World’s Highest Rail Track Reaches Everest Gateway City
CNN — The world’s highest railway rolls even closer to Mount Everest this month when China inaugurates a stretch of track connecting the Tibetan cities of Lhasa and Shigatse.
Traversing valleys, mountains and crossing the glacier-fed Brahmaputra River, the line takes in breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks and majestic plateaus as it wends from the territory’s capital to its second city.
The track is an extension of the Qinghai-Tibet line — an engineering marvel named the “closest stretch of railway to the sky” after it first carried passengers above 5,000 meters 16,404 feet in 2006.
Read more at World’s highest rail track reaches Everest gateway city – CNN.com.
Happy Fourth!
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain.
Independence Day fireworks are often accompanied by patriotic songs such as the national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “God Bless America”, “America the Beautiful”, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”, “This Land Is Your Land”, “Stars and Stripes Forever”, and, regionally, “Yankee Doodle” in northeastern states and “Dixie” in southern states. Some of the lyrics recall images of the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812.
A bit of audio for your listening pleasure, as played by Vladimir Horowitz…
Fans Welcome Big Boy No. 4014’s Return
It was a historic day for Union Pacific’s steam program. After months of preparation, UP’s Big Boy No. 4014 returned to the national rail network in the early morning hours of Jan. 26, 2014, to the applause of the hundreds of rail fans on hand to experience the moment.
The mammoth steam locomotive departed its former home at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, Calif., at around 1:45 a.m. Pacific Time, to begin its 56-mile trek on Metrolink and Union Pacific track to UP’s Colton, Calif., rail yard.
“The move went off flawlessly,” said Ed Dickens, senior manager of UP’s Heritage Operations. “We came into Covina very carefully and methodically. We were prepared to deal with little issues, but those issues didn’t materialize.”
While the Big Boy had been thoroughly prepared and inspected prior to the move, Dickens said there are some parts inside the engine that are simply impossible to carefully inspect. “We have little access to those huge roller bearings, which have been sitting since 1962,” he said. “The good news is that they reside in a semi-sealed environment.”
The equipment used to move the mammoth locomotive included two diesel locomotives and 10 freight cars used for braking. As part of the operation, the train also delivered UP diesel locomotive No. 3105, a UP caboose and UP boxcar to RailGaints museum, where they will become part of the museum’s permanent display.
Dickens said the crowd on hand to see the Big Boy return to live rail operations was enormous. “The huge crowd was literally pressed against the chain link fence,” he said. “The mood was very happy and very vocal, with lots of clapping. It was really a magical moment as the Big Boy was pulled backward by the UP 1996, the Southern Pacific heritage locomotive, from our holding track to Metrolink’s track.”
Top speed during the move was 20 mph. Dickens said the operation was completed by 4:30 p.m. with the arrival of No. 4014 to Colton Yard, where it will remain over the coming months before its move to Cheyenne, which has yet to be scheduled.
Dickens thanked the many who worked first-hand on the operation at UP’s Los Angeles Service Unit, including General Superintendent Rod Doerr, Regional Vice President Transportation Shane Keller, the folks at UP’s Harriman Dispatching Center and Metrolink.
The public is invited to view Big Boy No. 4014 in Colton Yard Feb. 1-2 and 8-9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Colton rail yard is a busy ’round-the-clock operation. Because of safety concerns access is limited.
From http://www.up.com/newsinfo/community_ties/2014/january/0127_4014_colton.shtml
Geo political analysis and some positive ideas
This “Positive Ideas” newsletter goes out once a month to about 1,000 friends and colleagues around the USA and in various locations overseas.
Tom O’Connor
The Tom O’Connor Group, LLC
Economic and Management Consultants
A Veteran-Owned Company
Tom
571 332 2349
781 626 6667 international
www.TomOConnorGroup.com
Look for us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
The Crisis of the Middle Class and American Power
Geopolitical Weekly
Tuesday, December 31, 2013 – 04:01
Stratfor
Editor’s Note: The following Geopolitical Weekly originally ran in January 2013.
