Williams wins Roland Garros

Originally published on: 08/06/13 00:00

The victory was Williams’ 16th on the Grand Slam stage and second in Paris, marking an incredible turnaround from the same event last year when she lost in the opening round. That unlikely defeat to Virginie Razzano was the spark that lit an inferno of determination in Williams and since then the American has posted a remarkable record of 74 wins to just three losses, including titles at Wimbledon, the Olympics, the US Open and now at Roland Garros.

The matchup between two of tennis’ biggest global stars marked the first French Open final since 1995 to feature the top two ranked players in the world and it was the No.2 seed Sharapova who started the better of the two.

The Russian, who hadn’t beaten Williams since 2004, was looking to become just the sixth woman to defend a title in the French capital and her determination was evident from the start as she fist-pumped and muscled her way into an early 2-0 lead.

Williams responded immediately, surging ahead 4-2 and although the defending champion managed to level things once more at 4-4 it was the world No.1 who clinched the first set 6-4.

Williams, who came into the contest on a 30-match winning streak, failed to capitalise on five break points in the opening game of the second set but when the opportunity to break the Sharapova serve arose once more in the third game she seized it to lead 2-1.

The pair traded breaks from there on out and when Williams was forced to serve for the title she produced the most clinical game of the match, firing down three aces and a forehand winner to take the set and with it a second French Open crown.

Williams’ victory in Paris came 11 years after her first, the longest distance between Grand Slam wins in the Open Era and she now sits just two major titles behind Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who have each won 18.

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The Author’s Corner with Jennifer Goloboy

CharlestonandtheEmergenceofMiddleClassCultureintheRevolutionaryAmerica.jpgJennifer Goloboy is an independent scholar based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This interview is based on her new book, Charleston and the Emergence of Middle-Class Culture in the Revolutionary Era (University of Georgia Press, 2016).

JF: What led you to write Charleston and the Emergence of Middle-Class Culture in the Revolutionary Era?

JG: The project originally started because of a graduate school class I took with David Hancock, in which we read the Henry Laurens papers.  I was fascinated by Laurens as an exemplar of the eighteenth-century middle class.   He had a rigidly hierarchical view of the world.  He demonstrated a weird blend of public sanctimony and private willingness to betray his own principles, especially when engaged in the slave trade.

When Prof. Hancock told the class there weren’t any other collections of letters from Charleston’s merchants that were as interesting as the Henry Laurens papers, I took it as a personal challenge.

JF: In 2 sentences, what is the argument of Charleston and the Emergence of Middle-Class Culture in the Revolutionary Era?

JG: My book is designed to help us clarify what we mean by “middle-class” in Early America.  Focusing on merchants in Charleston, South Carolina, it shows how the economic impact of the post-Revolutionary transition shaped middle-class culture.

JF: Why do we need to read Charleston and the Emergence of Middle-Class Culture in the Revolutionary Era?

JG: For readers interested in class in early America, my book is unusual in that it focuses on work rather than the home as a cradle of middle-class culture.  Charleston’s merchants used shared cultural assumptions to connect with their business partners.  These assumptions changed over time.  Before the Revolution, the ideal merchant was deferential and polite; the post-Revolutionary merchant was a rowdy sport willing to do anything to serve a client; and the cotton-port merchant was a professional and an institution-builder.

Readers interested in Charleston will remember that historians have rarely written about the city between the end of the Revolution and the late 1810s.  So there’s been a mysterious and unexplained transition in local behavior: before the Revolution, a happy participant in British mercantilism, but after the gap, disdainful of trade.  This book argues that Charlestonians distrusted merchants because of a forgotten post-Revolutionary bubble, based partly on the slave trade and neutral trading with the Caribbean, which ended disastrously because of the War of 1812.  This is important because antebellum Charleston was so central to Southern intellectual history; we need to know that resentment of mercantile outsiders was not a natural product of the cotton empire.

JG: I really became interested in history when I realized that the point was not to eulogize heroes of the past, but to explain the distinct internal worlds of our ancestors.  I was a big fan of the “If You Lived In” series as a kid— and now I torment my poor children by telling them what “If You Lived In Colonial Times” left out.

JF: What is your next project?

JG: As I was researching this project, I realized how much we still have to learn about American trade in the years before the War of 1812.  They’re exciting years in economic history: lots of smuggling, lots of semi-licit trade between Europe and the Caribbean.  Stephen Girard, as one of the most important merchants of his era, kept track of the goings-on in all the ports touched by his business— I intend to use his papers to clarify this confusing era.

JF: Thanks, Jennifer!


