News for today's 2018

Monday, Monday

7:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.archidose.org/wp/">A Weekly Dose of Architecture</a> Updates:</span><br /><br />This week's dose features <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/10/29/niemenranta-elementary-school/">Niemenranta Elementary School</a> in Oulunsalo, Finland, by alt Architects + Architecture Office Karsikas:<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/10/29/niemenranta-elementary-school/"><img alt="this       week's  dose" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Oct12-29.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="This week's dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The featured past dose is the <a href="http://www.archidose.org/Nov05/111405a.html">Simons Sauna</a> in Sipoo Mölandet, Finland by Heikkinen Komonen Architects:<br /><a href="http://www.archidose.org/Nov05/111405a.html"><img alt="this       week's  dose" src="http://www.archidose.org/Nov05/simons2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="featured past dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />This week's book review is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/10/29/terunobu-fujimori-architect/"><i>Terunobu Fujimori: Architect</i></a> edited by Michael Buhrs and Hannes Rössler:<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2012/10/29/terunobu-fujimori-architect/"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/fujimori.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="This week's book review" /></a>   <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-review-behaviorology.html"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/book-behaviorology.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="This week's book review" /></a><br />(R): The featured past book review is <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-review-behaviorology.html"><i> The Architecture of Atelier Bow-Wow: Behaviorology</i></a> by Atelier Bow-Wow.<br /><br />: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">World-Architects.com U.S. <a href="http://www.american-architects.com/projects/reviews/41">Building of the Week</a>:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/projects/project-review-detail/38601_yojisan">Yojisan</a> in Beverly Hills, California, by Dan Brunn Architecture:<br /><a href="http://www.world-architects.com/en/projects/project-review-detail/38601_yojisan"><img alt="this week's Building of the Week" src="http://c214210.r10.cf3.rackcdn.com/files/projects/38601/images/900:w/Yojisan02.jpg" title="Current Building of the Week on american-architects.com" width="640" /></a>

Monday, Monday

A Weekly Dose of Architecture Updates: This week's dose features Niemenranta Elementary School in Oulunsalo, Finland, by alt Architect...

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 10/29/2012

12:30 PM Tukiyooo 0

<ul class="diigo-linkroll">      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qwCKSGDrRA&feature=plcp">EVPD Google Sites & Global Collaboration! - YouTube</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">In this YouTube video ( a recorded Google Hangout) Theresa Allen and Janet Barnstable talk to two teachers in Siberia about how they use Google Sites in education. If you're not doing it, you should listen to this, it is a great tutorial but will also wake you up. IF they doing this in Siberia, what is your excuse? Those of you caught in the storm might want to use this opportunity for some teacher PD.</p>              <p class="diigo-tags">          <span>tags:</span>                      <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/tumblr">tumblr</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/google">google</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/flatclass">flatclass</a></p>                                        </li>  </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 10/29/2012

EVPD Google Sites & Global Collaboration! - YouTube In this YouTube video ( a recorded Google Ha...

