Category Archives: Sealand

As President Joe Biden and his team settle into their new jobs, how should they view the national security challenges facing the United States at his juncture in history? And what should U.S. national security policy seek to achieve? Four months into the new administration, it is no longer enough to be the antidote toDonald Trumps unilateralism; a more forward-looking and visionary foreign policy framework is needed.

As for the state of the world, for some, the headlines say it all. Theres anaggressive China, avengeful Russia, a nuclear-minded North Korea, ahostile Iran, and a disintegrating Afghanistan. All of these foreign policy problems are superimposed on top of warming climates, rising oceans and spreading pandemics. This troubling state of affairs would suggest that Biden must be hypervigilant against more threats than the nation has perhaps ever confronted at once.

In fact, while these threats are all real, and whilethe coronavirus will cause misery for at least another one to two years on much of the planet, there is a much happier narrative as well. The world has never been more prosperous, democratic, or for most of us at least safe and secure. However oxymoronic, these competing realities need to be understood correctly if U.S. foreign policy is to be rightsized for the dangers the country faces. There is clearly no basis for complacency, retrenchment, or a lowering of Americas guard (although it seems the Biden team has already made a big mistake in deciding to withdraw from Afghanistan in the hope that the dangers there will easily be contained without a small American or NATO presence). Yet at the same time, America need not overreact to each and every provocation, by China or Russia in particular. The world order is fraying a bit around the edges, but its central core remains strong. Getting this diagnosis roughly right is important if the United States is to avoid the twin but opposing dangers of overreacting and underreacting to various possible and perceived threats.

At the beginning ofthe Cold War, U.S. statesman and strategist George Kennan assessed that some parts of the world mattered more for American security than others. That remains true today, even if the crucial regions have evolved somewhat. Kennan prioritized Britain, western Europe, Russia, and Japan. Today, it should add mainland East Asia to the list and parts of the Middle East. But while problems that dominate many headlines today such as issues in Ukraine, the uninhabited western Pacific islands, the Himalayan border between India and China, Syria, Xinjiang Province in China, or other remote places are important and troubling, they simply are not as central to U.S. security.

Ive noted in my book, The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint,that America needs a better U.S. foreign policy. A Biden national security strategy should be resolute in its commitment to defend the core territories, populations, polities, and economies of U.S. allies, as well as the free and open skies and oceans on which the global economy depends. However, America also needs to show restraint.The Biden team will have to remember this given the domestic political pressures it is under to try to do something about the worlds problems. For example, the administration should be wary about any further alliance expansion or formation. The current U.S. policy of seeking to bring Ukraine and Georgia into NATO or bringing other countries outside the strategic core of the West into formal alliance structures should be viewed very skeptically.

America also needs to show restraint in any initiation of combat operations. Unclassified sources indicate that the Pentagon would consider rapid military escalation in the event of a crisis that involved China over the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, South China Sea land formations, or Taiwan. But such an approach would be highly dangerous. Rather, the United States should avoid drawing first blood in any superpower showdown. It should try to avoid fighting in theaters that are near the Chinese or Russian homelands and play to the strengths of those countries. It makes more sense for America to rely on asymmetric defense and deterrence, use economic and military tools, and seek to be geographically flexible in areas where it might carry out military operations. For example, if China someday blockades Taiwan in an attempt to squeeze it into submission, then America should use economic warfare and attacks on China-bound shipping in the Indian Ocean to respond rather than directly and immediately seeking to break the blockade with brute force.

Thankfully, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has recently written about a concept that he calls integrated deterrence that, if suitably interpreted, may point in a similar direction of restraint for some of these types of scenarios. This conversation needs to continue.

The strategy of resolute restraint is heavily informed by the three most important data points of global security in the twentieth century the outbreak of World War I, the outbreak of World War II, and the non-outbreak of World War III. U.S. disengagement preceded the first two data points; U.S.commitment, in the form of clear alliances and forward-deployed military forces, contributed enormously to the last. These are not just three data points in a sea of information. They are by far the most consequential things we know about modern international relations. For all of Americas flaws and mistakes, it is still exceptional in its ability to deter great-power war given its size, its location, its alliance system, and the universal values that it seeks to promote even as it often falls quite short at home and abroad. There is no alternative group of countries or international organizations that can now undergird the global order with the same success.

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was fond of saying that the United States had a perfect track record of predicting the next war it always got it wrong. That is a good and sobering warning. But there is a happier flip side. When the country works toward preventing war in a given place, with strong alliances and forward-deployed American military forces, it generally succeeds. That is why wars in such places do not happen because America did, in fact, predict the possibility of conflict and took steps to hedge against it. This is not an achievement to be trivialized or dismissed.

That said, America should not try to cover the whole Earth with a U.S. security blanket. That is especially true for areas near Russia or China. In general, U.S. military forces should be used primarily to shore up what some call the core of the rules-based global order the basic stability of the global environment and deterrence of major war involving key existing U.S. allies or the United States. Other worthy goals, in areas such as human rights and environmental policy and the stability of more distant and peripheral parts of the world what some might term a liberal order should be pursued too, but patiently, and primarily with non-military means.