By George Friedman
When George Friedman wrote about the crisis of unemployment in Europe, he received a great deal of feedback. Europeans agreed that this is the core problem while Americans argued that the United States has the same problem, asserting that U.S. unemployment is twice as high as the government’s official unemployment rate. His counterargument is that unemployment in the United States is not a problem in the same sense that it is in Europe because it does not pose a geopolitical threat. The United States does not face political disintegration from unemployment, whatever the number is. Europe might.
At the same time, he would agree that the United States faces a potentially significant but longer-term geopolitical problem deriving from economic trends. The threat to the United States is the persistent decline in the middle class’ standard of living, a problem that is reshaping the social order that has been in place since World War II and that, if it continues, poses a threat to American power.
The Crisis of the American Middle Class
The median household income of Americans in 2011 was $49,103. Adjusted for inflation, the median income is just below what it was in 1989 and is $4,000 less than it was in 2000. Take-home income is a bit less than $40,000 when Social Security and state and federal taxes are included. That means a monthly income, per household, of about $3,300. It is urgent to bear in mind that half of all American households earn less than this. It is also vital to consider not the difference between 1990 and 2011, but the difference between the 1950s and 1960s and the 21st century. This is where the difference in the meaning of middle class becomes most apparent.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the median income allowed you to live with a single earner
Some positive ideas and some history
This “Positive Ideas” news letter goes out once a week or so to about 1,000 friends and colleagues around the USA and in various locations overseas.
Tom O’Connor
The Tom O’Connor Group, LLC
Economic and Management Consultants
A Veteran-Owned Company
Tom
571 332 2349
781 626 6667 international
www.TomOConnorGroup.com
Look for us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
“The reality of life is that your perceptions influence everything you do. When you get a proper perspective on your perceptions, many other things fall into place.”
~ Roger Birkman …with a few edits
Seventeen year old Joe Bush got a high school assignment to make a video. He chose history as a theme and condensed it into two minutes. He took pictures from the internet, added the track Mind Heist by Zack Hemsey (from the movie Interception) and got this.
http://marcbrecy.perso.neuf.fr/history.html
~Courtesy of Jean Louis
In more recent history, today was the 25th anniversary of Pan Am Flight 103, the plane that was destroyed by a terrorist bomb in its flight over Lockerbie Scotland. The clip shows many of the people who assemble each year to mark this event, including the Director of the FBI who took office at the time of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. He retired last month. Although Pan Am is gone, the plane was painstakingly reassembled and based on forensic analysis and other diligent work the bomber was apprehended, tried and convicted. Each year a wide ranging group including relatives of those who died, high ranking officials, law enforcement, military personnel and choirs from Pender Methodist Church assembles at Arlington National Cemetery to mark the event and toll the bell.
The battles that began 25 years ago in the skies over Scotland and 12 years ago at the World Trade Center and 15 months ago in Benghazi still go on today.
We shall never surrender. ~Winston Churchill
Click on the link to see an excerpt of today’s ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery
“To dream anything that you want to dream, that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do, that is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself, to expand your limits, that is the courage to succeed.”
~ Bernard Edmonds …with a few edits
– Vince Lombardi …with a few edits
Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving.
This “Positive Ideas” news letter goes out once a week or so to about 1,000 friends and colleagues around the USA and in various locations overseas.
Tom O’Connor
The Tom O’Connor Group, LLC
Economic and Management Consultants
A Veteran-Owned Consulting Company Specializing in Negotiations
Tom
571 332 2349
781 626 6667 international
www.TomOConnorGroup.com
Look for us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
Tom OConnor
8 positive ideas and two articles
This "Positive Ideas" news letter goes out once a week or so to about 1,000 friends and colleagues around the USA and in various locations overseas.
Tom O’Connor
The Tom O’Connor Group, LLC
Economic and Management Consultants
A Veteran-Owned Company
Tom
571 332 2349
781 626 6667 international
www.TomOConnorGroup.com
Look for us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
“Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.”
―
Brian Tracy
Love cures people –
both those who give it and those who receive it.
—Karl Menninger …with a few edits
When I look back on all these worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.