TURKEY - IRAN, GREAT SILK (GOLD) ROAD

8:59 AM Tukiyooo 0

<br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeprxD0O4-h2ajR9lJGEPEpsfemnMMeZPwfblB8yiy5StwywRmXQO5BpaPX-PLVR5Vqd16OhVbrxdXNL0znkNAvQM6Edg-zrhDZ4w3mf-_eqKMMnuhR4Uan2R4IaaIiREazynOcP2F_Z5y/s1600/1348897261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeprxD0O4-h2ajR9lJGEPEpsfemnMMeZPwfblB8yiy5StwywRmXQO5BpaPX-PLVR5Vqd16OhVbrxdXNL0znkNAvQM6Edg-zrhDZ4w3mf-_eqKMMnuhR4Uan2R4IaaIiREazynOcP2F_Z5y/s400/1348897261.jpg" width="400" /></a></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";"> </span></b></span></span></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";">COUNTRIES START TO RESUME TRADE WITH IRAN USING GOLD TO AVOID US SANCTIONS</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 /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">HOW CREDIBLE ARE ALL THOSE REPORTS OF MIDDLE EASTERN ANIMOSITY BETWEEN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OF THE REGION, OR ETHNIC FACTIONS??</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In recent months there has been a lot of incorrect speculation that because IRAN has been shut off from the petrodollar, SWIFT-mediated regime, its economy will implode as the country has no access to the all important greenback and can thus not conduct international trade - the driving factor behind the international sanctions that seek to topple the local government as IRAN dies an economic death. And while there have been bouts of substantial inflation, which so far the local government appears to have managed to put a lid on by curbing gray market speculation, IRAN continues to more or less operate on its merry ways with international trade most certainly taking place, especially with CHINA, RUSSIA and INDIA as main trading partners. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">IRAN HAS IMPORTED SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF GOLD FROM TURKEY, DESPITE THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT'S STERN DENIALS</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FyKC4kQKMDdO4pJ9gdsj8Os_v0MY3mozk08wEzofFwa6LM85X8XWJQr6GrjthabP_MzBZRMgbEelwRD_06Cd_iDQjAmvDe-_X4uQB1n58AmXJMM__YwJkdvJFw1kLnqSjiucaSGwCCRp/s1600/n_23588_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FyKC4kQKMDdO4pJ9gdsj8Os_v0MY3mozk08wEzofFwa6LM85X8XWJQr6GrjthabP_MzBZRMgbEelwRD_06Cd_iDQjAmvDe-_X4uQB1n58AmXJMM__YwJkdvJFw1kLnqSjiucaSGwCCRp/s320/n_23588_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"How is this possible" those who support the Western-led embargo of all IRANIAN trade will ask? Simple - gold. While IRAN may have no access to dollars, it has ample access to gold. This in itself is not new - we have <a href="http://www.zerohedge.com/news/iran-gold-imports-turkey-surge-8-billion-ytd-gold-increasingly-used-currency">reported in the past</a> that IRAN has imported substantial amounts of gold from TURKEY, despite the TURKISH government's stern denials. Today, courtesy of Reuters, we learn precisely what the 21st century equivalent of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road">Great Silk Road</a> looks like, and just how effective IRAN has been as a lab rat in escaping the great petrodollar experiment, from which conventional wisdom tells us there is no escape. Presenting: petrogold.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It all starts, contrary to the government's official denials, in TURKEY. <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/10/23/us-emirates-iran-gold-idINBRE89M0SW20121023?feedType=RSS&feedName=lifestyleMolt&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+reuters/INlifestyle+%28News+/+IN+/+Lifestyle%29">Reuters explains</a>:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Couriers carrying millions of dollars worth of gold bullion in their luggage have been flying from Istanbul to DUBAI, where the gold is shipped on to IRAN, according to industry sources with knowledge of the business.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The sums involved are enormous. Official TURKISH trade data suggests nearly $2 billion worth of gold was sent to DUBAI on behalf of IRANIAN buyers in August. The shipments help Tehran manage its finances in the face of Western financial sanctions.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The sanctions, imposed over IRAN'S disputed nuclear program, have largely frozen it out of the global banking system, making it hard for it to conduct international money transfers. By using physical gold, IRAN can continue to move its wealth across borders.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"EVERY CURRENCY IN THE WORLD HAS AN IDENTITY, BUT GOLD MEANS VALUE WITHOUT IDENTITY. THE VALUE IS ABSOLUTE WHEREVER YOU GO"</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpahgUT_VpUKxRGdGqDtGgpkzNYaggm6Tc2ky4_iBMJGtcduyNzjOzD__o4X-yRzdBd8_I15-yngn3O3RqWvVldXFzBZCANVOuaInPsrMq6v-4iZvkVnFKKt17eH-LcXf6W3nAN57KejV/s1600/1347358840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpahgUT_VpUKxRGdGqDtGgpkzNYaggm6Tc2ky4_iBMJGtcduyNzjOzD__o4X-yRzdBd8_I15-yngn3O3RqWvVldXFzBZCANVOuaInPsrMq6v-4iZvkVnFKKt17eH-LcXf6W3nAN57KejV/s320/1347358840.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">So.... gold is money? In other words, it is widely accepted, it is a store of wealth, and it is a medium of exchange? Huh. Someone tell the Chairman. He may be unaware, apparently so, at least for countries that don't live day to day on the edge of $1 quadrillion in derivative based weapons of immediate and mass destruction.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"Every currency in the world has an identity, but gold means value without identity. The value is absolute wherever you go," said a trader in DUBAI with knowledge of the gold trade between TURKEY and IRAN.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The identity of the ultimate destination of the gold in IRAN is not known. But the scale of the operation through DUBAI and its sudden growth suggest the IRANIAN government plays a role.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The DUBAI trader and other sources familiar with the business spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, because of the political and commercial sensitivity of the matter.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">WHAT DOES TURKEY GET IN EXCHANGE? WHATEVER IRAN HAS THAT TURKEY NEEDS OF COURSE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Iran sells oil and gas to TURKEY, with payments made to state IRANIAN institutions. U.S. and EUROPEAN banking sanctions ban payments in U.S. dollars or Euros so IRAN gets paid in TURKISH lira. Lira are of limited value for buying goods on international markets but ideal for a gold buying spree in TURKEY.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">And so, in a world in which avoiding the USD is considered lunacy by most, TURKEY and IRAN, quietly and effectively, have created their own loophole, in which natural resources are exchange for a local currency, which is then exchanged for gold, which then is used to purchase anything and everything that IRAN needs from all those other countries that do not comply with the US and EUROPEAN-led embargo, as virtually every nation in AFRICA, because gold talks, and petrodollars increasingly “walk”.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">What is disturbing is that DUBAI is now joining in the party too, and the three way transaction may soon become the template for all other countries which are not afraid to suffer the embargo wrath of Uncle Sam:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">FACTS AND FIGURES </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In March this year, as the banking sanctions began to bite, Tehran sharply increased its purchases of gold bullion from TURKEY, according to the TURKISH government's trade data.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Direct gold exports to IRAN from TURKEY, long a major consumer and stockpiler of gold, hit $1.8 billion in July - equivalent to over a fifth of TURKEY'S entire trade deficit in that month.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In August, however, a sudden plunge in TURKEY'S direct gold exports to IRAN coincided with a leap in its sales of the precious metal to the UAE.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TURKEY exported a total $2.3 billion worth of gold in August, of which $2.1 billion was gold bullion. Just over $1.9 billion, about 36 metric tons, was sent to the UAE, latest available data from TURKEY'S Statistics Office shows. In July TURKEY exported only $7 million of gold to the UAE.