G(x) = Z(x)T b (3-3) where x is the vector of input random variables. With the polynomial approximation G(x), the probability of failure can then be calculated inexpensively by Monte Carlo simulation or FORM/SORM. Since the RSA is constructed in random variable space, this approach is called stochastic response surface approach. Stochastic RSA can be applied in difference ways. One approach is to construct local RSA around the Most Probable Point (MPP), the region that contributes most to the probability of failure of the structure. The statistical design of experiment (DOE) of this approach is iteratively performed to approach the MPP. Another approach is to construct global response surfaces over the entire range of the random variables, where the mean value of the random variables is usually chosen as the center of DOE. The selection of RSA approach depends on the limit state function of the problem. Global RSA is simpler and efficient to use than local RSA for problems with limit state function that can be well approximated globally. Analysis Response Surface (ARS) Approximation for Reliability-Based Design Optimization In reliability-based design optimization (RBDO), the SRS approach needs to construct response surfaces to limit state functions at each point encountered in the optimization process, which requires a fairly large number of limit state function evaluation and RS construction. The local SRS approach is more computationally expensive than the global SRS approach due to multiple iterations involved in the RSA construction. This dissertation (see also Qu et al., 2000) developed an analysis response surface (ARS) approach in the unified system space (x, d) to reduce the cost of RBDO, where x


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Emergent Holdings Senior Analyst -- Provider Delegation in Lansing, Michigan

EMPLOYMENT QUALIFICATIONS:EDUCATION:Bachelor's degree in a related field. Continuous learning, as defined by the Company's learning philosophy, is required. Certification or progress toward certification is highly preferred and encouraged.EXPERIENCE: Two (2) to four (4) years experience in related field. Analyst experience required with proven experience in operational analysis, data analysis, and problem resolution type activities.SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITIES (SKA) REQUIRED: * Analytical, organizational, planning and problem solving skills * Understanding and knowledge of the business, products, programs, corporate organizational structure (including functional responsibilities), and basic research principles/methodologies * Ability to plan, organize, direct, and control projects. * Excellent written and verbal communication skills. * Ability to lead and contribute to process improvement projects. * Ability to read and interpret documents such as data flows, process flows, technical diagrams, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization. * Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. * Administer and adhere to corporate and departmental policies, practices and procedures. WORKING CONDITIONS:Work is performed in an office setting with no unusual hazards.The qualifications listed above are intended to represent the minimum education, experience, skills, knowledge and ability levels associated with performing the duties and responsibilities contained in this job description. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Diversity is valued and we will not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form. Candidates for the position stated above are hired on an -at will- basis. Nothing herein is intended to create a contract.SUMMARY:The Senior Analyst is an analytical role responsible to coordinate the development and implementation of Provider Delegated Groups with our Health Plan Clients. Senior Analyst ensures all Health Plan operational activities including Claims Routing and Payment and assignment of Members to Provider Delegated Groups is essential to the effectiveness of the Program. Responsibilities includes identifying opportunities to improve performance of program through process review activities.RESPONSIBILITIES/TASKS: * Researches and monitor performance of Provider Delegated activities through data analysis * Performs claim reconciliations of claims processed by Provider Groups contracted with Health Plan Clients * Proactively Develops and improves work flows and business processes within area(s) to improve customer service, decrease operational costs, and improve overall quality. * Identifies and/or analyzes business problems and devise procedures for solutions to the problems. * Effectively leads projects in order to produce desired results. * Responsible for corporate communication of project results. * Recommends and assists with implementing standard policies and procedures. * Assures that corporate compliance is communicated, implemented, and monitored on an ongoing basis. * Participates in systems testing, develops procedures/controls, and provides recommendations for the ongoing improvement of the updated process. * Assists personnel (both in


Cantilevered Songs

Cantilevered Songs by John Lent leverages aims to make poetry useful in the sense that we all live somewhere, come from somewhere, hear things, see other things and remember.

John Lent

Readers familiar with John Lent's work will be drawn into Cantilevered Songs by his impressive ability to make poetry useful, not in the sense that it will solve problems, or create codes or alibis for how live. No. Useful in the sense that we all live somewhere, come from somewhere, hear things, see other things, and remember. When we share this with others as writers do, we transform the ordinary. We make it magical; make it important. This is Lent's gift — to remind us all that we have lives worth thinking about; to remind us that our own backyards, roads home, work, play and love are uncommon wonders. This is what he means when he says: "Play that song. Play it again. Now, improvise."

Lent's poetry gains its energy from his own recognition of its usefulness as much as it gains its art from his own experiences with music, art, family friends and the his work as a teacher, musician and writer in the Okanagan. And while it is important to recognize his structured play with visual architecture, to make the poems resemble what they observe, to capture the cadence of those crazy personal mysteries, to hear the backbeat moments of when you catch a big and strange idea sideways and then it disappears, in the end it is the small, but beautiful, epiphany of feeling triumphant for no reason other than you have lived. (from Thistledown Press)


Please do not be confused by the term “power of attorney.” Many clients believe this term has something to do with the lawyer preparing their estate plan. Clients sometimes mistakenly fear that they are giving over some kind of power to their lawyer to make decisions for them. This is not true.

When you grant “durable power of attorney” to another person—any other person—you are designating that person as your agent, to act on your behalf. This may be your spouse, your child, a friend, or anyone, as long as he or she is an adult (eighteen or older) and not under a conservatorship or incarcerated. Now and then, someone may indeed choose an attorney for their agent, which adds confusion to the term.

“Durable” means “continuing even when you are incapacitated.” Indeed, these documents are generally written so that these powers are only granted while you are incapacitated and unable to act on your own. These are called “springing” powers of attorney, because they spring into action upon your incapacity.