—Winston Churchill
Employment gives health, sobriety, and morals.
Constant employment and well-paid labor produce general prosperity, content, and cheerfulness.
A living map and some positive ideas
This “Positive Ideas” news letter goes out once a week or so to about 1,000 friends and colleagues around the USA and in various locations overseas.
Positive ideas and a Middle East intelligence update
This “Positive Ideas” news letter goes out once a week or so to about 1,000 friends and colleagues around the USA and in various locations overseas.
Tom O’Connor
The Tom O’Connor Group, LLC
Economic and Management Consultants
A Veteran-Owned Company
Tom
571 332 2349
781 626 6667 international
www.TomOConnorGroup.com
Look for us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
Source: Stratfor Fourth Quarter Forecast
Middle East
Iran Seeks an Opening for Dialogue
As we saw last quarter, Iran has attempted to use a U.S.-Russian diplomatic framework for Syria to edge itself into a more comprehensive dialogue with the United States. Under the direction of Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, the Iranian government will make conciliatory gestures on a political settlement for Syria and on the Iranian nuclear program in laying the groundwork for a diplomatic rapprochement. The United States will move cautiously toward dialogue, beginning in a multilateral setting, but the U.S. president will also be sensitive to Rouhani’s limited timetable to show progress in the negotiation back home. The attempt to fast-track the talks will eventually run into hurdles, and the U.S. president faces limits in what he can concede, particularly on energy sanctions, without the consent of an intractable U.S. Congress. For this quarter at least, the negotiation will move forward.
Given Washington’s cautious approach to talks, Iran will try to diplomatically re-engage the United Kingdom to build a Western channel to Washington. Iran will also make quiet diplomatic outreaches to Saudi Arabia as it tries to convince Riyadh that a U.S.-Iranian accommodation is inevitable. Saudi Arabia does not face enough pressure from Iran at this stage to enter a negotiation with its main adversary and will instead focus its efforts in boosting weapons, money and fighters to the Syrian rebels from the Arabian Peninsula to compensate for U.S. inaction. Saudi Arabia, along with the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, will draw negative attention to Iranian and Hezbollah activity in the region in an effort to undermine a U.S.-Iranian dialogue.
The Plan for Syria
The U.S.-Russian diplomatic plan to strip Syria of its chemical weapons will encounter a number of political and logistical hurdles this quarter, particularly in forging a cease-fire and providing adequate protection for weapons inspectors. Nonetheless, the United States will rhetorically maneuver around these obstacles to sustain the diplomatic option and thus avoid another ill-fated campaign to rouse support for a military response against Syria.
Another large-scale chemical weapons attack would be a deal-breaker for the plan, but the Syrian regime likely will avoid such a provocation and focus instead on using this period of diplomatic limbo to attack rebel positions using conventional assets. As we emphasized last quarter, the regime will be constrained in this multi-pronged offensive, resulting in an overall stalemate on the battlefield. Though Syrian rebel factions will try to derail the U.S.-Russian diplomatic initiative through attacks and propaganda, they will remain too weak and divided to undermine the plan and force a military intervention. In fact, rebel frustrations over U.S. inaction in Syria will only heighten rebel infighting this quarter and complicate external considerations to arm seemingly moderate factions.
The Syrian Conflict’s Other Effects in the Region
Spillover sectarian violence in Lebanon will remain steady in the coming months. Hezbollah will concentrate its fighters along the Syria-Lebanon border and boost its security presence in its neighborhood strongholds to counter Sunni militant provocations. Israel will maintain a pre-emptive military posture to target any attempts by the Syrian regime to transfer advanced weapons systems to Hezbollah.
Turkey will try to balance this quarter between maintaining a stable relationship with Iran in the evolving diplomatic environment and maintaining its support for the Syrian rebels. The Syrian regime will in turn try to enhance its working relationship with Kurdish factions in Syria, Iraq and Turkey to sabotage Turkey’s broader containment strategy with the Kurds. Turkey’s ongoing struggle in trying to push forward its shaky peace agreement with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and continued economic stress will be exploited by the ruling Justice and Development Party’s political opponents, preventing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from trying to reshape the Turkish presidency through a constitutional referendum with Kurdish backing.