Executing this strategy will be difficult even if America gets the restraint part right. Notably, while it may not demand a big military buildup, it likely will require stabilizing the U.S. defense budget around its current (real) level rather than shrinking it massively as some on the Left would do or expanding it at 35 percent a year in inflation-adjusted terms as hawks of both political parties would prefer.

Defend existing allies and the key elements of todays global economy, yes. But also forgo further alliance expansion, ambitious war plans, or the sense that we can somehow still do it all. Finding words to convey this mixed message in an inspiring and confident way and, even more importantly, implementing it well will not be easy. But if Biden is to make his mark as an important president in foreign policy, then he must attempt to do so.

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A grand strategy of resolute restraint - Brookings Institution

GREEN RIVER Residents in Green River will soon see repairs to several different streets, which might cause parking off streets and delays.

The Green River City Council awarded a $673,036.80 cape seal contract to Advanced Paving and Construction to do maintenance on 26 streets. The money is leftover dollars from the sixth penny tax that went off the books four years ago, according to a press release.

The project will have three phases and is expected to start in June. The first phase is patching, the second phase is a scrub seal and the third phase is a slurry seal. The hope is to have the entire project completed by the end of August. The project covers 26 streets and approximately 5.8 miles of roadway.

Projects include:

Cumorah way from West Teton Boulevard to the end of the street

Crossbow Drive from Hitching Post Drive to West Teton Boulevard

Iowa Circle from Iowa Avenue to Upland Way

Gannet Circle from East Teton Boulevard to the end of the street

North Riverbend Drive from West Teton Boulevard to Green River Way

Green River Way from Riverbend Drive to Moran Drive

Moran Drive from East Teton Boulevard to the end of the street

Medicine Bow Drive from Crossbow Drive to Bridger Drive

Sundance Drive from Medicine Bow Drive to West Teton Boulevard

Saratoga Drive from Medicine Bow Drive to West Teton Boulevard

Midwest Drive from Centennial Drive to Sundance Drive

Elk Mountain Circle from Centennial Drive to the end of the street

Centennial Drive from Hitching Post Drive to Medicine Bow Drive

Elk Mountain Drive from Crossbow Drive to Centennial Drive

Chugwater Drive from Crossbow Drive to Cheyenne Drive

Cheyenne Drive from Chugwater Drive to Medicine Bow Drive

Iowa Ave. from West Teton Boulevard to Iowa Circle

South Riverbend Drive from East Teton Boulevard to Green River Way

Sundance Drive from Midwest Drive to Medicine Bow Drive

Colorado Drive from Hitching Post Drive to East and West Teton Boulevard

West Teton Boulevard from Bridger Drive to Monroe Ave.

East Teton Boulevard from Colorado Drive to California Drive

West Teton Boulevard from Colorado Drive to Upland Way

Shoshone Ave. from Hitching Post Drive to West Teton Boulevard

Upland Way from Uinta Drive to the end of the asphalt

Commerce Drive from Upland Way to Upland Way

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June construction could bring parking off streets and delays - Wyoming Tribune

Bowman Richards, Special to Nashville Tennessean, USA TODAY NETWORK newsrooms in Tennessee Published 5:01 a.m. CT May 24, 2021

Its the time of year for spring cleaning, and many people are throwing out old household items and personal documents to clear out some space.

If youve been working from home throughout the pandemic, theres probably even more clutter. And with tax season wrapping up, it might be time to get rid of some older documents youve been holding on to. Its likely that many of these papers will end up in the garbage but you might want to think twice before just throwing them out.

A lot of documents have personally identifiable information (PII) on them information that is unique to your identity including statements, bills or pay stubs. All papers with PII should instead be destroyed securely to protect yourself from identity thieves. Yes, people still dig through trash cans!

To prevent that from happening, consider using a secure shredding service to destroy and dispose of your documents.

The main benefit of secure shredding is that it protects you. Nearly 1.4 million people were victims of identity theft in 2020, more than double the number from 2019, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Secure shredding facilities use industrial-grade equipment to reduce documents to tiny particles rather than strips as at-home shredders do. Plus, theyre mixing your destroyed documents with hundreds of others, so even if thieves could get a hold of your information, they wouldnt be able to put it together.

It also helps protect your company, your clients and your brand. Whether you own a business or are an employee of one, secure shredding keeps confidential information out of the wrong hands and eliminates data breach risks. Your clients information should be securely destroyed, too, so that you maintain privacy standards. Plus, if they know youre carefully and defensibly getting rid of dated physical files, it will gain their trust.

If your business has branded products, items or uniforms, shredding prevents them from re-entering the market in the wrong hands, protecting your companys reputation. Additionally, if your branded items grant security clearance, product destruction keeps your business and your clients safe.

Anything with PII on it your name or address, for example should be shredded. Be sure, though, that the documents youre shredding dont have to be retained for your records before they are destroyed. The FTC recommends shredding receipts, statements and paid bills immediately, but says that pay stubs, bank statements and medical bills should be held onto for one year and tax-related documents kept for seven years.

Its not just paper, though destroy your data, too. This includes USB drives, flash drives and old media equipment like computers with potentially sensitive information. Even if the equipment or drives are erased, some PII can still be found on devices by thieves with easily attainable software who are experts in stealing information. A 2017 study by the National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) found that 40 percent of resold electronic devices contained PII, including usernames, passwords and credit card information. This data can be recovered by thieves, and its easier than you think.

