDG 57) from 2000-02 and the USS Ponce (LPD 15) from 2002-03.<br /><br />Jim found his niche in public affairs:<br /><blockquote>2003-06: U.S. Fleet Forces Command<br />TAD: Hurricane Katrina<br />Navy Expedition Combat Command<br /><br />2006-07: Navy Personnel Development Command<br /><br />2007-08: Navy Public Affairs Support Element<br />TAD: Amphibious Squadron 8 embarked<br />USS KEARSARGE (LHD 3)<br /><br />2008-11: Joint Public Affairs Support Element<br />TAD: Operation Assured Delivery<br />Operation Odyssey Dawn embarked USS MOUNT WHITNEY (LCC 20)<br />Pakistan Flood Relief<br />Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill<br /><br />2011-13: Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training Command<br />IA: United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti</blockquote>Congratulations to our friend and colleague with best wishes for the next chapter in his life and a sincere thank you for 20 years of service to our country.<br /><br />Cross-posted at <a href="http://vapolitics.us/2013/09/u-s-navy-lieutenant-commander-james-hoeft-going-ashore-thanks-for-20-years-of-service/">Virginia Politics On Demand </a><br /><br /><i>Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell</i>

Bearing Drift Bill Bolling Bloggers Day Jim Hoeft Lieutenant Commander James Hoeft Lynn R. Mitchell U.S. Navy Virginia Politics On Demand U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander James Hoeft going ashore ... thanks for 20 years of service

The Watch Aye mates, for 20 years This Sailor has stood the watch. While some of us were in our bunks at night Seaman Hoeft stood the watch ...

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