Iraq’s Sectarian Tensions to Continue
Sunni militant violence in Iraq will remain at a relatively high but steady level as the overall regional jihadist focus stays on the Syrian battlefield. In northern Iraq, Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government will advance construction on a pipeline and alternate pumping and metering station designed to circumvent Baghdad’s veto on Kurdish exports and investment deals with foreign firms. As the project enters its final stage, the long-standing political impediments to the plan will overshadow any announcements on the pipeline’s near-completion. Turkey will not be able to convince Baghdad to accept its proposed payment mechanism for exports. Moreover, heightened intra-Kurdish political competition and potential unrest will limit the ability of a divided Kurdish leadership to challenge Baghdad on energy exports this quarter.
Egypt’s Military Tries to Combat Militancy
In Egypt, the military’s ongoing crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood will radicalize more Islamists and result in a steady increase in low-level attacks on police stations and other state infrastructure across Egypt. An increase in religious violence by radical Islamists against Coptic Christians will be exploited by the military to justify further crackdowns. At the same time, Salafist-jihadists will sustain near-daily attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. Some of these groups will continue to expand their target set and launch attacks in mainland Egypt and tourist areas. These attacks will be more infrequent, but will have the potential to inflict more casualties and structural damage.
In trying to contain the Salafist-jihadist threat and keep the Islamist political landscape divided, the Egyptian military will maintain relations with Salafist political groups and former jihadists and try to keep them politically engaged with the government and constitutional committee. Political friction within the committee over the drafting of the Constitution will extend the process into next year, prolonging the political transition.
The Egyptian military’s growing distraction with Islamist militancy will increase pressure on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where it will see its influence challenged by competing Palestinian and jihadist factions. Faced with limited means to force Egypt or Israel into a negotiation to reopen its borders, Hamas will remain caught between efforts to threaten the Egyptian military by facilitating attacks in the Sinai and an imperative to not completely alienate Cairo.
North Africa: Tensions in Libya -in Benghazi and other power centers, a Succession in Algeria
In Libya, Tripoli will face significant challenges to its authority from regional power centers in Benghazi and in Zintan, and Misurata. At the same time, the local city councils will struggle in trying to rein in competing militias and tribal groups in their respective regions, resulting in a highly fragmented political landscape overall. Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan will also face external pressure to stabilize the country’s political and security environment enough to revive Libya’s oil production. However, oil production will continue to fluctuate significantly this quarter as power struggles persist on multiple levels.
Ailing Algerian President Abdulaziz Bouteflika will proceed with the final steps of his succession plan this quarter. Constitutional amendments, including the creation of a vice presidential position, can be expected. Any objections to this carefully choreographed succession plan will be mitigated by increases in social spending.
As Algeria maintains relative calm on the domestic front, it will gradually deepen its involvement in its periphery in response to growing political instability and militancy in both Tunisia and Libya. As Stratfor highlighted in the annual forecast, Algeria will use security cooperation with its neighbors and its energy relationships with the West to strengthen its regional role. In Tunisia, in particular, Algeria will mediate a slow-moving political negotiation, in which the embattled Ennahda party will try to avoid replicating the mistakes of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in seeking a compromise with its political rivals. Morocco, meanwhile, will be inwardly focused as it attempts to balance the implementation of political and subsidy reforms.
Source: Startfor. Read more: Fourth Quarter Forecast 2013 | Stratfor
Follow us: @stratfor on Twitter | Stratfor on Facebook
When we treat people as if they already were better than they are,
we help them become what they are capable of.
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ….with a few edits
If you find a path with no obstacles, it may not lead anywhere.
~Frank A. Clark
Sometime back I spoke to a group and showed them pictures of some very famous people, assembled by Denis Waitley. The pictures included Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Jay Leno, Ted Turner and my hero Winston Churchill.
Then I asked the audience what they all had in common.
….they were all dyslexic!
The roles that made them famous also required lots of reading. Not a single one of those great people let dyslexia keep them from being all they were created to be.