If you are elderly or facing a long-term illness, you may consider gently easing someone you trust into the role of your “agent,” helping you through powers of attorney, over a period of time. This might be a sibling, a spouse, a child, or someone else you truly trust. This person should understand that if you have a stroke or other sudden decline, they will have to jump in with both feet.

If you think you may someday need to go further, and give full control to someone as conservator, you should nominate a person for that job too. This nomination is contained in the durable power of attorney for property (conservator of the estate nomination) and in the advance healthcare directive or durable power of attorney for healthcare (conservator of the person). These nominations may also be available in a separate document—apart from the durable powers of attorney for property or healthcare.

If it came to the need for a conservatorship—if, for example, you became a danger to yourself or others—a court would have to investigate and confirm your nomination. Your nominee would have to go through a criminal background check, a credit check, and more. But you would have had primary input. If you have not made a nomination, state laws indicate a priority of appointment typically based on your family tree and the laws of “intestate succession.”

Regardless of the situation, clear your decision with your designees and nominees while you still can. It’s a heavy responsibility to take on either power of attorney or to become a conservator, and you want to make sure everyone will agree to serve.

Do not surprise a loved one with this responsibility when you are hit by a car. For one thing, they may say no.

If you are the person caring for someone with a mental incapacity, you may at some point have to consider a conservatorship. Sometimes, you simply have no other choice.

I know a woman who is taking care of her husband with dementia. He had always been a loving and gentle husband and father. But the disease is destroying his judgment, and little by little he is becoming violent. Recently, when they were in the drive-through line at a burger place, he just randomly let loose and clocked her. Knocked her out cold.

Now, it is truly her responsibility to go to court and apply for a conservatorship to have him institutionalized against his will. It happens.

In Mistake #9, we learned that living trusts are not generic, cut-and-paste documents. The same is true with power of attorney documents. For starters, you will be asked to grant separate powers for property and for healthcare decisions.

When you grant property power to your agent, you are authorizing this person to make decisions about your property and your finances while you are incapacitated—and to take specific responsibility for paying your bills, maintaining your online accounts, contributing to, managing, or withdrawing from your IRA, and the thousand other financial responsibilities we all face.

You may or may not, however, want this same person making healthcare decisions for you.

You should also understand that even powers of attorney for property may be best divided.

If you own a business, you may want a different person to make business decisions during your incapacity than the person making your personal financial decisions.

You may want a different person making your investment decisions than the person handling your day-to-day finances.

You may also want to grant powers of attorney which are not durable, but end when you lack capacity. This may prevent, for example, a business partner from taking some action while you are out with a stroke.

Nondurable powers may empower a spouse or a business partner to make crucial decisions every time you are on vacation in remote locations, and then disempower them again when you return.

Another important question involves gifting. Most power of attorney documents I have seen do not include gifting authority—in other words, the agent you name during your incapacity generally does not have the right to give away your property to anyone else.

However, the power for one spouse to make a gift of their assets to another may be crucial in public assistance benefit planning, as you will see under “Monetary Fallbacks for Disability,” below.

Work closely with your attorney to discuss these decisions and craft these documents. Consider your choices carefully—they may be the most important choices you ever make.

If you are incapacitated with an illness, even if you are just under sedation for an hour-long operation—who do you trust to have your best interests at heart and make the right calls with doctors? Approve treatments? Argue with hospitals to keep you longer?

If you lose mental capacity due to stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or other common conditions, who do you trust to move you from nursing facilities to home and back again?

Every one of us should choose a trusted person, discuss the responsibilities with that person, and update your choice as often as necessary. The power to make medical decisions for us when we cannot do so is called a “durable power of attorney for healthcare,” and is granted through a pretty straightforward document.

The document says simply, “If I cannot make healthcare decisions for myself, then this person or these people can make them for me.” You can name more than one person to serve jointly, or you can name them to serve consecutively. If this person cannot serve, then the power falls to the next, and etc.

Once again, a “power of attorney for healthcare” has nothing to do with the attorney writing the document. You can grant the healthcare power of attorney to anyone.

If you have a primary residence in one state and a vacation home in another, we recommend to our clients that they create a durable power of attorney for healthcare for each state, because a lot of the related laws are state-specific.

A second document works closely with the power of attorney for healthcare decisions.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) created significant restrictions on who has access to your healthcare information. Although it boosted privacy, it also created barriers to swift decision-making and intervention by loved ones. If a doctor or hospital divulges your health information to someone without the proper authorization, they face huge fines—as much as $50,000 per violation, in some situations.

As a result, all health professionals and organizations take HIPAA rules very seriously.

The HIPAA authorization you sign gives authority to one or many people to have full access to your health information. As previously discussed in the Introduction, you may want to expand this authorization well beyond the person you have granted your power of attorney for healthcare. For example, you may want a home healthcare worker to be able to call up and check on your prescriptions, even if you don’t want this person to make major medical decisions for you.

Think through your HIPAA authorizations carefully with an expert lawyer. In some cases, for example, you may want to have separate HIPAA authorization documents for different people and circumstances.