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At the same time TURKEY'S direct gold exports to IRAN, which had been fluctuating between $1.2 billion and about $1.8 billion each month since April, slumped to just $180 million in August.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The DUBAI-based trader said that from August, direct shipments to IRAN were largely replaced by indirect ones through DUBAI, apparently because Tehran wanted to avoid publicity.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"The trade from TURKEY directly to IRAN has stopped because there was just too much publicity around it," said the trader.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Dealers, jewelers and analysts in DUBAI said they had not noticed any large, sudden increase of supply in the local gold market during August. They said that suggested the increased shipments to the UAE were sent straight on to IRAN.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It is not clear how the gold is moved from DUBAI to IRAN, but there is substantial trade between the two economies, much of it conducted by wooden dhows and other ships crossing the Gulf, a distance of only about 150 kilometers (100 miles) at its narrowest point.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A trader in TURKEY said Tehran had shifted to indirect imports because the direct shipments were widely reported in TURKISH and international media earlier this year. "Now on paper it looks like the gold is going to DUBAI, not to IRAN," he said.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SO WHAT HAPPENS IF THE US DEMANDS THAT DUBAI HALT TRADING WITH IRAN?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Nothing much: another country will pop up to replace its place in the golden triangle, and then another, and then another. <br />After all, they are intervening on very lucrative terms: the bid/ask in the transaction. Precisely the same reason bank flow desks keep the bond and stock market flowing day to day.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF TURKEY ITSELF SOURS?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The buyers may also want to make their purchases less vulnerable to any possible interference by TURKEY'S government. TURKEY'S close relationship with IRAN has begun to sour as the two states find themselves on opposite sides of the civil war in SYRIA, with TURKEY advocating the departure of President Bashar al-Assad and IRAN remaining Assad's staunchest regional ally.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">So more of the same: IRAN would simply find a regional country that needs crude - many, many of them around - and offer to trade crude for gold, which would keep the mini petrogold cycle afloat.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">HOW CREDIBLE ARE ALL THOSE REPORTS OF MIDDLE EASTERN ANIMOSITY BETWEEN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OF THE REGION, OR ETHNIC FACTIONS??</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Yet the biggest irony is that despite all the overt animosity between IRAN and TURKEY, by way of SYRIA, the two nations continue to transact, making one wonder just how credible are all those reports of middle eastern animosity between this country and that, or that ethnic faction and this. Not surprising: gold overcomes all differences. All of them.</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXTqNst8GFvjKXonNGBquNQcFGuPFM4w83wlOtfuhgSs7qh5_CNUCizOqc575U1e2sV8MULhtMlk4QDuYWV5SHUbMBCTDjy7_Rj2QiseW_QUp8sVnjuRk_QYuQwXfGA-tJows6N_3aVMh/s1600/Plaatje-Serkan-III-Turkey-Iran-cooperation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXTqNst8GFvjKXonNGBquNQcFGuPFM4w83wlOtfuhgSs7qh5_CNUCizOqc575U1e2sV8MULhtMlk4QDuYWV5SHUbMBCTDjy7_Rj2QiseW_QUp8sVnjuRk_QYuQwXfGA-tJows6N_3aVMh/s400/Plaatje-Serkan-III-Turkey-Iran-cooperation.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Finally, the reality is that nobody is actually breaking any rules.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There is no suggestion that the gold trade means DUBAI is violating international sanctions against IRAN. UNITED NATIONS sanctions ban shipments of nuclear-related materials to IRAN and freeze the assets of some IRANIAN individuals and companies, but they do not prohibit most forms of trade. The UAE has not yet released its trade data for August. Officials at the DUBAI customs authority could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts to contact them.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TURKISH TRADE DATA CONFIRMS THE GOLD IS BEING TRANSPORTED TO DUBAI BY AIR</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According to the data, $1.45 billion of TURKEY'S total gold exports in August were shipped through the customs office at Ataturk airport's passenger lounge. Almost all of the rest, $800 million, were shipped from Istanbul's smaller Sabiha Gokcen airport. TURKEY'S total exports of all goods to the UAE totaled $2.2 billion in August. Of that amount, $1.19 billion were registered at the Ataturk passenger lounge, while $776 million were registered at Sabiha Gokcen.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A customs broker who does business at Ataturk said couriers were boarding TURKISH Airlines and EMIRATES flights to DUBAI at the airport, carrying the metal in their hand luggage to avoid the risk of it getting lost or stolen.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40KFSm6uBEyG5ykGCc_PgBinmLuHr9SdtwLm9hrhUXByCZmuHlKEBKy5j_oieAt8cqpqOAsu-zGqFXmKYzUDZFfQo-Fkq8-N-MP_3wk9TK9sgVff05fWYdzDIRgTaubfO3o6dFazcb7_5/s1600/photo_1351001807509-1-0.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/AVvXsEh40KFSm6uBEyG5ykGCc_PgBinmLuHr9SdtwLm9hrhUXByCZmuHlKEBKy5j_oieAt8cqpqOAsu-zGqFXmKYzUDZFfQo-Fkq8-N-MP_3wk9TK9sgVff05fWYdzDIRgTaubfO3o6dFazcb7_5/s320/photo_1351001807509-1-0.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The maximum amount of gold bullion which a passenger is allowed to take is 50 kilograms (110 pounds), he said. This suggests that during the month of August, as many as several hundred courier trips may have taken gold to DUBAI on IRAN'S behalf.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">"It is all legal, they declare it, they give their tax number and it is all registered so there is nothing illegal about this," the broker said. "At the moment there's quite a lot of traffic to DUBAI. During September and October we have also been seeing this."</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The trade data shows almost $1.4 billion worth of TURKEY'S August exports to the UAE came from a company or companies with a tax number registered in the coastal city of Izmir, TURKEY'S third biggest. Customs officials at Ataturk declined a Reuters request to provide documents identifying the exporters, saying the information was confidential.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The identity of the companies handling the business could not be confirmed. Traders said that because of the risk of attracting unwelcome attention from U.S. authorities, only a few companies were likely to be willing to get involved.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">And there you have it: a perfectly counterparty free system, in which a transaction is done, and no traces are left behind. More importantly, this is the blueprint for the future, as more and more countries evade the subjugation of the petrodollar regime so ubiquitous for the past century, and which is slowly but surely being shifted to benefit those countries who are not insolvent, and who actually produce things needed by the rest of the world.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By Tyler Durden of Zero Hedge via Dian Chu</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><u><b><span style="color: blue;">Background Information:</span> </b></u> </span><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/gold-savior-of-europe.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/12/gold-savior-of-europe.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IlcSeU99mkCqXZF6KPjkILhzUy4dAVAzBM1a7usfW5v-pMkM3gjr43qRd6pD7-L_YytTvbXZGdjdjvodg7-VPrC1CZthjWxSnl17uzKO1oqMaoAXkPzDFWayK4jCPHTUNui8b1VjBUwF/s1600/turkey_iran2d%25284%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IlcSeU99mkCqXZF6KPjkILhzUy4dAVAzBM1a7usfW5v-pMkM3gjr43qRd6pD7-L_YytTvbXZGdjdjvodg7-VPrC1CZthjWxSnl17uzKO1oqMaoAXkPzDFWayK4jCPHTUNui8b1VjBUwF/s400/turkey_iran2d%25284%2529.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