The only way to be sure your information is protected is to have it securely destroyed. Hard drive and media shredders use specialized equipment to apply massive force onto the device, crushing it and cutting it into pieces.

Take your documents and data to a NAID AAA Certified shredding facility to be sure your information is destroyed securely. This means that the company takes several steps to ensure it complies with industry security standards so you can have peace of mind, including:

Employees adhere to pre-employment and random criminal background checks and drug screening.

All workers sign confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements.

The company provides certified proof that shredding output is unreadable.

The business maintains at least $2 million in general liability insurance.

There are comprehensive written security policies and procedures.

The secure destruction area is monitored with alarm and closed-circuit camera systems.

Securely shredding documents and data with your information will ensure that it doesnt fall into the wrong hands. Pile everything together and take it to a local shredding center, many of which have walk-in hours. Some companies, like Richards & Richards, offer seal and shred bags you can take home to fill up over time. Bringing in documents this way is convenient and will save you time and worry. Plus, NAID AAA Certified shredding facilities recycle everything they securely destroy its a win-win!

Bowman Richards is the owner and president of Richards & Richards Secure Shredding in Nashville. A Certified Secure Destruction Specialist, Bowman has been a member of the International Secure Information Governance & Management Association (i-SIGMA) and its predecessors since 2008 and currently serves as president-elect of the organization.

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What you should be shredding and why - Tennessean

TYLER TxDOT is planning to conduct the following construction and maintenance work in the district during the Week of May 24, 2021. Work schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention in work zones.

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Note: All TxDOT offices will be closed Monday, May 31, in observance of Memorial Day. Normal business hours resume at 8 a.m., Tuesday, June 1. To allow for more efficient travel during the long holiday weekend, TxDOT will not allow lane closures on its construction and maintenance projects that impact traffic flow from Friday Monday, May 28 31.

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Night work is set for Loop 323 at the SH 31W intersection starting at 6 p.m., Sunday, May 23. Expect multiple lane closures. Starting Wednesday, work will also be conducted on SH 110N inside Northwest Loop 323. Both locations will have traffic impacts. More information is available in the Smith County section of this release. Message boards have been installed along the route to notify the public of the work.

Motorists should also prepare for lane closures and delays as night work gets underway Sunday, May 23, on the US 69/Glenwood Blvd. resurfacing project in Tyler. Work is scheduled from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday nights. Get more information in the Smith County section of this release.

In Cherokee County, FM 22 at Sandy Creek west of Gallatin, will be closed for removal of the bridge. This will require detouring traffic. More information is available in the Cherokee County section of this release.

A traffic shift is planned to get underway this week on the SH 198 bridge project at Clear Creek in Henderson County. Expect lane closures. Additional project information is available in the Henderson County section of this release.

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Districtwide seal coat operations continue around the Tyler District. Motorists should expect lane closures and delays during this work to seal and protect roadways from water, and to provide a longer life cycle. Various project work will be conducted with slow-moving mobile operations. Crews will be working in Cherokee, Henderson, Rusk, and Smith counties. Information on specific work locations is available in the Van Zandt County section of this release.

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Anderson County Palestine Maintenance plans to conduct driveway work on FM 19 on Monday. Starting Wednesday, profiling operations will be conducted on FM 321. Expect lane closures with flaggers managing traffic control at both relations.

Anderson County construction projects updates:

County Road Off-System Bridge Project

Limits: Various locations in Anderson County

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $1.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

Work continues on the bridges and roadway elements for CR 458 and CR 468. The project consists of construction of bridges, storm sewer, guardrail, base, pavement surfaces, and pavement markings.

US 79 Super 2 Project

Limits: From 0.5 mile northeast of Loop 256 to the Anderson/Cherokee County line

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $14.4 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Spring 2022

Work is ongoing on the shoulders and driveways, and to place drainage structures. The work zone speed limit is 60 mph. Expect lane closures and delays. The project is widening for a Super 2, and includes sub-grade work, surface treatment, base and surface hot-mix asphalt, widening structures, bridge rail, metal beam guard fence, signage, and permanent striping.

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Cherokee County Jacksonville Maintenance plans to perform ditch work on FM 2064. Rusk crews plan to conduct hot mix blade overlay operations on SH 21 west of Alto. Expect lane closures with flaggers managing traffic control at both locations.

Cherokee County construction projects updates:

FM 22 Safety Widening and Bridge Replacement Project (New Project)

Limits: From CR 1512 west of Gallatin, east to SH 110

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $5.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2022

The contractor is scheduled to remove the bridge at Sandy Creek, and conduct site work. The road will be closed to traffic. Motorists should follow the marked detour route to navigate through the area. The project will widen the existing roadway, replace three bridges, and incorporate safety upgrades.

US 84 Widening

Limits: From 0.43 mi east of SH 110 in Rusk, northeast to the Rusk County line in Reklaw

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $7.9 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2022

The contractor is scheduled to continue right-of-way clearing. Expect lane closures with delays possible. The project will widen and resurface the roadway, and add safety upgrades.

FM 235 Safety Widening

Limits: From SH 110 going east to FM 2274

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $3.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Fall 2021

The contractor is scheduled to continue drainage upgrades. Expect lane closures with a pilot car managing traffic. The project will widen the existing roadway and incorporate safety upgrades.

