ettiengt's Blog

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If you are in a committed relationship and your partner is away or you just don't have a date for Valentine's Day and spending this day alone, for some people can be quite sad. It mainly affect women as women are likely to dwell on why they are alone on this day but in many cases men will feel the same and wish that they had someone to share this day with. But spending that day alone does not necessarily have to be a sad day. This article will look at some tips and pointers on how to have fun on Valentine's Day if you are spending it alone.

If you are in a long distance relationship you will often find yourself spending such days as birthday's anniversaries, Valentine's Day away from your partner. But when you are in such situation you are likely to realize that these situations are unavoidable. For example if you and your partner live in different towns because of work and only see each other on weekends, it is quite likely that you will spend Valentine's day alone if it falls on a weekday. But remember in such situations there are a number of ways you can make this day seem special. If you know that you are going to be alone on Valentine's Day try to book as many activities into it as possible come up with anything you want just make sure you are busy all day long this way the time will fly and you will not have time to dwell about being alone. Another thing you can do is make plans for that time when you are going to be together with your partner so you have something to look forward to. You still might be alone on valentine's day but knowing that you will celebrate it a bit later will make the day feel less sad and will also help you feel less lonely.

In case you spending Valentine's Day alone because you are not in a relationship you can still have good time. One of the ways to do it is to get a few good movies and order some takeaways from a good restaurant. You should try to order something you always wanted to try but never got a chance to. This will make your day more exciting and it will feel special as well. Remember that just because you are alone it does not mean at all that you cannot have a great day and evening by yourself.

Also you may have friends who are single as well, you may consider getting together with them and having a night out or a nice dinner. If you have a number of single friends you may want to organise a singles party and get your friends to invite their single friends as well. By doing so you may even end up meeting someone, but if you don't you still will have a great time and the day will not feel sad at all.

And the last thing, if you are alone this Valentine's Day it is really important to remember that this does not mean that you will be always alone. One biggest mistake single people do is they often spend too much time thinking about why they alone on this day. It is important to know that being alone on Valentine's Day is not the end of the world. Do something for yourself, treat yourself for a nice dinner or even a short holiday just keep yourself busy and remember just because you single now your life should not stop and you will not be single forever. So get up and go do something for yourself

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A separatist movement has claimed responsibility for the attack against the Togolese footballers.
 
"The weapons will continue to talk. We are at war and all barred, threatened on Sunday Secretary General of the Forces for the Liberation of Cabinda military position, which claimed the attack against the bus Togolese football. Mingas Rodrigues, speaking in Luxembourg and has lived in exile in France, is unlikely to represent a small group. But choosing a target media, he has put on stage a forgotten conflict, whose oil is the main issue.

The enclave of Cabinda, Angolan province of 7 280 km2 located between the Congo - Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is sometimes dubbed the "Kuwait of Africa". Cabinda produces officially more than half of the approximately 1.9 million barrels day of oil-Angola, a privilege that has always been his misfortune.

In 1975, when the Portuguese government from the Carnation Revolution decided to grant freedom to its colonies in Africa, the Cabinda hope independence separately. Colonial territory administered by the Portuguese, like Angola, the former kingdom of Loango has its own control movement, the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC). But he is not invited to the negotiation of transition. The Portugal is chatting with the three major movements of Angola - MPLA, FNLA and UNITA - and considers that the Cabinda province has become one of Angola. FLEC responded by establishing a provisional government and proclaims its independence, ignored by the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

In November 1975, the coup. Immediately after the declaration of Angolan independence, the MPLA troops, who took over, invaded Cabinda, overthrew the provisional government and make small territory a province of Angola. Cuban troops reinforce the protection of oil installations. And no matter if black gold Cabinda is operated by an American company, greed is stronger than ideology. Then began a war of low intensity, complicated by the oil issue. Regional powers and international support separatism Cabinda in the fight against the Soviet-backed Angolan Government, and especially the struggle for control of its resources.