TURKEY - IRAN, GREAT SILK (GOLD) ROAD

COUNTRIES START TO RESUME TRADE WITH IRAN USING GOLD TO AVOID US SANCTIONS HOW CREDIBLE ARE ALL THOSE REPORTS OF MIDDLE EASTERN ANIMOSIT...

You've Gotta Have Heart...Damn, Giants!

8:51 AM Tukiyooo 0

<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/AVvXsEjyMGSYUioD9aye7bYL5h7Awk6xrlj7M_JeVuyqgDdTqm5gk3FfRa7af8sUZ_g8rQHJ5QoWmAiIWTsT6P4-I4fpwxUSCu1Wgbg6bMJdjTF8o-hrR9jXKFds4Jt0YWF6V7Hytzpgkt2v3B8/s1600/Coit+Tower+orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMGSYUioD9aye7bYL5h7Awk6xrlj7M_JeVuyqgDdTqm5gk3FfRa7af8sUZ_g8rQHJ5QoWmAiIWTsT6P4-I4fpwxUSCu1Wgbg6bMJdjTF8o-hrR9jXKFds4Jt0YWF6V7Hytzpgkt2v3B8/s1600/Coit+Tower+orange.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Francisco's Coit Tower bathed in Giants orange on Sunday night  (photo by Luanne Dietz, SF Chronicle)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the best-known tunes from </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Damn Yankees </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">(the 1955 Broadway hit and 1958 movie) is the catchy number "Heart," and it goe<span style="font-size: small;">s like this<span style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">You've gotta have heart</span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">All you really need is heart</span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">When the odds are sayin' you'll never win</span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">That's when the grin should start...</span></span></span></span></span><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">These lyrics aptly describe<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>the situation the now World Champion San Francisco Giants found themselves in.<span style="font-size: small;"> Until they won the third game (in a row) of the World Series on Saturday night, the odds had been<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>against them going into games one<span style="font-size: small;">, t<span style="font-size: small;">wo <i>and</i> three (not to mention <span style="font-size: small;">the playoffs).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ry8CpIg2fvU" width="560"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unlike the hapless Washington Senators with not much more than heart in <i>Damn Yankees</i>, the San Francisco Giants team <i>does</i> have great sluggers, pitchers and is a great ball club. With this second World Series win in three years, no one can attribute the Giants' tremendous success to "luck" or a series of "flukes," it's a combination of talent and skill plus that key ingredient, heart. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Having descended from Dodgers fans (the <i>Brooklyn </i>Dodgers) and been raised in Southern California, I grew up a devoted fan of the LA Dodgers. Once I moved to the Bay Area, cheering for the Giants didn't come easily or quickly - the rivalry between SF and LA is serious and sometimes ugly. However, by the time the 1989 "Battle of the Bay" Series (the Giants vs. the Oakland A's) came along, I'd become a Giants fan. I'll never forget Game 2 of that series in Oakland; I was sitting high in the Oakland Coliseum and remarked to the group I was with, "I'd hate to be up here in an earthquake." Of course, Game 3 in San Francisco was disrupted by the monster Loma Prieta quake (which disabled the Bay Bridge, took down a few freeways as well as homes in San Francisco's Marina District). The A's swept that series once it resumed 10 days later. But that's all ancient history now...today, along with the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm basking in another Giants victory - in a four game sweep, at that. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Last time the Giants brought the trophy home, in 2010, the welcome-home/victory parade through downtown San Francisco turned out to be the biggest event in San Francisco history (attracting an estimated crowd of one million+). This year the parade is set for October 31. Perfect. Giants black-and-orange on Halloween. It's going to be wild and woolly in downtown San Francisco this Wednesday.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bravo, San Francisco Giants!</span><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/AVvXsEims3dYxva46ItLO_kxk-s95gCA4rFKjRMRzcsLIhvQHweb14NO6bVG2Iz_h7qvhf4SvsPyBdBE3ZgQs_9tVmHQdD7CezJwpvGPdJAn95_sFlhJYpy0tLqgTccafuQZ56Wr9fNbp8WbMy0/s1600/Buster+Poseys+home+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEims3dYxva46ItLO_kxk-s95gCA4rFKjRMRzcsLIhvQHweb14NO6bVG2Iz_h7qvhf4SvsPyBdBE3ZgQs_9tVmHQdD7CezJwpvGPdJAn95_sFlhJYpy0tLqgTccafuQZ56Wr9fNbp8WbMy0/s320/Buster+Poseys+home+run.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buster Posey's home run</td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEg1EyNS0iPwL2wJ8taqDI-1lU1hD7zdQFH7HEdPhud9q0cee2p5kdyIsNOmLvv5gqe0g6lpp2O-Zn5gyBBuQLNurC2YvvTPSU87jtiXOkFP-J1viO-af58fGSWoyX5oy5XNVkQVXGzZ6yI/s1600/Sergio+Romo+wins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EyNS0iPwL2wJ8taqDI-1lU1hD7zdQFH7HEdPhud9q0cee2p5kdyIsNOmLvv5gqe0g6lpp2O-Zn5gyBBuQLNurC2YvvTPSU87jtiXOkFP-J1viO-af58fGSWoyX5oy5XNVkQVXGzZ6yI/s320/Sergio+Romo+wins.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closer Sergio Romo after the final pitch</td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEjJCegSw7NJJm2SMaUi2f0nwaBWYi_uvuOWD6P4rww66ntfLpZMZFLIWRhpbO1J3JBD3gcujSngcx51a58BGfTS06QSwM7kxE1blKrnH15tDNmcZO_iyJiSuZxbnGXvWsjhkvNgYR2SkWw/s1600/Giants+win+WS+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCegSw7NJJm2SMaUi2f0nwaBWYi_uvuOWD6P4rww66ntfLpZMZFLIWRhpbO1J3JBD3gcujSngcx51a58BGfTS06QSwM7kxE1blKrnH15tDNmcZO_iyJiSuZxbnGXvWsjhkvNgYR2SkWw/s400/Giants+win+WS+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Giants win the 108th World Series in Detroit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And now, with <i>Reel Life</i>'s classic movie theme as well as baseball in mind, a legendary Abbott and Costello routine - from <i>The Naughty Nineties </i>(1945): </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">  </span> <iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sShMA85pv8M" width="420"></iframe></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(</span>photos via SFGate) </span></span>

San Francisco's Coit Tower bathed in Giants orange on Sunday night (photo by Luanne Dietz, SF Chronicle) One of the best-known tunes fr...

20 minute bench makeover

6:50 AM Anonymous 0

And she lives!<br /><br />Thank you all for your get well soons while I was out. That was no doubt the worst flu I've had in...as long as I can remember. I wouldn't say I'm back to 100% yet, but 85% will do. I've heard that the flu shot isn't so strong this year, but I'd still say get one if you can. Although, people seem to have strong opinions about wether or not to get flu shots. Have you ever said 'flu shot' in a crowded room? Oy! Anyway, do what you can to stay healthy.<br /><br />As I ease myself back into the standing position I thought I'd share a simple DIY that took all of 20 minutes. (my favorite kind)<br /><br />I picked this bench up off the side of the road (better than a hitchhiker) and then promptly put it in my basement for the next two years. Par for the course, I know. These are the only true before pictures I have.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0ZWe2aQOXElsynxYTHqvYAdUmp1dy_4VDuwPbtHFLUt9KYjRuo8f8C9IIAtilBr2TMQ_IKzwjjbIHXUJr6IsCXio3LTZTyqxZRJrGk2r-Ig_6cil29nb7aoiIRG5HYF6j-VbQ_cAvsGf/s1600/YuckyStoolBefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0ZWe2aQOXElsynxYTHqvYAdUmp1dy_4VDuwPbtHFLUt9KYjRuo8f8C9IIAtilBr2TMQ_IKzwjjbIHXUJr6IsCXio3LTZTyqxZRJrGk2r-Ig_6cil29nb7aoiIRG5HYF6j-VbQ_cAvsGf/s400/YuckyStoolBefore.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><br />I don't even want to know what the stain on that seat is from. Dirty. Ugly. But sturdy.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2v94AottwLHeWgxCgWgSsozEDrth-9xmK9TMWurIKm0bG_zS_wHO5xQsHy9j2n_H6orm5JOtSnOF3spOU_oZEgXrcMR4Ik7TQxSq_O_6POz3pFBlUE-SGScys8bLA1HcDicIpc0p7VozK/s1600/YuckyBeforeStool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2v94AottwLHeWgxCgWgSsozEDrth-9xmK9TMWurIKm0bG_zS_wHO5xQsHy9j2n_H6orm5JOtSnOF3spOU_oZEgXrcMR4Ik7TQxSq_O_6POz3pFBlUE-SGScys8bLA1HcDicIpc0p7VozK/s400/YuckyBeforeStool.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I sprayed it white and used some of the fabric I shared <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/09/its-not-beach-but-it-is-home.html" target="_blank">here</a>. A few staples later and as NeNe would say, Bam!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ls1blRRmGnTjFtYDl4QbImjSzu1StnWGMupFrbqMfaynYrnEJQtkss1HP1h4O1Oty26vSDDwK0vCldPF1PxhUFwbrTOyOzrSK25TmTjp9sqUYaMDSmad2U22PQHl7ArgenlLnQx5LiQb/s1600/StoolAfter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ls1blRRmGnTjFtYDl4QbImjSzu1StnWGMupFrbqMfaynYrnEJQtkss1HP1h4O1Oty26vSDDwK0vCldPF1PxhUFwbrTOyOzrSK25TmTjp9sqUYaMDSmad2U22PQHl7ArgenlLnQx5LiQb/s640/StoolAfter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMu3Y8hQZQl3eZbBb1krA4WOK_j3AjiTABomuHdE5dF4rI406DyBixlF5dRBPVaPqjcrmj_wbU7MJcEyKdkHIkRZrqvijKRa95pXNp1AiWX8eNlTc_JtnMCeCaw320MduLAhWjsyt4Zkf/s1600/BenchClose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMu3Y8hQZQl3eZbBb1krA4WOK_j3AjiTABomuHdE5dF4rI406DyBixlF5dRBPVaPqjcrmj_wbU7MJcEyKdkHIkRZrqvijKRa95pXNp1AiWX8eNlTc_JtnMCeCaw320MduLAhWjsyt4Zkf/s640/BenchClose.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I love the color and pattern on this fabric but thought it was a bit too delicate to have as a pillow in this house. Who knows if a bench will keep it safe any better than a pillow would, but we shall see.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5CKs_pu2NbfzBeWuIyDHmuCYfC0tEzdgooU0AgkdJVEYWRu8MOv45Wcp0H213LL62FogYXBKGb8hri7T0AGpicfV9cikfLCDnEO1J5KFQArk-HVc_vo6VhiKgTNWzfeFBPVc0_S_L-PC/s1600/Bench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5CKs_pu2NbfzBeWuIyDHmuCYfC0tEzdgooU0AgkdJVEYWRu8MOv45Wcp0H213LL62FogYXBKGb8hri7T0AGpicfV9cikfLCDnEO1J5KFQArk-HVc_vo6VhiKgTNWzfeFBPVc0_S_L-PC/s640/Bench.jpg" width="572" /></a></div><br />It appears to be a wonderful place to sit and look out the window with friends.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpP0_9p4mBWG8FeM3cR32if8oWIuYrFeNYDIQVdtT7VNOV7sFm93aCBZnnkMenkYRzDz_v59Z1jh_ZBhJjmMZjthDr3gU0MoOy5Ib77XF7tecrPMqPnXoH12hKCiP0EHaGU-F8Cpu-hKi/s1600/Eve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpP0_9p4mBWG8FeM3cR32if8oWIuYrFeNYDIQVdtT7VNOV7sFm93aCBZnnkMenkYRzDz_v59Z1jh_ZBhJjmMZjthDr3gU0MoOy5Ib77XF7tecrPMqPnXoH12hKCiP0EHaGU-F8Cpu-hKi/s640/Eve.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><br />Mother tested. Kid approved.<br /><br />This bench will be residing in the living room. Along with several other things that have been finished and added. This week I'll be featuring a completed project everyday. I feel bad about the big tease last week and then bailing last week.<br /><br />So how was your weekend?