Although HIPAA is a federal law, there is no federal HIPAA form. Each state has its own. In my home state of California, for example, a HIPAA authorization must be printed in fourteen-point type to be valid!

A “living will,” sometimes known as an “advance healthcare directive,” tells medical personnel, loved ones, and the person you have given power for healthcare decisions your preferences for medical care in dire circumstances, “in advance.” A living will generally comes into play only when you are in the late stages of a fatal illness, fall into a coma, or have suffered an extremely serious injury.

Please do not confuse “living will” with “living trust.” They are completely unrelated documents, with different purposes.

In most cases, the goal of a living will is to give permission to loved ones to let you pass away in order to avoid unnecessary suffering. Most living wills say, in essence, “If I’m a goner, let me go.”

When my grandmother had a heart attack, my grandfather called the paramedics. It was a massive heart attack. The paramedics rushed over, got out their paddles, and shocked her heart back to life. Then they put her on a ventilator and took her to the hospital. But she never recovered consciousness, and never showed signs of recovering the ability to breathe on her own. The doctors said there was no hope, and indeed, when I looked at her, I could see that her soul had probably already left her body.

My grandmother had created no living will and had never even discussed this possibility, so the decision to terminate life support was made even more difficult for my father and his two older brothers. After a week, my father and his brothers made the agonizing choice to terminate life support. Ten years later, my father still asks me, “Did I do the right thing?”

I tell him that I was very close to my grandmother. And then I say, “Of course, you did.” I say this because there really was no alternative. But the choice would have been much easier if she had made her own desires clear in a living will.

I will not go into all the specific details of a living will, such as how it relates to “Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)” and “Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)” orders. Instead, I refer you to your attorney. Just make sure you get the appropriate legal and medical advice.

For more information or to receive a consultation with one of our attorneys, attend one of our FREE seminars.


Sao Tome to 'host' Bafana in SA

SA National Teams

SAFA have confirmed that Bafana Bafana's upcoming back-to-back 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sao Tome and Principe will both be played in South Africa.

Bafana are set to face Sao Tome in their third and fourth round fixtures in Group C this month as they look to take a step closer to the continental showpiece in Cameroon.

READ: Bafana squad to face Sao Tome

Currently in second position behind Ghana, with one defeat and one victory thus far, Molefi Ntseki's charges will be looking to claim six points from the upcoming two encounters against the 182nd FIFA-ranked islanders.

Their chances of doing so have now been boosted with an agreement signed between the two football associations that both fixtures will be played in South Africa.

Bafana were scheduled to host the first fixture in Durban on November 13 (19h00), before travelling off the coast of Guinea for the return leg in Sao Tome.

READ: SAFA explain Le Coq raincoat moemish

However, the STFF have agreed to play their 'home' fixture in Port Elizabeth on November 16 (15h00), due to the ongoing travel restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic that may cause logistical issues.

"The two countries mutually agreed that due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, it was in the best interest of the two that they do everything in their power to safeguard the interest of players and officials. Therefore, both parties agreed that the first and return leg matches will all be played in South Africa," read a statement from SAFA.

"In this respect, SAFA undertakes to bear the costs of the travel [round-trip flight] of the National Team of Sao Tome and its officials.

"SAFA also undertakes to bear the costs of the accommodation of the National Team of Sao Tome and its officials during the period deemed necessary."

READ: Chiefs, Bucs, Downs stars off to Saudi

Check out these 12 skilful stars Bafana coaches ignored


Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online
Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online

Free course

Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online

3 Two-factor authentication

So, if a password isn’t secure enough, perhaps having two pieces of information is more secure? This is known as two-factor authentication and you’ve almost certainly used it without realising.

When you take money out of an ATM you have to give the bank two pieces of information – the first is the data stored on your bank card, the second is the PIN. Individually, neither can access your account, but when brought together they allow you to withdraw money.

Some banks have given similar two-factor authentication to online banking customers – in this case accounts need to be unlocked with the combination of a password and a four or six digit number generated on a hardware banking card reader. If you use online banking and don’t have a card reader device it will be well worth finding out if your bank offers them to customers, and if they do not, consider switching to a more secure banking service.

Banking card reader

The banking card reader reads the account details from your bank debit card, which includes your account number and a hash of your pin. It will also require you to enter a pin to log in, and if the pin matches the hashed pin this reader can generate passcodes that can be used on the banks website to authorise log in and for certain transactions. The banking card reader confirms that you both have the card and know the pin, without the need to enter a pin on a web page.

Two-factor authentication on the web

A number of companies, including Apple, eBay, Google and Microsoft support two-factor authentication (2fa) to improve the security for their web users. Rather than a single password, two-factor authentication requires the user to enter two pieces of information – their password and a changing value which is either sent by the website to their mobile phone, or generated by a companion application on the user’s own computer.

Depending on the site, it might be necessary to enter the two values every time (which is inconvenient), or after a period of inactivity, or it may be possible to tell the site that the computer which has already been authenticated should be trusted in future and a single password will be sufficient to allow you to use the site (although this raises a security weakness if the machine should be stolen).