“It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you’re not.”
Vic and Lisa Johnson …with a few edits
When you develop your ability to balance your emotions, unexpected problems won’t knock you off balance as easily, and you’ll return more quickly to a positive outlook.
~Peggy McColl
CHANGE YOUR DARKNESS INTO LIGHT
By Miles Patrick Yohnke © 2010 …with a few edits
Last week I saw Allan. A person I went to high school with. Allan has severe Cerebral Palsy. He is disabled. In a wheelchair. Thankfully his mind is sharp. He had so much trouble getting around from class to class. Our school was very old. It had many floors and so many stairs.
It had been about thirty years since I saw him last. Nothing had changed. He was still the same. Still as clear as then. That same big vibrant smile on his face. And it seemed somewhat fitting as he was being lifted into a vehicle when I saw him.
When I’m on the highway cycling or other sports I perform, I think of people like Allan who do all they can. And how lucky we are to have our health. We have to use our bodies. They will fail when we don’t use them or when we eat improperly.
Exercise improves your mood. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You’ll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression. Exercise combats chronic diseases. Regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage high blood pressure and lower the buildup of plaque in your arteries.
And there’s more. Regular physical activity can help prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. It is stated that when one exercises regularly there is a significant decrease in the likelihood of getting breast cancer. Why wouldn’t one exercise?
God creates this beautiful body full of muscle and detail and if one doesn’t use it,what a loss!
It goes hand in hand. People sometimes aren’t happy in their lives, yet often they do nothing to correct this. They dwell in their own dysfunction. They think they should do better, that they should do something more with their life. Well, when does this happen? When does this occur? We make that decision. We get just this one life. If waiting for it to happen, then one is in for a long, dark wait.
Like Allan we can exercise in many ways in which we are not limited. We should use and take advantage of that which we are granted. Today is the day. That flash of light awaits.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Globally recognized and award-nominated engineer, producer, writer, poet and founder and C.E.O. of 5 Star Productions, Miles Patrick Yohnke brings many years of experience to the music industry; including many awards in sales and marketing. You can reach him at miles
I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but rather how well he bounces back when he hits bottom.
~General George S. Patton
Positive ideas and a Middle East update
This “Positive Ideas” news letter goes out once a week or so to about 1,000 friends and colleagues around the USA and in various locations overseas.
Tom O’Connor
The Tom O’Connor Group, LLC
Economic and Management Consultants
A Veteran-Owned Company
Tom
571 332 2349
781 626 6667 international
www.TomOConnorGroup.com
Look for us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
Source: Stratfor Fourth Quarter Forecast
Middle East
Iran Seeks an Opening for Dialogue
As we saw last quarter, Iran has attempted to use a U.S.-Russian diplomatic framework for Syria to edge itself into a more comprehensive dialogue with the United States. Under the direction of Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, the Iranian government will make conciliatory gestures on a political settlement for Syria and on the Iranian nuclear program in laying the groundwork for a diplomatic rapprochement. The United States will move cautiously toward dialogue, beginning in a multilateral setting, but the U.S. president will also be sensitive to Rouhani’s limited timetable to show progress in the negotiation back home. The attempt to fast-track the talks will eventually run into hurdles, and the U.S. president faces limits in what he can concede, particularly on energy sanctions, without the consent of an intractable U.S. Congress. For this quarter at least, the negotiation will move forward.
Given Washington’s cautious approach to talks, Iran will try to diplomatically re-engage the United Kingdom to build a Western channel to Washington. Iran will also make quiet diplomatic outreaches to Saudi Arabia as it tries to convince Riyadh that a U.S.-Iranian accommodation is inevitable. Saudi Arabia does not face enough pressure from Iran at this stage to enter a negotiation with its main adversary and will instead focus its efforts in boosting weapons, money and fighters to the Syrian rebels from the Arabian Peninsula to compensate for U.S. inaction. Saudi Arabia, along with the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, will draw negative attention to Iranian and Hezbollah activity in the region in an effort to undermine a U.S.-Iranian dialogue.