20 minute bench makeover

And she lives! Thank you all for your get well soons while I was out. That was no doubt the worst flu I've had in...as long as I can rem...

Schadenfreude

6:03 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi Kidz.  I know this is late but, I got up at 5:38 AM on Sunday, did a radio show, and my brother came over, I had a fridge full of beer, and THAT..?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDSPhqp3Ja0FRQYSaPPqwc18y08U5yxBQPj60mjXHbWG3-3QJw5jxFzuxJ0I1RbcuO64dmdxvP9pPjDzjH88O4R5zDQPWN_pZQYw7PR-SQT4VTxVGLljnfG69yz3wZdQAo-sAjp5YiUA/s1600/IWS+Stupid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDSPhqp3Ja0FRQYSaPPqwc18y08U5yxBQPj60mjXHbWG3-3QJw5jxFzuxJ0I1RbcuO64dmdxvP9pPjDzjH88O4R5zDQPWN_pZQYw7PR-SQT4VTxVGLljnfG69yz3wZdQAo-sAjp5YiUA/s400/IWS+Stupid.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />That is not a good combination for meeting a Midnight deadline.<br /><br />Anyhoo, here’s the thing.  We’re Number One.  IWS Radio is Number One today, was yesterday, and looking at yesterday’s initial show numbers, that show will be Number One in the near future.<br /><br />Hell.  Our shows have hit Number One in the Blog Talk Radio Comedy category every day for the past month.<br /><br />But…Success is a double-edged sword.  While many folks love us, others who burn with inglorious envy, dream to take us down, and invoke the self-serving power of…<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: blue;">Schadenfreude</span></i></a><br /><br />Yes my friends, during yesterday’s IWS <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/10/28/open-line-sunday" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: blue;">Open Phone Line Sunday Show</span></i></a>, hundreds listened live and several inglorious bastards called-in in order to belittle us, throw us off our Number One game, and denigrate us.<br /><br />It was, in a word, hurtful.<br /><br />However, we adapted, overcame, and sallied forth with our mission of providing quality entertainment at a fair price.<br /><br />Being the professionals that Jayman and I are, phone calls sullied with contempt for our achievements cannot keep us from filling your Sundays and Wednesdays with a smile, nor a laugh, or merely a chuckle.<br /><br />We…are…that…good.  And Number One as well.  Have I mentioned that?<br /><br />On the upside, our IWS friend and uber-hottie Missy, had her daughter Regan call-in and tell us of her trick and treating exploits which was quite nice, and…<br /><br />We spent some time talking to the baaaaaaaad boy of Social Media, <span style="color: blue;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/drmikesevilla" target="_blank">Dr. Mike Sevilla</a></i>,</span> who while not providing a diagnosis for our sickly friend Schmoop, was as charming as always.<br /><br />So, if you care to hear what a Number One BTR show sounds like, listen to yesterday’s show and hear why others of lesser talent are hating us, envying us, and want to be like us.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.adobe.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="105" id="143577" name="143577" width="210"><param name="movie" value="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fplaylist.aspx%3Fshow_id%3D3940827&autostart=false&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf" flashvars="file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fplaylist.aspx%3Fshow_id%3D3940827&autostart=false&shuffle=false&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx&width=210&height=105&volume=80&corner=rounded" width="210" height="105" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" wmode="transparent" menu="false" name="143577" id="143577" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object></div><div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;"><br /></div><i>Cheers!!</i><br /><i>Matt-Man</i><br /><i><a href="mailto:mattmaniws@ymail.com">mattmaniws@ymail.com</a></i><br /><i><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@mattman_iws</span></a></i></div>

Schadenfreude

Hi Kidz. I know this is late but, I got up at 5:38 AM on Sunday, did a radio show, and my brother came over, I had a fridge full of beer, a...

