Judo diplomacy: Putin, Cameron differ on Syria

Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, watches judo with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday at the ExCel Centre during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

By Reuters

LONDON - Black-belted Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron locked horns Thursday over Syria and Moscow's crackdown on political opponents?in a day of judo diplomacy at the Olympics.

But before the two attended an Olympic judo match,?Cameron admitted to reporters at his official residence at 10 Downing Street that Britain and Russia still differed?over how to handle the civil conflict gripping Syria.

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"There have been some differences in the positions that we have taken over the Syrian conflict," Cameron told reporters.

Western countries want Putin to take a tougher line on Syria, Russia's firmest foothold in the Middle East, and stop blocking Western-backed resolutions aimed at stepping up pressure on President Bashar Assad.

"We both want to see an end to that conflict and a stable Syria and we will discuss with our foreign ministers how to take this agenda forward," he said.

Putin told reporters through a translator that Russia and Britain shared common ground on some areas over Syria.

"We take notice of the fact there are some things that we see eye to eye on and we agreed to continue working to find a viable solution," Putin said.

Before Syrian reinforcement troops can reach Aleppo, the nation's largest city and commercial capital, they are being attacked by rebel forces in Arihah, a city situated on a key route. NBC's Richard Engel reports.

Russia's 59-year-old president has also faced pressure over an intensifying Kremlin campaign to silence dissent after members of a women's punk band went on trial and a prominent opposition blogger was charged with embezzlement.

Obama authorizes secret US support for Syrian rebels

As Putin entered the prime minister's office in central London, one protester screamed: "Free Pussy Riot", which echoed across Downing Street, in reference to the band who sang out an anti-Putin punk prayer in Moscow's main cathedral.

NBC News

People resisting the army of President Bashar Assad in northern Syria cope with loss and prepare for fighting.

A one-time judo champion in his native city of St. Petersburg, Putin was likely to be at his combative best during his first visit to Britain in years.

For the Kremlin leader, who revels in his tough-guy image, the sight of judokas body-slamming each other on the Olympic mat offered a powerful backdrop to his talks with Cameron.

Full coverage of London 2012: Hosting the Games

Body language
Their body language and dynamics will be watched closely for any clues on the progress of the talks.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said he hoped Putin would strip off to take part in the judo.

"Oh, I hope he will take part. What is he, a dab (hand), I think that's what we want to see, stripped to the waist. We want the politicians Olympics, that's what we want," Johnson told reporters.

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Russia has faced growing Western criticism of its position on Syria, with the United States and Britain demanding Moscow drop its support for Assad.

Western powers believe that ousting Assad is the only way to end the bloodshed in Syria. Russia, on the other hand, provides arms to Damascus and has blocked three Western resolutions calling for an increase in pressure on Assad.

Jan. 24 PhotoBlog:?Black belt Putin gives a judo lesson to young students

Apart from Syria, talks will probably touch on Russia's tense political situation where critics say authorities seek to silence Putin's opponents through unfair accusations and trials.

In a letter in The Times newspaper of London?(site operates behind a pay wall), a dozen leading rock musicians including Jarvis Cocker urged Putin to give a fair trial to women's rock band Pussy Riot, whose members face up to seven years in jail for protesting inside the Moscow cathedral.

Punk rockers go on trial over anti-Putin church protest

Officially, both sides have said talks would focus on trade.

"The sides will discuss what can be done to boost trade. Apart from this, in the course of the talks, the Syrian situation will be discussed in great detail as well as other regional problems," a Kremlin spokesman said.

Dec. 21, 2009: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin shows off his moves with Russia's National Judo Team in St. Petersburg. Dara Brown reports.

"We see it as another possibility ... to explain our arguments, the Russian Federation's clear, consistent and transparent position," the spokesman said.

Thursday's judo bouts include the men's 100 kilogram (220 lbs.) and women's 78 kilogram (172 lbs.) competitions. Russia's Tagir Khaibulaev and Vera Moskalyuk as well as Britain's James Austin and Gemma Gibbons are expected to compete in Thursday match ups.

Russia charges anti-Putin protester Alexei Navalny in latest crackdown on dissent

'Alpha-dog'
Putin, whose testosterone-fueled appearances have earned him the nickname "alpha-dog" in U.S. diplomatic cables, is in London - home to many influential Russians and political exiles - on a private visit at Cameron's invitation.