FM 241 Safety Widening

Limits: From US 69 going southeast to SH 21

Contractor: A. L. Helmcamp, Inc.

Cost: $5.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

The contractor is scheduled to perform cleanup activities. The project is widening the existing roadway and incorporating safety upgrades.

County Road Bridge Replacement Project

Limits: CR 2905 at Bowles Crk; CR 2614 at Beans Crk; CR 1504 at Turnpike Crk; CR 3203 at Mills Crk.

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $1.9 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Spring 2021

No work is scheduled on CR 3203 and CR 1504. Both roadways are open to traffic. Construction of the new bridges is ongoing on CR 2905 and CR 2614. Both roads are closed to through traffic. The projects are replacing the existing bridges at each location with new structures.

SH 204 Super-2 Widening Project

Limits: From US 79 in Jacksonville southeast to SH 110

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $13.7 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

The contractor is scheduled to perform seal coat and paving work as well as concrete driveway installation. Expect lane closures with a pilot car managing traffic. The project is adding passing lanes and includes safety upgrades.

US 69 Sidewalks in Jacksonville

Limits: From Nacogdoches St. to Tena St. in Jacksonville

Contractor: Highway 19 Construction, LLC

Cost: $507,099.00

Anticipated Completion Date: Spring 2021

No work is scheduled. The project is constructing sidewalks along US 69 in Jacksonville.

US 79 Rehabilitation Project

Limits: From 0.16 mile east of SH 110 to the Mud Creek Relief Bridge

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $8.2 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Spring 2021

The contractor plans to begin replacing the bridge joints. Expect lane closures and delays. The work zone speed limit is 60 mph. The project is rebuilding the roadway pavement and upgrading bridge rail.

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Gregg County Longview Maintenance plans to continue bridge repairs on various roadways around the county. Expect flaggers to provide traffic control with lane closures possible.

Gregg County construction projects updates:

FM 2204, etc., Safety Improvement Project

Limits: US 259 Bypass to SH 322

Contractor: Stateline Construction

Cost: $3.88 million

Anticipated Completion Date: November 2021

The contractor will be working on drainage upgrades and driveways. Expect lane closures and delays. This project consists of culverts, safety end treatments, drainage upgrades, new metal beam guard fence and driveway asphalt.

FM 2206/Harrison Road

Limits: From Loop 281 to Fisher Rd.

Contractor: East Texas Bridge

Cost: $15.16 million

Anticipated Completion Date: December 2021

Work includes extending culverts and constructing detours. Expect lane closures and delays. The project consists of widening the two-lane road to four lanes with a center turn lane. Work includes drainage structures, flexible base, curb and gutter, sidewalks, hot mix, and pavement markings.

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Project updates for the Week of May 24, 2021 - Texas Department of Transportation

For the past couple of years or so, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) has been struggling to come up with something called Advanced Battle Management System. ABMS, for short, the program aims to develop the technologies needed to change the future of combat by allowing American and allied troops to share information faster and better.

As part of ABMS, a massive live-fire exercise conducted back in April 2020 made use of Starlink satellites. Later on, in September, USAF also conducted another drill, asking soldiers to detect and defeat efforts to disrupt U.S. operations in space and countering attacks against the U.S. homeland by using things like a hypervelocity weapon and robot dogs.

ABMS is a very comprehensive range of tools, one that also includes the possibility for different-make aircraft to talk to one another using a communications pod.

At the end of last week, USAF announced it is done toying around and will deploy some of the technologies that were developed into a new and more operational phase. That means the military branch will begin acquiring specialized equipment to support ABMS and begin real-world testing.

USAF plans to run ABMS exercises every four months. It calls them Joint Onramps, and each is designed to get personnel trained with the new set of technologies and procedures that are integrated into military operations.

So far, there have been three such onramps, the last one in February of this year. So far, USAF managed to convince an F-35 and an F-22 to pass data over a protected waveform for the first time and a Howitzer to shoot down a surrogate cruise missile.

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USAF Ready to Move ABMS-Tech Into Operational Phase - autoevolution

The escalation of violence, with rockets and missiles clouding the West Asian skies shared by Israelis and Palestinians is nothing new. The latest round of violence between the two adversaries happened because the long and unresolved conflict between the two sides has been left to fester. It is an open wound in the heart of West Asia that has been left unhealed. It is why face-to-face violent confrontations keep escalating into rocket-firing, air strikes and deaths. Now that the 11-day intense fighting has ended after Israel and Hamas finally agreed to a ceasefire, it is important to look at the root cause of the intractable conflict and what caused the latest round of violence.

Twenty-seven days before the first rocket was fired from Gaza two weeks ago, a squad of Israeli police, according to reports, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. It was the night of April 13, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It was also Memorial Day in Israel, which honours those who died fighting for the country. The police raid on the mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, was one of the several actions that led, less than a month later, to the sudden resumption of war between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, and the outbreak of civil unrest between Arabs and Jews across Israel itself.

