Word: blanks
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...These days the U.S. doesn't look quite so omnipotent. Insurgents in Iraq and now Afghanistan have learned how to throw sand in our war-fighting machine. Economically, our gaping deficits are making it harder to run the war on terrorism on a blank check. And ideologically, violent, illiberal movements like Hamas, Hizballah and the Taliban have proved that they have deeper roots in native soil than the Bushies assumed. At West Point, Obama said he would not "set goals that go beyond our responsibility, our means or our interests." Bush never spoke in that language of limits...
...sort of theater of artifice; faces become masks, from behind which the humanity of a character can either struggle or fail to emerge. Perhaps the greatest failure of “The Darjeeling Limited” was in reversing this formula instead of developing on it. But the utterly blank faces of Fox, his family, and friends—posturing, wry, flummoxed, or brooding countenances as they fit their respective characters—allow for development that’s left totally up to the script. Fox’s son Ash, voiced by Jason Schwartzman, another perennial Anderson collaborator...
Empty stores indicate tough economic times, and Harvard Square has seen its share of blank windows and dark buildings. But, at least for a few more months, the most conspicuous storefront in the Square will light up Brattle St. with bold frocks, patterned cushions, quirky furniture, and floor-to-ceiling tapestries. The exhibit, under the direction of architect Jane F. Thompson, celebrates the fortieth anniversary of the glass and concrete edifice at 48 Brattle Street. Thompson’s late husband Benjamin C. Thompson designed the iconic building in 1969 as headquarters for Design Research, a home furnishings and design...
...course, Obama did speak of strengthening governance, though with a pointed message that "the days of providing a blank check [to Afghan President Hamid Karzai] are over." Still, how he would do so, and what would happen if Karzai's government did not clean up its corrupt ways, was unclear. Officials say the most likely punishment would be a withdrawal of U.S. and foreign funding to those ministries that are clearly corrupt or that underperform. As for development, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking on Monday in New York, said Washington's "goals in Afghanistan include providing the government with...
...This effort must be based on performance. The days of providing a blank check are over. President Karzai's inauguration speech sent the right message about moving in a new direction. And going forward, we will be clear about what we expect from those who receive our assistance. We will support Afghan ministries, governors and local leaders that combat corruption and deliver for the people. We expect those who are ineffective or corrupt to be held accountable. And we will also focus our assistance in areas - such as agriculture - that can make an immediate impact in the lives...