But diplomatic efforts are complicated by Russia's difficult relations with Britain itself, ranging from espionage to human rights to the 2006 death from radiation poisoning in London of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko.

More Europe coverage on NBCNews.com

"He (Putin) is not welcome in London, neither by Russians who live here or Londoners themselves," Litvinenko's widow, Marina, who lives in Britain, told Reuters.

"It will not be a comfortable visit for Putin. A lot of uneasy questions will be raised," she said.

Aimed at home audience?
Observers said Putin's show of strength in London could be in part aimed at the audience at home, where Putin has hardened his anti-Western rhetoric in response to a wave of anti-government protests this year.

Complete international news coverage on NBCNews.com

"From his choice seat at the Olympic Games Mr Putin will be closely watching the international reaction to his latest crackdown," Garry Kasparov, a liberal opposition leader and former world chess champion, wrote in The Times newspaper.

Russian dissidents in London held a small protest outside Russia's embassy ahead of the visit, shouting "Shame on Putin" and "Russia will be free."

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, on his official Twitter account, said: "Interesting today to see if any decent protests against Putin his phony trials of dissenters. Russia even less free speech than here."

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/02/13085904-judo-diplomacy-putin-cameron-differ-on-syria-during-london-talks?lite

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Olympics bring pride, hope to Afghanistan

Mark Humphrey / AP

Afghanistan's Nesar Ahmad Bahawi carries his national flag during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics on July 27 in London.

By Atia Abawi, NBC News

KABUL ? It?s not exactly Olympic fever in Afghanistan, but there is excitement in the air about the six athletes ? including a female sprinter ? who are representing the war-torn nation at the London Games. Cheering on their compatriots has given some in the country?s capital a welcome distraction from the summer heat.?

Students at Kardan University in Kabul are in the middle of exams, but that hasn?t stopped many of them from carving out time in the evening to watch the Games.

?I really enjoyed watching the opening ceremonies.? I felt so proud when I saw our country?s flag in the hands of our Afghans in the stadium.? And they were the first country to come in after Greece!? said Mohammad Naeem Mamozai, who is studying English Literature.

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?We are a country who has fought for more than 30 years, but when I see my country?s representation in that kind of event, it touches my heart,? he added.? ?We Afghans are not fans of war and we can also represent the better parts of life.?

The Afghan athletes do not have state-of-the-art facilities to train in, making it difficult to compete at the world level.? But nonetheless, their countrymen are overjoyed to see them at the Olympic Games.

?I was watching our player in judo, but he lost in 10 seconds,? Muslim Khurram, a business major, said.? ?I was trying to call my friends to watch, but he lost before they could turn on their television sets.?

Khurram added that even if their players lose, Afghans are still proud because the Games have given them a sense of unity.

?When I go on Facebook now, I see posts from people who used to talk about politics and supporting various political groups now talking about our Olympic players and supporting them,? he said.? ?And they post ?Long Live Afghanistan!?? I feel so proud when I see our Afghan flag.? We should come together and be united.? We should be supporting our country!?

For the first time ever, all 205 countries competing in the Olympic games are sending female athletes. NBC's Meredith Vieira reports and speaks with sprinter Tahmina Kohistani, the sole woman on Afghanistan's Olympic team.

Hoping to medal
Despite the judo defeat, Afghans still hope for a medal. Next week their best chance for Olympic accolades lies with 25-year-old Rohullah Nikpai, who will compete in the men?s taekwondo events.? ?

In 2008, Nikpai brought home Afghanistan?s first ever Olympic medal ? the bronze.? He was greeted by an overjoyed nation.

This year one woman is on the Afghan team.?Tahmina Kohistani, a 23-year-old sprinter, will participate in the 100-meter track and field events.? She?s not expected to medal but her presence alone is seen as a victory by some of her countrywomen.

?It?s not important to me that she brings home a medal, I?m just happy for Afghanistan and especially happy an Afghan woman is participating in the London Olympics,? said Mehr Angiz, a female security advisor at Kabul International Airport.

?During the Taliban we were not allowed to come out of our homes, but today you see a lot of women working, like me,? she said.? ?In the future, I hope a lot more women will join sports, like [soccer], volleyball and maybe even a women?s cricket team.? (Cricket is not an Olympic sport at the moment).