Turning point

The incident that took place in the Aqsa Mosque is said to be the turning point that led to the worst violence between Israelis and Palestinians in many years, not only in conflict with Hamas, but in a wave of mob attacks in mixed Arab-Jewish cities in Israel that killed many people in Gaza and in Israel. The latest round of violence and conflict, according to New York Times, came as the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was struggling to survive, while the Hamas was seeking to expand its role within the Palestinian movement and a new generation of Palestinians was said to be asserting its own values and goals.

The conflict, according to experts, is also an outgrowth of years of blockade and restrictions in Gaza, decades of occupation in the West Bank and decades more of discrimination against the Arabs within the state of Israel. Thus, all the elements of conflict were in place and a trigger was needed, which was provided by the Aqsa mosque incident. Two months ago, no one in the Israel government or its military establishment had expected anything like this. It has been seven years since the last significant conflict with Hamas and 16 years since the last major Palestinian uprising, called the Intifada.

There was no major unrest in Palestine when President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israels capital in December 2017. There were also no major protests when four Arab nations normalised relations with Israel, against the long-held consensus that they would never do so until the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was resolved. In another year, the Aqsa mosque episode could have been probably forgotten. But in April, several factors, according to a report in New York Times, aligned that allowed the conflict to snowball into a major showdown a resurgent sense of national identity among young Palestinians; the perceived need to placate an increasingly assertive far right in Israel that gave caretaker Prime Minister Netanyahu little room to calm the waters; and, a sudden political vacuum in Palestine, that could result in grass-roots protest which gave an opportunity to Hamas to flex its muscles.

Root cause

Of course, the root cause of the Israel-Palestine conflict is the denial of equality and statehood to Palestinians, which Israel has treated as a problem to be contained and not resolved. Just because the conflict has fallen out of international headlines in recent years does not mean that the problem does not exist, or it has been resolved. The issues, genuine grievances of the Palestinians and their demand for equality and statehood have not changed. As the conflict has been left festering for decades, bitterness and hatred that has been created because of generations of trouble and killing is just not going to go away by merely containing the conflict and by maintaining the status quo.

For more than a century, Jews and Arabs have struggled to lay their claim on the land between River Jordan and Mediterranean Sea. Since its contentious creation in 1948, Israel has inflicted a series of defeats on Palestinians, but it still cannot win the battle, because the question of statehood for Palestinians remains unaddressed and unresolved. As long as the conflict goes on, neither side can be secure, nor is there certainty that there will not be a serious and violent crisis every few years. This has been the case over the last 15 years, as confrontations have taken place across the wire separating Gaza and Israel.

If the Aqsa mosque episode was one trigger for violence, other triggers included the threats to evict the Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighborhood outside the walls of the Old City, with land and property claimed by Jewish settler groups in the Israeli courts. It is not a dispute over just handful of homes, but it comes after years of successive Israeli governments pursuing the strategic objective of making Jerusalem more Jewish, in violation of the international law. In recent years, according to reports, the Israeli government and settler groups have worked to settle Jewish Israelis in Palestinian areas near the walled Old City on a house-by-house basis. Therefore, like in the past, another set of events in the future could end up the same way.

Tenuous peace

The pounding of Gaza Strip over several days by hundreds of Israeli strikes from sea, land and air, while the enclaves militant Hamas rulers fired hundreds of rockets into Israel is the fourth round of major conflict between Israel and Hamas since 2008. While the eruption of violence did raise the spectre of another devastating war, thankfully the conflict has come to an end after Israel and Hamas agreed to a truce brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar, among others. But like the earlier rounds of fighting between Israel and Hamas, the truce is just a pause, as the conflict is not resolved. Therefore, the ceasefire will hold until it is tested by another crisis, which could be a rocket fired from Gaza, or more Israeli police violence towards Palestinians in Jerusalem or a threat of eviction of Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah.

The explanation for the enduring conflict between Israel and Palestine differs based on who you speak to and what timeline one uses. But much of the blame should go to the West, which allowed a foreign state to be created in 1948 on a land which was populated with Palestinians, who obviously did not want to leave their land for other people. Since 1948, Israel has been expanding its boundaries far beyond what was originally envisaged. This lies at the root of the intractable Israel-Palestine conflict. Therefore, the only way to end the conflict is the two-state solution that envisages sovereign Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace.

The author is an independent senior journalist

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The two-state solution that envisages sovereign Palestine & Israel living side by side in peace is the only way to end their conflict, writes A L...

If you can't wait for the Wisconsin State Fair to enjoy food on a stick this summer, try this recipe from Croix Valley Foods. Green Bay Press-Gazette

HUDSON - In Greece, souvlaki is shorthand for any piece of meat grilled on a skewer. In Wisconsin, food on a stick is shorthand for it's State Fair season.

This recipe from Croix Valley Foods isn't a traditional Greek recipe, nor is it reserved strictly for Wisconsin State Fair-goers, but it's classic summer fare.

Damon Holter, Croix Valley Foods president, said he developed this grilled chicken souvlaki during a food fusion phase to populatethe company's website with recipes.

"It's easy to make and flavorful," Holter said."Its a good little dish."

Before setting out to make the recipe he advised me to get the fresh herbs.