This method of two-factor authentication works well as protection against random attacks. However, if you are being specifically targeted by the attacker, the attackers have found it quite easy to take over the user’s phone number and then intercept authentication messages. They don’t need to steal the phone to do this. Criminals can locate the telephone number and date of birth on social media, and then ask for the number to be transferred to a new sim with a new provider.

One way to greatly reduce this risk is to use a dual sim phone with a number on a pay-as-you-go tariff where the balance remains indefinitely – you usually have to make one call every 6 months to keep the sim working. Only use that number for two-factor authentication, not for anything else and never publish that number.

Alternatively, use a separate very basic phone or an old phone with a new pay-as-you-go sim purely for authentication. Switch it on only when you want to get an authentication. Don't used the phone for making phone calls. Don’t publish the number anywhere.

If your phone number stops working contact your phone provider immediately to check why. It might have been diverted.

A much more secure method of two-factor authentication is to use a special hardware security key on the computer instead of the phone. This restricts authentication to the computer with a unique hardware security key.

Another place where you might have come across two-factor authentication is if you’ve ever connected to a virtual private network (VPN), which is a type of encrypted network connection. (You will cover VPNs in more detail in Week 5.)

The organisation that owns the network you are connecting to will give you a card or device, often called a VPN token, that can be used to generate a sequence of random characters. When you try to connect to the VPN, you will first be asked for your password (the secret based on something you know) and then will be challenged to provide some information from the VPN token (the secret based on something you have).

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Fast Facts about Fidelity Bonds and Public Official Bonds

Fast Facts FidelityFidelity and public official bonds both involve protection from fraudulent or dishonest behavior by individuals. Are you worried your employees might steal from you? Then you should look into fidelity bonds. Are you a public figure required by law to be bonded? If so, you will need a public official bond.

Old Republic Surety offers both types of bonds, which can be required by law, contract, or by an entity that simply wants to be protected in a “what if” situation.

Fidelity Bonds

A fidelity bond is a type of insurance that protects businesses from losses incurred as a result of fraudulent or dishonest acts (as defined within the policy) by employees or specified individuals.

Although it is referred to as a bond, a fidelity bond is technically an insurance policy. It is not tradable and cannot accrue interest the way an investment bond does. A fidelity bond is also known as employee dishonesty insurance and covers a variety of dishonest or fraudulent acts by employees or other individuals. Some examples of fraudulent acts covered by a fidelity bond include theft, embezzlement or forgery.

Fidelity bonds can be purchased for specific individuals in a company, such as those who will have access to funds or bank accounts. Blanket fidelity coverage can be purchased to cover a greater number of employees, with a specified loss limit.

A fidelity bond can also provide a business with extra protection in areas that may not be covered by another property-casualty policy. For instance, a crime policy may not provide adequate coverage for some types of employees or may not cover all fraudulent acts or situations.

There are basically two types of fidelity bonds:

  • First-party fidelity bonds (or blanket coverage) protect businesses against wrongful acts (fraud, theft, forgery, etc.) committed by its employees.
  • Third-party fidelity bonds protect businesses against wrongful acts committed by people working for them on a contract basis (e.g., consultants and independent contractors).

There are also more specialized fidelity bonds. ERISA bonds protect 401K and retirement plans from dishonesty and fraud committed by individuals associated with the management of the covered plans. There are also fidelity bonds specifically for businesses whose employees are in possession of customers’ property (such as valet parking services, cleaning companies, or courier services).

Public Official Bonds

Public official bonds are required by statute as a guarantee that officials will faithfully and honestly perform their duties in office.

Like other surety bonds, public official bonds are a three-party agreement between the principal (the public official), the obligee (the government or public), and the surety that underwrites the bond.

Although specific requirements vary depending on state or local statutes, public official bonds are typically required for most individuals who hold a public office, whether appointed or elected. Individuals whose positions require bonds include mayors, sheriffs, judges, court clerks, tax collectors, treasurers and town administrators or supervisors.

The bond requires the individual to reimburse the governmental entity that obliged them to be bonded and to pay a fixed amount if they do not faithfully or honestly perform their duties in the office. A variety of public entities require public official bonds. They can include governments (federal, state, county, municipal), courts, school districts and universities.

Old Republic Surety provides a variety of fidelity bond coverages as well as public official bonds, although the processes differ depending on the individual, business type, or the official’s position. Some bonds are easily issued, while others require credit histories or a review of the entity’s controls (for example, countersignature of checks, third party bank reconciliation or regular audits) that are in place to protect their assets and funds.

If you have any questions about about fidelity, public official bonds, or related blanket coverage, please contact your nearest local Old Republic Surety branch.

Becky Nichols

Commercial Surety Underwriting Consultant


They're still lying about the first Gulf War: How the first George Bush helped create today's Middle East trouble

The first Gulf War was not the good one, and 25 years later, as false history hardens, we must remember why

By Darin Strauss
February 28, 2016 10:00PM (UTC)
main article image
George H. W. Bush, Saddam Hussein (AP/Ron Edmonds/Photo montage by Salon)

There are in American life few really unassailable opinions—especially when the calendar turns its depressed pages on primary season. That’s when the circular firing squad fills the air with the tang of smoke and cordite. But sometimes you can find agreement, even in primary season. Sometimes you can even find something like unanimity.