The games are being broadcasted by local television channel SABA-TV who won the rights to distribute the coverage in Afghanistan.? The channel said they were not able to set up public viewings of the games for security reasons, but they have still received positive feedback.

?The feedback from people has been very good,? said Abdul Waheed Hamidi, managing director of SABA-TV.? ?People have been calling and telling us that they appreciate our service.? Not just by phone, but we were also getting emails and Facebook messages about our broadcast.?

It is the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and focus on spiritual cleansing ? not sports. But that hasn?t stopped some from breaking the fast while watching the Games on TV after the sun has set. ?

NBC?s Akbar Shinwari contributed to this report.?

More world stories from NBC News:

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/02/13087797-it-touches-my-heart-olympics-bring-pride-hope-to-afghanistan?lite

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Muscle Car Art on Sale in the Market ? What Ever It Is

Purchase of muscle car art is quite an exciting thing to do as there are very few in the market. If you can be the owner of one such car, it?ll be a matter of extreme pride for you. But one needs to take care about a few things before buying such a car from the market. As these cars cost quite a lot, it?s necessary for you to do a lot of home work before acquiring any one of them. You need to get in touch with the seller and ask different questions to have a thorough knowledge about the car. Only if you?re convinced with the answers, you must proceed about purchasing the cars. You should compel the seller to give proofs about the genuineness of the car.
If the questions are not answered assertively or not answered, you must be rest assured that there is something fishy about the muscle car art. The parts should be verified by you or mechanic you can rely on. The other important specifications of the car like the transmission, engine etc should also be properly looked into. The car should be flawless without any dents or cracks. If there exists one, you should get the price of the car reduced by bargaining well. In any case, you should always negotiate with the price as the seller will always try to earn more. The car should be well maintained and it should be free of any security problems ready to be used on any sort of roads. There should not be any suit filed concerning the car.
If the car needs to be repaired, the price of it must again be diminished as you again need to pay some money. If the muscle car art has already met with a lot of accidents, it must never be bought. If you?re fetish about a particular brand, you should ask the seller to ask for its authentic certificate

Source: http://whateveritis.com/?p=1226

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Health Insurance vs. Healthcare | Psychology Today

Do you care whether I have health insurance? If you do care, do you also care if I have other kinds of insurance?

While you?re thinking about the initial question, here are a few follow-up questions:

• Do you care whether I have life insurance?
• What about disability insurance?
• Homeowner?s insurance?
• Auto casualty insurance?
• Auto liability insurance?
• What about retirement insurance? (A pension or savings plan.)
• Do you care whether I keep my money at an FDIC-insured institution?
• Or whether I bought an extended warranty on my car?
• Or whether I bought travel insurance before taking a scuba-diving trip to Palau? (It pays off if you get sick and can?t go.)

??????????? As discussed in my new book, Priceless: Curing the Healthcare Crisis, there is actually a rational reason (based on economics) why you should care about some of my decisions and not others. Most of us basically don?t care whether people insure to protect their own assets (at least we don?t care enough to try to make them insure). But we do care about decisions that could create external costs for the rest of us.

??????????? Through Social Security, we force people to pay for life insurance benefitting dependent children (who could potentially become wards of the state) but not for a working-age spouse. All but three states force people to have auto liability insurance (covering harm to others) but not casualty insurance (covering their own cars). We basically don?t care whether people insure their own homes, but we force them to contribute to retirement and disability schemes to prevent their accidental dependency on all the rest of us.

??????????? Here is the principle: Government intervenes in those insurance markets where an individual?s choice to insure or not insure imposes potential costs on others. Because of our basic human generosity, we?re not going to allow people to starve or live in destitution. So when people don?t insure in some areas, society is going to step in and help (where help is needed). Implicitly, we have a social contract that socializes the downside of certain risks. If we leave the upside to individual choice, we have privatized the gains and socialized the losses. When people don?t bear the social cost of their risk-taking, they will take more risks than they would otherwise.