Dip this grilled chicken souvlaki in the homemade tzatziki to boost the light flavors.(Photo: Daniel Higgins/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

Yield:About 1 dozen skewers

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1-inch strips

12 woodskewers

Marinade:

cup Croix Valley Garlic N Herb Sauce & Marinade

Juice from1 lemon

cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Tzatziki sauce:

2 Cups Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cucumber, seeded and finely diced

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

2 tablespoons Croix Valley Garlic BBQ Booster

Serve with:

1 red onion, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

In medium bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients. Pour intozippered storage bag.

Add chicken to marinade, seal andrefrigerate for 2 hours or up to 1 day.

In mixing bowl, whisk together tzatziki sauce ingredients. For a smoother texture and to lessen the work of finely dicing the cucumber, combine in a food processor.

Cover and refrigerate until ready for use.

Soak woodskewers in water for 20 minutes before grilling.

Heat grill to 375 F. Set up grill for direct heat.

Remove chicken from the marinade and thread the strips onto skewers.

Place chicken skewers on grill over direct heat. Turnoften, until chicken begins to brown and reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 F.

Serve with tzatziki sauce, sliced tomatoes and onion.

(Recipe from Croix Valley Foods)

TASTING NOTES: Hints of lemon and garlic are the most recognizable flavors backed by a blend of other seasonings. Light. Bright. Summer fare. A perfect pairing withlemon shandy beer, crisp white or rose wine, or lemonade.

It gets better when dipped in the tzatziki. Just enough of the thin sauce clings to the chicken, adding cucumber and more herb tasting notes without drowning the souvlaki-like flavors.

EQUIPMENT: Sharp knife, cutting board, two measuring cups, measuring spoon, two mixing bowls, whisk, wooden skewers, grill, tongs, instant read thermometer and plastic wrap or zippered storage bag.

PRACTICALITY:Valley Croix products are sold across the state and can be ordered online. The rest of the ingredients are readily available at grocery stores. No need for specialized equipment or skills makes this easy enough for novice cooks.

Bonus points to Croix Valley for pointing out that a food processor "lessens" the work of making the tzatziki.

Thisisn't a dish suited for a worknight meal unless you plan ahead. Prep everything the night before or morning of, allow the skewers to soak while the grill heats up and you're left with a few minutes prepping the chicken and about 10-ish minutes of grilling. I could see this being a good option for campers (not me) or cabin-ers (me) who want a quick first-night meal after unpacking and setting up. Same if you're having guests over for a backyard barbecue.

This Croix Valley Foods recipe for grilled chicken souvlaki turns out classic light summer grilled fare.(Photo: Daniel Higgins/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

HACKS AND INSIGHTS: The four chicken breasts weighed a little over 2 pounds. I just cut each into thirds rather than measuring 1-inch strips. Using chicken tenderloins instead of slicing chicken into strips would be the ultimate Lazy Dan move.

When possible I substitute dried herbs and minced garlic from a jar. I chopped fresh garlic and herbs as recommended and think it boosted those flavors.

Holter said this recipe would work with other cuts of meat.

While eating foods on sticks is a very Wisconsin State Fair thing to do, there's no need to use skewers. Thoughit wouldn't be souvlaki, just Greek-fusion grilled chicken strips.

Don't fear the char. Charred bits on chicken pop with extra flavor.

The blackened marinade easily scrubs off the grill grate with a wire brush if you clean scrape while it's hot.

I was skeptical about the tzatziki because of its watery-thin texture and cucumber-yogurt flavor. However, when paired with the chicken the yogurt flavor disappeared and it boosted the experience.

Next time, I would dice the tomatoes and red onion with a sprinkle of the Garlic BBQ Booster, feta and drizzle of olive oil as a side salad. And maybe some pita. There will be a next time.

ABOUT CROIX VALLEY FOODS: The Garlic N Herb Sauce & Marinade is one of three original sauces Croix Valley made when it launched in 2009. Holter said it is a variation of the steak sauce he developed at his family's restaurant in the 1990s. By the time he left the restaurant, the sauce was being served with more than beefy cuts including duck and chicken.

Looking for work with hours better suited for raising kids, Holter thought the steak sauce might be the answer, though he figured it would be easier to get into stores if he had more than just one sauce. While the steak sauce was being served with all cuts of meat, he said it was designed for beefy flavors, so he created Garlic N' Herb for lighter meats like chicken. He added a hot sauce, too.

With those two sauces and a hot saucein hand, he pitched the trio to meat markets, specialty food shops, and hardware stores and retailers selling grills and grilling equipment.

Today Croix Valley makes 30 products in a 12,000-square-foot facility destined for more than 1,200 stores across the United States, plus stores in Canada and soon in a handful of European countries. Holter said growth has come organically and he developed the sauces and seasonings to meet customer, supplier and retailer requests.

Two products spikedsales and garnered national attention that helped speed the Hudson-based company's growth. The Honey Dijon Barbecue 'n Brat Sauceis a twist on the Southern-style mustard-based BBQ sauce. (Yeah, Wisconsin's love of brats runs strong all the way to the borders.)Sweet 'n Smokey Competition Barbecue Sauce is a bit thinner than most BBQ sauces, Holter said, but works well as a glaze or for dipping with a wide range of meats, from ribs to shrimp. Damon and his wife, Lu, developed the sauce while traveling across the nation competing in contests.

Holter said they've competed in about 20 contests so far this year and wouldn't be surprised if they did 50 by the end of the year.