Ted Cruz has won applause in recent debates by citing what is seen as America’s last unambiguous victory. To defeat ISIS, he said, we should look to the first Gulf War. (Which ended 25 years ago today.) Cruz wants a repeat of that stormy desert operation, with its thousand-plus air attacks in 37 days —and with all its attendant destruction. “There ain’t much left” to a place after such a campaign, Cruz said with a smile.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has likewise argued that we’d beat ISIS if we just called upon “the coalition that we had when we went to the first Gulf War." Likewise, Donald Trump has been sure, when dismissing the Bush family legacy, to separate the calamities of the son from the victories of the father. Even Michael Dukakis, in an interview this month, praised how George H.W. Bush handled that war.

So, something that’s lauded by everyone from Cruz to Dukakis to must be an unmitigated good, right? Well, maybe not. Let’s take a look. It’s not hard to see so many of our troubles getting their start in 1991’s glowing sand.

The Gulf War—that is, the effects-laden franchise opener, and not the bloated sequel—did mark a great victory, by at least one measure.  In turning back Saddam Hussein and liberating Kuwait, the United States lost 148 soldiers in combat; the Iraqi military in the same period endured up to 22,000 casualties.  So, yes, of course: a victory. But of what kind?

The Gulf War marked the first time in the modern era that we sent our military to fight an Arab-world enemy. Think about that. What has seemed an awful but inescapable part of American foreign policy—the drawn-out struggle against one Islamic foe or another—began in that war. And our having waged that war is precisely what first inflamed the region’s zealots against us. Think about that, too. Not many remember this, but what first motivated Osama bin Laden to attack the United States? It was intolerable to an Islamist such as bin Laden that—because of the fight against Saddam—there were "infidel" American troops in Saudi Arabia, home of Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina.

Of course, the father’s Gulf War also served as a prelude to the son’s Iraq War.  Which is to say that in 2004, America went in and finished off Saddam, at least partially because of W.'s unfinished Freudian business there.

Yes, well (you might argue), we needed to go fight Saddam in 1991, in order to protect our great ally Kuwait (which Iraq invaded at the end of 1990)!  But, that’s not so. The Gulf War should never have been fought.

In the lead-up to the invasion of Kuwait, the United States’ ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie, met with Saddam.  According to a transcript of that meeting released by the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, Ambassador Glaspie told Saddam, “We have no opinion on your Arab-Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960s, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America.

This led many to conclude that, in the words of Sir Edward Mortimer, “It seems [likely] Saddam Hussein went ahead with the invasion because he believed the U.S. would not react with anything more than verbal condemnation.”

We’re not great at looking back in this country; we’re not great at drawing the lessons from what happened the day before yesterday. But on this anniversary of the Gulf War, you’ll hear politician after politician celebrate what happened in Iraq 25 years ago.  Take a moment to think about how different the world might look—might feel—if we’d never kicked that hornet’s nest.

Darin Strauss

Darin Strauss's latest book,"Half A Life," won the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is a Clinical Professor at NYU. @darinstrauss

MORE FROM Darin Strauss

April Glaspie Editor's Picks George Bush George W. Bush Iraq War Isis Saddam Hussein


Henri Cartier-Bresson’s India: Father of modern photojournalism’s rarely seen photos

The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City will present “Henri Cartier-Bresson: India in Full Frame,” an exhibition opening on April 21, 2017, illustrating the pioneering photographer’s perspective on India during a period of political and cultural turmoil.

At the time, India was undergoing a massive political transition, having gained independence from British colonial rule and been partitioned from Pakistan. In January 1948, Cartier-Bresson traveled to Delhi to meet with one of the key players in that transition, Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.

It would be one of Gandhi’s final meetings before his assassination at the hands of a Hindu nationalist on Jan. 30 of that year.

The exhibition, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of Magnum Photos, features a selection of 69 images showcasing the photographer’s perspective on Gandhi’s final day, key political events, and everyday moments in mid-20th century India.

Cartier-Bresson, called the father of modern photojournalism, is best known for street photography, which he developed during his travels around the world and which has influenced generations of photographers. The exhibit is organized by the Rubin Museum of Art in collaboration with Magnum Photos and the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.


Instructions for Collaborators

These instructions are intended for PEM collaborators with little or no experience in indexing plainchant and polyphonic sources. The instructions were developed collaboratively by Elsa De Luca, Bernadette Nelson and João Pedro d’Alvarenga with the collaboration of Zuelma Chaves and Manuel Pedro Ferreira. De Luca contributed mainly to the instructions for indexing plainchant while Nelson and Alvarenga focused on the polyphonic sources.

PEM is part of the Cantus Index Network and is connected to other international medieval music databases by means of unique Cantus ID numbers. PEM’s instructions for indexing plainchant are based on the rules originally established by the CANTUS Database (now Cantus Manuscript Database), which was the forerunner of online medieval music databases for plainchant sources. We encourage PEM collaborators working on plainchant to consult the useful online resources available on Cantus Manuscript Database for indexing manuscripts, mainly:

These resources provide specific information that can greatly facilitate scholars who read a liturgical manuscript for the first time and want to understand its liturgical contents and create a musical index of its chants.