??????????? Another way to think about the problem is in terms of the opportunity to become a ?free rider? on other peoples? generosity. Consider people who have no life insurance (for dependent children), no disability insurance, and no retirement savings program. Because they are not paying premiums or saving for retirement, they can consume all of their income and enjoy a higher standard of living than their cohorts. But if they bet wrong (die while children are still minors, become disabled, reach retirement with no assets), they are counting on everyone else to help them out.

??????????? How does all of this apply to health? Considering the extensive interest in insuring the uninsured, you would expect an exhaustive literature. But aside from Robin Hanson?s thesis that healthcare is different,[1]there is virtually nowhere you can go to find a rational, well-thought-out, consistent analysis of why you should care whether or not I have health insurance.

??????????? If we are concerned that the uninsured will impose an external cost on the rest of us, there is a simple remedy: impose a fine equal to the expected cost of any unpaid medical bills they might incur. Note, however, that uninsured middle-income families are already paying higher taxes because they do not have the tax-subsidized (employer-provided) insurance their neighbors have. Far from being free riders, these families appear to be paying their own way. Of course, the extra taxes the uninsured pay tend to go to Washington, while uncompensated care tends to be delivered locally. This mismatch of revenue and expense is not caused by the uninsured, however. It is the result of government not having its act together.

??????????? For high-income families, it?s not clear why we should be concerned. People who have, say, $1 million or more in assets?and that?s about 1 in every 30 people ?can afford to pay their own medical bills without insurance. Also, the argument for intervention becomes weaker the lower a household?s income. People who cannot afford health insurance anyway are not willful free riders. They are not making choices that impose new costs on others. So there is no obvious social reason to force them to insure. They will need healthcare from time to time, however.

??????????? What is the best way to get healthcare to people with low incomes and few assets? Not Medicaid or state-run Children?s Health Insurance Plans (which you can think of as Medicaid for children). Nor is it any other system, inappropriately modeled on the insurance approach to healthcare.

??????????? Bottom line: the case for trying to get everyone insured is not an easy one to make. Nonetheless, most people I know in health policy are obsessed with the idea. In fact, they are more concerned with whether people are insured than whether they get healthcare.

?

[1] Robin Hanson, ?Showing that You Care: The Evolution of Health Altruism,? Depart- ment of Economics, George Mason University, August 2007 (first version May 1999), http://hanson.gmu.edu/showcare.pdf.

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/curing-the-healthcare-crisis/201208/health-insurance-vs-healthcare

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Generation X & Purpose in the Workplace ... - Clutch Consulting

Posted on | August 1, 2012 | No Comments

Business consultant,?leadership development coach, and author?Nathan R Mitchell, is giving members of Generation X the opportunity to share their personal story in an upcoming book titled ?Turn That Frown Upside Down: Discover Meaning and Fulfillment in the Workplace.?

?I?m extremely excited about having the opportunity to introduce my readers to a number of business owners, career professionals, entrepreneurs, leaders, and executives who have battled through the tough times of transition and struggles in the workplace to ultimately find purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in what they do,? says Mitchell.

Mitchell, who has also created a proprietary, leadership development process that helps men and women find purpose in the work they are already doing, hopes the book will inspire readers to learn as much as they possibly can in their current roles.

?The average worker entering the workforce today will have fourteen to sixteen different jobs over the course of their working career,? says Mitchell. ?Are there that many bad jobs out there, or is it a much deeper issue? I?ve discovered it?s the latter!?

Through his research and his own personal experience in the corporate sector, Mitchell discovered that men and women in their twenties have more answers than they do in their thirties and forties. This ?Period of Answers? tends to be quite effective in the short-term as men and women pursue the dangling carrot; something Mitchell has termed ?The Carrot Factor.?

?The problem lies not in trying to be the best we can be in the workplace, but in pursuing advancement at the expense of finding purpose and meaning in our work, and, as we grow older, at the expense of our relationships and our family. At some point in our lives, our careers often stop producing fulfillment, and we start looking for answers,? says Mitchell. ?Unfortunately, since 2008, things have become more complicated.?

When you consider workers today, specifically members of Generation X, studies show they are the most disengaged members of the workforce, and attrition rates in this demographic are less than optimal.

And perhaps that?s why Mitchell?s leadership development process is getting so much attention. Not only is he giving members of Generation X who have found happiness and fulfillment in the workplace the opportunity to share their story, but he is working with businesses and organizations of all sizes. He is helping them improve employee engagement levels, decrease turnover, and ultimately improve their bottom lines, which is something a lot of organizations today are looking for.