The Plan for Syria
The U.S.-Russian diplomatic plan to strip Syria of its chemical weapons will encounter a number of political and logistical hurdles this quarter, particularly in forging a cease-fire and providing adequate protection for weapons inspectors. Nonetheless, the United States will rhetorically maneuver around these obstacles to sustain the diplomatic option and thus avoid another ill-fated campaign to rouse support for a military response against Syria.
Another large-scale chemical weapons attack would be a deal-breaker for the plan, but the Syrian regime likely will avoid such a provocation and focus instead on using this period of diplomatic limbo to attack rebel positions using conventional assets. As we emphasized last quarter, the regime will be constrained in this multi-pronged offensive, resulting in an overall stalemate on the battlefield. Though Syrian rebel factions will try to derail the U.S.-Russian diplomatic initiative through attacks and propaganda, they will remain too weak and divided to undermine the plan and force a military intervention. In fact, rebel frustrations over U.S. inaction in Syria will only heighten rebel infighting this quarter and complicate external considerations to arm seemingly moderate factions.
The Syrian Conflict’s Other Effects in the Region
Spillover sectarian violence in Lebanon will remain steady in the coming months. Hezbollah will concentrate its fighters along the Syria-Lebanon border and boost its security presence in its neighborhood strongholds to counter Sunni militant provocations. Israel will maintain a pre-emptive military posture to target any attempts by the Syrian regime to transfer advanced weapons systems to Hezbollah.
Turkey will try to balance this quarter between maintaining a stable relationship with Iran in the evolving diplomatic environment and maintaining its support for the Syrian rebels. The Syrian regime will in turn try to enhance its working relationship with Kurdish factions in Syria, Iraq and Turkey to sabotage Turkey’s broader containment strategy with the Kurds. Turkey’s ongoing struggle in trying to push forward its shaky peace agreement with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and continued economic stress will be exploited by the ruling Justice and Development Party’s political opponents, preventing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from trying to reshape the Turkish presidency through a constitutional referendum with Kurdish backing.
Iraq’s Sectarian Tensions to Continue
Sunni militant violence in Iraq will remain at a relatively high but steady level as the overall regional jihadist focus stays on the Syrian battlefield. In northern Iraq, Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government will advance construction on a pipeline and alternate pumping and metering station designed to circumvent Baghdad’s veto on Kurdish exports and investment deals with foreign firms. As the project enters its final stage, the long-standing political impediments to the plan will overshadow any announcements on the pipeline’s near-completion. Turkey will not be able to convince Baghdad to accept its proposed payment mechanism for exports. Moreover, heightened intra-Kurdish political competition and potential unrest will limit the ability of a divided Kurdish leadership to challenge Baghdad on energy exports this quarter.
Egypt’s Military Tries to Combat Militancy
In Egypt, the military’s ongoing crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood will radicalize more Islamists and result in a steady increase in low-level attacks on police stations and other state infrastructure across Egypt. An increase in religious violence by radical Islamists against Coptic Christians will be exploited by the military to justify further crackdowns. At the same time, Salafist-jihadists will sustain near-daily attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. Some of these groups will continue to expand their target set and launch attacks in mainland Egypt and tourist areas. These attacks will be more infrequent, but will have the potential to inflict more casualties and structural damage.
In trying to contain the Salafist-jihadist threat and keep the Islamist political landscape divided, the Egyptian military will maintain relations with Salafist political groups and former jihadists and try to keep them politically engaged with the government and constitutional committee. Political friction within the committee over the drafting of the Constitution will extend the process into next year, prolonging the political transition.
The Egyptian military’s growing distraction with Islamist militancy will increase pressure on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where it will see its influence challenged by competing Palestinian and jihadist factions. Faced with limited means to force Egypt or Israel into a negotiation to reopen its borders, Hamas will remain caught between efforts to threaten the Egyptian military by facilitating attacks in the Sinai and an imperative to not completely alienate Cairo.