First Hand: Being Here for My Kids

3:36 AM Tukiyooo 0

"I wanna live like there's no tomorrow <br />Love, like I'm on borrowed time<br />It's good to be alive"<br />Woke up singing <a href="http://www.songlyrics.com/jason-gray/good-to-be-alive-lyrics/#Xs6SplI4ZR8g4hCW.99">Good to Be Alive</a> this morning. <br /><br /><br /><center><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/115916382183421477315/BloggerPictures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNPCp6bK0YDF6gE#5804678400831300114'><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoURGiBZUq1Raran9wryYUQBA3gTunWa8DL_Jy_oygx3NWH-yGwfPgL_4teWGG4gXVapeRIT8ZEIrlYuIW3ZtBkfctstA8t-wEpLWzRRrLyBAUhMfBtIizFPcUOqiRMgQ737bayRrezdiR/s288/4.jpg" style="margin:5px" width="281"></a></center><br />It is my son's senior year. It has been tough turning down speaking for the rest of this year, but I want to live this year with no regrets.<br /><br />My friends in New Jersey saw me watch my son sack the quarterback on the big screen after the local news carried it. This past Friday, as Kip and I ate dinner on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco with FALL CUE the next day, I had the phone on the table getting score updates from the big game. There's no place in the world I'd rather be than in the stands, at home, and at school watching this last year of my son's high school and enjoying the time with him. My daughter's a junior and I want to spend time with her while my youngest has his last year in elementary school.<br /><br />Life is full of opportunities and wow, God has blessed me with so many. It is good to have choices to make. But it is important to remember that we ALL HAVE CHOICES. <br /><br />I have NEVER regretted my 5 years as a stay at home Mom. Not one moment and having that experience, I'm not going to regret this either.<br /><br /><b>CHOICES</b><br />If you see time slipping away and those kids getting older, know that you too have choices. While sometimes you HAVE to go and HAVE to work - sometimes you can choose to not feed your own ego and pocketbook and instead, do what is most important and be there for your kids.<br /><br />These three children of mine are a gift from God and I'm so grateful to be picked to be their Mom. I fall SO short in SO many ways but I am here, flaws and all to love and enjoy them. <br /><br />So, if you don't see me about on the speaker's circuit so much this school year, I have been booking some for June and July and will likely just do 3-4 speeches next school year as well. If you want me, I'm here, just plan ahead and I will too. But there will be less of me "out there" so that all of me can be "over here" with my kids.<br /><br />Now, I've got to run get dressed so I can see their One Act play performance of Hansel and Gretel - my daughter is "the mother" and my son is one of the 2 humorous "hobgoblins" belonging to the witch. I've heard they are great -- but today, I get to see it with my own eyes. Some things are just too precious to get second hand.<br /><br /><br />- Written on my iPad using Blog Press by Vicki Davis, author, Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds<br />

First Hand: Being Here for My Kids

"I wanna live like there's no tomorrow Love, like I'm on borrowed time It's good to be alive" Woke up singing Good to ...