Individuals who are interested in being a contributor to the book, as well as businesses and organizations who would like more information on Mitchell?s consulting process, may reach out to him via his website at?http://www.clutchconsulting.net/contact

Source: http://www.clutchconsulting.net/clutch-consulting-blog/generation-x-purpose-in-the-workplace-share-your-story/

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Revolt against Assad draws Briton to Syria

AMMAN (Reuters) - Moved by his mother's tales of atrocities in her homeland three decades ago, British student Mohammad Qadi Riha set off from London to Syria to join the armed resistance against President Bashar al-Assad.

He convinced his mother, a survivor of a 1982 massacre in the city of Hama, that he was going only to film footage on behalf of British media. Rebels, with whom he said he spent six weeks, gave him rudimentary combat training as soon as he arrived in May and took him on their missions.

Armed with a pistol given to him by the fighters from the Jabal Shashabo Brigade, Qadi Riha said he witnessed the aftermath of artillery barrages that destroyed parts of the Apamea Citadel in Hama's al-Ghab Plain, an Arab defensive position during the Crusades era where rebels have been sheltering.

He also said he filmed an attack by his fighter comrades on an army roadblock, although rebels were careful to place Qadi Riha, who says he is an electrical engineering student at East London University, at the rear of the attacking battalion.

"You feel something enormous when attacking. It is like the first time you hear a lot of bombardment, a lot of gunfire and you feel a shot of adrenaline," said the 22-year-old.

"That time I had a camera and at the same time I was holding a weapon. It was borderline for me."

Before going into Syria, Qadi Riha said he had never handled a gun but that he was eager to learn, driven by a sense of historical injustice done to his hometown and a desire to see his compatriots live AS freely as he does in Britain.

"I envisage Damascus to become like London, where Syrians are free to elect their representatives, where not only those from a certain family or sect would get jobs and the rest would have to immigrate to eke a living abroad," Qadi Riha said.

"Syria will become a Western-style democracy, but with an Arab character steeped in history," the devout, bearded Sunni youth said.

Blood greeted him when he first entered Syria, with wounded civilians and fighters, hit mostly by shelling and helicopter fire, ferried on dirt tracks into Turkey.

He hitched a ride with rebels going to the city of Hama, 210 km (130 miles) north of Damascus, by car to deliver the body of a fighter killed in the north to his family.

"We entered Hama with the martyr with us. I have never been to Syria before. I don't know how my country is. So it was something very great for me to be inside," he said.

Qadi Riha said he was born in Iraq, where his family first went after fleeing Hafez al-Assad's rule in the 1980s. He became a British national after his father emigrated to Britain to work at a Syrian-owned grocery shop.

He said he grew up in the London district of White City, listening to his mother recount how she used to see from the shutters of their home in Hama death squads line up Sunni Muslim men with their hands up against a wall and saw off their fingers before killing them.

Wearing a check shirt and cargo trousers, Qadi Riha set off again to Syria three weeks ago, this time with communications gear and money he collected from Syrian expatriates for the rebels.

Reuters interviewed Qadi Riha last month in the Turkish city of Antakya, before he went for a second visit to Syria, and spoke with him upon his return to London.

The thin, bearded young man said his second experience in Syria was harder.

"The army is now using artillery more heavily and helicopter gunships are bombarding at night. If anyone is caught by the bombardment they stand no chance," he said, adding that most of the arms he saw with the rebels in Hama were rocket propelled grenades and AK-47s.

"We used to sit at night and the shells going in the sky and their sound and light. You don't know where the shell is going but everyone watching thinks the shell is coming at him. It is just random indiscriminate shelling. They (Assad's forces) don't even know where it is going, whom it is going to kill," he said.

The military crackdown rekindled tales of five relatives killed in Hama when Assad's father, the late President Hafez al-Assad, sent troops who razed whole districts of the city and massacred many thousands of its residents three decades ago.

"When the revolution erupted I started having these thoughts about how the regime is and how our fathers left. It took months of preparation and I finally made it," Qadi Riha said.

"My mother told me the fingers she saw were cut with circular blades and they would stick to the wall and no one dared remove them. My father only survived the massacre because he was in jail. He told us stories how he lived the 1980s here and how he was imprisoned and tortured," he said.