North Africa: Tensions in Libya in Benghazi and other power centers, a Succession in Algeria
In Libya, Tripoli will face significant challenges to its authority from regional power centers in Benghazi. and in Zintan, and Misurata. At the same time, the local city councils will struggle in trying to rein in competing militias and tribal groups in their respective regions, resulting in a highly fragmented political landscape overall. Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan will also face external pressure to stabilize the country’s political and security environment enough to revive Libya’s oil production. However, oil production will continue to fluctuate significantly this quarter as power struggles persist on multiple levels.
Ailing Algerian President Abdulaziz Bouteflika will proceed with the final steps of his succession plan this quarter. Constitutional amendments, including the creation of a vice presidential position, can be expected. Any objections to this carefully choreographed succession plan will be mitigated by increases in social spending.
As Algeria maintains relative calm on the domestic front, it will gradually deepen its involvement in its periphery in response to growing political instability and militancy in both Tunisia and Libya. As Stratfor highlighted in the annual forecast, Algeria will use security cooperation with its neighbors and its energy relationships with the West to strengthen its regional role. In Tunisia, in particular, Algeria will mediate a slow-moving political negotiation, in which the embattled Ennahda party will try to avoid replicating the mistakes of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in seeking a compromise with its political rivals. Morocco, meanwhile, will be inwardly focused as it attempts to balance the implementation of political and subsidy reforms.
Source: Startfor. Read more: Fourth Quarter Forecast 2013 | Stratfor
Follow us: @stratfor on Twitter | Stratfor on Facebook
When we treat people as if they already were better than they are,
we help them become what they are capable of.
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ….with a few edits
If you find a path with no obstacles, it may not lead anywhere.
~Frank A. Clark
Sometime back I spoke to a group and showed them pictures of some very famous people, assembled by Denis Waitley. The pictures included Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Richard Branson, Jay Leno, Ted Turner and my hero Winston Churchill.
Then I asked the audience what they all had in common.
….they were all dyslexic!
The roles that made them famous also required lots of reading. Not a single one of those great people let dyslexia keep them from being all they were created to be.
“It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you’re not.”
Vic and Lisa Johnson …with a few edits
When you develop your ability to balance your emotions, unexpected problems won’t knock you off balance as easily, and you’ll return more quickly to a positive outlook.
~Peggy McColl
CHANGE YOUR DARKNESS INTO LIGHT
By Miles Patrick Yohnke © 2010 …with a few edits
Last week I saw Allan. A person I went to high school with. Allan has severe Cerebral Palsy. He is disabled. In a wheelchair. Thankfully his mind is sharp. He had so much trouble getting around from class to class. Our school was very old. It had many floors and so many stairs.
It had been about thirty years since I saw him last. Nothing had changed. He was still the same. Still as clear as then. That same big vibrant smile on his face. And it seemed somewhat fitting as he was being lifted into a vehicle when I saw him.
When I’m on the highway cycling or other sports I perform, I think of people like Allan who do all they can. And how lucky we are to have our health. We have to use our bodies. They will fail when we don’t use them or when we eat improperly.
Exercise improves your mood. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You’ll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression. Exercise combats chronic diseases. Regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage high blood pressure and lower the buildup of plaque in your arteries.
And there’s more. Regular physical activity can help prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. It is stated that when one exercises regularly there is a significant decrease in the likelihood of getting breast cancer. Why wouldn’t one exercise?
God creates this beautiful body full of muscle and detail and if one doesn’t use it,what a loss!
It goes hand in hand. People sometimes aren’t happy in their lives, yet often they do nothing to correct this. They dwell in their own dysfunction. They think they should do better, that they should do something more with their life. Well, when does this happen? When does this occur? We make that decision. We get just this one life. If waiting for it to happen, then one is in for a long, dark wait.
Like Allan we can exercise in many ways in which we are not limited. We should use and take advantage of that which we are granted. Today is the day. That flash of light awaits.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Globally recognized and award-nominated engineer, producer, writer, poet and founder and C.E.O. of 5 Star Productions, Miles Patrick Yohnke brings many years of experience to the music industry; including many awards in sales and marketing. You can reach him at miles
I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but rather how well he bounces back when he hits bottom.
~General George S. Patton