The garlic seasoning used in this recipe is part of theBarbecue Booster line that are blended to be used before, during or after cooking. It's like salt and pepper, just with more flavor. The Garlic Barbecue Booster has about 20 ingredients. Its one of the top sellers, Holter said, because it's an all-purpose seasoning that works equally well rubbed on cuts of meat and sprinkled on cooked vegetables.

ABOUT THIS SERIES:I test recipes in my very average kitchen with my moderately above average cooking talent and meh presentation skills. I'll provide some insights and basic cooking tips. If you don't find these stories useful, hopefully you find them entertaining. Please send your questions, feedback and recipes you'd like reviewed. I'm always happy to consider a favorite family recipe or Wisconsin food producer for the No Budget Cooking Series.

Contact Daniel Higginsdphiggin@gannett.com. Follow @HigginsEats onTwitter and Instagramand like onFacebook.

Read or Share this story: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/life/food/2021/05/18/grilled-chicken-souvlaki-recipe-croix-valley-foods-light-tasty/5080170001/

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You don't have to wait for the Wisconsin State Fair to enjoy food on a stick. Try this grilled chicken souvlaki recipe. - Green Bay Press Gazette

Graduations are back.

This spring, all four of the Arlington diocesan Catholic high schools plan to have in-person, outdoor graduationson their football fields. After pandemic safety measures necessitated virtual ceremonies last year, schoolcommunities are looking forward to the commencement festivities.

Joseph Vorbach, diocesan superintendent of schools, sees the in-person celebrations as a sign of better things to come.

"In-person graduationsare a mark of the resilience of the graduates," he said. "And of hope for a continued gradual return to the norms and traditions of schoollife going forward."

"There is great excitement that we can have graduation in person," said Kathleen McNutt, head of school for Bishop Ireton HighSchoolin Alexandria, Virginia.

But there is some worry over the logistics, too, she said. In the event of rain, schools planned to move their ceremonies indoors with contingency plans that range from decreasing the number of guests to livestreaming the ceremonies to guests seated in various parts of the schools.

"There's anxiety on the administrative side in terms of the weather. It's almost like planning for a wedding," said McNutt. "We want this to be just right for these students."

Though they did their best to recognize the accomplishments of seniors last year, it just wasn't the same, she told the Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocesan newspaper.

"So much was missed last year, certainly for the class of 2020 but for us as a schoolcommunity," she said. "Commencement exercises -- they seal and finalize the schoolyear where we're celebrating academic success for our students and sending them on.

"It was a reminder of how important those opportunities are, not just from a celebratory perspective but from a faith perspective, that we gather and share gratitude for God and his blessings."

As with the other high schools, St. Paul VI Catholic HighSchoolin Chantilly, Virginia, will allow four guests per graduate at an outdoor ceremony. Other senior traditions are continuing with modifications. The baccalaureate Mass will be celebrated at the school. There will be an outdoor leadership awards dinner for seniors and another for juniors.

The schoolwill still have college shirt day, where seniors can wear a shirt with the logo of the college they'll attend in the fall.

Bishop O'Connell High Schoolin Arlington has a tradition of taking a panoramic photo of the seniors on the football field in the shape of the year they graduate. But this year, they'll be spread out a lot farther than usual, said Boomer Buckreis, activities director.

For the past year, the seniors haven't seen half of their classmates because the student body was split into two cohorts to allow for social distancing. But the school is planning a senior week to allow all of them to attend together.

"We'll have time for adoration and reflection, a Spikeball tournament. They'll sign senior yearbooks. We'll have a cookout (and) they'll sign each other's white (senior) polo shirts," said Buckreis.

Instead of the traditional river cruise prom night, seniors will have a chance to dress up in tuxedos and dresses at a dinner hosted at the school. After dinner, "there'll be about four different places throughout the campus where they'll be music playing and lounge areas where students will be able to be together," said Buckreis.

Sadly, there won't be dancing. "We're telling them to stand 6 feet apart and dance with their eyes," said Buckreis.

Seniors at St. John Paul the Great Catholic HighSchoolin Potomac Shores, Virginia, had prom May 1 at Marine Corps Base Quantico. "Students rotated in groups to eat, dance and take a mask break on the back patio and 80% of (the) class attended," said Diana Tillotson, assistant to the head of school. As with some of the other highschools, John Paul also planned to livestream its graduation ceremony.

Across the country, students at Catholic highschools likewise looked forward to in-person commencement ceremonies, many outdoors -- albeit with precautions, such as limiting the number of guests per student and maintaining social distancing and other safety protocols, and providing livestreaming of events as well.

For outdoor ceremonies, contingency plans were set, too, in the event of rain.

In the Chicago Archdiocese, Catholic highschools are renting professional sports venues for graduation this year, and others will use their own outdoor fields. Others are carefully planning how to arrange the graduates in indoor spaces, often with the ceremony livestreamed to family members elsewhere.

Whatever it takes, schoolleaders said, this year's senior classes will have graduation ceremonies, and they will go through them together, schoolleader told the Chicago Catholic archdiocesan newspaper.

Kathryn Baal, principal at Chicago's Marist HighSchool, said when the schoolsurveyed the seniors to find out what they wanted from a graduation ceremony, "their No. 1 priority was to be together."