An underestimated threat

Different tendencies of FLEC are well supported by the dictator Mobutu of Zaire, now Congo. Mobutu, who eye on the oil, has unsuccessfully requested the OAU to hold a referendum on the future of Cabinda. The United States and the former French company Elf, which seek to ensure their future supply, are also present.

But the end of the Cold War sounded the death knell for hopes separatists. Today, if a dispute exists between Angola and the DRC about the exploitation of offshore fields row, the Western oil along very well with Angola. The fields are operated Cabinda to 41% by the Angolan national airline, American Chevron, operator with 39.2%, the French Total (10%) and Italy's ENI (9.8%).

In 2006, the leader of the main tendencies of FLEC, Antonio Bento Bembe, signed an agreement with Luanda and the Angolan government includes as Minister of Human Rights. But elements of the FLEC disavowing, condemning the endemic corruption engendered by the oil described as a "major problem" by the CIA itself on its website. Sunday, Antonio Bembe acknowledged having "perhaps underestimated" the separatist threat. As Rodrigues Ming, the leader who claimed responsibility for the attack, the Foreign Ministry acknowledged Sunday that he had "lived in France. Her current situation remains to be confirmed.

Located in the heart of the strategic review of the new American administration, training of Afghan security forces has so far unpromising. In any case, what emerges from the confidences of an officer of the coalition, who spent part of autumn in Kabul.
 
In his speech of December 2 on Afghanistan, Barack Obama has announced that the transfer of authority to local forces as a prelude to a withdrawal of U.S. forces, would begin in July 2011. Until then, hope the Americans, the young Afghan National Army (ANA) has seen its workforce increase from 85 000 to 134 000 men. A little optimism shared by President Hamid Karzai, who believes it will take at least fifteen years to train an army and police force worthy of the name.

In a confidential memorandum that was procured Le Figaro, the officer of the coalition, who wished to remain anonymous, criticized the way, very Anglo-Saxon, which are trained Afghans. These, he said, were summoned to Kabul for training without any accommodation offered to them either. They lose themselves in "full translations of American textbooks enormous. Their balance is insufficient, they sometimes choose to desert to offer their services to the Taliban, who offer better salaries. Those who come from Kabul refused to leave the capital and selling their mail from corrupt officials of the Afghan Ministry of Defense. The ethnic factor also maintains a "gap between officers trained in Kabul and those who fought in the Brigades.


An archipelago closed

Too few initiatives are left to the Afghan military. Their old AK 47 (Kalashnikov assault rifle), the Afghans have mastered perfectly, were replaced by authoritarian by 16 million U.S. brand new, but bulky. "We do not allow Afghans to fight their way into small strips very aggressive (ie, as the rebels say that we have in front of us) while having difficulty in making battalions and brigades maneuvering to the west, "says the officer.

To further darken the picture, it says that "galaxy formation is a battleground between allies hushed, trying to entrench their influence on the principal geopolitical issue of the moment. Result: "The human and material investment is disproportionate to the result obtained." Last month, Admiral Mike Mullen also regretted the slow starts up the bodies of 912 American officers expected to train their Afghan colleagues. Because training is not considered, as opposed to participation in conventional combat, as a career accelerator in the United States, volunteers are few and sometimes an insufficient level, deplored the Chief of Joint Staff U.S..

For the officer, the coalition and its representatives, who travel in armored vehicles, as "small foreign body, like a huge machine" running a little about herself and often for itself. " The headquarters of ISAF, which has 2 000 members, and the foundations of Kabul are an "island closed to the vast majority of the population."


Reversing the trend

As methods of fighting U.S. forces, they have not changed, he said, since Vietnam. The American firepower transformed into "heroes" rebels who dare to challenge it and the smudged ensuing erode the support of public opinion. "This way of waging war at a distance is ultimately unsuccessful. McChrystal (U.S. commander) wants to stop this spiral "Vietnamese", but this is a battle to wage against the culture of its own army, "warned the officer.