TURKEY’S FOREIGN POLICY POKER GAME

4:13 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><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/AVvXsEjtuWKTZsMK67X2xc6rPdXMlYFauxI6kZ6oDxCR10GPeJyfv_FwcJcuoZ7WMdiZF7-xv4po4jCcqW69cAoCKKBCarJHtT5zBDtL1JcI8bxanGgCcAKsQJEXuS1FcERbYtSHG0-XPY5KksyU/s1600/111010b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuWKTZsMK67X2xc6rPdXMlYFauxI6kZ6oDxCR10GPeJyfv_FwcJcuoZ7WMdiZF7-xv4po4jCcqW69cAoCKKBCarJHtT5zBDtL1JcI8bxanGgCcAKsQJEXuS1FcERbYtSHG0-XPY5KksyU/s400/111010b1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;"><b>WHAT DOES TURKEY HOPE TO ACHIEVE WITH ITS WAR THREATS AGAINST SYRIA?</b></span></span></div> <br /><div class="style5" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><i><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Article by <b>Halil M. Karaveli.</b> </span></b> </span></i></b><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Senior Fellow with the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program Joint Center and the Managing Editor of the <i><span style="font-style: normal;">Turkey Analyst</span></i>. </i></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The TURKISH government appears to hope to deter the continued SYRIAN – and IRANIAN – deployment of the KURDISH card against TURKEY. But it is questionable whether TURKEY will succeed in deterring Damascus and Tehran since it is all too obvious that Ankara does not really want to go to war. Ankara would be well advised to change course, exploring the possibility of a truce with Damascus, with the two neighbors agreeing on a reciprocal cessation of support to their respective insurgencies.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Background Information</span></u></b><span style="color: blue;">: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">THE KURDISH INDEPENDENCE GAMBLE</span></b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/double-dealing-in-iraq-and-syria.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/double-dealing-in-iraq-and-syria.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">On October 4, the TURKISH parliament approved a bill that authorizes the use of military force against “foreign countries”, after a mortar fired from SYRIA killed five civilians in the TURKISH border town Akçakale. Since then, TURKISH artillery has been returning fire, and the TURKISH military build-up along the border with SYRIA continues; TURKISH navy ships have left their base in Gölcük in the Marmara Sea, having reportedly set course toward the eastern Mediterranean. General Necdet Özel, the TURKISH chief of the General staff, has been touring the border region since the decision in parliament together with the army chief, making public appearances meant to signal TURKISH strength and determination to act against SYRIA. Representatives of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have made equally bellicose statements that convey the impression that TURKEY is about to invade SYRIA.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“WE CAN DESTROY SYRIA IN ONE HOUR”</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZ5Aq7RMYUvCcIjVIdWCu0k89paiL3VS1MgqhI_EFEiS7myAwe04cYEHpLnPskOruzcMTZYWeF7SLiL5Bcb5ZX8Fvichqz413r6JhGTqFsfSwv7Dvm2_YfsvfL58L2NMkwnKsSXk1t-mp/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZ5Aq7RMYUvCcIjVIdWCu0k89paiL3VS1MgqhI_EFEiS7myAwe04cYEHpLnPskOruzcMTZYWeF7SLiL5Bcb5ZX8Fvichqz413r6JhGTqFsfSwv7Dvm2_YfsvfL58L2NMkwnKsSXk1t-mp/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Damascus on October 5 that Ankara is prepared for war. “We are not war-lovers, but neither are we far from war,” Erdogan said. Egemen Bağış, the cabinet minister for EU affairs, assured that “We can destroy SYRIA in one hour”; Şamil Tayyar, an AKP member of parliament, followed suit, predicting that TURKEY will reach Damascus “within three hours”. Foreign minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, meanwhile, was more cautious, saying that the parliamentary authorization was designed as a deterrent. “We haven’t taken this step with the intention of going to war”, he assured. Beşir Atalay, a deputy prime minister, similarly stated that TURKEY did not intend to declare war on SYRIA, only to deter it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">However, TURKEY is in fact already at war – albeit an undeclared one – with SYRIA, since Ankara is actively supporting the rebels who are trying to bring down the regime in Damascus.  TURKEY has helped to arm the rebels, allowed them to use TURKEY as a base, and to freely cross the TURKISH-SYRIAN border. Thanks to this support, the rebels have succeeded in gaining control over parts of the areas of SYRIA that border TURKEY; as a consequence, TURKISH towns along the border have become exposed when the SYRIAN artillery engages the rebels. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yet the bellicose statements of Erdoğan and other government representatives notwithstanding, an invasion of SYRIA is not something that TURKEY wants to embark on unilaterally, without the support of its Western allies. That is why Erdoğan is displeased with the UNITED STATES’ reluctance to take decisive action against the SYRIAN regime. Interviewed by CNN on September 5, the TURKISH prime minister chided the Obama administration for lacking initiative on SYRIA. The TURKISH army may indeed reach Damascus within three hours, but the aftermath, the specter of becoming bogged down in the quagmire in SYRIA is certainly not something that appeals to the decision makers in Ankara, however adventurous the TURKISH government may have become in its foreign policy since it decided to embark on the endeavor to bring about regime change in SYRIA.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Neither does the TURKISH public clamor for war against SYRIA; the SYRIAN regime change policy of the TURKISH government is on the contrary opposed by a clear majority of the population of TURKEY. According to the latest poll, only 28 percent approve the government’s SYRIA policy. A vast majority,76 percent, oppose TURKISH unilateral intervention in SYRIA; only 17 percent support TURKISH military action against the SYRIAN regime, while a military operation against SYRIA together with NATO is approved by 31 percent.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>TURKEYS GAMBLE IN SYRIA HAS NOT PAID OFF</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">TURKEY has had to resort to military deterrence because its gamble in SYRIA has not paid off. Soon after the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began, the TURKISH government, which until then had nurtured a close partnership with the SYRIAN regime, gambled that what awaited al-Assad was a fate similar to the one that befell Qaddafi in LIBYA – another former friend of Erdoğan. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Background Information</span></u></b><span style="color: blue;">: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">KURDISH EQUATION </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/libya-syria.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/libya-syria.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/turkeys-erratic-foreign-policies-all.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/turkeys-erratic-foreign-policies-all.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></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/AVvXsEjbzbRGqy-suunR1jODAiY_nuLq5-VLZsMHI4AKA9Mer11Z2WxRM280ABvlje4-kSV0IBiJNn9T-Xr9wN-RVt7H3I2GqePZ5q7v5nSRHb8L-xA52JB11UrA4WBNoGPeeW9VlNSDPlnNXtrJ/s1600/01-06-09-02-02-ithank-you-turkya0022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzbRGqy-suunR1jODAiY_nuLq5-VLZsMHI4AKA9Mer11Z2WxRM280ABvlje4-kSV0IBiJNn9T-Xr9wN-RVt7H3I2GqePZ5q7v5nSRHb8L-xA52JB11UrA4WBNoGPeeW9VlNSDPlnNXtrJ/s320/01-06-09-02-02-ithank-you-turkya0022.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>European Muslim Brotherhood Supports Loyaltyto Turkey Campaign (Logo) </i></b></span><br />  </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not wanting to lose initiative to others, as had been the case in LIBYA, TURKEY abandoned its erstwhile friend in Damascus and adopted the cause of the Sunni rebels that it assumed were about to ascend to power; assuming that the Muslim Brotherhood – an ideological kin to the AKP – was going to be the new ruler of SYRIA, the TURKISH ruling party saw a new opportunity arise to expand its regional influence, this time by playing a sectarian card. However, positioning itself as an interventionist Sunni power, TURKEY has shouldered a sectarian cause not only in SYRIA but also in IRAQ, where it is in confrontation with the Shiite regime. Thus, this move has come at an unexpectedly heavy prize for Ankara.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>MASTER OF THE NEW MIDDLE EAST</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">TURKEY had sought to establish itself as the preeminent power in the Middle East by having “zero problems” with all of its neighbors; this non-ideological, soft power approach has by now been thoroughly abandoned. TURKEY aspires, in the words of foreign minister Davutoğlu, to be the master of the new Middle East; but it relies increasingly less on the tools of soft power – trade and things like the impact of TURKISH television shows – and all the more on hard power in the form of arms supplies and military deterrence. But TURKEY’S means are far from matching its ambitions; in fact, its attempt to redesign its neighborhood, its commitment to bring about regime change in SYRIA, has exposed its internal vulnerabilities, which are being exploited by those powers that it has challenged.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u><span style="color: blue;">Background Information</span></u></b><span style="color: blue;">: </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">TURKEY WOULD MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE RESOLUTION OF THE SYRIAN CRISIS IF IT COULD BRING ITSELF TO RISE ABOVE THE SECTARIAN CONSIDERATIONS THAT HAVE DICTATED ITS REGIME CHANGE POLICY IN SYRIA </span></b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">article by<b> </b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Halil M. Karaveli</span></b></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/turkeys-syrian-policies.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/08/turkeys-syrian-policies.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">WESTERN ARROGANCE AND IGNORANCE LED TO UNDERESTIMATE TURKEY </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/turkeys-middle-east-chess-game.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/turkeys-middle-east-chess-game.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/turkeys-sunni-crescent.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/07/turkeys-sunni-crescent.html</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>TURKEY SHOULD EXPECT INTERNAL TROUBLES AS A CONSEQUENCE OF ITS MEDDLING IN SYRIA</b>.