"They want to be with their friends and they want to be with the people who shaped them throughout their four years of highschool," she said.

Marist planned to gather its graduating class and guests at Soldier Field. The large venue that will allow the 377 seniors to each invite six guests, something that would not be possible at Marist's athletic stadium, under state and local public health guidelines.

De La Salle North Catholic HighSchool in Portland, Oregon, planned to hold a drive-through ceremony, but four other Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Portland were planning some kind of in-person ceremonies: Jesuit HighSchooland St. Mary's Academy in Portland in Portland, Valley Catholic in Beaverton and La Salle Prep in Milwaukie.

At the High Schoolof St. Thomas More in Champaign, Illinois, in the Peoria Diocese, the mortarboards of the class of 2021 may have been tossed to record heights at graduation May 15, fueled by the joy the seniors felt to be able to graduate as a class with family members present.

That joy was shared by faculty, staff, and guests -- including Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka, who celebrated a baccalaureate Mass the previous evening at St. Matthew Church.

"I know it's been a real challenging year as we navigate all of the COVID stuff," the bishop said at the close of Mass. "It's been a challenge for us all, but we've persevered and we've had a good year nonetheless."

In his homily, Bishop Tylka repeatedly reminded the graduates that, like the apostles, "you have been chosen" to love and follow Jesus.

"Who knows where you will go? Who knows, but God, what is in store for you," he said. "But what we do know is that through the gift of your Catholic education you have been invited into a deeper relationship with Jesus. Know that God is always with us."

Contributing to this story was Michelle Martin in Chicago, Katie Scott in Portland and Tom Dermody in Champaign.

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Catholic high schools welcome return of in-person graduation ceremonies - Angelus News

Sustainability interns Rachel Hughes and Cassondra Kronenberg, along with Caitlin Jacobs from the Office of Sustainability, mix garlic mustard plant matter with water and grind it into a slurry. The slurry will eventually be converted into methane and used as natural gas.

On Saturday, April 24, as part of Notre Dames Earth Week celebrations, a team of 11 people braved a chilly morning rain to combat one of the campus's invasive foes: garlic mustard. Staff and interns from the Office of Sustainability joined with student, faculty and staff volunteers in Notre Dames first Garlic Mustard Pull, which took place along St. Marys Road and the St. Joseph lakeshore.

Garlic mustard, an invasive plant species native to Europe, poses a significant threat to wildflowers and other native vegetation. Not only does it outcompete native species for space and light, but it also releases chemicals into the soil that actively inhibit the growth of other plants. Pulling out garlic mustards flowering stalks opens up more space and nutrients for native wildflowers and other plants, such as trillium, Solomons seal and Jack-in-the-Pulpit, to grow and spread.

In all, volunteers spent two hours collecting approximately 500 pounds of plants. Rather than dispose of the vegetation into the landfill, the 5,000 garlic mustard plants pulled were taken to the Grind2Energy system for processing. The process for disposing of the plants is the same as for nonconsumable food waste, where it is mixed with water and ground on site into a slurry that is then transported to a local dairy, where it is converted for use as clean renewable energy. The system was installed at the Center for Culinary Excellence in 2019.

The fight against garlic mustard on campus is far from over. As Saturdays mustard pullers will tell you, once you start seeing the long stalks with small white flowers, it is impossible not to see them everywhere. For now, though, native plants have a little more room to grow between St. Josephs Lake and St. Marys Road, and a conversation has started about native vs. invasive plant species on campus. Maybe next year a team will tackle the bush lurking under many lakeshore trees invasive honeysuckle.

Link:

From Invasion to Energy | Latest | NDWorks | University of Notre Dame - ND Newswire

Theres a lot to be afraid of in the depths of the sea where the sunlight barely reaches. These terrifying water creatures primarily inhabit the ocean bed and scientists had to wait for decades before they could discover them. And even now they are yet to learn more about these terrifying creatures.

Scientists are still uncovering what lies beneath the worlds oceans. But there is something about being in the water that fills people with fear. Maybe its the fear of the unknown or the unseen. And learning about some of the creatures that live in the ocean, were not surprised.

Many of these creatures are unnerving predators which engulf anything in their path. Some are just so strange that they seem to have been born to replenish your nightmares. Each fish has its signature something that sets it apart as one of the planets scariest sea creatures.

Watch the video attached below to find out about some of the most terrifying-looking and dangerous sea creatures.

Who knows whats still lurking down there? One things for sure, there are more than a few monsters waiting for us. And they sure make us want to stay out of the deep underworld. If you are into scuba diving and other underwater sports, then do your research and be aware!

Image Source: Google Images

Sources: Bustle, Insider, Buzzfeed

Connect with the blogger: @GhoshSohinee

This post is tagged under: sea water, by the sea, sea blue, sea beach, sea level, arabian sea, sea in hindi, sea land, indian sea, sea fish, sea green, deep sea, deep sea creatures, sea, ocean, ocean fish, shark, black shark, baby shark, octopus, squid, carnivorous fish, sea creatures, whale, freshwater fish, freshwater, river, pacific ocean, Atlantic ocean, dangerous fish, most dangerous fish in the world.

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Watch: Terrifying Deep Sea Creatures That Will Make You Stay Out Of Water - ED Times