PEM shares the aims of the International Musicological Society’s Study Group Cantus Planus: to encourage international cooperation; to facilitate relations between researchers and musicological projects in all countries; and to promote the free exchange of data in electronic form.


Nar*Rating Environmentalisms: Non*Human in Figurations Knowledges on Conservation, Endangerment and Environmental Justice in Selected Kenyan Eco-narratives.

James Wachira

Research Area:

This study is on poetry and knowledge production. Specifically, it focuses on a critical reading of selected ritual poetry of the Samburu and Maasai of Doldol. The reading aims at critiquing: first, the fictional representation of the nonhuman in the ritual poetry. The nonhuman in the poetry comprises some plants; goddesses, mountains, rivers and livestock. Second, it aspires to analyse the agency of the nonhuman in the figuration and representation of the Samburu and Maasai indigenous ecological knowledge that finds representation in the genre. The interpretation aspires to explain how ecological crises like drought and floods constitute agency that accounts for the creation of the poetry. The poetry transforms into a space where these communities figure and represent how ecological crises affect them, hence, a justification of the ultimate aim and need to mitigate them. Thus, the critique of the poetry hopes to also explain the way the poetry serves as an epistemological space through which the communities concretize the desires.


Question: Why Is Mexican Food Unhealthy?

Does Mexican food make you gain weight?

Is Mexican food high in carbs?

At a Mexican restaurant, just watch out for beans or corn which is sometimes added, these will definitely spike you over 20g of carbs. If you’re going for salad greens, cheese, beef or chicken you’re going to be looking at less than 10g of carbs which is a pretty good option.

Why are refried beans bad?

The animal fat and large amounts of added salt are what makes refried beans unhealthy. For instance, many store-bought refried beans contain up to 22% of the recommended daily value (DV) for sodium per serving, with 3-4 servings per container. It’s easy to overeat too, so you might be eating more than recommended.

Are tacos really Mexican?

A taco (US: /ˈtɑːkoʊ/, UK: /ˈtækoʊ/, Spanish: [ˈtako]) is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a small hand-sized corn or wheat tortilla topped with a filling. … Tacos are a common form of antojitos, or Mexican street food, which have spread around the world.

What is the healthiest Mexican food to order?

Eat This, Not That: How to Order Healthy Mexican FoodFresh corn tortillas, not chips. The basket you get as soon as you sit down is hard to resist. … Tostada salad, not taquitos. Taquitos are also deep fried and typically don’t include any vegetables. … Grilled fajitas, not wet burritos or chimichangas. … Soft corn tortilla tacos, not hard tacos. … Salsa, not sour cream.

Are fajitas fattening?

Fajitas are much healthier than fried items but are just as filling; they taste even better when flavored with peppers and onions. Margaritas might taste delicious, but they are loaded with calories and sugar.

Is Taco Bell healthy?

Is tortilla chips and salsa a healthy snack?

A simple way to start eating healthier is by consuming more nutritious snacks. Rather than grabbing a bag of chips before class; whole grain tortilla chips and salsa make a great alternative. … Salsa can be helpful in increasing your vegetable intake while minimizing sodium, fat, and calorie intake.

What is the most authentic Mexican dish?

8 Traditional Mexican Dishes That Are a Must-Try① Enmolada.② Posole (or Pozole)③ Tortas.④ Chiles en Nogada.⑤ Chiltomate.⑥ Tacos de Papa.⑦ Sopa de Lima.⑧ Cemita Poblana.

What makes Mexican food authentic?

Here are a few key signature aspects of traditional Mexican cuisine to help you distinguish authentic Mexican from Tex-Mex dishes: fresh and healthy ingredients such as tomatoes, chiles, not jars of store-bought salsa for example. traditional spices (such as coriander and epazote) instead of cumin or dry oregano.

Are Mexican beans healthy?

In a taco or as a side, black or pinto beans are a healthy pick. They’re usually slow-cooked with onion, garlic, and spices. A half-cup packs in 8 grams each of fiber and protein. Plus, research shows these beans have more disease-fighting antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables.

Can I eat Mexican food on keto?

What is the healthiest bean you can eat?

What Mexican food is low calorie?

Both tortilla soup and posole are relatively low-calorie and incredibly rich in flavor. Order a cup for an appetizer instead of chips and dip. These three items are healthier options than ground beef, refried beans, and heavier salad dressings or dips. Make these swaps where you can.

Can you lose weight eating Mexican food?

Mexican food, with its focus on lots of lettuce, black beans and vegetables can be very healthy and low in calories, so long as you pay attention to what your order. Visit a Matitto’s near you to enjoy our delicious – and not fattening, when served correctly – Tex Mex meals!

Do burritos make you fat?

But when wrapped together in a six-inch flour tortilla and topped with sour cream and guacamole, they add up to a ton of calories. Even if you use fresh ingredients and simple cooking preparation, a typical burrito is easily 1,000 calories.