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The SYRIAN regime has not only survived far longer than Ankara had calculated; it has – together with IRAN, its leading supporter – turned the table on TURKEY. Bashar al-Assad has allowed the KURDS in northern SYRIA to establish self-governing entities, while IRAN is suspected of lending crucial support to the KURDISH insurgency in TURKEY. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGciXmp1Gk4ilM78kcXBViTfBkCU0-B4v67eifb3QuJdeiitSEl_EGcvBcaKXJDSuBR1k04_6I2-KpPZLuVUBEu3Ee3d884r1sIB-YL9z1lHFzjB2wYDd49fxZl6gEUctT_g_1-RY1b7-m/s1600/kurdistan1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGciXmp1Gk4ilM78kcXBViTfBkCU0-B4v67eifb3QuJdeiitSEl_EGcvBcaKXJDSuBR1k04_6I2-KpPZLuVUBEu3Ee3d884r1sIB-YL9z1lHFzjB2wYDd49fxZl6gEUctT_g_1-RY1b7-m/s400/kurdistan1.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The militants of the KURDISTAN Workers’ Party (PKK) have staged numerous attacks against the TURKISH army in the southeast of the country since summer and they have carried out a deadly terrorist attack in the city of Gaziantep which could be a harbinger of things to come. TURKISH government representatives have accused IRAN of being behind the surge in PKK attacks, and the IRANIAN chief of the General staff has indeed stated that TURKEY should expect internal troubles as a consequence of its meddling in SYRIA.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>TURKEY WILL TAKE MILITARY ACTION IF THE SYRIAN KURDS MAKE MOVES TOWARD AUTONOMY</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is against this background that TURKEY is threatening SYRIA with open war. What the TURKISH government hopes to deter is continued SYRIAN – and IRANIAN – deployment of the KURDISH card against TURKEY. The establishment of an embryonic, autonomous KURDISH entity in SYRIA is an unacceptable development for Ankara that fears the effect this will have on the KURDS across the border in TURKEY; in fact, Erdoğan has stated that TURKEY will take military action if the SYRIAN KURDS make moves toward autonomy. And the attacks of the PKK risk undermining TURKEY’S stability, and hence pose a potential threat to Erdoğan’s power.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>WHAT WAS AN ENTICING PROSPECT – A SYRIA WHERE AN IDEOLOGICAL ALLY OF THE AKP, THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD WOULD ASCEND TO POWER – HAS TURNED INTO A SECURITY NIGHTMARE FOR TURKEY</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">whose internal vulnerabilities are being exploited in retaliation. But it is questionable whether TURKEY will succeed in deterring Damascus and Tehran, since it is all too obvious that Ankara does not really want to go to war.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">But even in that case, it is likely that the KURDISH problem, which TURKEY hopes to deter SYRIA and its backers from exploiting, will become even more intractable. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The effects of a regional conflagration that risks following on a TURKISH invasion of SYRIA are bound to be anything but stabilizing. As neither military deterrence nor war is likely to remove the threat to TURKEY’S security and territorial integrity, Ankara would be well advised to explore the possibility of a truce with Damascus, with the two neighbors agreeing on a reciprocal cessation of support to their respective insurgencies. Indeed, an influential TURKISH, pro-government strategist, Sedat Laçiner, proposes that TURKEY should not hesitate to talk with anyone in SYRIA – including with Bashar al-Assad – in order to neutralize the threat to its national security.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>TURKEY WILL TAKE MILITARY ACTION IF THE SYRIAN KURDS MAKE MOVES TOWARD AUTONOMY</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although that must be deemed an unlikely development, it is nonetheless notable that foreign minister Davutoğlu said last week that SYRIA’S vice president Farouk al-Sharaa would be acceptable as the leader of a transitional government; the idea was rejected by the SYRIAN rebels, but it suggests that the TURKEY will take military action if the SYRIAN KURDS make moves toward autonomy – between continued support to the rebels who are not set to bring down al-Assad anytime soon, which leaves TURKEY exposed to further retaliation, and an outright invasion of SYRIA which would almost certainly only aggravate TURKEY’S security situation.</span></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/AVvXsEjmv4KwF6RKKuRPPw7EFgihjuIPP72fTippXAhs-_asYcOgutoGqDhzfneEA_Mt9IMACEyToEBMZkNUOlZjuu4KH4H1N4p9TBHXJ7vrOGtvuuhRGQzn6fY6mGK-PN-LBaTqRtzSCY7uqXn0/s1600/3130738740_001a3533d6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmv4KwF6RKKuRPPw7EFgihjuIPP72fTippXAhs-_asYcOgutoGqDhzfneEA_Mt9IMACEyToEBMZkNUOlZjuu4KH4H1N4p9TBHXJ7vrOGtvuuhRGQzn6fY6mGK-PN-LBaTqRtzSCY7uqXn0/s400/3130738740_001a3533d6_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Neo Ottoman Empire visions? </span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The last time TURKEY threatened SYRIA with war was in 1998, when Ankara demanded that Damascus expel Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the PKK. Damascus complied, and Öcalan shortly thereafter ended up in the prison in TURKEY where he remains to this day. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">But the KURDISH problem did not disappear, far from it, and neither will it this time around only because TURKEY is threatening SYRIA. The simple truth revealed by TURKEY’S involvement in the SYRIAN crisis is that the country that aspires to be the “master of the Middle East” is internally too weak and vulnerable to sustain such ambitions of grandeur.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="color: blue;">Comment by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring</span></u></b>: </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>1990, TURKEY AND SYRIA AT THE BRINK OF WAR OVER WATER</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Prior to the 1998 war threat by TURKEY over </span>Abdullah Öcalan<span style="color: black;">, in 1990 SYRIA and TURKEY where also at the brink of war over water, when TURKEY launched its </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeastern_Anatolia_Project" title="Southeastern Anatolia Project">Southeastern Anatolia Project</a><span style="color: black;">!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Background Information:</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></u></b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_politics#Middle_East">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_politics#Middle_East</a></span></div><br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b><i>TURKEY – SYRIA - WATER DISPUTE (1989)</i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, TURKEY and SYRIA are currently approaching a massive confrontation over water resources. Relations between the two countries, strained at best, have been exacerbated since the 1980s by growing tensions over water, which have brought them to the <b>brink of war several times</b>. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Despite the signing of a protocol ensuring SYRIAN access to Euphrates water in 1987, TURKISH development efforts have increasingly threatened to marginalize and even eliminate SYRIAN access to water. Most notably, the Southeast Anatolia (GAP) Project has provided </i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>FURTHER COMPLICATING THE ISSUE IS SYRIA’S CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THE EXTREMIST PKK (KURDISH WORKERS’ PARTY)</i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>TURKEY, situated at the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates River system, extensive control over the flow of Euphrates water. TURKISH disruption of the flow of the Euphrates in January 1990 to fill water reservoirs in front of the Attaturk dam highlighted SYRIAN vulnerability to TURKISH control over upstream water resources. Further complicating the issue is SYRIA’S continued support for the extremist PKK (<b>Kurdish Workers’ Party</b>) in its insurgency against TURKEY, a move that has prompted TURKEY to threaten a blockade of water.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>In the future, TURKISH-SYRIAN disputes over water could <b>escalate into regional conflict</b>. Both SYRIA and IRAQ, situated downstream from Ankara, have become increasingly threatened by TURKEY’S large-scale consolidation efforts. Once fully operational, the GAP Project may reduce Euphrates water to SYRIA by 40% and IRAQ by up to 80%.<sup>6</sup> Such activity, critical for SYRIA, will also be significant enough to substantially affect IRAQ, currently somewhat autonamous because of its access to Tigris River water. In addition, aggressive TURKISH acquisition efforts, currently concentrated on the GAP Project, are anticipated in the future to focus upon Tigris River water as well. Though currently divided in their opposition to TURKISH efforts, such activity could nudge SYRIA and IRAQ – despite their differences – into a strategic alliance, possibly destabilizing the region and precipitating a regional conflict.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Further Background Information</span></u></b><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> on subject matter:</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/turkei.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/turkei.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">WITTY TURKS</span></b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/see-no-evil-hear-no-evil.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/see-no-evil-hear-no-evil.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">EXPLAINING TURKEYS NUCLEAR POLICIES</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/turkeys-chess-game.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/turkeys-chess-game.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/turkey-and-central-asia.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/06/turkey-and-central-asia.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/turkey-shiite-persians-versus-wahhabi.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/turkey-shiite-persians-versus-wahhabi.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">TURKEY...... EMERGING POWER</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/seismic-shift-in-middle-east.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2011/09/seismic-shift-in-middle-east.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

TURKEY’S FOREIGN POLICY POKER GAME

WHAT DOES TURKEY HOPE TO ACHIEVE WITH ITS WAR THREATS AGAINST SYRIA? Article by Halil M. Karaveli. Senior Fellow with the Central Asia-C...