And the French, in all this? Caught in this complex, responsible for two areas, one of which, the Kapissa particularly difficult, they work with people, but can not for lack of reinforcements, leaving their position defensively. " Especially in "small western armies" tertiairisées "" command functions and management tend to take precedence over combat operations.

Although it will be "long and difficult" war is not lost provided, the officer said, "because the Taliban hated" by the people. But to reverse the trend, it should encourage the emergence of a less corrupt government in Kabul and obtain a "complete cessation" of Pakistani support to rebel movements. His call to double the salaries of the military appears to have been heard since a U.S. official has promised an increase in sales ... The officer finally proposes to integrate Afghan soldiers in combat units of the coalition. "The combination of tactical skills of Western executives and knowledge of the local warriors gave excellent results in wars among the people." To the wise ...

Demanding, irritable and having a taste for whiskey: this is the portrait of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (by 1979) emerging from official records declassified Wednesday and covering his early months in Downing Street. Photo credits: AP
Declassified documents made public Wednesday show "Iron Lady" brutal with his staff, fan of whiskey and a bit stingy.
 
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was much more trenchant and politically incorrect than historians have suspected. Declassified documents covering his arrival in Downing Street in 1979, depicted, to the surprise of the press across the Channel, an "Iron Lady" inflexible showing "a degree of racism offensive staff," according The Guardian. The records released Wednesday show including Margaret Thatcher little tolerant vis-à-vis the Vietnamese boat people.

Premier "thought it was a bad idea to give these immigrants the housing while the white citizens did not receive. This would cause riots, "notes a report of a meeting between Margaret Thatcher and her Foreign Minister. According to the Telegraph, which tells the story, the minister is trying to convince the "Iron Lady" of 10,000 refugees left Vietnam to settle in Britain by 1981. "In less welcome return a very bad image of England ', argues there. But the leader of the Tories, Britain already hosts too many immigrants. "With few exceptions, there was no humanitarian reason to allow the entry of 1.5 million inhabitants of South Asia and elsewhere who are there. We must draw the line. "

"All citizens have sent a letter saying support the boat people should host a home," she says. Referring to the situation in Rhodesia (former name of Zimbabwe) which Robert Mugabe, opposition to the apartheid regime of that time, became the strong man, she says however "have less objection to receiving refugees [white] Rhodesia, Poland or Hungary, which are much easier to assimilate. "

The archives reveal Downing Street also projects the strangest of the "Iron Lady". Margaret Thatcher and proposed to his Australian counterpart to jointly buy an island in Indonesia or the Philippines to house the boat people. Hostility in Singapore will derail the plan. Finally facing pressure from the UN, the Prime Minister will agree to open borders to 10,000 Vietnamese over three years, with a preference for those speaking English.


Annotations laconic vitriolic

Margaret Thatcher was equally abrasive with his ministers and officials. Annotations vitriolic terse, scribbled down the texts they submit to it, betraying his impatience. "It's a very bad project and we can only assume, to be charitable, that the Treasury is busy with something else," she commented on a document drafted by his Chancellor of the Exchequer, too timid for his taste in his proposals to reduce the number of officials.

Even when it comes to diplomacy, the former prime minister, who ruled from Downing Street from 1979 to 1990, did not depart from his outspokenness. Japan's offer to be escorted by twenty 'karate girls "at the economic summit in Tokyo? She roundly denies. "If other heads of delegation saw such karateka assigned twenty gentlemen, the Prime Minister would have no objection, but she does not want special treatment," says she.

The declassified documents also leave Wednesday glimpse of the hidden defects of the conservative as his taste for whiskey. An archive of his visit to France in June 1979, shows how members of the embassy had him ahead of his duty free shopping. Of note, a bottle of Teacher's whiskey, a bottle of gin and 200 Benson and Hedges cigarettes. Unusual detail, the embassy staff had subsequently been forced to call several times its due - 65.10 francs - with Downing Street.

Aged 84 years now, Margaret Thatcher, who has suffered several strokes, was no longer expressed publicly since 2002. But she is still participating in official events. Her daughter Carol has revealed however that his mother suffered from senile dementia.