Are burritos really Mexican?

The Mexican burrito may be a northern variation of the traditional taco de Canasta, which is eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although burritos are one of the most popular examples of Mexican cuisine outside of Mexico, they are only popular in the northern part of Mexico.

Why are tacos bad for you?


What Helps Digestion After Overeating?

Will 2 days of overeating make me gain weight?

What to do after a night of overeating?

How do you cleanse your body after a binge?

Try these tips to get back on track and feel less awful about yourself:Drink less during the week or cut out alcohol completely. Drink water with dinner instead of alcohol and be sure to hydrate well throughout the week. … Cut out the extra. … Eat fiber. … Skip the nighttime snack.Exercise.

How do you Debloat your stomach?

Does drinking water help with bloating?

What not to do after eating?

How many hours without food is considered an empty stomach?

The F.D.A. defines an empty stomach as “one hour before eating, or two hours after eating.” The F.D.A.’s two-hour rule is just a rule of thumb; the stomach will probably not be completely empty. The specific definition of an empty stomach varies from drug to drug.

Is it bad to sleep after exercise?

In general, feeling sleepy after exercise isn’t a cause for concern. It’s normal to feel tired after physically exerting yourself. This is more likely after intense workouts. For example, you can expect your energy levels to dip after a long run or high-intensity interval training.

How long does it take for food to digest after overeating?

How do I get rid of bloating after eating too much?

The following tips can help reduce or prevent bloating after eating:Do not eat too much fiber. … Be aware of food intolerance and allergies. … Avoid high-fat foods. … Drinking and eating slowly. … Avoid carbonated drinks. … Ginger. … Avoid chewing gum. … Light exercise after eating.More items…

Is it bad to sleep after overeating?

Should you Undereat after overeating?

It will affect your performance. If you’re trying to make gains in the gym, perform well on the field or just generally have enough energy to get through your day, you should get back on track with a full day of calories and macros. Undereating can mess with your energy levels and ability to recover.

How do you speed up digestion after overeating?

What relieves bloating instantly?

Is it OK to shower after eating?

How long does bloating last after overeating?

This can come in the form of bloating, gas, acid reflux, nausea, or diarrhea.” It often takes up to five hours to feel good again, but the more you eat the longer it’ll take to digest. When this happens, we often wish we had a pair of pregnancy pants laying around.

Can I lay down 30 minutes after eating?

Should I fast after overeating?


Question: How Do You Fix Abandonment Issues?

Is it bad to get attached too easily?

Being in a relationship feels safe and secure to some women.

So if you attach too fast, you may be scared that you will always be alone and single.

Another reason some women attach too fast is because they are missing something in their life..

How can I be happy single?

Can adoption cause abandonment issues?

1. It is very common for those who were adopted to feel rejected and abandoned by their birth parents. This is accompanied by feelings of grief and loss. There is no set time or age when these feeling surface but, sooner or later, they do.

What does abandonment do to a person?

Abandonment fears can impair a person’s ability to trust others. They may make it harder for a person to feel worthy or be intimate. These fears could make a person prone to anxiety, depression, codependence, or other issues. Abandonment issues are also linked to borderline personality (BPD) and attachment anxiety.

Can you get PTSD from abandonment?

Why do I feel clingy?

“Often, it can be due to feelings of insecurity, self-doubt or anxiety about the future,” she said. “A lack of confidence in relationships can also contribute to clinginess. … To those who are clingy, extreme thoughts and actions look and feel a lot like love and intimacy; and they don’t want to let a good thing go.

What are the signs of abandonment issues?

Signs and symptoms of abandonment issues in adults include:always wanting to please others (being a “people pleaser”)giving too much in inability to trust others.pushing others away to avoid rejection.feeling insecure in romantic partnerships and friendships.codependency.More items…•

Are abandonment issues a mental illness?

They may also exhibit behaviors that push people to leave so they’re never surprised by the loss. A fear of abandonment isn’t a recognized condition or mental health disorder, per se. Instead, it’s considered a type of anxiety and is treated as such.

Why do I get attached so easily to guys?

What is emotional abandonment in marriage?

How do you know if a guarded person loves you?

What do you say to someone with abandonment issues?

How do you overcome emotional abandonment?

Why do I get attached so easily?

We attach ourselves for two reasons: 1) because we haven’t felt so accepted and understood in a long time by anyone and 2) being with that person makes us feel complete, happy, fulfilled etc. Feelings we can’t imagine generating by ourselves. … You can love a person without being addicted to him/her.

What is abandonment abuse?

Can you ever get over childhood trauma?

What does emotional neglect feel like?


4 Ways the Best Sales Teams Beat the Market – Daniel Birke, David Sprengel, Jochen Ulrich , and Michael Viertler – Harvard Business Review

Growth vs. Profit: What Should Rising Startups Focus On First?

This really is not a simple question to answer. There are so many nuances that go into assessing the right answer:

What is going on with the economy?
How liquid is the fundraising climate?
Are you B2B or B2C?
Are you the first mover?
How defensible is your business, with patents, product complexity or otherwise?
What are your competitors doing?