Thousands of Syrians expatriates have been helping the rebellion, mostly by contributing money, activism on the Internet, hosting refugees, or going to border areas in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to offer expertise, such as doctors who help the wounded, according to opposition sources.

There are no figures on foreigners who joined the rebels on the inside, but Syrian authorities say fighters have come from North Africa, Yemen, Gulf states and Afghanistan.

Describing himself as a practicing Muslim, but not a Jihadi, Qadi Riha said he supported anyone who resisted Assad, whether peacefully or as a rebel.

Some Syria experts have expressed concern that al-Qaeda may gain a foothold in the country and push for an Islamist government. Qadi Riha said an al-Qaeda influenced post-Assad theocracy stood little chance because Islam in Syria had been historically "open and tolerant".

The fighter said he plans to spend some time with his family in London before going back for a third "tour of duty".

(Editing by Anna Willard and Michael Stott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/revolt-against-assad-draws-briton-syria-170731977.html

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The Real Housewives of New York City: Dirty Ol' Dad

The Real Housewives of New York City travel down to Miami to meet up with "Dirty Ol' Dad." The ladies brought their swimsuits, their heels and plenty of crazy as we recap it all in our THG +/- review.

Miami is beautiful. The sun, the sand, the surf.  Why do the Housewives have to bring along their craziness?

But let's start off with Carole. Since someone is offering to make her new novel into a TV show, finishing it is kind of important. The problem is she's been working on it for four years and she's can't stand to write about her protagonist for one minute more. Minus 10. If Carole doesn't like her main character, why will any else?

Off to Miami we go where the ladies check in with Carole's friend Ranjana at her palace in the sky. Plus 11 because the place is amazing. The view is spectacular and even Aviva with her fear of heights manages to hang out on the balcony.

Ranjana shows the ladies how to do face yoga which she obviously takes quite seriously. It might sound silly but it definitely works for Ranjana. At 56 the woman has beautiful skin. Plus 8.

That Ramona and Sonja manage to act like disruptive brats is no surprise. It seems to be the way they act at all parties.

Aviva quickly learns that Ramona is the equivalent of the Energizer bunny on drugs. Minus 12 because somehow on this trip she's is even wackier than normal.

First she is obsessed with Aviva's prosthetic leg being in the pool to the point that she makes a scene and orders Aviva out of the water.  Minus 15.  Ramona's treating Aviva like she's a child? Aviva lost her leg decades ago. She certainly knows how to handle her prosthetic and even if she ruins it, it's not as though she doesn't have the money to replace it.

It really bothers Aviva but the girl needs to stand up for herself. She runs around complaining to Carole and Sonja instead of telling Ramona to cut the crap.  Minus 10.

It's hard to decide whose behavior is worse, Ramona or George's. 

What can we say about George? He is sex obsessed. He has no filter. He has no manners. He may be perfect for Sonja.

Really, there's nothing cute or sexy about George. He is a well tanned dirty old man looking to cop a feel any chance he gets. Minus 13. He doesn't need a roll in the hay. He needs a good slap to learn to mind his manners.

Unfortunately the slap never happens. Carole finds the dirty old man routine amusing while Ramona and Sonja seem happy just to have the attention.  But minus an additional 13 when George goes from sex crazed fool to pervert as he nudges his erection into Sonja's backside at a club. I was really hoping that someone would throw the old man in the pool to cool off.

Then we have Ramona who besides bullying Aviva on multiple occasions about her leg, also kicks her out of the guest bathroom in her own home. And it doesn't end there.

Ramona and Sonja are so late to the dinner party that it causes Aviva to curse and send Mario to try and prod them along and that's after they manage to break the guest shower.  Minus 8. What the heck were they doing in the shower when they broke the hardware off the wall?  Nevermind, I don't think I want to know.

Why was Ramona in someone else's kitchen telling the staff how to serve dinner?  Minus 10. Does the woman have any idea how to be a guest in someone else's home?

The entire trip was awkward and uncomfortable and Aviva seems to be nearing the end of her rope.  What happens when she finally can't hold on?  We might find out next week.

EPISODE TOTAL: -72. SEASON TOTAL: -205!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/07/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-city-dirty-ol-dad/

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